USA > New York > Camp and field life of the Fifth New York volunteer infantry. (Duryee zouaves.) > Part 34
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
" A charge of cavalry completed the rout ; there were captured many colors and guns and about 5,000 prisoners ; the Fifth Corps capturing of these, 3,244 men, with their arms, eleven regi- mental colors, and one four-gun battery, with its caissons. The cavalry loss was a few hundred, that of the Fifth Corps, 634 killed and wounded."
General Warren says in his " Defense "-" General Sheridan says : 'I therefore relieved him from the command of the Fifth Corps, authority for this action having been sent to me before the battle, unsolicited.'
" From the time that authority reached him, he, apparently, sought occasion to use it. I say this with regret ; but the tone of the report toward me, and his hasty action, indicate that it was so. If a victory won by my command, under my direction, could not gain me credit, where the plans made were, as he says, ' successfully executed,' and where my efforts and directions were known to almost every one, then nothing could."
An incident that occurred at the re-union of several of the Army Corps will indicate the opinion of the soldiers, as well as of the highest officers in the land, in their estimate of Warren's services, even in the presence of Sheridan himself. The Asso- ciated Press gave the following report of the occurrences :
THE VETERANS' RE-UNION.
" HARRISBURG, PENN., May 12, 1874 .- This morning, the 2d, 5th, and 6th corps met respectively in the House of Repre-
---
...
437
Personal Sketches.
sentatives, State Library, and Senate Chamber. The 5th corps convened in the State Library, General Sweitzer in the chair. General Warren, the gallant commander of the old 5th corps, was called upon to address the meeting, which he did.
" The 6th corps meeting was held in the Senate Chamber -- General Taylor in the chair. The attendance was fair. At II o'clock a grand procession was formed in front of the Capitol, with Generals Sherman, Sheridan, Hancock, Doubleday, Scho- field, and . McDowel, Governor Hartranft, Senator Cameron, Auditor-General Allen, Supervisor-General Heath, and other distinguished soldiers and civilians in carriages. Amid the thunder of cannon the line was formed, and the march to the Grand Opera-House commenced. The Masonic building was gayly decorated with the national colors and the army flags and devices of the different corps of the Army of the Potomnac. Upon the spacious stage were Generals Sherman, Sheridan, Hancock, Schofield, Doubleday, Burnside, and a host of others.
" As the presence of General Warren was announced from the platform, loud cries for the veteran commander of the old 5th corps went up from hundreds of throats. As nothing else could restore order, the General, who was in the audience, arose and came forward, amid deafening applause. There were two thousand persons in the house, and at least three times that number surging outside."
This episode shows conclusively that the great military ability and services of General Warren, from the first battle of the war to the last, were acknowledged, in a conspicuous manner, by those most competent to judge ; and that the imputations of one man, though a successful and great General, were wiped out by the verdict of thousands.
General Warren says, in a communication to the New York Herald, dated at Newport, R. I., July 26, 1878: "At the battle of Five Forks I was not relieved till after the battle had ceased. Thousands of soldiers in the 5th army corps, and many in the ranks of our foes, can testify that I led the final attack that completed that victory. There was no cause to take me away from any misconduct, and General Grant would never allow me a court of inquiry, because thereby I could have shown there was no causc. I claim the honors of that day are mine."
438
Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
During the time that General Warren was connected with the 5th New York, which covered its full term of service, with the exception of about four months, he was either in command or had it under his eye in his brigade, where it held the post of honor. The men placed implicit confidence in him as a leader, and were always ready to obey his orders unflinchingly. They were sure that he would never shrink from any duty, and always set an example by Reading the way. In action, it seemed to the men that he was everywhere at the same moment, and he al- ways appeared to be perfectly indifferent to bullets or shell, and must have borne a charmed life, from the manner in which he exposed himself. He attended to the slightest details person- ally, and many a time has he seized a spade or pick out of the hands of a lazy soldier to show him how to dig. From the first day General Warren made his appearance in the regiment, to the last, the effect of his superior practical knowledge, in all matters appertaining to the school of the soldier, was apparent in the discipline. drill, and efficiency of the regiment. The men often wondered whether he passed any time in sleep. General Warren disliked bombast, and was not in the habit of speaking of his own deeds, but preferred to let the results of his actions show for themselves.
The army and the nation have a common interest in the record and the life of such a soldier.
MAJOR-J. MANSFIELD DAVIES.
J. MANSFIELD DAVIES was a son of Professor Davies, for- merly instructor of mathematics at the West Point Military Academy, and received his education at Kinsley's Military School, West Point. He resigned from the 5th Regiment Au- gust 17, 1861, having been commissioned Colonel of the 2d New York, Harris Light Cavalry ; from which regiment he re- ceived an honorable discharge Decembe . 6, 1862, on account of ill-health, engendered from exposure in the field. Through his exertions he aided greatly in the organization of the 5th Regiment New York Volunteers, and was much respected by the whole command.
439
Personal Sketches.
CHAPLAIN-REV. GORDON WINSLOW, D.D.
The Rev. GORDON WINSLOW, the Chaplain of the 5th Regi- ment, was a man somewhat advanced in years when the war broke out, his age being about sixty. At that time he was settled over a parish at Staten Island, as an Episcopalian minister. He was a type of the old Revolutionary stock, possessing an iron consti- tution, capable of enduring any amount of hardship, with an act- ive, untiring, energetic disposition, and having a strong love for his country, he was among the first to volunteer his services when the authority of the Government was set at defiance. He was a man that knew no fear, and always was to be found on the ad- vance line, sometimes even ahead of the skirmishers. and he never thought of danger or spared himself when he could be of any benefit to the wounded. He obtained the appointment of Chaplain to the 5th New York Volunteers, but the performance of the duties that rightfully belonged to the position was only a small part of the responsibilities that he assumed. He served all through with the regiment, and was mustered out with it, May 14, 1863. One of his sons was a Lieutenant in the Fifth ; another, Cleveland Winslow, Col. of the Fifth, organized a new regiment of Zouaves, called the 5th Veterans, and on his being ordered to the front with his command, his father accompanied it as Chap- lain, but he was soon after made Sanitary Inspector of the Army of the Potomac, and in this position his services were invaluable. There are thousands of the sick and wounded, who, if living to- day, can testity to his kindness and untiring zeal in their behalf night and day. Hundreds of soldiers, could they wake from the dead, would tell how he ministered unto them in their dying hours, and received their last message or memento for the friends at home. The fate of many a fallen hero would never have been known to surviving relatives had it not been for his fidelity and sympathy. The perusal of his daily journal awakens surprise that a man of his advanced years could perform all the duties which he undertook. He visited camps and inspected the sick of the various regiments day after day and night after night, traveling with his favorite horse, "Captive," over the most ditfi- cult roads, in storm or calin, often under fire, and partaking of
440
Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
such hospitality as a camp affords. A few hours were spent in sleep here and there on the ground, and then his tireless rounds were resumed, looking after ambulances and the sick and wounded, who were always demanding his attention ; he inspected the med- ical stores, examined and weighed blankets to see that they came up to the standard, and performed a thousand other duties of the long detail of a sanitary officer.
On May 3, 1864, when General Grant's great army commenced their move on Richmond, he was on General Warren's staff. From his journal, the author quotes, under date of May 3d, Tuesday :
"Left at night for Culpepper to join General Warren ; moved at 121% A.M." "Fourth, Wednesday, A.M., moved the entire army to Germania Ford ; General Warren and myself arrived at the Ford at 614 A.M., before the pontoons were completed ; went over and saw them completed," etc. Thus he continued from day to day, leading a most active and useful life. Occasionally on his rounds, he visited his son, the Colonel. Finally, Wednes- day, June Ist, after describing the movements of the troops, and an engagement then taking place, he says :
"General Ayres, of the regulars, received the old 5th New York Veteran Volunteers, who were at once put into the fight, and acquitted themselves well." On the 2d, after giving a de- tailed account of more fighting, and his own movements, he closes his account for the day with "Cleve was wounded." Friday, June 3d : " Went over to find 'Cleve ;' found him in a cellar of a house, which was being shelled, on our right." And then continues with a general description of a heavy engage- ment, and-" Rode all day to the several hospitals ; " " brought Cleve to the 6th corps hospital and stayed with him overnight." " Wound in the left shoulder, minie ball, making exit from the back," etc. "The wound was much inflamed by his return to the field, after being dressed. He passed the night comfortably. I slept on the ground under the same fly."
Two brave hearts, father and son ! The wounded Colonel, a month after was laid in his grave. The father who watched over him, in three days after his son's wound, was drowned in the Potomac.
441
Personal Sketches.
The last entry in the journal, June 5th, White House, appears to be a copy of a note sent :
"SUNDAY EVG.
"DEAR GEN. :- I have hardly time to say we arrived on Sat- urday, and expect to go out to-morrow at 3 o'clock." "June 6th." (A loving hand has written, as if the dead Divine was con- tinuing his journal). June 7th, Tuesday morning. " AT HOME IN THE PARADISE OF GOD." Also, " Dr. Winslow was spared the agony of knowing the extent of his son's wound-a gun-shot fracture of the left shoulder-which resulted in the death of the Colonel on the 7th of July, 1864, at the Mansion House Hospital, Alexandria, Va."
PRESS CORRESPONDENCE.
" Our boats were being filled with special cases of wounded ones ; among whom was Colonel Winslow, a son of the lamented Dr. Winslow, so long and so favorably known in connection with the United States Sanitary Commission. He was brought from the front to the boat by his father, whose tenderness for his child equaled that of a mother," etc., etc.
Dr. Winslow was drowned from this boat, while in the act of drawing a bucket of water from the side of the vessel while sail- ing up the Potomac, being in the sixty-fifth year of his age. (His body was never recovered).
The following extracts from some of the letters written by Dr. Winslow during the earlier part of the war, will be read with interest by all members of the Fifth, not only as mementoes of our much respected Chaplain, but as a part of the history of the regiment. It is to be very much regretted that the journal which he kept during the two years' service of the Fifth. was lost from one of the wagons, at Aquia Creek, during our homeward march :
" CAMP BUTLER, May 27, 1861.
" We are well settled at our camp life-the staff occupying quarters with the Colonel in an old mansion, on a plantation of great beauty directly upon the bay. This carries us quite out beyond all the others, and gives us the right to our title of the ' Advance Guard.' The Secession arms glistening in our sight. 19*
442
Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
But they begin to realize the dangerous proximity of our Zouaves. Every day we push out somewhat, and every night a scout or an attacking party is on the move, and thus far without bloodshed. Last night a company was detailed on a secret expedition to attack a large building, called a college, declared to be dangerous, being well stored with Secessionists. I was detailed to accom- pany the expedition, which opportunity I was glad to improve. We started at eleven o'clock, with muskets, and ten rounds of ball cartridge, revolvers, etc. Our passage lay up the banks of a stream for some two miles, then crossing over and passing down upon the other bank some two and a half miles, much of the time upon our knees or in a stooping position quite to the ground, listening at every few steps till within a few hundred yards, when we divided into separate parts and surrounded the college and several villas, and closed in gradually till near the spot of attack, when the Captain, with two or three, went forward and demanded a surrender unconditionally. The thing was done without resist- ance, and we took possession, and passed the night in guarding the grounds about from outward or inward attack. Several shots were fired from across the stream and arm of the bay, on either side, during the night, but nobody was hurt."
After giving an account of an encounter with a patrol from camp, who were mistaken for an enemy, as they did not have the countersign, and in which he fired his first shot, he says :
"At sunrise we raised the flag of our Union on top of the dome, and gave the whole into the hands of a relief guard and returned to camp. It was considered a successful enterprise. Last night Captain Winslow was detailed on a similar enterprise with his company. He reported a complete success, having taken the place occupied by some Secession spies. Captain Winslow returned with his prisoners at about three o'clock A.M. The prisoners have just been called before a court of inquiry, and turned over to General Butler for judgment."
Extract of a letter dated Washington. July 29, 1861 :
" I am getting to be quite a business man, which agrees with me much. I should like to be General for about one month, to try my hand at it."-" I have no wish to leave the Chaplaincy,
3
--
+ :
443
Personal Sketches.
but I am determined to stick to the war to the last, and do it like a man ; and if they cut me off in one direction, I shall turn their flank in another, and carry the day."
Doctor Winslow had a former slave as his servant, who was brought on with him from Camp Hamilton, but not without some trouble, as the following goes to show :
" CAMP FEDERAL HILL, BALTIMORE August 9, 1861.
" Jim is with me. He is a regular specimen of an old aristo- cratic slave. The Dutch soldiers at Hampton were about to hang him as a spy when I arrived from Washington. When I demanded his release, he was brought to Colonel Webber's quarters, and on seeing me, nearly fainted. When revived, he cried : 'Lord God Almighty ! I'd rather see ole massa than my fader and modder raisin' out ob der graves-Oh, golly ! whew?' If he continues faithful, I shall be sorry to part with him."
In speaking of his horse, which was captured by some of the Zouaves, back of Hampton, while on a scout, he says :
"Captive is well, and quite the admiration of all. I had quite a time in getting him from the Provost Marshal. The Regulars called it storming Gibraltar, and thought it could not be taken. But they lived to see it was taken, and by a regular process, and so effectually that no question can hereafter be raised on the subject of rightful ownership."
CAMP FEDERAL HILL, August 11, 1861. { Sunday, IO P.M.
It is almost impossible to keep up with time when anything extra is expected. Every hour has its allotted work. A thou- sand visitors at least have been in camp to-day. At 7 A.M. We had a battalion inspection and review on the street in the city ;. then came inspection of hospital ; then inspection of camp and quarters, which brought us near to 11 o'clock ; then divine serv- ice, which held till dinner at 1 P.M ; then general lounging and repose from two to three; then mustering of delinquents and squads for evening parade, which calls for special inspection from the officers of the several companies. In the meantime I look after the sick in hospitals and the ailing in camp, which
444
Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
brings us to time for dress parade and general drill ; after which the general orders are published, which this evening were very lengthy, and among which I am personally interested, viz. : the one which confirms my commission and rank as that of cavalry Captain in the army, defining the duties, responsibilities, etc. (" [ have a call from two officers"). It is now eleven as I re- sume. The subject of conversation with the officers was peculiar. It related to the possibility of our being blown up. The fact is, the hill on which our camp is situated is completely undermined. For many years it has been the resort for white sand for making glass, etc., until immense caves running in all directions and near- ly through the whole extent have been excavated, and probably owing to this fact, it has been suggested that a few barrels of powder placed beneath our camp would, if ignited, give us an uncomfortable ascent to unexplored parts. We have come to the wise conclusion that this must be looked after. I have not yet been out into the city to any extent except to give "Captive" a little airing on two occasions. We generally are hailed with "cheers for Jeff Davis and the Southern Confederacy," which is indicative that the cat is only scotched, not killed, in these parts. We never retort, and probably in time they will find that it don't pay to cheer us. We had the long roll last night, or rather this morning, about 2 o'clock. The camp was all alive and every man under arms in about five minutes. It was a false alarm, but it shows the discipline of the regiment. It is raining and very dark, with prospect of a wet time, etc. I have been so ac- customed to sleep on a board that a bed would now appear strange, etc.
The poor fellows on guard to-night will have a moist time of it. One man yesterday fell off the bank and injured his back- and one man was sun-struck to-day on guard while we were at service, etc. My eyes begin to ask for sleep, so I will add a line in the morning.
Morning .- It rains and has done so nearly all night, yet the gun fires and the reveille beats as regularly as under clear skies, etc.
G. W.
-
-
1
445
Personal Sketches.
CAMP FEDERAL HILL, BALTIMORE.
Since I last wrote I have been like a shuttle-cock, to and from Washington and Fortress Monroe, with dispatches, which has brought me in contact with all the heads of departments and with the different Generals. I found General McDowell at Ar- lington Heights, in sadness at his discomfiture. He said, the victory was ours at Bull Run up to the opening of a masked battery on the flank, near where an array of spectators, editors, Congressmen, women, etc., were assembled to see the battle, and who at once took to flight ; this alarmed the teamsters, and finally the retreat, or rather stampede, was irresistible. At this moment large reserves of the enemy came up and changed the whole fate of the day. It was a bad affair, but I have no doubt it will do good by bringing up our officers and men to the true idea that we are warring with men of prowess and determina- tion, with the best materials of warfare, in positions of strength and where strategic movements are greatly facilitated by a familiar acquaintance with the topography of the country. We have much more to do than has been imagined, and I think that General Scott was decidedly right in his judgment and plans, which unfortunately were overruled by the host of politicians, Congressmen, editors, President, and all. The fact is, they wished to see a battle, supposing of course we must whip the Southern- ers. I hope hereafter all civilians found on the battle-field from curiosity will be shot, by order of court-martial ; and all women found there will be obliged to carry a pack and arms. It is no place for idle spectators or curiosity-mongers, etc. We have had a grand review by Major-General Dix, who seems much pleased with the regiment. Our desire was to be placed on the advance of the army, but Scott and Dix regard this as the most important position at this moment to be occupied. There is, it is believed, a deep plot to cross from Harper's Ferry and join the secret enemies in this city. This requires the utmost dis- cretion, forbearance, and soldierly bearing, to know all that tran- spires without provoking resistance, and yet be able to quell them at a moment's notice, etc. We have a great number of applicants for officers from our regiment. I think no less than
446
Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
ten Captains and twice as many Lieutenants have been taken from us. But still we can stand it. Half of our men are capa- ble of making officers better than we often find.
Major-General Dix also desired me as military secretary, which would rank me as Major, but it would be too inactive. I would rather be a soldier on constant drill than be idle. You will be- lieve this from what you know of my habit, etc. G. W.
The correspondent of a New York journal, in speaking of the wounded at Gettysburg, reported as follows :
" The Sanitary Commission are still supplying the wounded at Gettysburg with delicacies. The patients are reported to be im- proving slowly. The good work is in charge of the Rev. Mr. Gordon Winslow, chaplain of Duryee's Zouaves, 5th New York Regiment, who is unremitting in his attention to the sufferers under his care," etc.
After the battle of Big Bethel, Dr. Winslow remained in the rear of the retreating troops, looking after and caring for the wounded. He was at one time cut off from the main body by a party of mounted Confederates, and remained hid in the brush for several hours. He saw the enemy pass by his hiding-place several times, and a Confederate sentinel was posted within eighty feet of him. At camp he was thought to have been surely taken prisoner by the enemy, but he eluded them and made his way back, arriving at camp about midnight.
ADJUTANT-JOSEPH E. HAMBLIN.
JOSEPH E. HAMBLIN was a man of giant proportions, stand- ing six feet four inches in height, and was a universal favorite with the officers and men. He had been through some military experience before the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion. Ile was conspicuous in the Kansas border troubles, and was in the expedition to Montgomery, and on General Frost's staff. At the breaking out of the war he was a member of the 7th Regt.
447
Personal Sketches.
N. G. S. New York, and received a commission as Second Lieu- tenant in the 5th New York Volunteers.
The following is from the New York Times of March, 1867 :
" In General Order No. 3, under date of March 7, Major- General Alexander Shaler announces, among other officers ap- pointed to his staff, the name of Joseph E. Hamblin, Division Inspector, with the rank of Colonel.
"Colonel and Brevet Major-General Joseph E. Hamblin was for several years a member of the 7th Regiment, having served as Orderly Sergeant in one of the companies of that command.
"When the Rebellion broke out in 1861, Hamblin was appoint- ed by Colonel (afterward Brigadier-General) Abram Duryce, as Adjutant of the Zouave Regiment (5th New York Volunteers), which was organi 1 g for two years or the war. In this capacity he served in the summer of 1861, at Old Point Comfort, under General Benjamin F. Butler, and was present at Big Bethel, the first battle of the war.
" The Fifth was transferred to Baltimore in July, 1861, and Hamblin was commissioned a Captain August 27th. He was subsequently commissioned Major in the 65th New York Volun- teers (United States Chasseurs), dated from November 3, 1861. After the Peninsula campaign, Hamblin, with rank from July 20, 1862, became Lieutenant-Colonel of his regiment."
. " This promotion he had won by hard service before Yorktown, at Williamsburgh, Fair Oaks, Glendale, and Malvern Hill."
As Lieutenant-Colonel, he participated in the battles of An- tietam, Fredericksburg, first and second; in the storming of Marye's Heights in the morning, and the defense of Salem Heights in the afternoon-both on the left of that line of en- gagements known as Chancellorsville. Colonel Shaler having received his Brigadier's commission for gallant conduct at the capture of Marye's Heights, Hamblin became Colonel of the Chasseurs, with rank from May 26, 1863, and as such (in the 6th Corps), was at Rappahannock Station, Gettysburg, and Mine Run under Meade ; in the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, and Cold Harbor, under Grant ; and at Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, under Sheridan, when he was made Brevet Brigadier-General "for gallant and meritorious conduct at the
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.