USA > New York > Camp and field life of the Fifth New York volunteer infantry. (Duryee zouaves.) > Part 5
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* " Report of Committee on the Conduct of the War" (p. 383). General War- ren : " I pushed up with two companies ahead of the regiment, within two or three hundred yards of the enemy, and discovered that they had cannon, etc."
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Big Bethel.
in the road side of the woods, within five hundred yards of the enemy's works, supported somewhat by three companies under Lieutenant-Colonel Warren.
Almost instantaneously the first report was followed by another, and a shell came whizzing through the air, with its disagreeable shriek. Now they come thick and fast, and the regiment was ordered to charge through the wood. At the word of command, on they rushed, with a Zouave cheer, through the thick brush of the wood, which was raked by grape and canister, shell and solid shot. Soon the companies became mixed, and separated into detached squads, on ac- count of the thick undergrowth of the woods. It was impos- sible to preserve the line in breaking through the brush and dodging trees, or even to keep in view of one another. The wood resounded with cries of "This way, Company A," "This way, Company G," mingled with various emphatic injunctions not necessary to be repeated. The firing now became very heavy, but on account of our being so near the rebel works, and their fire directed by inexperienced artil- lerists, their shots were aimed too high, and cut off the tree tops and boughs, which was more agreeable to the Zouaves than the loss of their own heads and limbs. The men were now ordered to lie down and keep covered as much as pos- sible, and await future developments. In the meantime some of the boys, on their own responsibility, had crept to the outer edge of the woods nearest the enemy, the timber being bounded by a rail fence, and thence kept up a fire on any Confederate that exposed himself above their works. It was a little to the right of this position that Major Winthrop was killed. Part of the Steuben Rifles had also crept up on the right, and kept up a galling fire, while some of the Zouaves Chuged up the road. Captain Kilpatrick and five or six others were standing well to the front in the woods, with Colonel Duryée, who was about ten feet to the right, trying to get a view of the Confederate position, when a grape-shot
3*
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Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
cut through the Captain's thigh and scraped the other leg, and went through the thigh of Tom Cartwright, of Company G, who was standing near him ; another shot, at the same moment, tore off a portion of the rectangle on the left shoulder of Colonel A. Duryee. Captain Kilpatrick's inquiry on receiv- ing the wound, "Are we going to stay here and be shot down, and do nothing ?" was answered by the order to fall back toward the edge of the woods, and to re-form, the Cap- tains and officers using the most strenuous exertions to get their companies together, with only partial success on ac- count of the undergrowth which separated them. There being no order for any general movement to outflank the enemy, or change position, from the Brigadier-General (Pierce).commanding, and the officers and men being eager to get at the enemy in some way, in the absence of direct orders, they were not acting in concert, but more or less on their own responsibility. Colonel Duryee and officers were exerting themselves to get the men again into a battalion front and calm their excitement, and Lieutenant-Colonel Warren called out that they would flank them on the left.
The morass in front, which was impassable, prevented the Zouaves from forcing the batteries at the point of the bayonet, without orders, in which undertaking some of the officers would have gladly led. They were in earnest, and ready for any deed of daring. Captain Kilpatrick, in his written report of his part in the movement, says : " The whole command, officers and men, did themselves the greatest credit, and, I am satisfied, can conquer anything except impossibilities."
At this stage of the contest, some of the men charged up the road ; one of them lost a leg, which was cut off close to his body, by a solid shot ; another an arm, and one was killed, and the undertaking was tound impossible without support. Lieutenant Jacob Duryee, of Company G, called out, " Who will follow me? I will charge the batteries," when he was immediately surrounded by all within the sound
----
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of his voice-about forty or fifty-among whom were most of the firemen of his own company, comprising members of Engine Company 12, Engine Company 7, Truck Company 9, and of old Engine Company 46, which had been dis- banded on account of the fighting proclivities of its men- bers. Away they rushed, followed by Captain Denike, Cap- tain Winslow, and Lieutenant York, and about 200 of the Zouaves, out of the woods across the road, joined by Kil- patrick, who went limping along with them, notwithstanding his wounds, and it is unnecessary to say that the giant form of William McDowell,* of Truck Company 9, was among them. They dashed toward the peach orchard, on the left of the road, falling flat at each flash of the rebel cannon, then up again and on, as fast as they could move, over the soft and yielding soil, the solid shot and canister shrieking over their heads. About the middle of the field, Kilpatrick's wounded leg gave out, and some of the men halted to assist him to the rear, but he requested them to advance. A num- ber of the men went no further. Robert Strachan, of Com- pany I, who was in the charge, seeing that he was much ex- hausted, assisted him to the rear. Finally the little storm- ing party, now numbering only about fifty, reached the shelter of the old sheds, already mentioned, and just beyond was that impassable morass that prevented them from achieving a victory. Among that little band were men who had fought fire and flame, and knew no fear, and whom nothing in the shape of man could terrify. This testimonial is to be found on the muster rolls of their company, where the names of the most of those who were in this the first real charge of the war, are to be found as killed or wounded, at Gaines' Mill or on Manassas Plains.t
* Killed at second Bull Run.
t The number of members of Company G that belonged to the Volunteer Fire De- I urtment of New York City was twenty-two, of whom five were killed, eight " unded and injured (five of whom were discharged therefor), and three returned
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They approached within three hundred feet of the enemy's works, and kept up a vigorous fire from the cover of the sheds. Colonel Townsend, with the 3d New York, also came up with his regiment further to the left, in good order, the Colonel leading, and sitting erect on a white horse, the impersonation of a valiant soldier. It seemed a miracle that he was not killed, but such are the chances of war. Frequently the men who seem, by their actions, to almost court death are spared, while the fatal bullet strikes the skulking victim, far away to the rear. Private William H. Burnham, of Com- pany H, formerly in the regular army, had the credit of say- ing the life of Colonel Townsend by shooting a rebel lodged in a tree, who had drawn his rifle on him. Burnham was presented with a gold medal by the Colonel. The Con- federates now abandoned the works on their right, but still the troops could not follow up the advantage on account of the nature of the obstructions described. Colonel Town- send, seeing two companies of his regiment who had become detached from his left in coming through the bushes to the open field, on his left flank, fell back, supposing them to be the enemy, as their uniform was very similar in color, and after holding the sheds for some time, the Zouaves also fell back slowly, for there was no possible use of staying where they were, the troops being on the retreat, having been ordered to do so by General Pierce.
Swinton, in his " History of the Army of the Potomac " (pp. 32-33), says: "But it happened that there was one man there who saw the course of action suited to the case. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Warren suggested that a regiment should be sent round on each side to take the position in flank, and
to duty after recovering. Two were discharged on account of disease, one taken prisoner, August 30, 1862, and paroled, and the others were mustered out with the company, May 14, 1863. Of the whole number (22), one was an officer, two were Ist Sergeants, two Sergeants, and six were Corporals ; one, at the time of this writing, is in the regular army.
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when these became engaged, those in front, lying in shelter in a wood, should attack. This operation, if carried out, would probably have been successful. But the regiment* that was to make the movement on the enemy's right, in- stead of being directed by a detour through the woods, was advanced right across an open field, in front of the position, whereby it became exposed to an artillery fire. It happened, too, that the left company became separated from the rest of the regiment by a thicket ; and Col. Townsend, not being aware of this, and seeing the glistening of bayonets in the woods, concluded the enemy was outflanking him, and so fell back to his first position. The regimentt that had gone round on the other flank found itself in a difficult situation, where, being exposed to pretty severe fire, it was found hard to bring the men up. Major Winthrop, aide to Gen. Butler, was killed while rallying the troops to the assault. Gen. l'ierce ordered a retreat, and the regiments marched off as on parade."#
About midway of the orchard one of the Zouaves was ly- ing, shot through the chest ; Wm. McDowell, Davenport, and one other went to his assistance ; Lient. York took his rifle, and the others carried him about thirty paces, but he begged so hard to be put down again, and knowing that he had a mortal wound, they placed him with his back against a tree, supplied him with water, and left him to die in peace.
* Colonel Townsend's 3d New York.
t 7th New York, Col. Bendix.
:"Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War " (Vol. I., p. 383), Gen. Warren says : "Gen. Pierce called a meeting of the Colonels about what should be donc, and news of some sort came from Gen. Butler by his aide. I am sorry to say they all determined that we had better retire. I opposed it myself."
Sainton (p. 33). "Col. Warren, who alone protested against the retreat, volun- thay remained on the ground, and together with Rev. Dr. Winslow, of his regi- .1. brought off the wounded. While he yet remained on the ground, the Con- f, inrates abandoned the position ; and the reason assigned for this step by Col. D. It. Hill, who was in command of the ist North Carolina Regiment, is, that he frared reinforcements would be sent up from Fortress Monroe."
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Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
Lieut. John T. Greble, with the regulars and a few of the Massachusetts men, as before stated, held the most dangerous post, on the road, with the three guns. The solid shot from the Confederate batteries plowed their way straight up the road, from which there was no cover, except that occasion- ally some of the men took shelter in the edge of the wood on the right of the road. Lieut. Greble would not deign to leave his post for an instant, but coolly sighted the guns him- self and watched the effect of every shot. Capt. Bartlett,* of the Zouaves, stood by his side for some time. When the troops left, he saw that he could not hold the position any longer, and was in the act of sighting or spiking his gun when a cannon ball struck him on the temple, carrying away half of his head. The ball passed through the body of a man standing near and took the leg off of a third. He had only five men left with him at this time. His Sergeant then spiked the gun. Four of the regulars were killed or wounded out of the eleven that came with him from the fort.
Greble's body was laid over a caisson, and was dragged off under the superintendence of Lieut .- Colonel Warren. Lieutenant Greble was the first regular officer who fell in the war. By his bravery in standing by his guns, and keeping up a steady fire on the enemy's works, he prevented them from using their cannon as effectually as they could have done, in which case there would have been a very heavy loss of life on our side. The enemy's guns were under the per- sonal command of Major George W. Randolph, later the Confederate Secretary of War.
A small number remained behind after the regiment moved, among whom were Philip L. Wilson and George L. Guthrie, to rescue the wounded, but the special mission of the former was to bring off Thomas Cartwright, already men- tioned as having been shot through the thigh, and who was one of his messmates.
* Major rith U. S. Infantry (1878).
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He asked the men guarding Greble's body to assist him, but they refused He went into the woods and there met Guthrie, who was alone, and shouting for Tom, they were finally overjoyed to hear him answer their call. They car- ried him with much exertion to the edge of the wood by the road, and leaving Guthrie as companion Phil went to find a conveyance. He succeeded in obtaining a hand cart, and went back with it to the place where Guthrie and Cartwright were waiting, having first handed the Lieut .- Colonel his rifle, who told him to make haste or he would be taken prisoner. In this way Cartwright's life was probably saved on this oc- casion. They stopped a few moments at a farm-house on the road, where they found other wounded men, among whom was James L. Taylor, of Company B, who was conveyed there by his friend Corporal, afterward Colonel, Wm. Gilder, and who died there the same night. Chaplain Winslow, of the Zonaves, was waiting on them.
They were obliged to hurry away, as they were closely fol- lowed by some of the enemy, who were mounted. This party, which was a mere squad, and was the rear guard, was composed of a few of the Troy regiment, some of the 7th Steuben, some of Townsend's regiment, a few of the Zouaves, and many of the wounded, all under the com- mand of Lieut .- Col. Warren.
At a cross-road they met two of the Troy regiment who were driving a wagon they had seized. They got out and Cartwright was put in. A skirmish soon after ensued with the enemy, who were following, and was kept up all the way to Newmarket Bridge, Tom Cartwright also taking a hand in from the wagon. At the bridge they met Lieut .- Col. Warten, who had left them a little while before, and Rune forward to hurry up the detail of the naval brigade, whom he had sent forward when he left camp with two guns .*
· Lieut -Col. Warren did not leave camp with the expedition, but a report hav- Ing reached Camp Hamilton, occasioned by the unfortunate night encounter of the
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Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
The old sea-dogs came pushing up the road, armed with clubs, dragging the cannon after them, crying out every now and then, " Heave hearty ! Heave hearty, my lads !" All who were at Camp Hamilton will never forget the " sea- pirates." They were the wildest and most reckless set of men ever got together.
The rear guard, after crossing the bridge, pulled up the planks, and the enemy seeing the cannon, abandoned further pursuit. One of the latter was shot here by one of our men. The regiment, in the meantime, kept on their weary march back to camp, tired and footsore. Their giant Adjutant, Hamblin,* at every short halt to rest, threw himself on the ground with the exclamation, " How I like the mud !" and when the men got up to resume the march, it was with con- siderable effort they could get their stiffened joints to obey their will. Finally they reached Hampton, and were rowed across the river by the naval brigade in flat-bottomed scows, in one of which lay the body of the lamented George H. Tiebout, of Company A, who was shot through the heart by a canister ball, and was the first martyr of the 5th Regi- ment, in the first battle of the war. Having arrived on the other side of the river, the march was resumed, and we ar- rived in camp about 8 p.M., all completely exhausted, after a march of thirty miles since leaving camp, besides standing the brunt of the battle, which lasted two hours and forty minutes. The first gun was fired at twenty minutes before ro o'clock, and the last at twenty minutes past 12 o'clock.
The men had been without sleep for thirty-six hours, with only slight halts to rest-such as are usual on a long march.
two regiments, that an engagement was going on, he procured two guns from the fort and went forward with some of the naval brigade, who were dragging the guns. After - ceing them well on their way, he put spurs to his mule and came up just before the engagement.
* Subsequently Brevet Major-General.
i
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Big Bethel.
Captain Kilpatrick was placed on a white mule after the troops had commenced to retreat, by Captain Winslow, his wound beginning to be painful ; and inflammation having set in, he was unable to walk. He thus rode with the regiment back to camp. He mentions in his report the bravery of Captain Winslow, Lieutenants Hoyt and Ferguson, Sergeants Onderdonk, Agnus, and Chambers, Corporals Seymour and Allison, and Private Boyd and others. He further states that private John Dunn, whose arm was shattered by a can- non ball, bore himself with the greatest bravery, and said to Surgeon Gilbert, before amputating his arm, that he could not have lost it in a nobler cause. Private John H. Con- way, Company K, is reported to have said, when shot in the leg, "I have yet one leg left, and will follow my Captain to the end of the charge." Private Joseph Knowles, of Con- pany E, said, " Avenge the loss of my arm." But one of the most affecting incidents was that of James L. Taylor, of Company B. When he heard it remarked that he had re- ceived a mortal wound, he said to his true friend, Corporal W. H. Gilder, " That's all right, 'Gilly '-don't bother about me ; I can't live-take some one off the ground who can live, and fight again." It was terrible, said his devoted com- rade, who had succeeded, after great efforts, in securing for a second time transportation for his dying friend, to be com- pelled to remove him from the wagon to make room for another who could live, and be obliged to desert him at that moment forever. But orders had to be obeyed.
While the regiment was in the woods under a heavy fire, the Color Sergeant, who was a man of extraordinary size, was overcome with exhaustion from the long march, the heat, or some other cause, and fell down with them in his hand. Corporal Joseph A. Vail, of Company A, sprang over and took them from him, and bore them aloft, until ordered to give them up against his will to Sergeant Brouner.
Charles Metcalf was taken prisoner, and never again re-
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turned, but preferred to cast his lot with the traitors, and went to work in an iron foundry in Richmond.
Captains Kilpatrick and Bartlett, of Companies H and I, respectively, and their commands, won great credit for the extra duties they performed, having covered at least five miles more of ground than the rest of the companies, on ac- count of their skirmishing duties on the front and fanks of the regiment. Captain Denike also stood bravely to his post, and being the oldest officer in the regiment, deserved equal honor for his courage during the long and tedious march, and facing unflinchingly the fire of the enemy.
It is to be regretted that Colonel Duryée or Lieutenant- Colonel Warren had not been intrusted with the command of the expedition, instead of General Pierce, who, as it ap- peared, had never been mustered into the United States service, and had at the time no claim to any command. Although General Pierce was much censured on account of the failure of the attack, he proved himself in after years of the war to be a brave and capable officer on many fields in Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. . He enlisted as a private for three years, and by his bravery soon rose to be Colonel of a regiment, and finally was disabled by hav- ing his arm torn off by a 32-pound ball in battle.
The result showed that there was a series of mistakes from the start. And the primary cause of the failure of the expedition should rest where it belongs-on the shoulders of General Butler." Colonel Duryee, in his official report,
* " Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War" (Vol. I., p. 383), General Warren says : " I suggested to General Pierce to send a regiment on each flan ' - " he gave orders to that effect"-" to the left about half a mile could have crossed the swamp, and been masked in the woods and got behind the battery-am certain of it." " If Colonel Townsend had gone into the woods, the enemy would have been compelled, judging of what I have since learned, to have left the ground at once, or run the risk of having everything captured. He would have been masked. and they would not know where he was until he had taken the battery in the rear." " General Pierce, as I have learned since from proceedings of court-martial, was never mustered into the service of the United States, and really had no right to com-
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named the following officers as worthy of honorable men- tion :
Lieutenant-Colonel WARREN, for his aid in forming a plan of attack and remaining among the last to bring away the body of a brother officer (Lieutenant Greble), and the wounded.
Chaplain WINSLOW, for his kind attentions to the wound- cd .*
Captains BARTLETT, KILPATRICK, and WINSLOW, for the effective manner in which they skirmished before the enemy's fire.
Lieutenant JACOB DURYEE, who led the charge with a handful of men to within three hundred feet of the enemy's works.
Lieutenants YORK and CAMBRELLING, for their brave con- duct.
Surgeon GILBERT for performing upon the field of battle successful amputations, and his unremitting care of the wounded.
Colonel Duryee also mentions Lieutenant Gouv. CARR, in command of Company B; Lieutenant GEORGE DURYEA, of Company C; Sergeants AGNUS and ONDERDONK, and Corporals ALLISON and BROUNER.
mand the Colonels there, and I think he felt it, though they did not know it." "I think the plan of the fight, which was got up beforehand, from the very beginning ins. Ived a failure, so much so, that I was ready to state that it was planned for a failure, and must have been one except by great good luck."
* " Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War " (Vol. I, p. 383). General Warren says : "Greble's gun was spiked by his men, as they could not draw it off. Ten men of the Ist New York brought away the limber and his body after all ! ... " " Rev. Dr. Winslow and myself remained on the ground, I think an hour and a half. and brought off the wounded we thought could live, every one of them ; .. had to draw them off in hand-carts." " I think they left their works while we .... on the ground." " We saw no one." "We went up all through the wood ! were not fired at. I was dressed in this red Zouave uniform. I went down
- . stk or seven men, about I P.M., and put Lieutenant Greble on the limber and wre: right down the road in plain sight. There was no General then at the fight ": all." " The troops marched off as on parade ; the regiment left to cover the re- lirat went with them." "The zd New York regiment brought off a gun."
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Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
The report says : "There was no flinching on the part of any officer or private, and I might mention many more with honor ;" and concludes as follows : " In closing, I can not but speak of Colonel Townsend, of the 3d New York, who, with his whole command, stood up nobly in my sup- port until compelled to retreat by the terrible fire .- Per order Colonel A. DURYEE ; Lieutenant MALLORY, A. D. C."
An incident of an amusing character, that occurred while crossing Hampton Creek, is deemed worthy of mention. One of the Captains, with part of his command, had em- barked on one of the scows at Hampton, and seeing more men crowding in than he desired, turned to the old salt who appeared to have charge of it, and who was a member of the much-abused "naval brigade," and ordered him rather peremptorily to shove off. It was as good as a play to see the indignant air of insulted authority with which the son of Neptune turned and surveyed the officer.
He straightened himself, as if he was a Commodore on his quarter-deck, and looking at the Captain from head to feet, and from feet to head, burst out with a round sailor's oath, and said : " You ! Sergeant, or Corporal, or whatever you are ! If you don't like the management of this 'ere craft, just heave yourself ashore-quick ! I want you to understand that I am in command of this 'ere vessel !"
On Tuesday, June 11th, the men had passed through so much labor and excitement, that they were thoroughly ex- hausted, and were allowed to rest at will, and were excused from drill the following day. General Butler paid a compli- ment to Colonel Duryee and his Zouaves for the conspicu- ous part they took in the encounter.
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