USA > New York > Camp fires of the Twenty-Third: sketches of the camp life, marches, and battles of the Twenty-Third Regiment, N. Y. V. Added to these are statistics of enlistments and all valuable information connected with the regiment > Part 8
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While here Colonel Crane received the following order to report for duty on the staff of General Rey- nolds, and immediately entered upon the duties of the post assigned to him.
HEADQUARTERS 1ST ARMY CORPS, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, N.T. 2d, 1562.
SPECIAL ORDER No. 4.
Lieut .- Col. Crane, of the Twenty-third New York State Volunteers, will report immediately at the Headquarters as Acting Assistant Inspector-General of the Corps.
By order of Brigadier-General REYNOLDS. C. KINGSBURY, JR., A. A. G.
Monday and Tuesday were spent in the march from Purcellsville to Bloomingdale, a distance of twelve miles through a beautiful country. A thousand glo- ries are added to these forests by the frosts of autumn, and with foliage of every hue of the rainbow, covering bills and glades, and climbing up the steep sides of these mountains, they present a scene that thrills the . beholder with delight. It is our good fortune to revel in these beauties as we march exultingly forward, and to
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lie down at night beneath these grand old trees through whose branches the moon looks down smilingly.
But our march, so inauspiciously commenced, so fruitful of results and full of charming scenes, was destined to end in a worse storm even than it began. The rebels had been driven from the Gap, and as Doubleday's division was not needed in that column, he was commanded to march upon Warrenton.
We had bivouacked on Tuesday night in the forest, near Bloomingdale. This place is a vulgar attempt at a village, with one decent house, which looks like a sunflower in the midst of a field of cabbage stumps. On the morning of the 6th of November, after an early cup of coffee, we soon made camels of ourselves for the march. Gibbon's brigade (to which had been added the Twenty-fourth Michigan) and Lieutenant- Colonel Hoffman's brigade took the road to the right. General Patrick's (now Paul's) and General Hatch's brigades took the left road over the hills. The day was well advanced before this long and cumbersome column of infantry, artillery, ambulance, and baggage- trains had uncoiled itself and was fully under way, so we were constantly checked, would go a little way and stop for the column to move, then go a little farther and stop. At last a certain steadiness was gained, and onward we pressed at a rapid pace. It was only oc- casionally checked by creeks and narrow defiles. Up and down the rocky sides of these mongrel mountains and across broad expanses of field and wood we hurry. Now we dive into a deep. dark forest-emerge, and taking a short turn sweep off to the right or left, con- stantly walled in by stone fence. We make all points of the compass, but press onward, still onward.
Weakly men at last sink under their burden, unable
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to proceed-nature, but not themselves, is exhausted. "Bully" men swear they will go not a step farther, and lie down to rest, regardless of consequences. Resolute men keep pace. Night at last made progress more difficult, and the welcome fires of the advance gleamed out through the darkness, and we pitched our tents and sought rest and sleep. This bivouac lay about one mile east of Hectortown. We had carried our knapsacks about twenty-four miles that day, but had only made about sixteen miles in direct line. Thursday was a repetition of Wednesday, except that we marched only eighteen miles. This route lay past Salem, down the mountain road to Warrenton. The reserves and cavalry took the advance, and had no dif- ficulty in driving the rebs out of the above place. A few stragglers were taken prisoners.
November now began to breathe his chilly breath more bleakly over the mountains, and by his cloudy brow show evident signs of the coming storm. We encamped on the pike, half a mile west of the town, and prepared for our first snow-storm. A dog's kennel is more comfortable than the little shelter-tent, and at- tempts at comfort are rather futile. But the dumb brutes suffer more than the men. In a few hours the weather changed from a pleasant autumn day to all the rigor of mid-winter. Snow fell to the depth of four inches on Friday ; but it was very transient, last- ing only two days.
On the 10th of November General Mcclellan re- viewed the troops, and bade them farewell. He had been relieved from his command. It was a sad day for the army, for though they respect and admire Burnside, they love and trust Mcclellan. The army moved at ten o'clock A.M. on the morrow toward Fred-
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ericksburg. Being rear-guard, night overtook the Twenty-third one mile out of Warrenton, and half the night was spent in reaching Fayetteville, eight miles south. We remained at this point till the 17th, occu- pied with drill, guard, and hunting wild hogs, which abound in the deep, lonely forests of oak, ash, pine, hickory, and persimmon. The fields here are level, barren, and sandy.
Early on the morning of the 17th a disagreeable rain set in, but it did not delay the march. We made six- teen miles before nine o'clock p.M. Slight rain fell during the night and on the following day, but it proved no serious inconvenience. We struck the Cat- lett road at the brick church, and taking the road to Stafford Court House bivonacked on the second night about two and one-half miles west from that place. The heavy rains rendered the roads impassable, the artillery was swamped, and the baggage-trains could not come up. This proved a serious inconvenience to officers, many of whom were already drenched to the skin, and with no tents to keep off the storm. This storm, which commenced on the 17th, did not cease till the night of the 20th.
General Paul arranged a camp-ground upon the ad- joining hill on Wednesday, and notwithstanding the storin the men set to work and erected comfortable log-huts, with the expectation of remaining here a few weeks. This was a serious disappointment, for we marched on the following morning for Brook's Station. Here Colonel Hoffman was allowed to select his own camping-ground, and agreeable to his custom he se- lected a fine hillside, well wooded. Again the men set to work and made themselves as comfortable as possible in log-huts. Of course these huts are tem-
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porized, and are erected with more or less skill, according to the natural tact of the architect. Some erected fine but rude fire-places, using the railroad iron thrown away on the road. These huts were very serviceable in this weather so nearly resembling win- ter.
Very little of interest occurred during the two weeks' stay in this camp. General Patrick came over on the 27th and gave the brigade a "Thanksgiving sermon." He was enthusiastically welcomed, and listened to with deep interest. Very few generals have that firm hold upon the hearts of the men that General Patrick has upon this brigade. We received six months' pay on the 29th. This money had long been needed, and much suffering to the families was occa- sioned by the delay. Colonel Hoffman took command of the brigade in the absence of Colonel Rogers and General Paul, and the command of the regiment de- volved upon Captain Schlick. The regiment was two days on picket, from the 6th to the 8th of December, along the telegraph road reaching from Stafford Court House to Alexandria. Four inches of snow had fallen, and the forest and fields had all the appearance of mid- winter. The branches of pine and cedar were bowed to the earth by the weight of snow.
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CHAPTER XVIII.
BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.
On the broad plain where the seared leaf is lying, Calmly the first born of glory have met ;
Hark ! the death volley around them is ringing ; Look ! with their life-blood the dead grass is wet."
AT twelve M., on Tuesday, December 9th, we broke camp, very reluctantly, and moved to within the vi- cinity of Camp " Rufus King," and on the following day (10th) beyond it, and bivouacked in a beautiful grove of pine. The forces were now massed in order, and the pontoon bridges ready to be thrown down. The fight opened on the 11th. As the following letter con- tains the gist of the fight, and of the part taken in it by the Twenty-third, we take the liberty to copy.
CAMP " PAUL" (NOWHERE), December 21st, 1862.
DEAR M- : On the night before the bombardment we bivouacked in a dense thicket of pines near the old camp-ground known as " Rufus King." We were not long in gathering the cedar boughs, always abundant, and spreading this bed of down over the floor of our little tents. As darkness came on. the huge camp-fires gave a charming out- line and feature to this little fairy city of white roofs. Their bright light in long diverging rays beat back the dark. and showed in relief the graceful tapering trunks of the pines, gray and dusky. Their boughs arch and form deep, dark aisles of nature's grand old cathedral filled with dim and spectral shadows. Around the fires groups of hardy soldiers were telling stories.
Aside from the deep, wild interest of battle, the shock of armies, when death is wantonly swooping into the gulf of ruin so many pre- cions lives. there is & peculiar something in camp-life that may chal- lenge comparison in interest to any other. Take the sceno above]
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This noble band of men have come together to defend liberty with their lives, and a cord of sympathy ties the knot around the cheerful camp-fires. The rude jostling of these great hearts together, as they talk of their mutual dangers, hair-breadth escapes, noble deeds of com- rades and the sacred cause, unites them one in purpose, one in action. To be sure, there is a lack of polish of manner and speech about all this (camp dialect is blunt), but it has the plain outspoken manhood, a smack of truth and honor, that atones for much of refinement. We are compelled to look upon it in this light. Such thoughts are born of such a life, no matter how uncultivated the soldier or rude the thought.
The pontoon bridges had been pushed nearly to the opposite shore under cover of darkness, and ere the faintest ray of dawn had streaked the east, the quick, sharp rattle of musketry broke the stillness. The engineers laying the last plank were charged upon, and a bloody strug- gle followed. Ought not that blood to doom that proud and ancient city ? It certainly cries to Heaven for vengeance. A shaft of flame leaps out from the opposite shore, the earth trembles, the air breaks with a deafening roar, and a huge shell, with a shriek like a demon, speeds out upon its errand of destruction. Another followed, and another, till the storm of iron crushed through the walls and set the town on fire. All day long the incessant thunder of the bombardment shook the hills and rent the air. Our brigade moved down near to the river during the day and awaited orders. When the sun sunk darkly into the smoke of burning, the rebels on the opposite hills looked down upon the wreck of their proud city.
On the following morning the sun strove in vain to dispel the moun- tains of fog that covered the two armies like a shroud, and the mist held the river till after noon. Under this kindly cover we crossed the river. As we reached the level of the plain, a rebel battery opened upon the division while en masse, and with surprising accuracy drop- ped the shell in our midst. but to very little effect. One man in the regiment was slightly wounded. The advance was thrown briskly forward and a footing for the army obtained. Night now closed in upon the opposing armies, and they await the morrow.
The morrow came, and with it the conflict. It was evident that the enemy must be driven from the plain to his stronghold on the bights. and these hights must be stormed. The forces were disposed in order of battle before the mists of morning had been dispersed by the rising sun. Our brigade. now commanded by Colonel Rogers, of the Twenty- Arst New York Volunteers. held the extreme left. and had the supreme satisfaction of driving the vanguard of the enemy from that part of the field. Batteries B and L made it decidedly too warm for them.
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The fight opened fiercely. The great wave of battle surged across the plain and up the rugged highis, swallowing up in its bloody tide regiments, brigades, divisions of brave and beroic men who went down before that death-storm to bite the dust. Great men, men of promise, the sturdy oaks of society as well as the brushwood, were swept by its fury into a soldier's grave. Fortune seemed to favor us, the rebel lines gave way, and our forces drove them up the slope of the hights. But an avalanche awaited them. A flame of fire leaped from the now uncovered supports, and our columns melted before it like.dew before the morning sun. The tide of battle changed and rolled back upon the plain.
It was at this point that Lieutenant-Colonel N. M. Crane, as inspec- tor-general of General Reynolds' staff, seeing the Pennsylvania re- serves in full retreat, rode up to General Reynolds and said :
" See yonder, General ! the 'reserves' have broken."
" My God ! Colonel," said the General, " can't you go and stop them ?"
Colonel Crane dashed into the midst of the flying mob, and by threats, persuasion, and praise of their former deeds of valor, succeeded in rallying a small battalion of them in the face of the storm of lead that followed them.
It was here also that General Reynolds, failing to get immediate sup- port from the right, sent in haste to General Doubleday for a brigade. Colonel Rogers was ordered up, and with cheerfulness and spirit the entire brigade moved forward double quick, and in perfect line, though the field was continually raked by cannon-shot. Files of men were swept away without a waver in the lines. The expected support arrived before we reached the ground, and the brigade returned to its post. The day had been almost lost, but the veteran regiments were thrown heavily against the triumphant host, and quivering under the awful blow it was beaten back with equal loss. Night at last ap- proached. The sunset was gorgeously beautiful. Nature seemed to laugh at the great calamity. Fighting did not cease till late, and when at last we thought of sleep, we were kept awake by grape and canister.
Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, and as calm as though the carth had not groaned and the heavens been rent by a scene of car- nage seldom equaled in history. Slight cannonading and skirmishing occupied the day, and as we lay down at night with the sky for our cover. AAurora flung out the grand banner of the heavens. " red. white, and blue," bespangled by the everlasting stars. Its beautiful folds floated up and corered one half of the arch. As we gazed upon it with delight, we felt that the national emblem bad not been dishonored by act of ours, and we worshiped in silence the starry banner.
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Another day of anxious expectation, of skirmishing, and it became evident that our position was untenable. With masterly skill of plan and execution General Burnside placed his army on the east side of the Rappahannock during the night of the 15th, much to the chagrin and disappointment of the foe.
In this engagement the Twenty-third lost two killed and sixteen wounded. There were instances of especial coolness and courage, but to point out these in a regiment where a want of courage is the ex- ception and not the rule, would be unjust to others. Each man. in whatever capacity, did his duty nobly. You will of course guess by this letter that your friend came off whole, not damaged. Yours,
P ------ S- -.
We also give Colonel Hoffman's official report of the battle. A minute account of all that we passed through during the five days occupied in this unsuc- cessful but eventful advance would fill a voluine, so we can only give a brief account. This will, however, serve to bring to the mind of the reader a multitude of incidents not mentioned.
HEADQUARTERS TWENTY-THIRD N. Y. VOLS., PRATT'S POINT, VA., January 2d, 1963.
LIEUTENANT H. P. TAYLOR, Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant-General 3d Brigade, Ist Division. Ist Army Corps :
SIR-In pursuance of orders, I have the honor to report the part taken by my command in the late action at Fredericksburg, December 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th. to be as follows :
On the morning of the 11th of December we moved with the brigade from our bivouac near White Oak church, on the Belle Plain road. with the intention, as I supposed. of crossing the Rappahannock. We marched but about one and a half miles when we were halted. and remained all that day and night, owing to the difficulty and delay in laying the bridges.
That night (11th) the bridges were completed, and at early dawn we moved down to the northern bank of the river, at a point about one and a half miles below Fredericksburg, and near the lower bridges, where we remained while the rest of General Franklin's left grand di- Fision were crossing. The morning was very foggy until about noon, and we did not cross until about two p. w., we being about the last. Soon after the crossing was effected (which was withont interruption), we were massed with other troops of the first division near the residence
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of Mr. Burnard, when the enemy for the first time opened upon us from a battery located on the hill opposite, the first sbot striking and burst- ing in the ground in the flank of my regiment, wounding one man.
They threw about twelve or fifteen shot and shell with remarkably good range while in this position, which resulted in but trifling dam- age, owing to the fuses in their shell being cut either too short or too long.
We soon moved with the rest of the brigade and division to a point directly in front of said Burnard's house, and deployed our line and stacked arms.
General Smith's corps (6th) was deployed on our right, his line run- ning parallel to the river, and fronting southwardly and from the river. The lines of our corps (Ist). after the deployment, fronted easterly and down the river, the line running perpendicular to the river, the left resting upon it, and the right joining the left of General Smith's line, and forming a right angle thereto. In this position we lay behind our stacked arms all night.
The morning of the 13th was also foggy, but the fog lifted early, and skirmishing commenced along the line, which grew into a general en- gagement with artillery and small-arms.
We were moved in close massed columns down the river, under a heavy artillery fire from the enemy's batteries, some one and a half miles, when the enemy was found in our front well posted in pine woods, and protected by natural rifle-pits.
They were soon dislodged by our artillery, when we advanced with the rest of the division to within about one mile of Massaponix Creek. This position we held all day amid a most terrible artillery fire. Toward evening the enemy concentrated a very hot artillery fire upon us with the evident intention of turning our flank.
The position was maintained however, although the brigade on our left, the commander of which misunderstood the order, fell back with bis command. skirmishers and all, just before dark, whereas his order directed that he should withdraw his brigade a short distance as soon as the darkness would cover his movement from the view of the enemy, but to leave his skirmishers as they were as pickets. This movement being observed by the foe, and supposing they had accomplished their design, and that we were falling back, they advanced their line so far that their batteries were within thirty or forty rods of our pickets. and poured a perfect shower of grape promiscuously over the plain, until about one hour after dark.
They finally became convinced of their error. ceased firing. with- drew their lines, and all was quiet until morning, except an occasional shot between pickets.
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On the 14th and 15th we held the same position without interruption, except an occasional round from their artillery and sharp picket firing, which was kept up most of the time, day and night, with great briskness.
The picket lines were so close to our advanced position that many of their shots did execution in our ranks.
On the night of the 15th we were withdrawn to the north side of the Rappahannock about midnight. leaving two companies (G and B) on the picket lines not informed (except their commanding officers) that we had retired.
Companies G and B were placed on picket at dusk on the evening of the 15th, and by some misunderstanding or inadvertence on the part of the officer left in charge of the picket, were not informed to retire at the proper time and with the rest of the line, and remained about one hour after the rest had left. and at daylight they fell slowly back, keeping their deployment and stirring up many stragglers and sick who had sought refuge and resting place around the hospital buildings, barns, stacks, river bank, etc., and finally were the last to cross the bridge, it being taken up immediately behind them.
The steadiness and coolness of the officers and men of my command, with very few exceptions, were highly commendable throughout, espe- cially. those of Companies A and F. who were on picket during the night of the 13th, and Company I on the 14th, and Company D on the night of the 14th and during the day of the 15th.
Of the cool and deliberate bravery exhibited by the officers of the two Companies G and B, under the peculiarly perilous circumstances in which they found themselves, I can not in justice speak but in terms of especial commendation.
In the action we had engaged-one field officer. one acting staff offi- cer (adjutant), fourteen line officers, and nine (9) companies, embracing 276 enlisted men.
Company C was detached. We. took three (3) prisoners. We had three (3) stragglers. H. C. HOFFMAN, Colonel Commanding.
The brigade moved down near the bank of the river on the 17th, and commenced winter quarters. With untiring industry two days were sufficient to put up the small log-hut and make it comfortable. But it was labor thrown away. Early on the morning of the 20th, agreeably to orders to march, we packed, and with the promise of a short march set out toward the Potomac. But after traveling very rapidly all day, we brought
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up just at night in a wilderness near the bank of the Potomac, without our baggage-train and lost. Some- body had certainly blundered. Most of the regiment found the bottom of a deep ravine, well sheltered from the bleak December wind, and built huge fires.
This region, which is five or six miles below Belle Plain, has a wild and uncultivated appearance, though a close observer can see through the desolation the marks of the ancient plantations of the F. F. V.'s. On Tuesday the division, now commanded by General Wadsworth, moved to the vicinity of Pratt's Land- ing, where a camp was laid out, and we again put up log-cabins, but this time with more care and precision. With astonishing rapidity the forest of oak, pine, ce- dar, whitewood, holly, etc., tangled and matted with green-brier and grape-vine, gave way to a rude but regular and graceful little village of cabins.
So then the active campaign, commenced on the 10th of March at Fairfax Court House, ends at Belle Plain on the 20th of December. From this time dated the usual routine of camp, until General Patrick obtained permission to exchange his five thousand new troops and regulars for the veteran brigade, declaring that " he could do more with the old brigade of 1,000 men than with the whole £,000 of the others."
HEADQUARTERS 3D NEW YORK STATE VOLUNTEERS, PRATT'S POINT, VA., Dec. 81st, 1S02.
DEAR MAJOR, AND DEAR THURSTON :
Gentlemen-Your twin letters, dated 18th and 19th of December, were received some days since. I need not say that I was glad to hear from you both. I beg to urge, as an apology for my long delay in an- swering, and also for writing a copartnership letter, the fact of my not being in very good health since a few days after the " butchering," and owing to my having a very large amount of official writing to do, which I have not yet finished. General Wadsworth now bas command of this (Ist) division, and General Doubleday has resumed command of
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his old brigade. Our present position is on the extreme left of the army, we being the last regiment, and resting on the river. as you see by the heading of this. at Pratt's Point or Landing. which is near to and a little below Belle Plain, on the bay that puts up from the Potomac River, and into which empties Potomac Creek.
It is the roughest region just about here that I have seen in Virginia. There is not a level spot close along the river large enough to lie down upon for the night. We are, however, after much hard labor, very comfortably situated, being quartered on the south slope of a bill, with , water and wood both convenient and abundant.
We have gone into winter quarters for the third time, and are all well fixed for the blast. I have a nice fire-place in my tent. and am in every way prepared to withstand the ronghest of weather, provided we re- main quiet ; but orders have been received which indicate a burried breaking up again, and probably another fight soon. as our orders read. " Be ready to move at twelve hours' notice. with sixty rounds of car- tridges per man, and three days' cooked rations on the men. six or eight more in the wagons, and cattle enough to last ten days." What the na- ture of the movement is to be, of course I do not know, nor do I inquire. It sets prophets and rumor to work, and some have it that we are going to the Peninsula, and some that we are going back to Washington. Some one thing, and some another ; but of course nothing is so ridiculous but finds credence and publishers. I imagine we are going to attempt the crossing of the Rappahannock at some point above Falmouth, and attack the enemy on the flank, or compel him to change front. or else to conform to some movement of his on our right. Whatever it is, I hope that we will meet with better success than we did in our last effort. Iearnestly wish Mcclellan had to lead us. I should have more confidence ; yet I do not despair of Burnside. although his last opera- tion was an unfortunate atfair. The opinion here was general, that Burnside crossed and fought the late battle in pursuance of positive or- ders, and against his own wish and judgment ; but his manly and self- sacrificing letter to General Halleck. together with his evidence given before the investigating committee, undeceives us on that point. and compels us to think even more than ever we did of General Burnside as a high-toned. honorable man. but less as a general.
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