USA > New York > Cayuga in the field : a record of the 19th N. Y. Volunteers, all the batteries of the 3d New York Artillery, and 75th New York Volunteers > Part 6
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While at this place, the Cayuga volunteers visited the scene of John Brown's last hours ; the court house, with its four white brick pillars, the jail, the church on whose spire the old man's ries tested on that bright December day, when he stood upon the fatal scaffold. Everybody secured mementoes. A tree, winding near the scene of execution, was literally carried away 1 riemeal. A table in the jail, used by Brown, suffered a simi- la: fate. A tenacious clay in the field of the execution, forming an excellent substitute for meerschaum, was carried away in quantities, and wrought into capital pipes.
Camp regulations were strictly enforced at Charlestown. No fragging was permitted. The men subsisted on rations of five tu: i tack, five ounces of salt pork or beef, and coffee.
One night, while here, Major Ledlie's life was attempted by a total farmer. While posting pickets on a hillside, the farmer fred at him with a shot gun, but fortunately missed his aim. Our pickets promptly arrested him and sent him to camp.
The army broke camp early Sunday morning, July 21st, and marched to Harper's Ferry. It felt the degradation of this re- !: cut deeply. On arriving at Harper's Ferry. Gen. Patterson, while passing the camp of a Pennsylvania regiment, commanded by his own son, was loudly groaned. He was also groaned by wnie of the New York troops. That day Bull Run was fought by the Union army under Gen. Scott, and lost, owing directly to Patterson's delinquency.
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19TH NEW-YORK INFANTRY.
The 8th Brigade went into bivouac on a range of steep, partly wooded romantic hills, crossing the promontory, at the point of which Harper's Ferry stands, called Bolivar Heights. The range extends from the Potomac to the Shenandoah river, several miles in length. Midway from river to river, there is a depression in the range through which runs the turnpike to Charlestown. The first hill north of this turnpike was crowned by an earthwork thrown up by the rebels under Johnston, a few months previous, and evacuated by them in June. Six heavy cannon had been mounted there, their black muzzles .pointing westward, to cover and guard the Charlestown road, through open- ings cut in the woods. These guns now lay on the ground, spiked, with their carriages burnt. It was to this position that the 19th and 5th regiments were sent, and they camped where the 2d Mississippi rebels had camped before them. Love letters and sick reports of the Mississippians littered the ground.
Heavy scouting and picket duty was required of the 19th here. Its promptitude on all occasions won the remark from Major Doubleday, that "he would rather have the ragged 19th New York at his back, than any regiment in the army." On the 23d, the regiment was sent to occupy a position on the heights, on what was called Rattlesnake Hill, a mile or more to the left and in advance, to cover and protect a party of engineers, who were tearing up the Winchester and Harper's Ferry railroad. Inces- sant vigilance was demanded here. Picket duty was done by companies. The regiment remained well together. Straying was not tolerated.' Water was brought from a babbling brook in a deep ravine on the rear, and here, on the stubble of a wheat field, without tents, and part of the time without blankets, the regiment lay ready to spring to arms on a moment's warning, should a disturbance on the picket line indicate an attack by the enemy. The rebels were known to be in the vicinity, their scouts being occasionally seen in the front. The regiment was called under arms at night fall, and slept in the open field in line of. battle.
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PATTERSON RELIEVED BY BANKS.
IV.
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ALONG THE POTOMAC.
Partenon relieved by Banks-Retreat to Pleasant Valley-On Maryland Heights . Ambush-New Uniforms Arrive-Kennedy's Raid on Lovettsville-The Talk about Going Home-The Regiment Turned Over for the Whole Two Vean-Politicians Keep Back the News-Seward's Order-To Hyattstown- August and-Brutal Treatment by the Authorities-The Recusants-Guard- ing the Division Supply Train-Consolidation Talked Of-Desertions-Col. Cuk Reigns-Conversion to Artillery-At Frederick-Sent to Hancock- Walker's Care-To Washington.
The vigorous policy of Maj .- Gen. N. P. Banks at Baltimore, following that of Gen. Butler, produced the most beneficial effect u;nn that foul nest of traitors and commended him to the ap- Moving consideration of Government. The failure of Patterson Irquiring an instant change in the commander of the Union umy on the upper Potomac, Government relieved Patterson and sent him home. It then sent Gen. Banks to Harper's Ferry to monmind in his stead, and he arrived at the Ferry, July 25th. He made an immediate tour of the camps to acquaint himself with the situation. A large body of Pennsylvania militia having by this time gone home, on the expiration of their sixty days !rim of service, Gen. Banks had but few troops left besides the two New York brigades. He momentarily expected an attack, for the rebels were breathing fury at him for his course at Balti- matr, and it was in their power now to hurl nearly their whole army suddenly upon him, and envelope him. Acting on old Kevolutionary General Greene's maxim, "calculate that your
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19TH NEW-YORK INFANTRY.
enemy will always do what he ought to do," Gen. Banks resolved to cross the Potomac and establish his army on the Maryland side.
Supply and baggage trains went across on the 26th. The Rhode Island battery went up to strengthen the outer line guarded by the 19th New York, and, on the 28th, the army withdrew from Harper's Ferry across the Potomac, the move. ment protected by the strong rear guard of the 8th Brigade.
The Cayuga regiment received its orders for the march about midnight of the 27th. Capt. Kennedy was ordered by Gen. Banks to take his company and those of Gavigan, Schenck and Stewart and move at once on special service. Leaving Rattle- snake Hill at 2 P. M., the detachment was joined by two guns of the Rhode Island battery, and marched rapidly to the rear, passing through the little village of Bolivar and then the silent streets of Harper's Ferry to the Potomac. Fording the river near the ruined railroad bridge, burnt by the Vandals un- der Johnston, the detachment was confronted on the other side by the abrupt, defiant, stony precipices of Maryland Heights, which, tufted with trees and vines, tower to the sky almost per- pendicularly from the river side. At the base of these gloomy heights, there is only space enough for a wagon road and the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal. Getting out on the wagon road, the detachment moved up the river a short way and then by a steep, winding, stony road reached the Heights, to a point about half way up. The guns were dragged up by hand by superhuman exertions and placed in a position to overlook and command Harper's Ferry and the region towards Bolivar Heights. The infantry companies were disposed around the battery, with orders to lie quiet and concealed until relieved. Gen. Banks had ordered this service for the purpose of seizing and holding Maryland Heights and covering the withdrawal of the army from Virginia. Major Stebbins of Banks's staff visited the spot .during the day to enjoin perfect secrecy on the ambush.
The movement of the army began early and was a fine sight. The mountain side, where the little detachment of Cayuga and Rhode Island men were perched, commanded a perfect view of the region around and beyond Harper's Ferry, the village itself and the ground beyond which the Federals were evacuating be- ing in the immediate foreground. Loudon Heights rose with steep, craggy, picturesque front, across the river, separated by the blue current of the Shenandoah from the Ferry. It was a huge, bold mountain, the abutment of the Blue Ridge on that bank of the Potomac-just as Maryland Heights were on the
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IN CAMP IN PLEASANT VALLEY.
north side of the river. Looking towards Harper's Ferry the round top of Bolivar Heights rose up behind and beyond the Shenandoah Valley sketched away into hazy perspective, bound by distant blue mountains. As the sun rose, a long procession of infantry, wagons and artillery gathered from the hill and vales at Bolivar, and came down the steep, dusty hill to the Ferry. It slowly forded the river, ascended the bank and disappeared from view of those on the Heights, as it wound around the base of the frowning cliffs and pressed its march to- wards the broad valley on the south side of the mountain. The pageant appeared strikingly beautiful in the golden sunlight of the bright, warm day. A soft murmur floating up from the host, an intermingling of tap of drum and note of silvery bugle, the rumbling of wagon wheels and splashing of water, increased the romantic effect of the movement. As some of the regiments forded the river, however, they discharged their loaded rifles at the supposed vacant Heights .. The sharp rattle of musketry recalled the party in ambush thereon from romance to reality, and this fusillade became very annoying to it. A hail storm of bulicts crackled through the woods all day. Many flew danger- ously close with angry hiss.
By night, the army had crossed and gone into bivouac in Peasant Valley, a romantic and lovely region, lying between two her ranges of the Blue Mountains, and at and around Sandy H .à and Knoxville, two little places, a few miles apart, on the Manland bank of the Potomac, just below Harper's Ferry, Sandy Hook. the nearest, being only a mile from the Ferry, in Memant Valley.
The companies on Maryland Heights, being relieved at night- fall, rejoined their comrades in Pleasant Valley. The encamp- ment of the 19th New York they found a mile and a half from the nver, on the western side of the valley, on the side of a semi- curular hill, with deep, cool wooded glens around it and Marviand Heights rising dark behind it. The 5th New York wis encamped on a hill west of the 19th. To the east, lay the 12th, and all through the valley were scattered the snow-white camps of the rest of the army.
Here the Cayuga regiment was encamped for three weeks. Here. also, it was rejoined by a detachment of sick and nurses, which had been left at Kalorama. The regiment was held under rad discipline, and improved rapidly in steadiness and soldierly towing. Guard duty along the Potomac, and the canal and Ta. Rend on its bank, from Sandy Hook to Berlin, required daily detachments from the companies. The upper Potomac at this
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I9TH NEW-YORK INFANTRY.
time formed the frontier of war in this quarter. The Union forces, under Banks, held and acted on the north bank, from Williamsport, twenty miles above Pleasant Valley, to the Mono- cacy, twenty miles below. The rebels watched the fords and scouted along the river on the Virginia side. Our pickets often talked with the rebel pickets, and met them half way in the stream and exchanged papers.
During July, twenty-one men were discharged from the 19th for disability, used up by hard service.
July 29th, Gen. Banks issued orders for the reorganization of his army. So many militia regiments had gone home, that the old brigades were all cut up, and now the new three years' regi- ments, raised under the President's second call, were arriving, sometimes five or six in a day. As the old 8th Brigade was, in a day or two, to lose the 5th and 12th Militia, a consolidation with other regiments of the army was effected, and a new bri- gade was temporarily formed, designated as the Ist of the army. It embraced the 2d United States Cavalry, Col. George H. Thomas ; 2d New York and 9th Rhode Island battery ; 19th New York Volunteers, Col. Clark ; 28th New York Volunteers, Col. Donnelly ; 28th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Lt. Col. Geary ; and the 2d Pennsylvania Reserves, Col. Mann. It was placed under the command of Col. George H. Thomas, afterwards one of the most renowned Generals of the army. Col. Thomas was a specimen of the perfect soldier. Of a fine personal presence, he was gentlemanly, considerate of the kind of forces he had to command, without a single bad habit, and a brave and daring officer. He was loved and respected by every soldier in his command. Green as the troops were, he could have led them anywhere, and they would have done their duty under him to the last man.
July 30th, excitement and joy agitated Camp Cayuga. Regu- lation uniforms came. They had been following the regiment for a month. That night, on dress parade, the Cayugas wore for the first time the long sighed for, comfortable army blue. . The shoddy, worn and torn to rags, was cast off with a parting shudder. Gov. Morgan's shoddy shoes having worn out, leaving half the men barefoot, foot gear was next supplied by borrowing five hundred pairs of new shoes from Connecticut and Massa- chusetts regiments encamped in the Valley. New life for a while thrilled the whole command.
The regiment again pined for active service. Opportunities for a fight with the rebels were eagerly watched for. About this time, one presented itself. At a little cluster of houses on
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KENNEDY'S RAID ON LOVETTSVILLE.
the Potomac, called Berlin, a road comes down from the interior of Maryland, crossing the river at a ferry into Virginia, thence on to Leesburg, 20 miles away, where were stationed four or five rebel regiments. On our side, the ferry was guarded by pickets of the 28th New York. From information brought in by Union men, it was gathered that a cavalry patrol regularly came down this road from Leesburg, every day, to a little village called Lovetts- ville, three miles from the river. Capt. Kennedy of the 19th devised the idea of making a dash at Lovettsville and capturing the patrol. His request was granted by General Banks. August 8th, by special orders, Company B, 35 men ; Company E, Lieut. Taylor, 24 men ; Company F, Capt. Stephens, 25 men ; and Lieut. S. C. Day, with 17 men from various com- panies, 101 in all, were detailed and placed under Capt. Kenne- dy's command for this purpose. Proper preparations were made for the raid, and the party, in light marching order, with three days' rations in haversacks, and a plentiful supply of ammunition, crossed the Potomac in boats that night, Dr. Dimon going along as Surgeon. At I A. M. the men were formed in column and led rapidly by a rough and crooked road to Lovettsville, where they arrived before daybreak. No enemy then occupied the village and the party lay perdu in two barns till 8 A. M., snatching a nap to recover from the fatigues of the hard night march. An order to "fall in " was then given and they marched out of the town to a piece of woods, where they were figuratively posted in ambush, though in plain sight of everybody passing on the road. At 2 P. M., no rebels appearing, Kennedy turned homewards. On the way, a long legged Union boy came running down breathless to say that a cavalry company was in Lovettsville. As the sun was scorching hot, the party threw off haversacks and coats, and then double-quicked back under cover of woods and corn fields. A halt was made behind a stone fence. The rebels discovered the enemy. "Mount, mount," shouted in sonorous tones their Captain, and away they went at the top of their speed, the 19th firing a volley to accelerate their retreat, and then charging into the village and forming a hollow square to resist cavalry attack. But the fast-footed Virginians, scampering for the distant re- cesses of Dixie, did not return. Had Kennedy divided his party and sent a detachment around to the other side of the village, before attacking, he probably could have captured them. Capt. Bowman came running up from the river on hearing the firing. As no enemy appeared, they all marched back to the Potomac. They forded the river waist deep, swimming a little in places where men got out of their depth, and reached camp the next
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19TH NEW-YORK INFANTRY.
morning, with fagged out frames, many with bleeding feet. The spoils of the expedition were the wounding of seven rebels, the capture of a rebel carbine, hat and coat, the capture of a rebel Quartermaster with his team, and the bringing away of some loyal people of Lovettsville who wanted to go into our lines. This affair was celebrated in the papers, south and north, as a battle. It is a specimen of what war was to our inexperienced and unaccustomed people at the commencement of the rebellion.
While at Pleasant Valley, talk gradually began again about the term of service of the regiment. The departure of the two organizations, brigaded with the 19th Volunteers in Virginia, viz : the 5th and 12th, forcibly suggested the topic. These were old existing militia regiments, like the 49th in Cayuga county, which had, like the 69th, tendered their services to the State for three months, and being tolerably well-filled organizations, the Gov- ernor had accepted and sent them on in April to the seat of war. Their time was now up, and they had been ordered home. The former broke camp and marched away July 30th. The 12th de- parted August Ist. The Cayuga boys crowded the parade ground of the encampment to see the 12th off, and experienced a sense of deep aggravation at hearing the latter's splendid band strike up, on starting, "Ain't I mighty glad to get out of this wilderness," which tune it played with intense furore, till the provoking strains died away in the distance. Going home then became the ruling theme for a while among camp messes. The Cayuga boys, feeling that they had been misused, played upon by politicians from the start, desired their discharge. Com- pelled to wear a scarecrow uniform, they felt deceived and hum- bled. They did not fear hardships common to all. Never were men more willing to meet them. Of this, their cheerful temper and unflagging hopefulness and zeal, in the camp and field, in storm and sunshine, and on many a long, weary march when, the shoddy shoes giving out, they trod the rough road with bare and bleeding feet, abundantly testify. Nothing that their commanders ever called on them to do did they ever hesi- tate to perform faithfully. Neither did the men wish to leave the service permanently. They simply wanted to go home and reorganize ; elect their own officers ; and come out again as the Massachusetts and Connecticut regiments had, equipped credit- ably to themselves and the State. Many of the men had devel- oped an unexpected degree of proficiency since they had entered the service. These hoped and sought for an opportunity to ob- tain commissions and higher rank in the formation of new com- panies at home.
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THE REGIMENT TO BE HELD FOR TWO YEARS.
And now here appears the folly of the politicians of New York State in keeping back from our patriotic volunteers the knowledge of their intended retention for two years. These politicians knew the decision of the Government in the matter before the regiment left Kalorama Heights. Why was it not candidly announced to the men then and there? Had it been so proclaimed, accompanied with an explanation of the State law under which the first New York regiments had been enroll- ed, which not one in a hundred had read, with also an explana- tion of the imperative necessities of the country, not a man among the brave, self-sacrificing warriors of old Cayuga would have hesitated a moment to renew his engagement of service enthusiastically. But the politicians kept the truth secret. They held it back as a secret trap, until, uninformed and misled, the regiment had come to indulge in desires and expectations that illy prepared it to receive suggestions of a full two years' ser- vice under the then existing auspices. Nothing had reached the regiment but rumors.
While encamped at Pleasant Valley, several officers of the 19th sought to obtain some definite clue as to the fate of the command by consultation with Gen. Banks. The General gave them to understand it to be his conviction that no power could legally hold the 19th in the army, after the expiration of the term for which it was mustered into it. Army officers generally thought the same. We shall see in time how McClellan himself thought so. Lieut .- Col. Seward, on the 6th of August, gave official endorsement to the supposition that the regiment would be discharged on the 22d of the month, in an order to the regi- ment which forbade gambling and said : " It is earnestly recom- mended to the soldiers to retain their pay, as it may be needed to defray the expenses of the journey home from Elmira." This seemed to settle the matter. All supposed they were going home. Preparations were made for the event and the mails bore from camp a heavy freight of letters, notifying friends to expect an early arrival.
But this expectation was delusive. In the latter part of July, the War Department had made requisition on New York State for the full two years' service of the following two years' regi- ments which had been mustered for three months: 12th New York Volunteers, Col. Walrath ; 13th New York Volunteers, Col. Quimby ; 19th New York Volunteers, Col. Clark ; bist New York Volunteers, Col. Rogers, and 26th New York Volun- teers, Col. Christian. In response, an order was issued August 2d from the General Headquarters of New York, at Albany, viz. :-
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19TH NEW-YORK INFANTRY.
" Special Orders, No. 323 :- His Excellency, the President, · desiring the further services of the 19th regiment, New York State Volunteers, and having made requisition upon the Gover- nor of this State, therefore, Col. Clark is hereby directed, on the expiration of the term for which the regiment was mustered into the service of the United States, (August 22, 1861,) to re- port with his command to the Adjutant General of the army, for duty under the orders of the United States Government, for the remainder of the term of enlistment of the regiment into the ser- vice of the State of New York.
By order of the Commander-in-Chief.
D. CAMPBELL, Assistant Adjutant General."
. Col. Clark came into Camp Cayuga on the 12th of August with tidings of this order. For a moment the revulsion of feel- ing was great and the men characterized the proceeding as ar- bitrary and unjust. The commanding officer of the 19th there lost a golden opportunity. Had he proclaimed in camp, Sec- tion 3d of the act of New York of April 16, 1861, the men would have read their duty with a clear eye and promptly acquiesced. The Section provides that volunteers enlisted under it "shall be liable at all times to be turned over to the service of the United States, on the order of the Governor, as part of the Militia of the State, upon the requisition of the President, &c., &c." It would have settled the matter at once. The men would have seen the reasonableness of turning them over. What they re- volted at was the high-handed, arbitrary character of the pro- ceeding, the only feature of it they saw. The line officers shared the feelings of the men fully. A sentiment of loyalty and honor, however, decided them to submit to the order voluntarily.
August 16th, Col. Thomas received orders to move his brigade from Pleasant Valley to the valley of the Monocacy and encamp . at the village of Hyattstown, 10 miles south of Frederick.
The 19th struck camp next day and with the whole brigade moved by short, though toilsome marches, over slippery, satu- rated roads, to the designated point, camping on the way at Jefferson and Buckeystown. On the evening of the 21st, the regiment pitched tents at Hyattstown on the slope of a verdant hill, in the midst of the camps of the brigade and army, which filled this beautiful portion of the valley. Near the hill was the headquarters of Gen. Banks. News reached the men here that the people of Auburn thought they ought to remain in the ser- vice and "show their manhood by fighting the thing through."
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AUGUST 22D.
The regiment thought that people did not understand the ques- tion very well at home. It proposed, however, to stay and fight it through, quite unanimously. Some grumbled, but the subject was pretty thoroughly canvassed that night and the majority re- solved to bury the remembrance of their wrongs and do what- ever the Government ordered. Little speeches by some of the Captains to their commands helped determine them.
At 9 A. M., August 22d, the drum corps beat the signal for dress parade. Curiosity brought every man out on the green, where, in a few moments, Adjutant Stone had the line formed, and reported the same to Major Ledlie, commanding in the ab- sence of Lieut. Col. Seward. By the Major's direction, the right wing then faced to the right, and countermarched, which brought the two wings in parallel lines facing inwards. While this was being done, what was the astonishment, not to say mortification and anger, of the 19th, to perceive the 21st Pennsylvania, Col. Biddle commanding, come up the hill on a run, bristling with steel, and wheel round into line on the right of the 19th, but facing it. Col.Thomas's 2d Cavalry, dismounted, approached briskly to a similar position on the left, with carbines capped and loaded. And what lay there on the .crest of the hill? Not thirty rods away, a battery of Parrot cannon, Perkins's Rhode Island, un- limbered, pointed its black, angry muzzles threateningly on our position, the artillerists lying or sitting on the ground in their places, ready to spring up and blow the regiment to atoms on a second's warning. Other regiments were under arms in camps around the hill. In line of the lane between the two wings of the 19th, stood Col. Thomas, stern, impassive, with folded arms, keenly watching the deportment of the terrible, but now wounded and mortified warriors from the peaceful hills and vales of far away Central New York, for whom all this muster of forces had been made. By him were his staff, Col. Clark, and several reporters.
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