USA > New York > Disaster, struggle, triumph. The adventures of 1000 "boys in blue," from August, 1862, to June, 1865 > Part 23
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I regret very much the necessity of Colonel BULL's retiring from the ser- vice, and hope his improvement in health will soon enable him to join his companions in arms.
JOSHUA T. OWEN, Brigadier-General Volunteers.
HEAD-QUARTERS, 126TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS, CAMP NEAR STEVENSBURG, VA., April 23d, 1864. To JAMES M. BULL, late Colonel 126th New York Volunteers :
DEAR SIR .- The undersigned, commissioned officers of the 126th New York Volunteers, having heard of the acceptance of your resignation as commanding officer of the Regiment, take the occasion, before your depart- ure from among us, to bear cheerful testimony to your worth as an officer
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and man. We have served under you for most of the time since the organi- zation of the Regiment, and, as Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel, in camp, on the march, and in the field, you have discharged your duties fearlessly, and with fidelity to all under your command.
We regret that declining health has compelled you to resign; and, as you go from among us, you carry our best wishes for your future welfare and happiness.
In taking leave of you, we express the hope that the new field upon which you are about to enter may prove the path to promotion and con- tinued distinction.
Very truly your friends.
The last testimonial was signed by all the officers of the Regi- ment then present.
Colonel BULL was in the following battles : Gettysburg, Auburn Ford, Bristow Station, Mine Run, and Morton's Ford.
In 1865, after the muster out of the Regiment, he procured a meeting of the officers of the Regiment to be held for the appointment of a committee to obtain redress, if possible, from the War Department for the false charges made against the Regiment, and in reference to its conduct at Maryland Heights, in 1862; and to procure the writing and publication of a history of the Regiment; and, in the spring and early summer of 1867, he took measures to carry out a cherished design of his, to have a social reunion of the members of his Regiment, on the anniversary of their muster into the service, August 22d, 1862. But he died at his home, in Canandaigua, on the 25th of July, 1867, without having the pleasure of seeing the members of his loved Regi- ment once more assembled. He had never recovered his health since his discharge from the army. Yet a fatal termination of the insidious diseases contracted in the service was wholly unlooked for by his relatives and friends. His loss was felt and mourned by all who knew him.
Appropriate resolutions were passed by the bar of Ontario county, of which he was a member; and, at the regimental reunion, the soldiers whom he had invited to meet him, adopted the following resolutions :
Whereas, JAMES M. BULL, our late Colonel, at whose invitation, while living, we assemble here to-day, and other officers and soldiers of our Regi- ment have, through the dispensation of Providence, been removed from among us, by death, since our regimental discharge from the service of the United States ; therefore,
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Resolved, That, in the death of Colonel JAMES M. BULL, we mourn the. loss of a brave and gallant officer, and a warm and faithful friend, who had become endeared to us by his uniform kindness, patriotism and courage in the field, and by his genial and social qualities in civil life, and the lively interest which he took in the welfare of all who periled their lives for their country.
Resolved, That we have learned, with deep sorrow of the death of some of our late comrades in arms who had survived the war; and, while we mourn their loss, we shall ever point with pride to their gallant conduct in many a hard fought battle, and remember, with feelings of gratitude, their devotion to their country, and their efforts to promote the common welfare of our Regiment; and we shall cherish their memories in common with those of our comrades who fell in battle or died in the hospital.
Resolved, That we tender our heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of the deceased, and that copies of these resolutions, published with the proceedings of the meeting, be transmitted to them.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM H. BAIRD
Was born in Auburn, New York, August 19th, 1831. His earlier life was one of adventure, but before the late war he married and settled in Geneva, New York, and engaged with his brother (D. W. BAIRD) in the business of carriage-making. At the breaking out of the war, he was among the first to respond to the call of the President for volunteers. He recruited Company H, 38th New York Volunteers, was commissioned and mustered Captain of the Company, with rank from May 24th, 1861, the date of his Company's organization, and with his Company immediately joined his Regiment at New York. As a testimonial of their appreciation of Captain BAIRD, the citizens of Geneva publicly presented him with a beautiful sword, on his leaving for the front.
He was promoted to be Major of his Regiment January 11th, 1862, and after the battle of Williamsburg, May 5th, 1862, Colo- nel WARD (afterward Brigadier-General) of his Regiment having taken temporary command of his Brigade, and his Lieutenant- Colonel having been wounded, he took command of his Regiment, and led it in the battle of Fair Oaks, and acted in the capacity of Lieutenant-Colonel during the seven days' battles, and at Mal- vern Hill, and was discharged July 16th, 1862, on the application of Colonel SHERRILL, to accept the position of Major in the 126th New York Volunteers, then being recruited. While with the 38th New York Volunteers he participated in the following bat-
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tles : First Bull Run, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Hanover Court- house, Fair Oaks, the seven days' battles and Malvern Hill, and received the special commendation of his commanding officers for his efficient service as an officer, and gallant conduct in action ..
He joined the 126th New York Volunteers in camp, at Geneva, New York, on the 9th day of August, 1862, assisted in the orga- nization of the Regiment, was commissioned and mustered Major of the Regiment to date August 9th, 1862, and accompanied the Regiment to the field, where he was indefatigable in his efforts in drilling the Regiment. Colonel SHERRILL having been severely wounded in the engagement on Maryland Heights, and Lieuten- ant-Colonel BULL being absent on duty in the State of Maryland, Major BAIRD succeeded to the command of the Regiment, and after Maryland Heights had been ordered to be abandoned by Colonel MILES, Major BAIRD marched his Regiment to Bolivar Heights, and intrenched his position there, and when, in the morning of the day following, the storm of solid shot and exploding shells burst upon the troops from front and flank and rear, his admirable coolness and composure were an example for his command.
After the surrender of Harper's Ferry and the transfer of the Regiment under parole to Chicago, Major BAIRD was appointed Provost Marshal of that Post, and remained on that duty while his Regiment was there, except for a few days while absent in response to a summons from Washington to testify as a witness before the Military Commission, of which Major-General DAVID HUNTER was President, concerning the surrender by Colonel MILES, of Harper's Ferry. On the 27th of November, 1862, having arrived with his Regiment at Washington, on the way to the field, he was officially notified that by General Orders, No. 183, dated November 8th, 1862, issued from the Adjutant General's Office, by direction of the Secretary of War, he was dismissed from the service for alleged " Bad Conduct," on Maryland Heights. Major BAIRD was not aware that he was on trial, either while testifying before the Military Commission or afterward, until he saw in the newspapers an account of the order dismissing him from the service for alleged " Bad conduct." His previous military record had been excellent, and his courage and efficiency as an officer had never before been questioned.
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Smarting under the public disgrace which had been inflicted upon him by an inquisitorial tribunal that tried its unsuspecting victims in secret, he immediately bent all his energies to obtain a re-hearing of his case and to remove the stigma upon his character as a soldier. He went to the Judge Advocate-General's Office, inspected the evidence given against him, and had one interview with, and a rebuff from Secretary Stanton ; but still persisting, with testimonials of his previous good conduct, from Major-Gene- ral SEDGWICK, and Brigadier-General WARD, and with a letter from Colonel SHERRILL, and a report from Judge HOLT of the character and bearing of the evidence given against him, he obtained a reconsideration of his case from Secretary STANTON, and the order of dismissal was revoked, and he was reinstated as an officer ; but the vacancy in the Regiment having been filled in the meantime he was unable to return to duty.
Colonel SHERRELL having been killed at the battle of Gettys- burg in July 1863, and Lieutenant-Colonel BULL commissioned Colonel, Major BAIRD was then commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel in the regiment, with rank from July 3d, 1863, but was unable to be mustered under the regulations restricting the number of field officers to two in a regiment, reduced as was the 126th New York Volunteers at that time. But the 2d Corps having distinguished itself at the battle of Bristow Station, October 14th, 1863, an order was issued from the War Department congratulating them on their victory, complimenting them for their gallantry, and per- mitting as a special favor all officers in the Corps, awaiting mus- ter, to muster according to the rank of their commissions, thus enabling Lieutenant-Colonel BAIRD to muster in and join his regi- ment for duty on the 3d of November, 1863. Colonel BAIRD distinguished himself at Morton's Ford, February 6th, 1864, and was complimented by his superior officers for his bravery and gallant conduet with his command under fire.
In April, 1864, he received leave of absence to accompany his wife, then seriously ill, to his home in Geneva, and rejoined his Regiment again on the 15th of May following, near Spottsylvania Court-house, and continued in command of the Regiment until the 16th of June, 1864, when he was killed in action in front of Petersburg. About six o'clock, in the afternoon of that day, a charge was made by the 2d Corps, under HANCOCK, upon the
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rebel lines in front of Petersburg, the Regiments being formed in double column at half distance, and by order of Colonel PAUL FRANK, commanding the Brigade. Colonel CRANDALL, 125th New York Volunteers, commanded the right wing of the Brigade, and Colonel MCDOUGAL, 111th New York Volunteers, com- manded the left. The charge was made over a level field for about half a mile, then across a ravine with sloping sides of about fifty yards each, from the further bank of which a rebel line was driven, and the Brigade advanced under a mur- derous fire into a young orchard, when the Brigade was halted for want of support on its right and left, and was formed along the bank of the ravine, under the fire from the enemy on both flanks. Colonel CRANDALL, commanding the right wing of the Brigade having been disabled, Colonel BAIRD was ordered to take his place, and while establishing the line on the right, he was struck by a musket ball, from the right, entering his right side, passing through both lungs and coming out at the left. He lived about an hour, attended by his Adjutant, and died on the battle-field fully conscious and composed in mind to the last. He gave his last mes- sages for his family to his Adjutant, and calmly said in substance that he did not regret entering the service ; he had tried to do his duty and should die on duty in his place on the field of battle. His Adjutant (SPENCER F. LINCOLN), was also shot a few minutes after Colonel BAIRD expired, and subsequently died without the opportunity of personally conveying the last messages of Colonel BAIRD to his family. The announcement of Colonel BAIRD'S death cast a gloom over the Regiment, for the men of his com- mand had come to know him. He was strict while on duty, but was kind, genial, generous and vivacious, when relieved from the restraints and responsibilities of command. Possessed of an extraordinary memory and buoyancy of spirit, he enlivened many an otherwise tedious hour, with well-timed narratives or humor- ous anecdotes. One of his warm friends writes thus of Colonel BAIRD: "No danger, discomfort or fatigue could quench his ceaseless flow of pleasant feeling. His consideration and sym- pathy for his men and his genial nature, were characteristics that soon won the esteem and affection of the soldiers of his Regiment, and their sorrow for his untimely death, was testified in words of
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heartfelt sympathy. They had lost a friend; the Regiment its tried and beloved commander."
While with the 126th New York Volunteers he was in the fol- lowing battles : Harper's Ferry, Mine Run, Morton's Ford, Spottsylvania, May 18th, North Anna, Tolopotomoy, Cold Har- bor and Petersburg .*
The following are the testimonials furnished him by Generals SEDGWICK and WARD, and Colonel SHERRILL, to enable him to obtain a re-hearing in the Harper's Ferry case :
[LETTER OF GENERAL WARD.] " HEAD-QUARTERS 2D BRIGADE, 1ST DIVISION, "3D CORPS, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
To His Excellency the President of the United States :
I have the honor to state that WILLIAM H. BAIRD late Major of the 126th Regiment New York State Volunteers, dismissed the service of the United States dishonorably, has applied to me for a certificate relative to his actions as an officer under my command.
Mr. BAIRD joined the 38th New York Volunteers, of which I was Colonel, as Captain, and was mustered into the United States service June 3d, 1861. He was in command of his Company at the battle of Bull Run, July, 1861, and discharged his duty as a brave man to my entire satisfaction.
On the 11th of January, 1862, he was appointed Major of the Regiment, and acted in that capacity at the battle of Williamsburg, May 5th, 1862, where he again discharged his whole duty. And again, at the battle of Fair Oaks, on the 31st of May, and June 1st, he had command of the Regiment, I being temporarily in command of the Brigade, where he acted especially well, and fought bravely and with great success. He was also with the Regi- ment during the seven day's battles, and at Malvern Hill, in the capacity of Lieutenant-Colonel, performed his duty well. He resigned and left the com- mand at Harrison's Landing, about the 23d of July, 1862, for the purpose of joining another Regiment.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant.
J. H. HOBART WARD, Brigadier-General.
This letter was indorsed by General SEDGWICK, as follows :
"Major BAIRD was under my command for several months. He always performed his duty with zeal and fidelity. I know nothing in regard to his conduct under fire, but I have such confidence in General WARD, as a brave and just officer, that I am willing to endorse his statement.
"JOHN SEDGWICK, " Major-General."
* He was commissioned Colonel, May 2d, 1864, with rank from April 18th, 1864, but on account of the reduced numbers of the Regiment, he was not mustered in as Colonel.
,
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126TH REGIMENT NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS
[LETTER OF COLONEL SHERRILL.]
" HEAD-QUARTERS 126TH REGIMENT NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. " CAMP NEAR UNION MILLS, VA., March 3d, 1863.
" To his Excellency, the President :
" Mr. WM. H. BAIRD, a citizen of New York, claims that injustice has been done him by the military commission appointed to investigate the matter of the disgraceful surrender of Harper's Ferry, on the 15th of Sep- tember last, and, to the extent of my knowledge, desires me to vindicate him in respect to that affair.
"Major BAIRD came to Virginia, last August, in the capacity of Major of this Regiment, and was exceedingly useful to it as a drill-master, having acted in the capacity of Major, for a long time, in the 38th New York Vol- unteers, where myself not only, but the military authorities of the State had been most favorably impressed in relation to his bravery and gallant bearing during the many conflicts which that Regiment had passed through.
"During the time of the first attack upon Maryland Heights, the Major did, according to my best knowledge and belief, discharge his whole duty as an officer.
During the second attack, my attention was not so particularly drawn in the direction of the right of the line, where he was located, supposing the left to be in most danger.
That I ordered him back to the line of battle is wholly false, but, on the contrary, I left the field that day without a suspicion that he had failed to discharge his whole duty, and it was some time subsequent before I heard an intimation from any source that such was not the fact.
I am induced to make this statement in consequence of having learned that there is testimony on record going to show that I was cognizant of disgraceful conduct on the part of Major BAIRD on Maryland Heights, and tried to persuade him to do his duty, which I repeat is wholly false.
I am, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
E. SHERRILL, Colonel Commanding.
MAJOR PHILO D. PHILLIPS,
Was born in Bristol, Ontario county, New York, in 1831, and was by occupation a house-builder. He assisted in recruiting Company D, 27th New York Volunteers, in the spring of 1861, and was commissioned and mustered First Lieutenant in that Company, with rank from May 7th, 1861; was wounded at the battle of Bull Run, July 1st, 1861; was promoted to be Captain of the same Company, with rank from November 7th, 1861; and was discharged for disability, on tender of resignation, April 24th, 1862.
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He assisted to recruit Company D, 126th New York Volun- teers, and was commissioned and mustered Captain of this Com- pany, with rank from August 9th, 1862; was promoted to be Major of the Regiment, November 27th, 1862. He was sent to hospital at Georgetown, D. C., sick, June 24th, 1863, and remained absent, sick, till September 1st, 1863, when he rejoined his Regiment, and was discharged for disability, on tender of resignation, October 29th, 1863, by Special Order No. 242, Head- quarters 2d Army Corps.
He was in the battle of First Bull Run while in the 27th New York Volunteers, and in the battles of Harper's Ferry, Auburn Ford and Bristow while with the 126th New York Volunteers.
MAJOR J. SMITH BROWN
Was born at Hammondsport, Steuben county, New York, in 1835 ; and his father having, in 1855, moved to Penn Yan, he went with his family, and soon thereafter entered Yale college, but on account of ill health was compelled, after a few weeks, to aban- don a collegiate course. He subsequently made two trips to Europe, for his health, traveling over England, Scotland and Ireland. On his return he entered into business in St. Louis, where he remained until the breaking out of the rebellion, when he immediately threw up a lucrative position, and returning home, enlisted as a private in Colonel BERDAN's United States Sharp- shooters, on the 27th of May, 1861. He was soon promoted to Corporal, and then Sergeant-Major, and acted as Adjutant of the Regiment with great efficiency, until October, 1862, when he was' discharged to accept the adjutancy of the 126th Regiment, and was commissioned in that Regiment with rank from October 3d, 1862.
He joined the Regiment at Chicago, November 17th, 1862.
Though physically never very strong, he possessed indomi- table energy and perseverance, always faithful in the perform- ance of the duties of a soldier. He was absent sick from. September 6th, 1863, till November 5th, 1863. Was promoted Major of the Regiment, November 20th, 1863, with rank by commission from November 12th, 1863 ; was on detached service at Madison, Wisconsin, as United States Inspector of that State from April 20th, 1864, till May 11th, 1865. He rejoined his
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Regiment near Alexandria, Virginia, and was mustered out with the Regiment, June 3d, 1865. While with the 1st United States Sharp Shooters, he was in the following battles : Big Bethel, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Hanover Court-house, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mills, Savage Station, Glendale, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, and Antietam. And while with the 126th New York Volunteer, he was in the battles of Gettysburg and Mine Run. Major BROWN was commissioned as Lieutenant- Colonel, May 2d, 1864, with rank from April 18th, 1864; and Colonel, July 27th, 1864, with rank from same date; but was never mustered in as Lieutenant-Colonel or Colonel, on account of reduced numbers of the Regiment. He returned to Penn Yan, where he resided until the 27th of April, 1866, when he died from disease contracted in the service. Major BROWN left a wife and one child ..
ADJUTANT A. S. WHEELER
Was born in Warwick, Orange county, N. Y., in 1832. He entered Geneva (now Hobart) College in 1847, and graduated in 1851. In July, 1862, while holding the professorship of the Greek language and literature in Hobart College, Geneva, he was invited by Colonel SHERRILL and the chairman of the War Com- mittee of the senatorial district (Honorable CHAS. J. FOLGER) to accept temporarily the Adjutancy of the 126th Regiment New York Volunteers, then to be recruited, for the purpose of assisting in its organization. The long summer vacation of the college, which had just commenced, left him free for two months. He accordingly accepted the position offered, and was mustered in for three years, with rank from July 17th, 1862. He accompanied the Regiment to its first camp at Harper's Ferry, and was, on tender of resignation, honorably discharged from the service Sep- tember 5th, 1862, by Special Order No. 82, Head-quarters Middle Department 8th Army Corps, Baltimore, Md.
ADJUTANT SPENCER F. LINCOLN
Was born in the town of South Bristol, Ontario county, New York, on the 10th day of February, 1838. He was reared on a farm, and prepared for college at Lima, New York, and entered the sophomore class at Union College in 1857, and graduated in
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1860, when he commenced the study of law in the office of POTTLE & LINCOLN, in the village of Naples, New York. He remained there but a short time, and in the summer of 1861 he entered the law office of H. O. CHESEBRO, Esq., of Canandaigua, as a student, and continued to prosecute the study of law there until the 19th of July, 1862, when, in response to the President's call for volun- teers, he enrolled his name a soldier for his country, and, with PHILO D. PHILLIPS and CHARLES A. RICHARDSON, assisted in recruiting Company D, 126th New York Volunteers. Having a good address, and being a ready speaker, he met with extraordi- nary success in recruiting for his Company, and contributed not a little, by awakening an interest and arousing the enthusiasm of the people, to recruiting in the county for the other Companies of the Regiment. He was commissioned and mustered Second Lieutenant, with rank from August 9th, 1862, the date of his Company organization; and on the 27th day of December, 1862, he was promoted First-Lieutenant in the same Company. At Gettysburg, Captain RICHARDSON having been wounded, in the afternoon of the 2d of July, Lieutenant LINCOLN assumed com- mand of his Company, and continued in command during the remainder of the battle, and until the 12th day of August follow- ing, when he was seized with a fever, induced by hardships of the Gettysburg campaign, and was sent to the Seminary Hospital at Georgetown, on the 12th day of September following, and was absent, sick, until October 22d, 1863. He was detailed Acting Adjutant of the Regiment, on the field at Mine Run, November 24th, 1863, and on the 7th of December following was appointed Adjutant of the Regiment, and was afterward duly commissioned as such, and served in that capacity till June 16th, 1864, when he was wounded, in a charge on the enemy in front of Petersburg, by a musket shot through the left arm, resulting in an amputation of that arm near the shoulder, from the effects of which he died at Seminary Hospital, Georgetown, D. C., on the 9th day of July, 1864. On the 14th of June, two days before he received his fatal wound, a commission as Captain was issued to him, from Albany, with rank from May 3d, 1864.
Adjutant LINCOLN was a young man of much promise, whose ability and worth were not appreciated except by those who knew him most intimately. He fell with thousands of others, a
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costly sacrifice freely offered upon the altar of his country. May the sweet incense of such sacrifices go up through all time from the hallowed places that once knew them; and may the virtues of such patriots ever be cherished in the memories of those who live after them. Adjutant LINCOLN participated in the following battles : Harper's Ferry, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Morton's Ford, where he was slightly wounded by the explosion of a shell, the Wilderness, Po River, Spottsylvania, North Anna, Tolopotomoy, Cold Harbor and Petersburg.
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