History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 22

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) 1n; Lewis, J.W., & Co., Philadelphia
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 922

USA > New York > Clinton County > History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 22
USA > New York > Franklin County > History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 22

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The enemy kept up a fire of artillery, which rendered the gathering and eare of their own wounded a perilous affair.

That night we laid on our arms in line of battle, being aroused three or four times by seattering picket-firing. We stood in expectation of a charge, but it was not made. A stray picket shot wounded one of our men seriously. We were now facing towards Petersburg, only some three

miles away, and we were hoping for an advance in that direction ; but in the morning, after tearing up and destroy- ing the railroad most thoroughly, we marched back to our starting-point, a hasty line of works thrown up from the Appomattox to the James, running some three miles back from Bermuda Hundred. Our next move was accompany- ing an expedition which was about this time sent up the James River in the direction of Drury's Bluff. From Fort Darling on the river the rebels had a line of works of con- siderable strength running back some distance. The object of this expedition was supposed to be to carry these works and capture the fort, which commanded the James, and from its position and strength was too formidable for our gunboats. The enemy were charged and driven back, and some of their outer works were captured. During the night our regiment with others had been pushed close up to the rebel line of fortifications, and under the cover of night we threw up defensive earthworks. The supply of shovels not being sufficient, though the men worked with the most persistent energy, in the morning there was a short gap in front of our regiment. Capt. Benedict, whose company stretched across this space, to show evidently that he was willing to share the worst with his men, took his position with the unprotected part of the line. A rebel fort was but a few rods away, from which he could be seen as an officer with perfect distinctness. A shell, which was evi- dently aimed at him and his men in their exposure, struck him, exploding as it struck, tearing and mutilating his body in the most frightful manner, killing at the same time two of his men. This was on the morning of May 16th. His remains were gathered up, and by an order from Gen. Butler were put in charge of the chaplain and borne to his friends at Plattsburgh, N. Y., for interment. Capt. Benedict was a young officer of great gallantry ; ever ready for duty, fearless in danger, he was the idol of his company, and a general favorite in the regiment. His death was the occa- sion of deep and sincere sorrow. The expedition failed to accomplish the supposed design, and soon returned within our defensive works at Bermuda Hundred. Since landing at this place we lost up to this time twenty-five killed, wounded, and missing. Dr. Davignon, our regimental sur- gcon, was taken prisoner at Drury's Bluff. His faithful- ness and courage in the discharge of his duties led him to expose himself more than many would have done. Leveled revolvers in close proximity proved an argument in favor of surrendering not easily resisted. The speed of his beautiful white mare, on which he doted so much, was not quite a match for the bullets' flight,-at least he very properly con- cluded not to try the perilous race, and gave the reins of his pet and pride into rebel hands, and dismounted to be marched to Petersburg. He was put in charge of a hospi- tal of Union wounded, and did perhaps as efficient service for us as though within our lines. Here he met Governor Wise and other leaders in the Rebellion, and his aecounts on his return of his earnest discussions with them of the possi- bilities of final rebel triumph were most interesting and amusing. It was some time before we knew whether he was killed or captured ; but our fears that he had been killed were, to our great joy, finally dissipated by the intel- ligence that he was well, and hard at work for our wounded

HISTORY OF CLINTON AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES, NEW YORK.

and suffering at Petersburg. His return after some months to his regiment was most welcome.

May 29th, the regiment and other forces, to the number of some ten thousand, took transport for the White House, on the Peninsula. They were marched with dispatch to the front, at Cold Harbor, and joined in a fight on the ex- treme right, which pushed the enemy back some distance through the woods, taking some rifle-pits and prisoners. The early morning of June 3d we joined in the general charge made on the enemy's works, which were of great strength, and well manned. Immediately in our front was an open field, which stretched away to the enemy's works, perhaps one-fourth of a mile distant. At the word of com- mand, every officer and man sprang forward with the most desperate determination to win the contest. Alas! with many of our brave officers, and cqually brave men, this was their last response to the battle-shout. So exposed were our men as they rushed out into the open field, and so deadly was the fire of the enemy, that six officers and one hundred men lay stretched on the battle-plain at the first volley from the enemy. Blood was poured out as water, and all that the most determined courage could do was done, but we were soon forced to recoil under such a mur- derous fire. Retracing our steps to the edge of the woods, we made a stand and held ground somewhat in advance of our position at the start for the charge. Between us and the enemy lay our dead and severely wounded. A truce to care for them was refused by the rebels, and most of our wounded, in spite of all our anxiety to go to their relief, lay on the field until nightfall, when our men stole out in the darkness and brought off such as they could find. On such part of the field as we held the wounded were early cared for. Some sad scenes of most thrilling interest were witnessed on that bloody field. One is subjoined here as written by the same hand that indites these lines, near the time it transpired, and furnished for newspaper publication :

" Just after the engagement, as the wounded were being cared for, I noticed, a few yards away, a group of men. From their midst I thought I heard the voice of singing. I approached the group, and in their midst, wrapped in a flag, and lying upon a stretcher, I saw an officer in the uniform of a captain. He was fcarfully mangled by a shell, but still perfectly conscious. It was his voice I had heard. Though weak, he sang in measured tones, but with a voice of ineffable sweetness,-

"' Joys that we've tasted May sometimes return ; But the torch when once wasted, Ah! how can it burn? Splendors now clouded, Say, when will ye shine ? Broke is the goblet, And wasted the wine,' *

* *

" His countenance, radiant with the light of eternal life, seemed reflecting those glories which, beaming from the throne, fell full upon his longing, upward gaze as he sang,-

"' On the banks beyond the stream, Where the fields are always green, There is no night, but endless day There is where the angels stay.

" ' There's no sorrow, pain, nor fear, There's no parting farewell tear, There's no cloud, no darkness there : All is bright and clear and fair.

"' Flowers of fadeless beauty there, Trees of life with foliage rare, Fruits the most inviting grow; There is where I want to go.

" ' Hark ! I hear the angels sing. Heavenly harpers on the wing Throng the air and bid me rise To the music of the skies.'

"I listened, and never seemed so near heaven as then. When he had ended I pressed through the group, and, taking him by the hand, said, 'Captain, you seem quite happy ?' 'Yes, oh, yes,' he replied. I write the words, but the calm resignation, the sacred pcace, yea, the divine joy, they breathed I cannot write; it was inexpressible. He continued, ' What are these sufferings compared with the suffer- ings of the Saviour? We suffer for our country ; he suffered for the world. We suffer to save our nation from destruction; he suffered to save a world from endless woe.' He continued remarks of this char- acter while strong men, touched by the sacred influence breathed in every word, wept as children."

The captain soon after bade his comrades adieu and joined the heavenly host " in a nobler, sweeter song." The fol- lowing night-search-without the aid of lights, as they drew the enemy's fire-found and brought in Capt. James L. Cray, who had suffered untold tortures exposed to the burning sun. The intense suffering of thirst, added to the pain of his wound, rendered those long hours on the field where he fell almost unendurable. This wound proved mortal, and he died June 10th, en route for home. He was an efficient and active officer, ever ready for duty or danger. Capt. John Halleck went into the charge and never returned, falling somewhere along the bloody line. Stalwart and fearless, his commanding form and presence seemed a tower of strength. Lieut. Joseph South was also last seen cheering on his men and rushing forward in the face of the furious death-storm. Though in manner retir- ing and modest, he possessed every soldierly qualification. Mild and amiable in personal intercourse, he was firm and undaunted in the hour of greatest peril. Lieut. Paul Vi- gean also fell on that fatal field. He was a young French officer of fine personal appearance, and unflinching in the presence of the foe. Lieut. John G. Johnson was mortally wounded, and lingered until nearly the next morning and expired, having been borne to the open field occupied as a corps hospital. Lieut. S. B. Little was also killed in the fatal charge. It seemed a singular circumstance that every officer that was struck to draw blood at all was either in- stantly killed or died soon after. Lieut. John Matthews was struck on the heel and considerably bruised, but nothing serious was the result, only a little temporary lameness. Many regiments along the line fared but little better. Tlie charge seemed to us, who paid the terrible price, a needless slaughter, and yet, doubtless, no general- ship could see the end from the beginning, or the charge would never have been ordered. That night set in one of the hitherto gloomiest nights in the experience of the 96th. So many of our bravest and best dead or dying, and many of them beyond our reach, and we knew equally uncared for by the enemy. To think of our wounded lying alone and uncared for on the field to die was overwhelming. We did what we could by searching in the dark, but the wounded who may have sunk down, overcome with their numerous wounds and exhaustion, could not in the dark be easily selected from the multitude of the slain, who literally

MILITARY HISTORY.

lay heaped together in many parts of the field. It was some days before we could reach the field of the dead by day, and then only for a few moments, to witness the inost painful evidences that many of our men had crawled to the ravines in search of water, and, climbing one over another in their desperation, had died in hcaps. Such is the fear- ful comment upon the humanity of the rebel commanding officers who refused us the privilege of sending even un- armed stretcher corps on the field to relieve the sufferings of the wounded and dying and to bury our dead. Another flank movement was made, and we left our lines without ever gaining possession of this field until the final victory. June 13th found us at the White House, taking transports for Bermuda Hundred, where we landed on the 14th. About one o'clock that night we were ordered up and got in readiness to march, but did not move off until about daybreak. We marched across the Appomattox on a pon- toon-bridge thrown over for the purpose some two miles up the river from the James. The entire 18th Corps was in the line of march. It was evident that Petersburg was the objective point. After crossing the river a mile or more, we struck a road leading from City Point to Peters- burg. We faced in the latter direction, and soon firing at the front evidenced that we had struck the rebel pickets, which were driven in by our skirmishers. About three miles from Petersburg we came on to a rebel line of works, which were charged and carried by some colored troops, capturing two pieces of artillery. Their joy at this vic- tory was excessive. They actually hugged the captured guns with very delight. They suffered considerably, how- ever. As we moved forward some of their wounded were limping to the rear. One in particular, who seemed quite severely wounded and walking with great difficulty, was holding on to the muzzle of his gun, dragging the breech on the ground. One of our men said, " Why don't you drop your gun ?" " Can't do dat, sah," he replied ; " dat is de bes' fren' I've got," and he still tugged away at his musket with a will.

When within about two miles of the city we came upon the enemy's main line of defenses, which consisted of a strong linc of works extending from the Appomattox below to the river above, in a half-circle around the city. Di- rectly in front of one part of the line was a formidable fort of six guns. Our skirmishers drove back the rebel skirmish line to near the fort, when threc batteries dashed forward with horses at full speed and unlimbered in an open field, almost in the very muzzles of the cannon of the fort, and with the eighteen guns opened a terrific fire on the rebel fort, dismounting one of their guns and silencing the rest, when we charged forward and captured the fort with its guns and about three hundred prisoners.

We halted here for the night, and the next day set about facing the captured works towards the enemy. We were in a few days relieved, and with two divisions of our corps retraced our march across the Appomattox to near Bermuda Hundred. Here we waited orders two or three days, only to march back in front of Petersburg when they canic, and take our place in our line of works about half a mile from the Appomattox.

The morning of June 24th the rebels charged the line

held by our brigade. When the men were seen dashing forward from the line of works in front of us in a desperate charge on us our regiments were rather pleased than other- wise, and when at easy range we opened such a fire upon them as thinned and broke their ranks. The most who were not killed came in as prisoners. Being behind strong defenses we lost no men. Our men would have enjoyed a daily repetition of such charges.

The day following, Adj. Fielding Neal, without due cau- tion, exposed his head above our earthworks, and almost instantly was the target for some rebel sharpshooter, as our lines were in close proximity. The bullet entered one of his eyes, and passed through the lower part of the car on the same side of the head. He fell, as was supposed, mor- tally wounded, but, strange to say, the wound, though de- stroying the eye and passing through the side of his head, did not prove fatal. The same day one of our men- Albert Brothers-gave the rebels a chance for a shot, and fell dead, the bullet passing directly through his head. For months, along the line of trenches we were holding, there was the sharpest kind of sharpshooting in constant prac- tiee. Not the least show could be given the enemy without drawing their fire, and we were not slow to return the compliment. Our men would sometimes amuse themselves by putting a cap on a gun-rod and lifting it up partly in sight of the enemy, then dodge it down again, as though some soldier was trying to look cautiously over the top of our works. Soon rebel sharpshooters would be sending bullets in close proximity to, if not through, the exposed cap, while hours of such deception were practiced upon theni. Long and deep ditches were dug from the trenches to a deep ravine at the rear, and we were obliged to keep our heads low in passing to and from the front.

At this time the rebels planted a battery on an cminence on the north bank of the Appomattox, which partly enfi- laded our lines, which made us no little trouble, killing but few, but rendering it necessary for us to lie low, while we were under the necessity of building some defensive trav- erses facing that way. That battery had a very annoying habit of opening on us almost invariably just about mid- night of every night; and when we happened to be out of the front trenches and in our temporary camp in the ravine, just at the rear, many of us for safety would have to break our slumbers short and hurry into some pits, dug in the side of the bank, for safety. This night salute and night hiding became quite a stated and regular affair. Several batteries were planted on our side of the river to bear upon this impudent and noisy foe, and when the rebels' guns would open our batteries would chime in ; and often several times a day and night a fierce artillery duel would be fought, inflicting no serious loss upon us a rule, only the loss of sleep and a little ammunition.

On the night of June 30th we were temporarily ordered out to support a movement of a part of the 10th Corps at our left, which resulted in some fighting, in which we lost three men of our regiment, wounded, returning soon to our place in the line of works. From the pieket-firing, which was constantly kept up, we frequently lost some of our regiment. For a day or two before, and on the 7th of July, we lost five men.

HISTORY OF CLINTON AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES, NEW YORK.

July 10th, a soldier by the name of McAuly was shot through the head and instantly killed. He was familiarly known in the regiment as " Lindy." He was sent from the trenches with canteens for water. He was asked as he started how long before he would be back, and replied, " I don't know as I shall ever come back," and he did not. He had gone but a short distance when, failing to keep his head down, as we had to stoop and walk some part of the way to the rear, he received the fatal shot. On the 11th, Sergt .- Maj. Farrel was shot through the left arm, inflicting a painful but not dangerous wound. Accustomed to the bursting of shells and the whizzing of bullets day and night, some of our men would, notwithstanding the best caution that could be given them, become careless, and often paid for it the death penalty. An officer of a regiment that re- lieved ours for a time in the trenches,-both the name and regiment are not at command,-in a fit of daring, put his head sufficiently high to look over our works, and watched for the smoke of a rebel rifle, and would suddenly dodge down, and as the bullet would hiss madly by just over our earthworks, would say, "Did not hit me that time," and then repcat the experiment, until for once he failed to dodge sufficiently quick, when the accurately-aimed bullet struck him square between the eyes, and he fell dead.

While our numbers were being thinned almost daily by the constant sharpshooting, the excessively hot and dry weather told fearfully upon our men, until, on July 15th, in the en- tire regiment there were but one hundred and forty-five men for duty in the ranks. On the 25th we had another of our men killed in the trenches, William Buck, of Fort Edward. His body was sent to his friends. That night our tempo- rary camp, which was in a piece of woods at the rear of the trenches, and in which we occasionally rested a day, when relieved for rest, was shelled in a most terrific manner. About midnight, when at least most of the camp were in a sound slumber, the woods werc ablaze with bursting shells. Bomb- proofs had been prepared for such an emergency, and a lively charge was made on them. Maj. Pierce, who was for some time in command of the regiment, while Col. Cullen was in command of the brigade, came in rather late, some of us fearing that he was sleeping his last sleep. But soon he came dashing in, having actually " overslept himself," awak- ing only after the fire had been some time in progress, so accustomed had we become to night cannonading. Some- times officers were known to sleep soundly when shells were bursting all about our camp. To home-life and the sur- roundings of peace this seems impossible, but months of nightly salutes rendered them commonplace affairs. Our batteries finally succeeded in silencing the furious fire of the enemy. The major and some of the officers took a lunch and retired again, remarking that " the rebels were very kind to wake us up to eat. Wonder how they knew that we were hungry." Strange to say, none of our men were killed in this furious onslaught of bursting shells. In the morning our camp presented a most dilapidated appcar- ance, giving the clearest evidence that there had been some kind of commotion since we saw our camp by daylight. Branches from the trees scattered in every direction, ground plowed up, tents torn, guns broken, cantcens smashed, show- ing the character of the unwelcome intrusion on our night's

repose. One canteen, that chanced-as was sometimes the case with army canteens-to contain a little extra stimulus for some one's courage, was struck by a bursting shell, and battered and burned until the smell of whisky was not left about it. This slight occasion was made the text by the chaplain of some earnest temperance lecturing, especially to the parties so clearly warned. To the credit of the 96th be it here said that there was but little drunkenness known or allowed in eamp.

The officers who severally commanded the regiment from first to last, whether or not themselves total abstinence under all circumstances, encouraged and largely enforced order and sobriety in the regiment. Those revelries which sometimes made night hideous were strangers to our ex- perience. Several times both officers and men were made to feel, in a most forcible manner, the duty of sobriety in their relation to the duties and responsibilities of the soldier. About this time Capt. Hindes, coming from seniority into command, for a time taught practically, as an cspecial occa- sion presented itself, some lessons on this question, which were never forgotten. Sometimes, from the intoxication not unfrequently indulged in in the army, incidents came under our observation, at which the risings of mirth could scarcely be repressed, notwithstanding their perilous nature. On one occasion an officer on the staff of some general, overcharged with bad " commissary," dashed past our line, just at the left of our regiment, and galloped out to near the rebel line of works, and then turncd and rode along parallel to their linc in short and easy range of the enemy. The rebels fired volley after volley at him, and while in the midst of the hottest of the fire he took off his hat and swung it at them in drunken defiance, then turned and rode deliberately back to and within our lincs without, strange to say, having received a single scratch. Another, with his courage inspired from the same source, declared that the delay in capturing Petersburg was all unnecessary, and that he could capture the place himself, and, drawing his sword, he spurred his horse to full speed, and charged down the road in that direction and swept flying past our pickets, who heard the rebels order him to a halt as he came up. When cooled to sober realization he found himself captured instead of Petersburg.

CHAPTER XXI.

MILITARY HISTORY-(Continued).

Ninety-sixth Regiment-(Continued).

ON the evening of July 29th we were ordered some dis- tance to the left, and formed in the rear of the 9th Corps. We suspected that a mine that Burnside had been planting under a rebel fort just in front was about to be fired. At carly day a sudden earthquake and a heavy muffled clap of thunder, while just over in our front dust, guns, and men went up in a cloud together, gave evidence that our sus- picions were correct. Though a charge was made into the open gap, it was licld only for a short time, when the rebels rallied in great force, and our charging column fell back, and we returned to our temporary camp, to lie for the most

MILITARY HISTORY.

of the time, as before, in the trenches. August 5th the enemy attempted to explode a mine under one of our forts, just at the left of the regiment, which gave us a little extra excitement. Our engineers had countermined and struck their underground magazine, removing the powder, so that when the rebels fired their fuse it only blowed up a little earth between our lines and theirs. They started, how- ever, to charge, and finding no gap to charge into, were dis- appointed and easily repulsed. We thought this in some measure compensated for the failure at our mine explosion a few days before. August 15th, a rain-flood swelled the brook in the ravine in which our temporary camp was located to a deep, rushing river, rising so rapidly as to sweep away tents and much camp equipage before it could be removed. Pasco, one of our men, was wounded on picket on the 17th, and on the 20th Elijah Welch was killed while on the same duty. On this day we moved eamp about one mile farther up the ravine, where as before we were daily and nightly shelled, though fortunately suf- fering but little or no loss from this source, though it re- quired some digging and burrowing like gophers to render ourselves at all secure. Sickness still depleted our ranks, as the low, marshy ravine necessarily bred fevers. August 25th, but about fifty muskets could be mustered for duty in the regiment ; a sad comment on the ravages of battle and disease we had met thus far in our army experience.

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History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 22

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) 1n; Lewis, J.W., & Co., Philadelphia Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & co. Number of Pages: 922

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) 1n; Lewis, J.W., & Co., Philadelphia
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 922