USA > New York > Columbia County > History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 38
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The above company, known as the " Governor's Gnard," was largely composed of men from the northeastern part of the county, and its field of service during the war was on the frontier, in the vicinity of Niagara river.
A regiment or battalion under command of Lient-Col. Vosburgh, of Stuyvesant Landing, served from about Sep- tember, 1812, to March, 1813, on the northern frontier, at Chateaugay, French Mills, and other points. Among Col. Vosburgh's company commanders were Capts. James War- ner, Ira Gale, and Jared Winslow.
The "Light Infantry Battalion" of Lient .- Col. (after- wards promoted to colonel and brigadier-general) Jacob R. Van Rensselaer was ordered to the defense of the city of New York about Sept. 1, 1814, and remained on that duty during its whole term of service, but had no occasion to participate in any engagement. Col. Van Rensselaer's second in command was Maj. John Whitbeck, and the bat- talion contained the uniformed company known as the " Hudson Greens," commanded by Capt. Barnabas Water- mau; a company of artillery-also from Hudson-com- manded by Capt. Elias Worden, and the infantry companies of Capts. Abraham L. Fonda, of Claverack ; Robt. Elting, Jr., of Clermont ; Israel Holmes, of the southern part of the county ; Henry Van Vleck, of Kinderhook ; and Wm. N. Bentley. The artillery was posted on Staten Island.
A battalion nnder command of Col. John Van Dolfson was also in serviee at Brooklyn, for the defense of New York. Its term of service was four months, and the con- mand included among its companies those of Capts. Coon- rod J. Wiltsey, of Copake; John Martin, of Claverack ; Joseph Lord, of Canaan ; and - Cooper, of the south- ern part of the county.
A company of one hundred and twenty volunteers, under command of Capt. William Jordan, marched from their rendezvous at Miller's tavern, above Kinderhook, in 1814, destined for Plattsburgh, but had proceeded only a small part of the distance wheu news of the battle reached them, and rendered their further advanee unnecessary. Another company, under Capt. Henry P. Mesick, First Lient. Chris- topher W. Miller, and Second Lient. Ralph Tanner, marched for the same destination, where they arrived two days after the battle had been fought. In the naval battle fought on Lake Champlain by Commodore McDonough, Wm. A. Spencer, a native of Columbia county, and son of Judge
Ambrose Spencer, served gallantly as a midshipman in the commodore's fleet, and was wounded upon that occasion.
At the commencement of the war Gen. Scott marched through the county with a command of about seven hnn- dred men, destined for service in the north, making his encampment for a night in the city of Hudson, on a spot of vaeant ground near the present site of the court-house.
For many of the above faets relative to the movements of the Columbia county troops in the War of 1812 we are indebted to Wheeler H. Clarke, Esq., of Hudson.
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
The part performed by the county of Columbia in the war waged from 1861 to 1865, for the suppression of re- bellion and the preservation of the Union, was most honor- able and patriotic. At the receipt of the intelligence of the attack on Fort Sumter, in April, 1861, there were seen here the same demonstrations of loyalty to the Union and of determination to crush out treason at every hazard ; the same patriotie meetings and flag-raisings ; the same dispo- sition of young men to volunteer, and of old men to en- courage and aid them in doing so, as were found everywhere, in nearly every county throughout the Empire State. And when our armies melted away in the fervent heat of battle, and call after call was made for men to take the places of those who had fallen, there was shown here the same deter- mination to stand by the government at whatever cost ; and the people and the local authorities with the same alacrity voted the moneys which were called for to accomplish the desired end.
The troops from Columbia county who entered the ser- vice of the government during the War of 1861-65 were, as nearly as can be ascertained, as follows, viz. :
Four companies (and parts of other companies) of the 128th Regiment New York Volunteers, under Col. David S. Cowles, of Hudson,->three years' term of service.
Three companies * (and part of another) of the 91st Regiment New York Volunteers,-three years' service, -- commanded by Col. Jacob Van Zandt.
Four companies (and a large portion of a fifth) of the 159th Regiment New York Volunteers, under Col. Edward L. Molineux,-three years' service.
One company of the 14th New York Volunteers, under Col. James McQuade.
A large number of men from this county also entered and served in companies of the 44th, 48th, 93d, and 150th Regiments of New York Volunteer Infantry, as well as of the 1st, 2d, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 12th Regiments of Cavalry, and in the regular army and navy of the United States.
For the names of those who entered the service from this county in New York State regiments, we refer the reader to the list printed at the end of this volume, copied from the rolls in the adjutant-general's office at Albany, and verified, corrected, and added to, in accordance with such information (deemed reliable) as we have been able to obtain from veterans of the war and from other sources.
# It is not intended to state that every man in the companies men- tioned was of Columbia county, but that they were nearly all such, so that they were recognized and mentioned as Columbia companies.
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
There were probably few from this county who served their country in the navy during the war, but among these few was Lieut. J. Van Ness Philip, of Claverack, of whose honorable career we elsewhere give a brief sketch.
Below we give condensed historical narratives of the four regiments, the 128th, 91st, 159th, and 14th, which con- tained companies from Columbia county.
THE 128TH REGIMENT NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
This regiment was raised in the counties of Columbia and Dutchess during the months of July and August, 1862. Four of its companies (A, E, G, and K) were contributed by Columbia, and six (B, C, D, F, H, and I) by Dutchess. The term for which its men enlisted was three years.
The first movement in Columbia towards the formation of a company for this regiment was the issuance of a call, dated Hudson, July 23, signed by Edward Gifford, Gran- ville P. Haws, and John V. Whitbeck, asking for voluu- teers. A company (afterwards designated as A of the 128th) was completed within a few days, and the three other companies from the county were rapidly filled.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, national and regimental colors were presented to the regiment at Camp Kelly,* in the pres- ence of about four thousand spectators and amid great en- thusiasm. One of the speeches made on that occasion was by the author of the " Field-Book of the Revolution," Benson J. Lossing, who said, " Soldiers,-Mothers, wives, sisters, aud sweethearts have laid these objects of their af- fection upon the altar of their country as tokens of patriot- ism ; in their name I present you with the banner of our common country. This banner is the insignia of the Re- public, the symbol of our nationality. Take it; bear it proudly ; defend it gallantly ; wave it triumphantly over field, and fortress, and town, and bring it back unsullied, with the glad tidings that it represents a redeemed, purified, and strengthened nation, whose every image of God is, by the law of the laud, entitled to the inalienable right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
On the 4th of September the men were mustered into the service of the United States, and on the following day the regiment, one thousand strong, under command of Col. David S. Cowles, embarked at Hudson on board the steamer " Oregon" for New York, whence they proceeded south by railway, arrived at Baltimore at five P.M. on the 6th, and bivouacked on Stewart's hill, where, on the 8th, they re- ceived their arms, ammunition, and shelter-tents, and after- wards marched to their camping-ground at Camp Millington.
On the 10th of October the alarming intelligence was received that the cavalry general Stuart had invaded Mary- land and was pressing northward with a force estimated at three thousand men. Upon this the regiment received orders to prepare to move immediately with two days' rations, and, on the 13th, at six A.M., they, as part of an expedition composed of several regiments of Gen. Wool's command, left Baltimore by the Northern Central railroad, and proceeded by way of Hanover to Gettysburg, where they arrived at nine P.M. There, upon a report that the enemy were advancing, their first line of battle was formed,
and the men stood ready to face Gen. Stuart. But the time had not come for the hills of Gettysburg to become historic ground. On learning of the position of affairs there, the rebel general abandoned his raid in that direction and retired across the Potomac.
The regiment left Gettysburg on the 14th of October, and, after a detention of two days at Hanover, caused by the breaking of a bridge, arrived at Baltimore on the 17th, and re-occupied their old ground at Camp Millington. Here they remained, perfecting their drill, but without notable incident, until Nov. 5, when orders were received to embark on the transport " Arago," to form a part of General Banks' famous expedition to New Orleans, though the destination was at that time unknown to regimental officers or men.
The ship did not sail until the 9th, when, at seven o'clock A.M., she left her anchorage and steamed down the Chesapeake. The day was rough and uncomfortable, but, as the evening came on, the wind lulled and the surface of the bay was as smooth as that of their own placid Hudson. Away to the eastward the land could be dimly seen, but to the south and west there was only one wide stretch of flashing water, while from above the stars twinkled and the moonlight glittered on barrel and bayonet, and sparkled on the foam that bubbled in the wake of the ship. All were in good spirits, for the belief was general that their desti- nation was the harbor of Charleston. A young officer of the regiment, in a letter written home from the transport, said, " I believe we are going to Charleston. If I am to lose my life during the war, I would prefer to die fighting within sight of the battered walls of old Sumter."
They arrived at Fortress Monroe on the morning of the 10th, and on the 12th the " Arago" steamed up the Roads and lay off Newport News, near the wrecks of the historic frigates " Congress" and " Cumberland." On the 30th the regiment encamped near the ruins of the Virginian village of Hampton, but on the 2d of December they were ordered to strike tents and re-embark on the " Arago." Their surgeon, Dr. D. P. Van Vleck, died on board the ship Nov. 21, and during their tedious stay there, both on land and afloat, they experienced much hardship and a consider- able amount of sickness.
In the afternoon of the 4th of December the " Arago" and other vessels of the expedition set sail from Hampton Roads, and it was now definitely known that their destina- tion was New Orleans, and that they were to form a part of the army of General Banks.
During the nine days which they passed at sea, several deaths occurred; among them being that of Lieut. Francis N. Sterling, of Co. D, who died Dec. 6, and on the follow- ing day was buried beneath the waters.
The transport arrived at Ship Island on the 13th of De- cember. Here they met the steamer " Northern Light," having on board the 159th New York Regiment, of which a part was from Columbia county, and it may be imagined better than it can be told with what cheers and demonstra- tions of delight the two commands greeted each other. The " Arago" soon resumed her voyage, entered the South- west Pass on the morning of the 14th, and in the afternoon of the same day reached Quarantine Station, where the
# The fair-grounds at Hudson.
19
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
vessel was detained. On the 16th the regiment was dis- embarked, and quartered in a vacant storehouse, where they remained until the 5th of January, 1863, at which time they embarked on the steamer " Laurel Hill," and were transported to Camp Chalmette, upon the old battle- field of New Orleans, and about three miles below the city.
The stay here was most disagreeable. The weather was cold and rainy, and the ground became so soft that it was barely possible to move from one tent to another. At this dismal place Lieut. Augustus U. Bradbury, of Hudson, contracted the disease which one month later terminated his life. His last camp duty he performed here, on the night of January 28, as officer of the guard, and on the evening of February 25 he died. " I entertained," wrote Col. Cowles, " a very high opinion of Lieut. Bradbury as a perfectly reliable soldier under whatever circumstances." At his funeral the Rev. William S. Leavitt said, " He whom we have come to bury has finished his warfare,- prematurely, according to human judgment. But God sees not with our eyes, and judges by higher and wiser rules than we. . . . It is but a few months since we saw him going forth with a thousand more,-fresh, earnest, full of patriotic fire, while our whole city thronged about them with its tears and farewells. We looked forward to the time-and it was ever in our thoughts, and present always to our hopes-when we should welcome him and them, returning again to the warm hearts and smiles of home, amid the rejoicings of victory and the blessings of re-estab- lished order and peace.
At last be comes, awaited long, Not to home welcomes long and lond ; Not to the voice of mirth and song,- Pale-featured, cold, beneath a shroud.'"
On the 3d of February the regiment removed from Chalmette, a few miles, to Camp Parapet, where they re- mained at guard and drill duty until the 18th of April, when the men were embarked on the steamers " Empire Parish" and " J. M. Brown," and proceeded across Lake Pontchartrain on an expedition to Fort Pike and Gaines- ville; from which service they returned to camp on the 22d, having captured one steamboat and a large amount of other rebel property. For this, their first achievement in the southwest, they were commended in general orders by Brig .- Gen. T. W. Sherman, under whose immediate command the expedition had moved.
On the 12th of May another expedition was formed, and the 128th, with the 6th Michigan Volunteers, all un- der command of Col. Clark, of the latter, proceeded to Pontochoula, from which the enemy retired, and the place was occupied by our men until the 19th, when they re- turned to Camp Parapet.
The siege of Port Hudson, which was one of the lead- ing objects of the Banks expedition, had now commenced, and on the 20th of May the brigade of which the 128th was a part, under command of Brig .- Gen. Neal Dow, em- barked on transports to join the main army. They landed on the 22d at Springfield Landing, about five miles below Port Hudson, whence, on the same day, they marched ten miles inland to the rear of the fortifications, and on the following day moved forward, and were among the first to
take possession of some of the outer works, from which the enemy withdrew to their principal defenses.
Port Hudson is about twenty-five miles above Baton Rouge, on the east side of the Mississippi, upon a com- manding point, around which the river bends, forming almost a right angle. The strength of the position, natu- rally great, bad been increased by all the devices of mili- tary science, until the enemy, with apparent reason, accounted it their Gibraltar. The forces defending the fortifications were under Maj .- Gen. Franklin Gardner, who had been assigned to that command on the 27th of Decem- ber.
The plans of the commanding general having been per- fected, on the 27th of May the troops moved forward to a general assault. The fire of the artillery was opened early in the morning, and continued unabated during the day. At ten A.M. the infantry, under Gen. Weitzel, attacked the right of the enemy's works. "On the left," said Gen. Banks, in his official report, " the infantry did not come up until later in the day ; but at two o'clock an assault was opened on the works on the centre and left centre by the divisions under Maj .- Gen. Augur and Brig .- Gen. Sher- man. The enemy was driven into his works, and our troops moved up to the fortifications, holding the opposite sides of the parapet with the enemy."
The 128th New York formed a part of Sherman's divi- sion, which attacked the rebel left centre, and through all that lurid day Port Hudson saw no better fighting than was done by this command.
A storming column, composed of the Columbia and Dutchess Regiment, the 6th Michigan, 15th New Hamp- shire, and 26th Connecticut, moved into the infernal fire with the steadiness of veterans, and carried a portion of the works by the bayonet ; but afterwards, by overwhelming odds and exposure to a flank fire, they were compelled to retire to a belt of woods; though their skirmish line still held its position close under the fortifications.
The record of the day was that of repulse and disaster to the Union forces, and of irreparable loss to the 128th Regiment in the death of their brave and beloved colonel, who fell early in the fight, and at the bead of his eom- mand. When within a few rods of a gateway which formed the entrance to the work, two balls struck him, one passing through his body from breast to back, and the other enter- ing his groin and passing downward, giving the wound the appearance of a bayonet-thrust .* The wound was a mortal one, and he died in less than an hour. His last words were, " Tell my mother I died with my face to the enemy." His remains were brought home and interred with imposing solemnity on Monday, June 15, 1863. The funeral cor- tege was composed of delegations from the Masonic order of eleven different adjoining towns, the fire department, Col. Wright and staff of the 21st Regiment, members of the bar, Claverack cadets, etc. An appropriate eulogy was delivered by I. H. Reynolds, Esq., and a funeral discourse by Rev. W. S. Leavitt. The place of interment was the plot of ground just previously appropriated by the common
# In Greeley's " American Confliet," as in some other accounts of this engagement, it was erroneously stated that Col. Cowles died from a bayonet wound.
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
council for the burial of those who should fall in the ser- vice of their country. The memory of this gallant and patriotic offieer will ever be cherished by the people of Co- lumbia county.
A singular circumstance connected with his death is the fact that on the very day when the assault was made, while it was impossible that any news of it could have arrived, a report was started in Hudson ( producing great excite- ment) to the effeet that the regiment had participated in a terrible battle, and that Col. Cowles had fallen.
On the day preceding the engagement, Capt. (afterwards Maj.) Edward Gifford, while in command of a party en- gaged in burning some buildings in the immediate vicinity of the hostile lines, was captured by the enemy, and re- mained a prisoner in Port Hudson for thirty-nine days, but succeeded in escaping on the night of the 4th of July. In crossing a ereek while attempting to regain the Union lines, he was carried by the current out into the Mississippi, where for four hours he battled with the swift waters and barely escaped with life, although an expert swimmer. He was rescued by some Indiana troops, and returned to his comrades, but the privations he had undergone, and the almost superhuman efforts put forth to regain his liberty, proved too much for his constitution, and although he re- ceived the tenderest care and attention from his brother officers and friends, he steadily sunk, and died in New Orleans on the 8th of August. His remains were brought to Hudson and buried with military honors.
After the unsuccessful assault of May 27 the whole brigade fell back under cover of some heavy timber, but still in range of the hostile batteries, the 128th being then under command of Major Keese. Here they remained till June 14, when another advance was attempted at the left, with similar result. In this engagement the loss of the regiment was much less than on the previous occasion. Among the wounded were Capt. George W. Van Slyck and Adj. J. P. Wilkinson.
The Union forces now held their positions before Port Hudson until July 7, at which time Gen. Gardner sent a communication to Gen. Banks asking if the report of the surrender of Vicksburg was true, and if so, requesting a cessation of hostilities. Gen. Banks replied that Vicks- burg had surrendered to Grant on the 4th, and that under the circumstances he could not grant the cessation. To which Gen. Gardner responded proposing capitulation, which was soon agreed on, and on the morning of the 9th the rebel forces, consisting of about five thousand men, were surrendered, and the fortifications occupied by a small Union detachment selected for their bravery and discipline. One of the regiments so selected was the 128th New York. They had remained inside the works but two days, when they received orders to proceed to Baton Rouge, at which place they arrived, after a most fatiguing march, on the 12th of July. On the 15th they proceeded by transports to Donaldsonville, where the enemy was reported to be in great force. On the 14th of August they occupied the village of Plaquemine, and were there assigned to the 2d Brigade, 1st Division, under Gen. Weitzel. On the 29th they were ordered to return to Baton Rouge.
During the autumn of 1863 the following officers of
the regiment were transferred to the Corps d'Afrique : Capt. C. E. Bostwiek, as major ; Capt. George Parker, as lieutenant-colonel ; Lieut. Rufus J. Palen, as major ; Lieut. T. E. Merritt, as captain. On the 1st of January the field- officers of the 128th were James Smith, colonel ; James P. Foster, lieutenant-colonel ; Francis S. Kecse, major.
The regiment remained at Baton Rouge until March 23, 1865, when the Red River campaign opened, and it joined the advance of Banks' Army Corps at Alexandria. Gen. Grover's Division, to which the 128th was attached, remained here while the rest of the army proceeded to Shreveport and fought the battles of Pleasant Hill and Mansfield, re- joining the main army at Grand Ecore. On the 20th of April this place was evacuated and the army fell back towards Alexandria. The battle of Cane River was fought on the 23d, and the 128th distinguished itself by making a decisive charge at a eritieal stage of the engagement, routing the enemy and capturing one officer and thirty men. Col. James Smith led the regiment in this eharge, and was complimented by Gens. Birge and Grover on the skill and bravery displayed by officers and men. The losscs were one killed and eleven wounded. During their stay at Alexan- dria the regiment received a new color, presented by the ladies of Columbia. In announcing this, Col. Smith said, " It is with feelings of pride and gratification that the colonel commanding announces officially that a new color has been received, intended as a gift from the ladies of Columbia county. . . . Many, whose loss we mourn, have fallen under the old colors. How many may fall while serviog under the new no one can tell."
Alexandria was evacuated May 11, Grover's Division in the advance. On the 16th and 17th the battle of Mansura Plains was fought, and on the 22d the army reached the Mississippi river. On the 27th three brigades, including the 128th, returned to the Atchafalaya river to guard against a flauk movement of the enemy, and after several days' skirmishing proceeded to Morganza, where they remained till July 3, when the regiment embarked on board the steamer "City of Memphis" and proceeded to Algiers, opposite New Orleans, where it encamped till the 20th. On that day it re-embarked on the " Daniel Webster," sailing under sealed orders, and arrived at Washington July 29. The day following it proceeded to Monocacy Junction, where the different regiments composing the 19th Corps were re- united and moved immediately to Halltown, near Harper's Ferry. Here Gen. Sheridan assumed command of the army of the Middle Military Division, to which the 19th Corps was now attached.
On the 10th of August, Sheridan advanced against Early, then encamped at Winchester. Then followed the battles of Halltown, Berryville, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, in all which the 128th was conspicuously engaged.
At the three engagements of Winehester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, between the 19th of September and 19th of August, the regiment lost two hundred in killed, wounded, and prisoners.
At the battle of Winchester five officers and sixty men were killed and wounded, among whom was Maj. F. S. Keese, who was severely wounded.
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