History of Onondaga County, New York, Part 19

Author: Clayton, W.W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 840

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One section of the Battery under command of Lieutenant Frederick Dennis, with the 3d New York Cavalry, followed and harassed the retreating enemy until night, but the Battery had been too badly crippled by the loss of men and horses to hastily make up more than a section for pursuit. At 5 o'clock the next morning, however, having brought in reserve horses and disposed the men with reference to the vacant places, Battery F marched out in the place of honor with the advanced brigade.

Conrad Ring, the bugler, bore the colors, in place of poor Dunlap whose horse had been shot under him and who had lost a leg the day before, while others filled the places of the poor fellows left behind as well as their own ; yet the Battery marched out elated with the honors of yesterday's battle, well prepared for the arduous duty still before it.

That night the army encamped within three miles of Whitehall, which it was necessary to pass by the route taken, to reach Goldsboro. Early the following morning our cavalry engaged the enemy opposite this village. The main body of our army speedily came up. The artillery was sent to the front, the cavalry and infantry being used mainly as a support and the battle of " Whitehall " was fought.

" Gloomy woods clothed both banks of the river, except on the south side, where a large clearing had been made among the trees, forming a sort of amphitheatre. The ground sloped steeply to the river. The enemy was on the north bank in the woods, 6,000 strong, under General Robertson, with artillery in intrenchments. Reaching the open ground, General Foster halted the infantry regi- ments to allow the passage of the artillery, which, receiving orders to come to the front with all speed, spared neither lash nor spur, and came thundering into the open ground on a run, battery after battery. As fast as they reported, those having light guns, viz : " F," "H " and " K," and Belger's, were ranged along the line of battle, near the base of the slope,

12*

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

the heavy guns, those of "E" and "I" near the top. Battery B was not in the fight. As fast as they came into position, our guns opened fire on the woods, gunboat and the rebel battery, and for two hours and over poured shot, shell and cannister into them steadily. The cannonading was furious beyond experience. It seemed to be one continu- ous peal of deafening thunder. The ground trem- bled under the sound .*

The enemy had ten or more heavy guns in their intrenchments. Upon our side were full thirty can- non but they were all field pieces. The exposed hillside and close range rendered the battle at once an artillery duel which continued until the enemy's guns were almost wholly disabled, when our infantry advanced to the river bank and quickly dislodged the enemy. During this engage- ment one of the guns of "Jenney's Battery," too severely tried by the rapid firing, burst into four pieces.

Previous to this march Lieutenant Davis had been promoted to Adjutant of the regiment. Ilis duty in that position at no time of the day called him to the front ; yet he advanced into the fight with his old battery and served with it with dis- tinguished gallantry during the whole action.

Lieutenant Dennis, who had succeeded Lieuten- ant Davis, during the hottest of the fight was sent with his section to the most exposed position in the field to silence one of the enemy's guns which seemed particularly damaging to us, and received special mention for the courage and skill with which he accomplished that result.

After this battle the army again marched on and the next day, reaching the goal of the expedition, fought the battle of Goldsboro. Ilere, for the first time, Battery F was held in the reserve, short of men, with many draught horses supplying the places of drilled ones left on the field, and with ammunition exhausted, excepting a few rounds of cannister. The battery could no longer be of service and, the fighting over, the men gladly left the field and turned again toward the base of supplies.

" When the artillery came off the field to take its place in the column, the troops greeted it with cheers-regiment after regiment waved their caps and flags enthusiastically and made the welkin ring with stormy hurrahs. 'Here come Jenney's Wiards-three rousers for him,' they would shout as that battery came by and so on to the last. No general orders from headquarters could have better testified to the worth of the services of our artillery in the field than this spontaneous and cordial out- burst on the field of the battle.""

The army reached Newbern on the 20th of the

month. In recognition of the gallant conduct of the battery, Captain Jenney was recommended for promotion and on the ist of January was made a Major in the regiment.

Immediately after the return of the army an ex- pedition was planned by General Foster to take Wilmington. To that end during the month of January following he moved the 18th Corps to Beaufort, N C., ready for embarkation. Before this event, however, his authority was revoked by the War Department, and he was ordered to pro- ceed with his corps to South Carolina, to aid in the capture of Charleston.

In obedience to this order the army was, by Jan- uary 30th, snugly aboard a fleet of about fifty ves- sels, and on the 31st set sail reaching Hilton Head during the first week of February.

Maj. Jenney, reluctant to surrender the command of his battery, was permitted to accompany it and retained command until July following. By this expedition Battery F was divided. The guns and gunners with only horses enough to draw them were taken, the rest of the battery remaining at Newbern until the next winter, when it joined the main portion of the battery in South Carolina.

This detachment, however, was furnished with two guns and, as a section under Lieutenant Clark, rendered efficient service in several actions during the period of its detention in North Carolina.

Upon the arrival of the battery in South Carolina it was encamped upon St. Helena Island where it remained inactive until April 1st.

General Foster, upon his arrival, found nothing in readiness for operations against Charleston and returned at once to North Carolina, whither most of his army soon followed him. Battery F, how- ever, was detained by General Hunter and served during the rest of the war in South Carolina and Florida.

The ist of April, 1863, the battery received marching orders and was transported to Folly Island. Here it was incorporated into Vogdes' brigade, Major Jenney becoming chief of artillery and chief of staff, and also retaining command of his battery. Work was commenced at once fortify- ing the northern end of the island with the view of storming and capturing Morris Island which lay near and next north of Folly at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, its capture being necessary to the storming of Sumpter and capture of Charles- ton from the sea. This work having been accom- plished with great difficulty and under the almost constant fire of the enemy's artillery and infantry from Morris Island, only 400 yards away, on the

* Cayuga in the Field.

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

9th of July, 1863. At daybreak the artillery opened fire upon Morris Island while Strong's brigade in small boats crossed the inlet under a terrible fire and stormed and captured the works upon the southern end of Morris Island.

To Battery F was assigned the duty of defending the crossing troops from the fire of the enemy from their rifle pits. This work was so well done that twenty-four of their rifle men were found dead in the pits.

General Strong advanced his brigade at once and attempted to capture Fort Wagner at the northern end of the Island by storm, but was twice successively repulsed, July 18th.

A siege was necessary and was at once com- menced. During this siege ¿Battery F, now com- manded by Lieutenant Birchmeyer, was always in the extreme advance, pushing ahead as the intrench- ments were dug until September 6th, when the Fort was taken.

Lieutenants Birchmeyer and Van Housen were especially commended by the commanding General for their bravery and untiring, exertions, and John Conway, Riley Fancher and Matthias Thyson were presented with medals by the government for bravery in the trenches.

The battery remained upon Folly Island until April, 1864, and during this time it was by no means inactive.

In April, 1864, the battery went to Beaufort, N. C., where its camp remained until September 5, 1864, when it was ordered to Florida.

While at Beaufort the spirit of the battery was well tested in the battles of John's Island and Bloody Bridge, in both of which it main- tained its early reputation.

On the 14th of September the battery arrived at Jacksonville, where it remained in camp until November 29th, when it again returned to South Carolina, to cooperate under General Foster with General Sherman, then marching to the sea.

During the campaign which followed, it fought in the battles of Honey Hill, Dereauxheck, Camden, Ashapo and others of less importance. It moved with Sherman to Raleigh and then returned to Charleston, S. C., where it turned over its guns and equipments to the Government, and in the month of May, 1865, returned home to Syracuse and was mustered out.

In July, 1863, Major Jenney was compelled to leave the battery and assume his duties as Major. He proceeded to regimental headquarters at New- bern, N. C., where he was soon made Judge Advo- cate and shortly after Provost Judge of the De-

partment. He occupied these positions until Sep- tember, 1864, when, upon the recommendation of the Citizens' Committee, he was commissioned Colonel of the 185th Regiment, then being organ- ized at Syracuse, and immediately went to Fortress Monroe to obtain leave from the Commanding Gen- eral to accept such promotion. This leave was granted and he was ordered to return to Newbern and turn over his office to his successor. He re- turned by the way of the Dismal Canal and was on the little steamer Fawn, which was fired upon and captured by a company of rebel marines. At the time the boat was fired upon she was stopped by a draw-bridge suddenly shot across the canal by rebels who had taken possession of it, and the rebel company, about 70 in number, arising from the cover of a hillock fired upon the boat. There were four officers and ten men on the deck, sitting or lounging without apprehension of danger and not more than twenty feet from the muzzles of the rebel guns. Of this party, ten out of the fourteen were killed or wounded-Major Jenney being one of the fortunate ones. There was no opportunity for resistance, as there was not even a pistol on the boat, which was then passing through friendly terri- tory. The prisoners were marched to Elizabeth City, about forty miles distant. In the morning Major Jenney succeeded in persuading the rebel Captain to parole him. The parole being duly signed Jenney pretended to return by the same route he had come, but instead of doing so, went to the river, and capturing a small boat made the best of his way down the river and across the Sound to Roanoke Island. He immediately reported the circumstances of his capture and parole to the Government and hastened home to attend to the or- ganization of his regiment.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE TWELFTH REGIMENT NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS - ORGANIZATION - MARCH TO THE FRONT- BLACKBURN'S FORD-BULL RUN-THE PENINSU- LAR CAMPAIGN-YORKTOWN-HANOVER COURT HOUSE.

T HE 12th Regiment New York Volunteer In- fantry was the first organized in Onondaga county and among the first formed in the State at the outbreak of the rebellion. On Monday after the ever-memorable Sunday, April 14, 1861, on which Sumpter was fired upon, the regiment was filled, enlisting in the State service for two years. It was organized as follows :

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS-Ezra L. Walrath, Colonel ; James L. Graham, Lieut .- Colonel ; John Louis, Major ; Silas Titus, Adjutant ; Edmund B. Griswold, Quartermaster ; Roger W. Pease. Sur- geon ; George B. Todd, Assistant Surgeon ; George HI. Root, Sergeant-Major ; Charles Sedgwick, Quartermaster-Sergeant ; Robert C. Daly, Drum- Major ; Spencer Eaton, Fife Major.

LINE OFFICERS-Company A : Morris II. Church, Captain ; Ira Wood, Lieutenant ; Charles B. Randall, Ensign : Porter R. Alger, Abraham Fredendoll, Abram Farnic and John Cross, ist, 2d, 3d and 4th Sergeants ; William B. Patterson, George W. Pratt, Charles E. Furman, Jr., and Harrison Waggoner, Ist, 2d, 3d and 4th Corporals : Daniel Relyca, Drummer.

Company B: Jacob Brand, Captain ; Peter Strauss, Lieutenant ; John P. Spanier, Ensign ; Michael Auer, Julius Hintz, George Boiteu, and Max Fix, Sergeants ; Michael Welter, Jacob Sim- mon, Albert Hoffmann, and John Dauer, Corporals ; Moritz Schwarz, Drummer.

Company C : Dennis Driscoll, Jr., Captain ; James Randall, Lieutenant ; John P. Stanton, Ensign ; Michael Foley, George Travis, John Lighton, and John Carroll, Sergeants ; Richard J. Wright, James Lewis, William Stanton, and John R. Bailey, Cor- porals ; Hiram Foote, Drummer.

Company D : George W. Stone, Captain ; Lucius C. Storrs, Lieutenant ; George Snyder, Ensign ; Origen S. Storrs, Charles W. Greene, John M. Couch, and Davis Jones, Sergeants ; Albertus Webb, John Muldoon, Charles H. Davis, and Henry Shirley, Corporals : Jay FF. Bates, Drummer.

Company E : Jabez M. Brower, Captain ; Fred- erick Horner, Lieutenant ; Samuel J. Abbott, En- sign ; Richard N. Booth, Frank WV. Clock, Cort- land Clark and Thomas J. Behan, Sergeants ; Abijah P. Mabine, Byron Gilbert, Hiram G. How- land and Daniel W. Barker, Corporals ; Charles A. Taylor, Drummer.

Company F : Milo W. Locke, Captain ; William Gleason, Lieutenant ; Stephen D). Clark, Ensign ; Edwin R. Dennis, Charles S. Wells, Watson E. Hart and Erastus P. Kinne, Sergeants ; Jacob Van Alstyne, George W. Blackman, Handley Lamb and James Harroun, Corporals : John Robinson, Drum- mer ; Seth S. Thomas, Fifer.

Company G : Joseph C. Irish, Captain ; John HI. Johnson, Lieutenant ; Erskine P. Woodford, Ensign ; George FF. Ballou, Oliver T. May, Levi J. Irish and Rush Parkhurst, Sergeants; Irving Tuttle, John HI. Light, Francis A. Darling and Eliakiam Winchel, Corporals ; Jay 1I. Roberts, Drummer ; Sylvester Edwards, Fifer.

Company II : George W. Cole, Captain: George Truesdell, Lieutenant ; Albert M. Wiborn, Ensign ; Edward Pointer, James Giberson, Thomas Bartlett and Silas Carpenter, Sergeants ; Charles Coon, Lester C. Herrick, Augustus HI. Wilkins and Jeffer- son Button, Corporals ; Randolph Phillips, Drum- mer ; Alvin Harder, Fifer.

Company I : Ilenry A. Barnum, Captain ; Hamilton R. Comb, Lieutenant ; Edward Drake, Ensign ; Andrew V. Urmy, Randall McDonald, John H. Phillips and Joab W. Mercer, Sergeants ; William F. Johnson, Dexter Smith, John H. Leon- ard and Asabel W. Smith, Corporals ; \'illett Britton, Drummer ; Seth H. Kingsley. Fifer.

Company K: Augustus J. Root, Captain ; Wil- liam P. Town, Lieutenant : Lucius Smith, Ensign ; Samuel D. Sudden, Charles F. Rand, James F. Taylor and Thomas Tangey, Sergeants ; Samuel McChesney, William P'. Jones, James P. Taylor and Joseph 1. Hunt, Corporals ; Albert A. Mcad, Drummer ; Francis M. Lincoln, Fifer.

The regiment left Syracuse May 2, 1861, for Elmira, and was there mustered into the United States service for three months, May 13. Receiv- ing its uniform and equipments at Elmira, it left for Washington, in company with the 13th New York, from Rochester, June 2d, and after quartering a few days at Caspari's House, went into camp on East Capitol Hill.

July 15, the regiment was ordered across Chain Bridge into Virginia, and was the first to be under fire at Blackburn's Ford on the 18th, preliminary to the first Bull Run engagement. Lieut. Randall of this regiment, having command of about twenty of our men as skirmishers, was the first to attack the enemy. George N. Cheney, a private of Company A, was the first man killed. In this engagement six of the 12th Regiment were killed and thirteen wounded.

The movement of the Union forces under Gen. McDowell (directed from Washington by Lieut. - Gen. Winfield Scott, commenced on Tuesday July 16th. The advance column, under Gen. Tyler, bivouacked that night at Vienna, four and a half miles from Fairfax Court House, rested next morn- ing at Germantown, two miles beyond Fairfax, and on Thursday at 9 o'clock, A. M., pushed on through Centerville, the rebels retiring quietly be- fore it. Three miles beyond Centerville the rebels were found strongly posted at Blackburn's Ford, on Bull Run ; and, on being pressed by Tyler's force, a spirited engagement ensued, at about half- past one P'. M. The rebels were in heavy force un- der the immediate command of General Long-

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

street. The attacking force on our side was Sher- man's Battery, under Captain Ayres, supported by Colonel J. B. Richardson's brigade, consisting of the 12th New York, the Ist Massachusetts, and the 2d and 3d Michigan infantry. In this engage- ment the losses were nearly equal-83 on our side and 68 on that of the enemy. Considered as a re- connoissance in force it might be termed a success. The result demonstrated that the main body of the rebel army was in position along the wooded valley of Bull Run, half way between Centerville and Man- assas Junction, and proposed to remain. As this was the first experience of the 12th Regiment in actual fighting, and as the campaign of Bull Run was a memorable one, it may be well to introduce here a few facts respecting the general engagement. The following is substantially the account given by Greeley, in his American Conflict, p. 539-43 :

" General McDowell's army being concentrated around the ridge on which Centerville is situated, on the 18th and 19th of July, the intention was to advance on the rebels posted along Bull Run and between that and Manassas Junction on Saturday, the 20th. But delay was encountered in the recep- tion of subsistence, which did not arrive till Friday night. During Saturday, three day's rations were distributed, and every preparation made for moving punctually at 2 o'clock next morning. Meantime, Beauregard, maintaining an absolute quiet and in- offensiveness on his front, and fully informed by spies and traitors of every movement between him and Washington, had hastily gathered from every side all the available forces of the Confederacy, in- cluding 15,000, or nearly the full strength of John- ston's Army of the Shenandoah, and had decided to assume the offensive and attack our forces before General Patterson could come up and join them. Had our advance been made on Saturday, as was originally intended, it would have encountered but two-thirds of the force it actually combatted ; had it been delayed a few hours longer, we should have stood on the defensive, with the immense advantage of knowing the ground and of choosing the posi- tion whereon to fight. Such are the overruling casualties and fatalities of war."

Bull Run afforded a good position for planting batteries to command the roads on the opposite side, so screened by the woods and brush as to be neither seen nor suspected until the advancing or attacking column was close upon them. This fact explains and justifies Gen. McDowell's (or Scott's) order of battle, which was briefly as follows : To menace the rebel right by the advance of our Ist division on the direct road from Centerville to Manassas Junction, while making a more serious demonstration on the road running due west from Centerville to Groveton and Warrenton, and crossing Bull Run by the Stone Bridge. The real or main attack was to be made

by a column 15,000 strong, composed of the 2d (Hunter's) and the 3d (Heintzelman's) divisions, which, starting from their camps a mile or two east and southeast of Centerville, were to make a con- siderable détour to the right, crossing Cub Run, and then Bull Run, at a ford known as Sudley Spring, three miles above the Stone Bridge ; thus turning the rebel left, and rolling it up on the center, where it was to be taken in flank by our Ist division (Tyler's), crossing the Stone Bridge at the right moment, and completing the rout of the enemy. The 5th division (Miles') was held in reserve at Cen- terville, not only to support the attacking columns, but to guard against the obvious peril of a formida- ble rebel advance on our left across Blackburn's Ford to Centerville, flanking our flank movement, captur- ing our munitions and supplies, and cutting off our line of retreat. The 4th division (Runyon's) guarded our communications with Alexandria and Arlington, its foremost regiment being about seven miles back from Centerville.

The movement of our forces was to have com- menced at half-past 2 o'clock A. M., and the battle should have been opened at all points at 6 A. M. But our raw troops had never been brigaded prior to this advance, and most of their officers were utterly without experience ; so that there was a delay of two or three hours in the flanking divisions reaching the point at which the battle was to begin. Gen. Tyler, in front of Stone Bridge, opened with his artillery at half-past 6 A. M., eliciting no reply ; and it was three hours later when Hunter's advance, under Colonel Burnside, crossed at Sudley Spring. His men, thirsty with their early march, that hot July morning, stopped as they crossed to fill their canteens. Meantime, every movement of our forces was made manifest to Beauregard, watching them from the slope two or three miles west, by the clouds of dust which rose over their line of march ; and regiment after regiment was hurried northward by him to meet the imminent shock. No strength was wasted by him upon, and scarcely any notice taken of, our feint on his right. But when Burn- side's brigade, after crossing at Sudley, had marched a mile or so through woods down the road on the right of Bull Run, and come out into a clear and cultivated country, stretching thence over a mile of rolling fields down to Warrenton turnpike, he was vigorously opened upon by artillery from the woods in his front, and as he pressed on, by infantry also. Continuing to advance, fighting, followed and sup- ported by Hunter's entire division, which was soon joined on its left by Heintzelman's, having crossed the stream a little later and further down, our at-

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

tacking column reached and crossed the Warrenton road from Centerville by the Stone Bridge, giving a hand to Sherman's brigade of Tyler's division, and all but clearing the road of the rebel batteries and regiments, which here resisted our efforts, under the immediate command of Gen. Joseph E. John- ston. Ilere Griffin's Battery, which, with Rickett's, had done the most effective fighting throughout, was charged with effect by a rebel regiment, which was enabled to approach it with impunity by a mis- take of our officers, who supposed it one of our own. Three different attacks were repulsed with slaughter, and the battery remained in our hands, though all the horses were killed. At 3 r. M., the rebels had been driven a mile and a half, and were nearly out of sight, abandoning the Warrenton road entirely to our victorious troops. Gen. Tyler, on hearing the guns of Ilunter on our right, had pushed Sher- man's, and soon after Keyse's Brigade, over the Run to assail the enemy in his front, driving them back after a severe struggle, and steadily advancing until checked by a heavy fire of artillery from bat- teries on the heights above the road, supported by a brigade of rebel infantry strongly posted behind breastworks. A gallant charge by the ad Maine and 3d Connecticut, temporarily carried the build- ings behind which the rebel guns were sheltered, but the breastworks were too strong, and our men recoiling from their fire, deflected to the left, mov- ing down the Run under the shelter of the bluff, covering the efforts of Capt. Alexander's Pioncers to remove the heavy abatis whereby the rebels had obstructed the road up from the Stone Bridge. This had at length been effected, and Schenck's brigade and Ayres's battery of Tyler's division were on the point of crossing the Run to aid in com- pleting our triumph.

But the rebels, at first outnumbered at the point of actual collision, had been receiving reenforce- ments nearly all day, and at this critical moment, General Kirby Smith, who had that morning left Piedmont, fifteen miles distant, with the remaining brigade of General Johnston's army, appeared on the field. Cheer after cheer burst from the rebel hosts, but now so downcast, as this timely reenforce- ment rushed to the front of the battle. General Johnston had been heard to exclaim but a moment before to General Cocke, " Oh, for four regiments !" His wish was answered. Smith, in riding to the front, almost instantly fell from his horse wounded. Colonel Arnold Elzley promptly assumed command of his brigade, and rushed forward, backed by the whole reassured and exultant rebel host, who felt that the day was won. Our soldiers, who had been

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History of Onondaga County, New York, Part 19

Author: Clayton, W.W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Co. Number of Pages: 840

Author: Clayton, W.W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 840