USA > New York > History of the 27th regiment N.Y. Vols. > Part 11
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RECORD OF 27THI REGIMENT N. V. VOLS.
reaching our side of the river, we cordially shook them by the hand, and while some entertained them, others of our men took the boat and crossed over to the rebel side, where they met with just as friendly a reception.
We could treat them to coffee, and they in turn gave us tobacco. The boat went back and forth all day. We had found them brave men in battle, and now found them to be more intelligent than the ordinary Southern soldier. The men traded knives, pipes, rings and other trinkets, and wrote down each other's names, with a promise that if either were taken prisoner, the other should do all he could for the captive's comfort ; and before the war closed, there were several instances where the promise made that day was faithfully carried out. Others said, that if we ever met in action again, to cry out our number, "27th New York," and they would not fire on us.
Just before dark we parted, after a general hand-shaking, and each one betook himself to his own side of the river, ready to shoot at the word of command. Soon after dark we were relieved from picket, and moved back to our camp in the woods, where we remained till the 19th, when we broke camp, and marched back near White Oak Church, where we were very glad to take a rest, having been under fire for six days.
The loss of the Army of the Potomac had been very severe. Official returns stated it to be as follows: Gen. Hooker, 3,548; Gen. Franklin, 4,679 (of which 1,531 were prisoners) ; Gen. Sumner, 5,494: Engineers, 50; the total amounting to 13,771. The enemy's loss was said to be only half that number. The Confederate position was strongly intrenched from right to left and lavishly supplied with artillery, while our own field batteries were worked at a great disadvantage.
Gen. Burnside in his official dispatch to Major-Gen. Hal- leck, said : " For the failure in the attack I am responsible. as the extreme gallantry, courage and endurance shown by them (the officers and soldiers) were never exceeded and would have carried the points had it been possible. To the
125
OUR PLACE IN THE ARMY.
families and friends of the dead I can only offer my heart- felt sympathy ; but for the wounded I can offer my earnest prayers for their comfortable and final recovery."
ROSTER OF SIXTH ARMY CORPS. . DECEMBER 13, 1862.
Right of the Left Grand Division. -- Major-Gen. W. B. FRANKLIN, commanding.
Sixth Corps .- Major-Gen. W. F. SMITH, commanding.
FIRST DIVISION.
Brigadier-Gen. W. T. H. BROOKS, commanding.
First Brigade .- Col. A. T. A. TORBERT, commanding Ist, 2d, 3d, 4th, 15th and 23d New Jersey Volunteers.
Second Brigade. - Brigadier-Gen. J. J. BARTLETT, com- manding 27th, 16th, 121st, New York, 5th Maine and 96th Pennsylvania.
Third Brigade .-- Col. G. W. TOWNE, commanding 18th, 31st and 32d New York and 95th Pennsylvania.
ARTILLERY.
Williston's D, 2d United States; McCartney's A, Ist Mas- sachusetts ; Hexamer's A, Ist New Jersey ; Woolcott's A, Ist Maryland.
SECOND DIVISION.
Brigadier-Gen. A. P. HOWE, commanding.
THIRD DIVISION.
Brigadier-Gen. JOHN NEWTON, commanding.
CAPT. H. C. ROGERS, CO. " D." (Assistant Adjutant-General, on the Staff of Gen. Slocum.)
CHAPTER V.
D ECEMBER 20th the paymaster came, and the men received four months' pay, $52.00. This was followed by the usual amount of excesses on the part of some of the men ; but, we are glad to say, the 27th had as few men who indulged in the ordinary camp vices as any regiment in the department.
Soon after camping at White Oak Church we received orders to make ourselves comfortable for the winter, as here would be our winter quarters. The weather continued quite cold, and there was little camp duty besides inspection. till the 25th, when we had a mild, pleasant Christmas, and cabin building became the great industry of our camp. A ration of whiskey was served to the men this morning, and some of them became " ga-loriously " happy.
Christmas was a lively day in camp. Most of the men spent the day industriously working on their cabins, with little to eat. while others were casting about for materials for a Christmas dinner. Foraging was out of the question, for there were too many troops in the neighborhood, and the country had been thoroughly scoured. So we had to depend entirely upon the commissary and the sutler for the wherewithal. Some pooled their rations, and had a family dinner in one of the tents. Happy was the squad whose culinary department could show a frying-pan, and a quart tin cup for boiling coffee. But it was a dark day that did not show some pleasure, and many a soldier can look back to that Christmas dinner in camp and say that he had
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RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. V. VOLS.
more rollicking fun and a greater amount of hearty enjoy- ment with half a dozen companions curled up in the cor- ner of his little tent, than now, even when seated beside a well filled table and surrounded by friends. Then fancy free, with few ties to bind him to life, he was determined to extract all the pleasure possible out of existence as he went through it.
So there was much sunshine even in a soldier's life. Our cabins were usually built large enough for two, and were partly in and partly above ground. The Virginia red clay was good ground on which to build. First we would dig a hole about two feet deep and six feet square ; then build walls of small pine logs, from four to six inches in diame- ter, laid up "cob-house " fashion, two or three feet high and resting on the edge of the cellar already dug. These were covered with shelter tents that let in plenty of light, and the logs were banked and plastered with clay, which made them wind proof. A fire-place was made by digging a recess two feet square into the clay on one side, and above this a chimney was made with split sticks that ex- tended above the top of the tent and were well plastered inside and out with the tough Virginia clay, which was a good substitute for mortar. Our bed was just high enough from the ground to make a comfortable seat in front of the fire-place, as it took up about two-thirds of the cabin. It was made of poles or pieces split thin enough to make a good spring bottom. On these were placed cedar boughs ; or, when they could be had, gunny-bags, filled with straw, made more comfortable beds. Knapsacks, overcoats or boots were used for pillows, and our two blankets made the covering.
Our cabins completed, the men turned in and built com- fortable log houses for the officers' quarters.
We remained quietly in this camp several weeks, with nothing to disturb the monotony of camp life. There was the usual routine of drill, reviews and inspection, with an occasional tour of two or three days of picket duty. The weather was cold, and snowy much of the time. We vis-
129
THE SOLDIER, AS A COOK.
ited our friends in the different regiments within a radius of ten miles of our camp, read all the books and papers we could get, gave a good deal of thought to the culinary de- partment, and having got tired of government rations, we bought flour, sugar and lard of the commissary, made crullers, cakes and pies, and these, helped out with an occa- sional box from home, made a menu that home folks might envy. Some enterprising comrades turned their little tents into bakeries, made crullers and sold them to the men.
The annoyances which the soldiers were sometimes sub- jected to in the way of bad biscuit or unwholesome meat were the means of developing much wit and linguistic sprightliness that otherwise would have remained dormant, and tended also to stimulate culinary ingenuity. Some wag would declare that B. C .. on the cracker boxes at this time, denoted that the hard-tack was made before the Christian era, and kindred jokes abounded at the expense of salt junk and desiccated vegetables. The following va- riety of delectable dishes, all made from government rations, illustrate the culinary ingenuity. "army scouse." " lumgullion," " dingbats," " flippers," "succotash," etc.
The story went the rounds of the camp one morning, that Captain -- n, late the night before, after having imbibed too much "Commissary," blundered without cerc- mony into the quarters of Captain -s, in search, as he said, " of something sour-either vinegar or pickles-as he felt very sick!" Captain ---- s answered from his bed, " that he had no pickles, but that there was a bottle of horseradish standing on the Company desk, that would answer every purpose." The bottle was found, the cork removed with some difficulty, and a large spoonful bolted down. It did not stay, however! and the victim expressed the opinion that it must have become spoiled ! "Oh, no!" replied Captain - -s, "you have just taken the top of the bottle ; dip lower down, and you will find it all right !" .A second dose was self-administered, with the same nause- ating effect,-when, upon examination, the boozy captain found that he had swallowed about half the contents
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RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. V. VOLS.
of a bottle of " Hair Pomatum!" Captain - -n, now a temperance man, is always ready to say, "Smoke at my expense !" whenever the word horseradish is mentioned.
The most enjoyable part of our time was that spent in writing letters to " the girls we left behind us." and our his- tory would not be complete without quoting some of these :
A SOLDIER'S LETTER.
CAMP OF THE 27TH REG'T N. Y. VOLS., NEAR WHITE OAK CHURCH, VA., Dec. 29, 1862.
MY DEAR FRIEND :- I was made very glad this afternoon by receiving your welcome letter. Almost the only comfort we have to cheer a sol- dier's life is receiving letters from our friends, and gladly do we spend our leisure time in answering them.
And now let me begin just where your letter found me, and review the last few weeks of our campaign.
I was sitting in my little tent with my comrade, each of us doing some mending, when the letters came. You know our shelter-tents are very small, and when we remain in camp any length of time they are very in- convenient. So to remedy this. we build up a pen of logs and pitch the tent on top, and by banking up the earth around and building a fire-place in one side, make ourselves a comfortable home. In such an one, which we spent all day Christmas in building, are we seated to-night. Christ- mas was a pleasant but not a very merry day ; for the scenes through which we have passed during the last two weeks have so depressed our spirits that the holidays bring but little cheer to us. Our repulse at Fredericksburg, followed by the extreme cold weather and the discom- forts attending, of course gave rise to a great deal of murmuring among the troops. They do not seem to blame Burnside so much, although the attempt to cross at this point seemed a piece of the greatest folly, and had it not been for great stupidity on the part of our enemies, our whole army could have been driven into the river. But the blame rests farther back, upon those at home and the Washington authorities, who have kept up the constant cry, " Why don't the army move ?" and so have forced a cam- paign unwelcome and impracticable. They could not be satisfied after removing our General. He was the only one that has realized the strength of his foe and shaped his plans accordingly, and who held the confidence
İ3İ
A SOLDIER'S LETTER.
of his men. To-day the whole army is praying for his return, and may God grant that he may come back to us. Not until this is done, and the cowards at home shall cease their cry, and. as you say, "shall on with the garb and off to the wars themselves," may we look for success.
Personally I am not at all discouraged at our late repulse. I feel that God had a purpose in thus humiliating our nation ; and I fear that we must have many such a lesson before peace is established. Something must be done to unite our people. When we become a unit, as the South is to-day, and the administration adopts a different policy, then shall I look for success to our arms.
I am very glad that you agree with us in regard to Gen. Mcclellan, and your letters came with much cheer for us ; for of all my correspondents, except mother, you are the only one who takes the same view of affairs as the soldiers do. Most of my friends seem to rejoice that he was removed, and seem to believe the absurd falsehoods that are circulated by his enemies, but they will yet change and be as glad as we to see him returned.
Since Christmas the weather has been very mild and warm, and this, together with the short rest, has raised our spirits ; the gloom is fast dis- appearing, and by New Year's I think the army will be itself again. Many are hoping that we shall be allowed to rest the remainder of the winter, as they do not believe in a winter campaign. I hardly think we shall remain here long, and I am ready at any time when orders come, to go where duty calls. I have firm confidence in Him who has ever sustained me, and my faith shall never waver. It is not so hard as you seem to think for us to live on faith. Even in the darkest hours I find the greatest comfort. I thank you heartily for your kind sympathy, for it is this
" That cheers the soldier's lonely way, And makes him to his lot resigned."
It is getting late, and I must retire to rest on my couch made of cedar boughs spread upon the ground, where I shall sleep as sweetly as if lying upon a bed of down. So, bidding you good night and wishing you a Happy New Year, I remain
Your friend,
P. S. December 30th .- This morning we have received orders to be ready to move in twelve hours, with three days' rations and sixty rounds of cartridges. Where we are to go, we cannot tell. It is a dark time in our country's history. God grant that the clouds may soon be raised,
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RECORD OF 27TII REGIMENT N. V. VOLS.
Jan. 1, 1863 .- To-day the army and the nation are thrilled by the advent of the " EMANCIPATION PROCLAMA- TION." Every contraband who might be waiting upon an officer's mess, or cleaning an officer's horse, every colored servant, every African mule-driver, on this Ist of January. 1863, becomes at once as completely a new object of inter- est to the average soldier as if the black man had just dropped from the clouds before his startled eyes. There are various shades of sentiment with which this immortal proclamation is received. There are some men in every company who perfectly comprehended the relation which slavery sustained to secession, and who had foreseen the necessity of an emancipation measure, when the first gun was fired. There are others who to-day look upon the measure as a dangerous expedient.
Confirmatory Emancipation Proclamation.
WHEREAS, On the 22d day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the fol- lowing, to wit :
"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free ; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the mili- tary and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom."
"That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof respectively shall then be in rebellion against the United States ; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be in good faith represented in the Congress of the United States, by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such States shall have participated, shall. in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State and the people thereof are not then in rebellion against the United States."
I33
THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION. .
Now, therefore, I, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and Government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do, publicly pro- claimed for the full period of one hundred days from the day first above mentioned, order and designate, as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof, respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit : Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana (except the parishes of St. Barnard, Plaquimines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James, Ascension, Assumption, Terre Bonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the city of New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Vir- ginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Barkley, Accomac, Northamton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Anne, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth), and which excepted parts are for the present left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.
And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, are, and henceforward shall be free ; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free, to ab- stain from all violence, unless in necessary self defense ; and I recom- mend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make known that such persons, of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States, to garrison forts, positions, stations and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, war- ranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, i invoke the consid- erate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the In- dependence of the United States the eighty-seventh.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
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RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. Y. VOLS.
Our quiet camp life at White Oak Church was not dis- turbed by any great amount of duty. All sorts of rumors filled the air, of a raid here, or a flank movement in some other direction, but we continued to enjoy ourselves in our snug winter quarters until the night of January 19th, 1863. when orders came to move, the next morning.
Tuesday, January 20th, as soon as our breakfast was over, we dismantled our cabins of their canvas roofs, as they had to serve us for tents on the march, and about noon bid a sorrowful adieu to our comfortable quarters and fell in line. Just before starting, an order from Gen. Burnside, was read to us by Gen. Bartlett, stating : " That we were about to meet the enemy once more," and that " the auspicious moment had arrived to strike a great and mortal blow to the rebellion, and to give that decisive vic- tory which is due to the country."
We had a long march of twelve miles. The weather was very cold, but pleasant. The pontoon train was along, and it was ordered that an attempt should be made to cross the river above Fredericksburg.
The air had been so cold during the week, and the frosts so keen, that the roads seemed as firm as adamant, and the trains were moved with celerity. When we reached that portion of our line in the rear of Falmouth, we found that the troops that were encamped in and around Falmouth --- though none of those whose camps were in view of the Confederates-had changed their positions. The expedi- tion was evidently to be a surprise.
It was a splendid day, and mounted and foot made good time over the firm roads. Auspices were favorable, and rank and file were hopeful of a successful result. We went into camp just at dark, in a dense pine forest ; could not build any fires as the green pine would not burn. The ground was frozen so hard that we could hardly drive the tent-pins. Scarcely had night arrived. when a storm arose. a storm in earnest. The wind blew a gale and rocked the trees spitefully. The night was very dark. The rain soon dissolved the firm crust that had borne us up all day. The
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STORY OF THE MUD MARCH.
tent-pins would not hold, and down came the tents. The wheels of the artillery and wagons settled into the ooz- ing mud, hours before an attempt was made to move them. Our blankets were wet through, and we found ourselves lying in a pool of ice-cold water. Morning dawned upon a dank, wet body of men. No one got a wink of sleep, and all, in that cheerless wilderness of trees and mud, agreed that it was the most tedious night that we had ever passed.
About 8 o'clock we packed up and marched on two or three miles. Our blankets were wet and very heavy ; the mud was deep, and we had a hard time. One soldier, in his diary, puts it in this way : " Marched at 8 o'clock. Every rag wet ; knapsack heavy as a mountain ; poor me nearly frozen to death ; expect to cross the river and have a fight."
We went into camp in a piece of oak woods, about noon. Built up large fires, dried our blankets and clothes, pitched our tents and made ourselves quite comfortable. The rain continued to fall all day and night, and defeated our plans, for we soon heard that the move was given up-for which the rebs. may thank their stars.
Friday, January 23d .- The men are in excellent health and fine spirits, after having had a good night's rest, and a gill of whiskey in lieu of rations, which are getting quite short. The clouds cleared away about three, and the sun shone out warm and bright, -- when we were ordered to pack up, and made a short march up the river, very near the shore, where we are to guard one of the pontoon trains, which is stuck in the mud, and help draw it and the ar- tillery up from the plain to higher ground back from the river.
Looking across the river, we could see a big tent fly, . which the rebs. had put up early Wednesday morning, on which they had written with charcoal :
" BURNSIDE STUCK IN THE MUD!"
They were greatly elated at the discomfiture of our army, and amused themselves by offering to come over and extri- cate our men from the mud ; to aid them in crossing, and to show them around on the other side.
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RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. Y. VOLS.
Saturday, the 24th, our entire division was set to work pulling the pontoon wagons out of the mud. Every wagon and gun was down to the axle in the mud, and it was vain to try to draw them with the mules. So a long rope was made fast to each side of a wagon, and from one to two hundred, and sometimes three hundred men would take hold of the ropes, and at a given signal would start and draw them up a hill to some high ground, where they were parked, and left for the mud to settle. This gave us a hard and dirty day's work, but at the same time lots of fun.
At one time, when we were all tugging away at the ropes, a spruce young officer rode up, dressed in a bright uniform, with white gauntlets, and, in a peremptory tone, ordered some of the men to pull harder .- when a man who had hold of one of the ropes, and was dressed in an old blouse, with a slouch hat, looked around over his shoulder, and said, " Who are you, any way?" "I am Lieut. Hunter, in command of the engineers." " Well, I am Major-Gen. Brooks, in command of this division, and I order you to get down from that horse and take hold of the rope with these men." And down he had to come, saluted by a de- risive cheer from the men ; and the boys soon had his new uniform well spattered with mud.
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