USA > New York > History of the 27th regiment N.Y. Vols. > Part 5
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Fortunately a counter current of air struck the balloon, and its course was reversed. Its retreat from rebeldom was rapid, and when safely over our lines, he opened the valve, the gas escaped, and down he came, The
48
RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. Y. VOLS.
car struck the top of a shelter tent, knocked the tent into "pi," and left him enveloped in a mass of collapsed oil silk. He crawled out, and found himself in the middle of a camp, not a hundred rods from Gen. McClellan's headquarters ; and was soon surrounded by the members of his staff and a squad of cavalry, who had ridden out in the direction of the descending balloon.
"You are a suspicious character !" remarked one of the officers.
"How so?" asked the general.
"In the space of half an hour, you have been taken up by a balloon, and arrested by a shelter tent."
Gen. Porter made over one hundred ascents in the bal- loon while on the peninsula.
While at Mechanicsville the battle of Hanover C. H. was fought, May 27th, Gen. Porter commanding: the Fifth Corps engaging the enemy, who had fallen back from Fredericksburg towards Richmond. Our regiment was ordered to be prepared for action, and the reserve artillery in the grove was made ready for an attack.
When we were ordered to prepare for action, a recruit in Co. - notified his captain that he did not want to go to the front. He was taken over to headquarters and re- ported to Gen. Slocum, when he began to cry, and begged to be sent home. The general made game of him, and called him a big baby. " I wish I was a baby, and a girl baby, too !" whimpered the soldier. His tears, however, did not avail, and he was sent back to his company, where he soon learned-that he could not clear right out every time a fight was brewing.
The roar of Porter's conflict was distinctly heard, and all indications pointed to an engagement in which the 27th would again be numbered. Nothing came of it, however, as Porter soon routed the enemy.
On the night of the 30th occurred one of those terrible thunder storms for which Virginia is noted. The rain de- scended in torrents, the flashes of lightning were vivid and continuous, and the thunder at times seemed to fairly shake the earth, and at others sounded like volleys of musketry. In the morning the low lands were deluged, the Chicka-
:
49
A MOVE TO DRAW THE ENEMY'S FIRE.
hominy had overflowed its banks, the bridges were swept away,-and the army had been cut in two by the rapid and unlooked-for rise! The enemy, taking advantage of this condition of things, determined to fall upon, and if possible crush that portion south of the river. Accordingly, on the 3Ist, the battle of Fair Oaks was fought ; and June Ist, that of Seven Pines. During the latter battle our regiment was called out, and made a feint upon the rebel videttes at the Mechanicsville bridge, but elicited no response. All day we could see their columns moving towards Fair Oaks, but we were cut off from crossing the river to the support of our troops.
June Ist, the regiment went on picket, and received a good shelling from one of the enemy's batteries. A few rounds from one of our batteries soon silenced them. The paymaster arrived on June 2d, and we received two months' pay.
The same day Gen. McClellan issued the following order :
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Camp near New Bridge, Va., June 2, 1862.
Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac :
I have fulfilled at least a part of my promise to you. You are now face to face with the rebels, who are at bay in front of their capital. The final and decisive battle is at hand. Unless you belie your past history, the result cannot for a moment be doubtful. If the troops who labored so patiently and fought so gallantly at Yorktown, and who so bravely won the hard fights at Williamsburg, West Point, Hanover Court House, and Fair Oaks, now prove worthy of their antecedents, the victory is surely ours. The events of every day prove your superiority ; wherever you have met the enemy you have beaten him ; wherever you have used the bayo- net, he has given way in panic and disorder. I ask of you now one last crowning effort. The enemy has staked his all on the issue of the coming battle. Let us meet and crush him here, in the very centre of the rebellion.
Soldiers, I will be with you in this battle, and share its dangers with you. Our confidence in each other is now founded upon the past. Let us strike the blow which is to restore peace and union to this distracted land. Upon your valor, discipline and mutual confidence that result de- pends.
GEO. B. MCCLELLAN,
Major-General, Commanding.
50
RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. Y. VOLS.
June 4th the regiment was again on picket, and on the 6th, after returning from picket, received orders to move. We left Mechanicsville just before sunset, and made a de- tour of several miles to the right of the direct route, and reached our former camp at New Bridge just before mid- night. The next morning we were called in line at 3 A. M., and stood under arms until daylight, expecting an attack.
During the 8th the regiment was engaged in building corduroy roads across the Chickahominy swamp; and on the 9th received another lively shelling from one of the enemy's batteries.
Went on picket again on the 13th, and on this date the rebel Gen. Stuart, with about two hundred men, made the entire circuit of our army, capturing two companies of the 5th U. S. Cavalry.
June 15th again we were at work on the corduroy ap- proaches to the bridges across the Chickahominy, and con- tinued at this work till the 18th, when we moved across the river, to the south side.
There were now eleven of these trestle-work bridges across the river. The one on which we crossed is named Woodbury's Bridge, after Gen. Woodbury, of the Engineer Brigade, who constructed it ; and it was regarded as a tri- umph of military engineering. The approach to the bridge on the north side, from the foot of the hill, was of earth, raised about three feet. Deep lateral ditches were made, and the earth from these was thrown upon a layer of brush. There were about twenty cribs built upon the swampy shore and into the stream, and beyond these, six framed trestles. On the other side, there were twenty more cribs, or firm, compact log piers. Stringers extended from cribs to trestles, and from trestles to cribs upon the other side of the stream. Upon these were laid logs of nearly uniform size, for the floor of the bridge: and these were ballasted on either hand by sticks of timber, which extended parallel with the stringers. The driveway, which was eleven feet between these timbers, was covered with earth. The ap- proach to the bridge from the south side was of raised cor-
51
BUILDING BRIDGES.
duroy. The length of the whole structure, including the approaches, was 4,200 feet. The length of the bridge proper was nearly 1, 100 feet.
Having crossed, we moved forward over the corduroy, through the wood, into the open country, and went into camp on Garnett's Farm, between the river and the battle- field of Fair Oaks. We were now so close to the enemy's lines that when on picket, in the still morning, we could hear roll-call in their camp. Here we constructed bough houses, as a protection from the scorching sun.
While here we had more road-building, till the 23d, when we took a rest from this work, many of the men having be- come sick with malaria, which they had contracted while working in the swamps.
June 2d, at 9 o'clock, we struck tents ; then policed the camp, and pitched tents in regular order, making a nice camp. There was heavy firing on our left most of the day. During the night there was a heavy thunder shower ; the lightning struck and killed two horses in the camp of the 96th Pennsylvania.
Again, at 2 A. M. of the 24th, we heard the bugler sound the notes of reveille, and, after roll-call, were ordered to stack arms, and have all equipments hanging on the stacks, canteens all filled with water, and to hold ourselves in read- iness to move at a moment's notice. All day long there was picket-firing on the right.
The bugle routs us out again, at 3 o'clock on the 25th, and we lay on our arms all day ; heavy skirmishing by the pickets all day, till 12 at night. We were called in line three times after dark, but everything quieted down, and we slept the balance of the night. During the forenoon of the 26th all was quiet, and till 3 P. M., when suddenly a per- fect storm of cannonading burst on our ears, from the direc- tion of Mechanicsville, and continued late into the night. It moved back in the direction of Gaines' Mill. and we infer that our troops are falling back.
On this date, it will be remembered, Mrs. Howland, wife of Col. Howland, of the 16th New York, at her own ex-
52
RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. Y. VOLS.
pense, furnished every man in the 16th with a neat, com- fortable straw hat. They looked so comfortable this hot morning, that our boys, wearing their fatigue-caps, almost envied them.
Hark! At 3 o'clock A. M. of the 27th, the bugle sounds, and we are called out and marched down to protect a bridge across the Chickahominy. Here we lay quiet all the morn- ing, stretched under the comfortable shade of the trees. Some played cards ; others dozed away the time, under the soothing influence of the sound of cannon, on the north side of the river, where the Fifth Corps, under Gen. Fitz John Porter, was engaging the enemy. About 2 P. M. we saw one of Gen. McClellan's aids ride up to division headquar- ters, and after a few hurried words with Gen. Slocum, gal- lop away. Soon the entire division was ordered into line, and, turning to the left, took the road towards Alexander's Bridge, across the Chickahominy. After crossing, we moved a short distance towards the left of the line of battle, when we were halted, and our brigade was detached from the division, and marched rapidly to the right, behind the en- tire line of battle. to the extreme right flank. The shot and shell of the enemy's guns, passing over the line of bat- tle, fell in our ranks all along the march. This march, mid the din and confusion, the screaming of shot and shell, the " zip" of minie balls, was a good test of the metal of our regiment.
Reaching the right, we were ordered to seek shelter in a small ravine in the rear and a little to the left of the crest on which Sykes' division of regulars and the 5th and 10th New York Volunteers were stubbornly holding in check the overwhelming numbers of the advancing rebels. As we lay in line, the half-spent balls from the enemy's guns, passing over the crest, came pattering down all about us, like the big drops of rain on a dusty road, preceding a hard shower in the summer time,-their places marked by little puffs of dust, making our position very uncomfortable. We saw that several regiments of the regulars were stag- gering under the terrible fire, -- when our brigade was or-
-
-2
53
GALLANT CHARGE AT GAINES' MILL.
dered up, and one regiment after another was moved for- ward, deployed to the right, and placed in position on the crest. First the 16th New York, led by Col. How- land; then the 96th Pennsylvania, Col. John Cake; the 5th Maine, Col. Jackson ; and then the 27th, led by Lieut .- Col. Adams, and Gen. Bartlett, in person, was ordered to fix bayonets, and, with three ringing cheers, charged. at double quick up the slope, driving the enemy from the left crest of the hill, on which there was a dwelling and numer- ous out-houses. No rebel troops, however brave, could stand the unearthly yell that we had learned to give. A part of our line encountered a picket fence, along a garden near the McGee house. This they quickly battered down with the butt end of their muskets, and moved on and took possession of the dwelling and out-houses, from which the enemy had been driven, capturing several prisoners, and among them two officers. A large body of fresh troops soon appeared in our front, but every man held to his place and nobly maintained the fight, without giving an inch of ground to the enemy, until long after darkness came over us, and the position of the rebels could be known only by the flash of their guns.
About dark it was reported to our Colonel that the 16th had moved partly into our front, and that we were firing on our own men. He gave the order to cease firing, but at that moment our supposed friends poured a volley into us, at close range, which our boys, not waiting for orders, re- turned with interest, and the rebel regiment turned and fled down the road whence they came. We continued to fire, aiming at the flash of the enemy's guns, until near 9 o'clock, when Gen. Bartlett, riding up, gave the order to retire. We now discovered that we were the last regiment to leave the field, all the regiments on the right having been withdrawn ; and the order did not come a minute too soon, for a brigade of rebels had already advanced past our left, and were al- most in our rear. The regiment left the field in good order, marching as if on parade, and bringing off nearly all our wounded, including Major Gardiner, who had been disabled
MAJOR C. C. GARDINER.
55
A MAN SHOT WITH A CRACKER.
carly in the action by the concussion of a shell ; and Capt. White, of Co. B, who had been shot through the hip, and was lying on the ground in rear of his company.
Again a line of battle was formed, near the ravine in which we took shelter in the afternoon, and we remained here till about 12:30, when we retired across the river, and returned to the camp that we had left in the morning.
In this battle there were several incidents which many of the men will recall. In Company "C," just as the charge was ordered, a certain man threw a cracker at private -, who, previous to this battle, had been on detached service. The cracker hit him on the leg, when he fell as if shot, and left the field. The next day he was read off on parade as a coward.
Two men in the same company, during the hottest of the firing, stood up and had a fierce fist fight. One, it seems, had stepped upon the other while he was lying down, and the other demanded satisfaction. The captain had to move to the left of the line and part them.
In Company " B," two men were shot through the leg by the same ball, and afterwards both of them died from the shock, after undergoing amputation.
As we withdrew from the field and approached the river, numerous little fires were burning, at which soldiers were stationed to direct stragglers to their regiments. These men were calling out : " This way to the Ist Jersey !" "This way to the 10th New York!" etc .: and, a little further on. some wag had seated himself on a gate post, and was call- ing out, "This way for Broadway and Fifth Ave!" His grim humor put new life into many a weary limb, and woke up the irrepressibles all along the line.
During the night, all the Federal forces were withdrawn to the south side of the Chickahominy ; the last of the rear- guard crossing after daylight, destroyed the bridge behind them.
In this battle of Gaines' Mill the regiment lost heavily : 12 men were killed, 10 officers and 106 men wounded, and 23 men missing.
CAPT. H. R. WHITE, CO. " B."
57
CASUALTIES AT GAINES' MILL.
Every man in the regiment has reason to feel proud of his record made in this engagement. The brilliant charge of the regiment up the slope, and the stubborn manner in which they held the ground from which the regulars had been driven, even in the face of the fresh troops that the enemy hurled against the position, and the steady manner and perfect order in which they made the retreat, were fully recognized in the general orders of commanding officers.
All about us, in the gathering darkness, lay the bodies of the dead and wounded ; the blue and the gray were mixed. The gray, the blue, and the artillerymen, in their red- trimmed uniforms, lay side by side, while the blood flowing from their wounds mingled together. So night closed upon the second of the " seven-days" fight in front of Richmond.
The Fifth Corps had for hours alone withstood the as- saults of a rebel force aggregating, towards night, between sixty and seventy thousand men ; and, at the close, with the aid of the two fresh divisions-Slocum's and French's, with the Irish brigade-had caused the armies of Jackson and Lee to halt.
Twenty-two cannon fell into the hands of the enemy, the horses having been killed or wounded. Including the two supporting divisions, the troops under Porter numbered about thirty-three thousand men.
At the battle of Gaines' Mill the Union loss was: 894 killed ; 3107 wounded; 2836 missing; total, 6837, or one in four engaged. On the Confederate side the loss in killed and wounded was much greater than ours.
The following statement from Comrade Wm. H. Lay, of Co. "D," will be of special interest to the friends of the killed and wounded in the battle of Gaines' Mill :
"On the day of the battle, I made a mistake in not keep- ing with the regiment when it fell back to the second line. I remained to re-load my piece and give the rebs. one more shot, before doing so. On going back to the line, which had re-formed about ten rods to the rear, and while passing a negro cabin, I heard Col. Adams give the order: "The 27th this way." I turned [in behind the cabin, and was,
-
58
RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. Y. VOLS.
with two others, ordered by the colonel to go inside and get Henry Frazer, of Co. "H," who was seriously wounded, and carry him to the rear.
While doing so, our whole line fell back-the enemy ad- vanced, and we were caught! This was soon after dark, and we were placed in a garden near by, until morning, by which time the number of prisoners had greatly increased. Soon after daylight, ten or fifteen of us were paroled, and detailed as nurses to care for our wounded-about 250 in number-the most of whom were scattered over the field . where they fell. We did not finish gathering them all in from the field until Sunday afternoon, the 29th, two days · after the battle. All the prisoners, except the nurses and wounded, were sent to Richmond.
The' suffering of the wounded was intense, as the pangs of hunger were added to the pain from their wounds and the torture of the amputation table. We were without food of any consequence until the 4th day of July, when the enemy brought and issued to us flour, bacon, salt, etc. The flour we made into dough, and baked it on flat stones, placed around a fire built out in the field. This, though as heavy as lead, the men eagerly devoured, and seemingly could never get enough to satisfy the cravings of their hunger. Death came to the relief of many of the boys, whose remains we buried after sundown and before sunrise, as we were too weak to dig graves under the hot sun.
The following is a partial list of the 27th boys who died there, and were buried by us: Corp. James H. Burlison, of Co. "G;" Eugene Rappel, of Co. "G:" Henry M. Gould, of Co. "G;" Alexander Miles, of Co. "G." .
I searched among the dead for the bodies of Irwin Burge and Ira Frederick, of Co. "D," who were killed during the charge, but did not succeed in finding them. They, no doubt, were covered, as were the bodies of others scattered all over the field, by a burial party of the enemy, which I saw at work throwing a little soil over them.
At the end of eighteen days, all who were left there were transferred to the hospital at Savage Station, where we re-
---
WOODBURY'S BR.
DUANE'S BR.
CAINES'
-
CHICKAHOMINY RIVER
NCSTREET
NEW COAL HARBOR
CAINES' MILL
+
-
1
ADAM'S +++
UPPER BR.
SUMNER'S
ALEXANDER'S
HOSPITAL
c
CEN. PORTER'S HEAD QRS.
SYKES DIVIS LING
JACKSON
ELDER SWAMP
BARKER'S MILL
¡
BATTLE OF GAINES' MILL.
K. Meade's Brigade. Morell's Division . B. Martindale's C. Grithin's ..
( A. Butterfield's Brigade.
McCall's Division < L. Seymour's
( M. Reynold's
:
.V. Cavalry.
Sykes' Division
D, G, S. Warren's Brigade. E, H. Chapman's F. I. T. Buchanan's "
Artillery Reserve
0.
Robertson's Battery.
P to H. Bartlett's
..
P. Tidball's
MILES
MORELL'S
0
Mc CALL'S
2
BR.
COAL HARBOR
IL
2ND LINE
59
M'CLELLAN'S DISPATCHI.
mained about two weeks, when the wounded were all placed aboard cars and forwarded, via Richmond, to City Point, to be paroled. The nurses, after reaching Richmond, were confined in Libby Prison. Here two more weeks slowly melted away, at the end of which time the occupants of old Libby were transferred to Bell Isle, and fed on " fly soup," "beef-hair soup," and once a day a morsel of bread and meat. Sweeter bread, meat and soup, I never tasted before or since (?)
On the 14th day of September, the seven thousand pris- oners, who had been packed in the small space of two acres, were released on parole, and escorted by rebel cavalry down the James River to Aiken's Landing; were placed on board of our transports that were there waiting for us, and were once more under the old flag.
The following is an extract from Gen. McClellan's dis- patch to the Secretary of War, dated Savage's Station, 12:30 A. M., June 28th.
"I now know the whole history of the day. On this side of the river, the right bank, we repulsed several strong attacks ; on the left bank, our men did all that soldiers could accomplish, but they were overwhelmed by vastly superior numbers, soon after I had brought my last reserves into action. The loss on both sides is terrible : I believe it will prove to be the most desperate battle of the war. The sad remnants of my men be- haved as men ; those battalions who fought most bravely, and suffered most, are still in the best order. My regulars were superb, and I count upon what are left to turn another battle, in company with their gallant comrades of the volunteers. Had I twenty thousand, or even ten thou- sand, fresh troops to use to-morrow, I could take Richmond ! But I have not a man in reserve, and shall be glad to cover my retreat and save the material and the personrel of the army. If we have lost the day, we have yet preserved our honor, and no one need blush for the Army of the Potomac."
60
RECORD OF 27TH REGIMENT N. V. VOLS.
The following extracts are from the official reports :
Report of Brigadier-Gen. Henry W. Slocum, command- ing First Division.
CAMP NEAR HARRISON'S LANDING, Va., ( July 8, 1862.
Stk :- On the 27th of June last, in obedience to orders received from Gen. Franklin, I ordered the brigade commanded by Gen. Newton to cross Alexander's Bridge, to the left bank of the Chickahominy, to the support of Gen. Porter. The order was received at 2 o'clock r. M., and the brigade immediately moved, in light marching order. At 2:30 P. M. I was ordered to cross at the same point, with the remainder of my division. The movement was executed at once, and Gen. Taylor's brigade crossed at about 3 P. M., followed by the brigade of Col. Bartlett. * * * Having received no specific directions as to the disposition of the remain- ing brigade, under command of Col. Joseph J. Bartlett, of the 27th New York, I directed Col. Bartlett to take position on the extreme left of the line, near the new road leading through the valley, from Dr. Gaines' house to Alexander's Bridge. On approaching the point indicated. Col. Bartlett found our troops engaged to the right of his position, and immediately moved his brigade to their support. He was subsequently ordered to the right of the line, to support Gen. Sykes, whose troops, fatigued by the long contest of this and the previous day, were nearly overpowered by the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. Porter's battery (A), of the First Massachusetts Artillery, was assigned to the command of Col. Bartlett, and remained with his brigade during the day. * * *
As to the conduct of the officers and men of my division, I have only to say that the division entered the field 8,ovo strong, and that the list of killed, wounded and missing amounts to 2,021. These lists attest the devotion and heroism of officers and men. Notwithstanding this fearful loss, all the regiments left the field in good order, and returned to their camps in the same compact and orderly manner that marked their march to the scene of conflict. The brigade commanders, Gens. Newton and Taylor, and Col. Bartlett, are cach entitled to the greatest praise, not only for their heroic conduct on the field, but for their untiring efforts after the close of the action, in bringing off the wounded, and in maintaining order and steadiness amid the prevalent confusion.
The loss of the division in officers was particularly severe, not only in numbers, but in the character of those killed and wounded. Col. Tucker
61
SLOCUM'S AND BARTLETT'S REPORTS.
and Major Ryerson, of the Second New Jersey, and Lieut .- Col. Heath, of the Fifth Maine, were killed while gallantly discharging their duty. Their loss is deeply felt in their regiments and throughout the division, and will be lamented by a wide circle of friends. Col. Gosline and Maj. Hubbs, of the Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania, and Lieut .- Col. Marsh, of the Sixteenth New York, were mortally wounded, and have since died. Col. Howland, of the Sixteenth New York ; Col. Pratt, of the Thirty-First New York ; Col. Jackson, of the Fifth Maine ; Maj. Gardiner, of the Twenty-seventh New York : and Maj. Hatfield, of the First New Jersey, were so severely wounded as to be rendered unfit for duty. * *
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