USA > New York > History of the Ninth Regiment N.Y.S.M. -- N.G.S.N.Y. (Eighty-third N. Y. Volunteers.) 1845-1888 > Part 24
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THE NINTH NEW YORK.
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as he was now, in a measure, removed from the regiment, the men thought they could not do better than to give him the means of watching himself ; and to this end he, the Sergeant, had been deputized to present him " with this slight testimo- nial." A handsome gold watch, chain, and seal were then handed the astonished disciple of AEsculapius, who, true to his ancient teachings, did not lose his nerve, but skilfully performed the delicate operation of responding to the unexpected call. He thanked his " boys" for their extreme kindness, and said that he had not been aware of his being watched so closely during the performance of his duties, and that now since a permanent watch had been set upon his actions, he would en- deavor to so time his movements and regulate his conduct that he might continue to merit the confidence and esteem of the liberal donors. The Doctor also paid a high tribute to his assistants, naming, among others, Assistant Surgeon Abram V. Ketchum, who, in the absence of his chief, rendered such faith- ful service to the regiment. The money value of the present was $250.00.
The gathering dispersed, the men cheering the Doctor and the Generals. But the end was not yet. The visitors had been invited to Lieutenant-Colonel Moesch's quarters to par- take of some refreshments, and thither the men were also invited, and when they had gathered about the tent, the usual calls were made for speeches. General Robinson responded, but had scarcely begun, when a courier galloped up. " March- ing Orders," it was rumored. The visitors took a hasty leave ; the members of the regiment swallowed a glass or two of claret punch, then hurried to their quarters and struck tents; but, after waiting awhile in the hot sun, they were ordered to pitch them again. After this was accomplished the rest of the day and evening was spent in further celebrating the anni- versary.
By June Ist the weather was so hot and sultry that the daily drills and occasional reviews became irksome. Almost daily rumors of orders to move circulated about camp, and as
COL. AND B'V'T BRIG .- GEN. JOHN HENDRICKSON.
257
$ 863
EXPECTATION OF THE CONFEDERATES
the season advanced the men knew that life in camp would soon be exchanged for a marching and fighting campaign.
On the 9th Colonel Hendrickson, supplied with a wooden leg in place of the member lost at the battle of Fredericks- burg, reported for duty. His advent was hailed with delight, notwithstanding the fact that in Lieutenant-Colonel Moesch the men placed the utmost confidence. The Colonel was also a brave and sagacious officer, and his return to field duty, in his crippled condition, showed that he meant to do all-and more -- that his country required at his hands.
. An important campaign of the Army of the Potomac is now approached -- that of Gettysburg. Important, not because it was the first from which the Union Army had emerged as nominal victors -- for the Maryland campaign resulted in that -- but because the " high-water mark" of the rebellion was reached during the campaign, and from thence dated the " De- cline and Fall" of the Southern Confederacy. It is not wished to be understood as assuming that, had the Confederates been successful in the battle, or in the defence of Vicksburg during the same month, they would have at once succeeded in estab- lishing a Southern confederacy; but up to that time their suc- cess in arms in Virginia -- the principal theatre of the war- had caused the Southern leaders to believe that, could they but transfer it beyond the Potomac, and show to the world they were able to maintain themselves as an aggressive force on Northern soil, their Independence would be acknowledged by some of the "Powers" in Europe; and with expected aid from that source they might then be enabled to accomplish the dismemberment of the American Union. In this they failed. and because of the failure the doom of the Confederacy was hastened.
Lee's army at this time was in splendid condition ; it had been victorious in the last two great battles fought, and if ever · a bold, aggressive movement was to be made, now was the time for that army to take the initiative. During the discus- sion as to the best method of invading the North, General Longstreet had proposed a movement by way of Kentucky,
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but that was rejected, and it was decided to move into Penn- sylvania, by way of the Shenandoah and Cumberland Valleys, thus turning Hooker's right, and forcing the Army of the Potomac from its position without a battle.
On the Ist of the month Lee's army numbered eighty thousand of all arms; the infantry, sixty-eight thousand, was divided into corps, the First, Second and Third under Long- street, Ewell and A. P. Hill, respectively. Each corps had about eighty guns. The cavalry was under General Stuart, and quartered in the vicinity of Brandy Station, watching the fords of the Rappahannock.
The Army of the Potomac numbered about eighty-two thousand of all arms, divided into seven corps : the First, Gen- eral Reynolds; Second, General Hancock ; Third, General Sickles; Fifth, General Meade; Sixth, General Sedgwick ; Eleventh, General Howard; and Twelfth, General Slocum. General Alfred Pleasonton commanded the cavalry, consisting of about eleven thousand men, quartered between Warrenton and Catlett's Station. About three hundred guns accom- panied the army.
On the 3rd day of the month the Confederate Army be- gan the campaign. Culpeper was to be the rendezvous for the columns sent out from Lee's army, and from this point, masked by Stuart's cavalry, the Confederate leader expected to make a bold strike for the Shenandoah Valley, capture or drive out Milroy, and enter Pennsylvania before Hooker should become aware of his intentions. But it was impossible that such important movements could be made without creat- : ing some suspicion in the mind of the Union General, and on the 5th, General Sedgwick had completed the laying of two bridges at Franklin's Crossing, and a division of his corps went over on a reconnoissance. The bold front displayed by Hill, whose corps had been left to keep up appearances, led Sedgwick to believe that the whole Confederate Army was still in their intrenchments. Hooker, however, fearing that Lee intended to attack his right, sent the Fifth corps up the river to watch. On the 7th Pleasonton was ordered to make
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THE TWO ARMIES MOVE.
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a reconnoissance towards Culpeper, for the purpose of deter- mining whether any of Lee's infantry had reached that point. A severe battle between the two cavalry forces occurred on · the 8th, at Brandy Station, and Pleasonton discovered that the enemy's infantry was, indeed, moving towards the west.
Hooker was now desirous of crossing the river at Freder- icksburg and destroying the force left there, but the authori- ties at Washington, fearful for the safety of the Capitol, refused their consent, and Hooker set about discovering the points at which he could intercept Lee's march, which was now believed to be directed north.
By the roth Ewell had approached close to Chester Gap, in the Blue Ridge, and on the 13th was marching upon Win- chester, where he arrived on the evening of the 14th. Milroy, seeing the impossibility of resistance, evacuated the town before daylight the next morning, but when about four miles on the road towards Martinsburg -his retreat to Harper's Ferry being cut off -he encountered the enemy, who had already sent a force of cavalry and infantry towards Martinsburg. Milroy made a brave fight, but his force was easily beaten, and a large number were captured. The Valley was now clear for the march of the Confederate Army.
Hooker had sent the Third and Fifth corps up the Rappa- hannock and towards Culpeper. On the 12th the First corps was put in motion. At three o'clock in the morning the men of the NINTH were aroused, and at five began the march. The day proved to be one of the hottest the men had ever experienced, as they tramped along the dusty roads through the devastated country. Water was scarce, fence rails nearly all gone, so that it was difficult to find wood enough during the short halts with which to cook coffee. At noon, and while the men were enjoying a short halt, the stillness was broken by the discharge of a volley of small-arms, caused by the exe- cution of a deserter from the Nineteenth Indiana who had been captured at Chancellorsville while fighting in the ranks of the enemy.
Hartwood Church was passed towards evening, and a short
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distance beyond, near the banks of a creek, the command halted for the night. The twenty-two mile march fitted all to enjoy a sound sleep. The next morning blistered feet were bound up, and at seven o'clock the march was resumed. The long rest had rendered the men unfit for heavy marching until they had. been " broken in " again, and there were many strag- gleis. On reaching Bealton, the column headed towards Rap- pahannock Station, and at seven in the evening the troops halted. The NINTH was sent out on picket, near to the cross- ing of the river, where the men passed an uncomfortable night in the rain. During the day the First, Third and Eleventh corps were constituted the left wing of the army, and General Reynolds placed in command ; while General Abner Double- day was assigned to the command of the First corps.
At five o'clock on the morning of the 14th the NINTH was withdrawn from picket duty, and returned to its place in the column, which moved at seven, headed northeast. They rested a short time at Catlett's Station, then pushed on through fields and woods, until at nightfall a halt was ordered in the vicinity of Bristoe Station. But the men were only allowed an hour or so in which to cook their supper, when " forward " was again the order. The darkness rendered the march diffi- cult and slow ; numerous streams had to be crossed, and at five o'clock in the morning of the 15th, the men found them- selves near Manassas Junction, having been on the tramp for twenty-four hours, during which time they had covered only twenty-five miles.
By the morning of the 15th the Confederate infantry, under Ewell, had reached Williamsport, Maryland, while General Jenkins with a force of cavalry had penetrated to Chambers- burg, in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile the North was being aroused, and militia regiments were pouring in from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, upon the call of the President for one hundred and twenty thousand men for temporary ser- vice.
At nine o'clock in the morning of the 15th the NINTH were in line and marching towards Bull Run, which was crossed, and
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UNION ARMY MOVES NORTII.
261
soon halted long enough to prepare a late breakfast. Centre- ville was reached about the middle of the afternoon, and it was found that the Sixth and Eleventh corps were also encamped in the vicinity. The cavalry, under Pleasonton, marched on roads to the left of, and parallel with, the infantry, thus guard- ing that flank against the attack of Stuart's troopers.
The 16th was spent in camp, much to the relief of the men. Hooker was yet uncertain what to do. Pennsylvania was cry- ing aloud for relief, and yet, if he pushed too far north, while the bulk of Lee's army was in the Valley, he was afraid of un- covering the Capitol, so he waited for the further development of Lee's plans.
Colonel Hendrickson took leave of the regiment on this day. In his disabled condition he found it difficult to endure the fatigues of the march, he could not walk, and his wooden Jeg bothered him greatly while on horseback. Towards even- ing the men assembled at his tent in order to pay their respects. In a short speech he bid them good-bye, and left for home. After a few weeks' surgical treatment, and finding that it would be impossible for him to serve again in the field, the Colonel resigned -- August Ist-but was subsequently assigned to duty in the Veteran Reserve Corps, with which he continued till mustered out at the close of the war. The Colonel entered the military service as a Private in Company H, Seventh Regiment N. Y. S. M., May 12, 1857; became Sergeant- Major of the NINTH in 1860 ; was elected First Lieutenant of Company G, April 26th, and Captain, July 29th, 1861 ; he was appointed Major, September 30th, and Lieutenant-Colonel Nov. 27th, 1862 ; and promoted Colonel, Jan. 18th, 1863.
At two o'clock on the morning of the 17th, the reveille sounded, and at four the column was in motion, headed due north. The section passed through did not seem to have suffered much from the ravages of war ; fences were standing, the fields were under cultivation, and the dwelling-houses occupied. The day was very hot ( 10012º), and a number of cases of sun- stroke occurred. After a fifteen-mile march the troops halted early in the afternoon at Herndon Station, on the Loudoun and
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THE NINTH NEW YORK.
June
Hampshire railroad, and about three miles from Drainsville. Wood and water being plenty, the men made the most of those luxuries. Reveille at three o'clock next morning roused the regiment, and at five, lines were formed ; but marching orders did not come, and the men lay around baking in the hot sun. At noon the tents were again pitched. In the afternoon it began to rain, and continued all night. The next morning, the 19th, the corps started off early, but the regiment had been detailed to guard the wagon train ; the men had packed up, but as the teams would not be likely to move for some hours, and the rain continued to fall, the tents were set up again. During the afternoon, the pickets, which had been posted about a mile from camp, were attacked by some of John S. Mosby's guerilla cavalry, and the regiment was hastily called into line ; the troopers, however, had no notion of staying for a fight, and soon all was quiet again. During the night the rain continued, accompanied by a high wind.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 20th the men were ordered out, and at seven accompanied the train along the line of the railroad, in the direction of Leesburg. When Guil- ford Station was reached, some four miles distant, the train was parked and the regiment went into bivouac. Rain con- tinued all the next day, rendering the camp exceedingly disa- greeable. On the 22nd a detachment of volunteers from the regiment went back to Fairfax Station, as guard to a supply train, returning the next day in charge of the mails. The left flank of the army had been much annoyed for several days by small bodies of cavalry, who, familiar with the country, would make sudden dashes on small parties of troops, and then as suddenly disappear. General Reynolds narrowly escaped cap- ture by one of these bands, and it was determined to scour the neighborhood and hunt them down. For this purpose the NINTH, in light marching order, and under the direction of General Reynolds in person, marched out about four miles, then deployed in skirmishing order, and scoured the woods for several hours, but, of course, no enemy was found. The men laughed at being sent out on foot to hunt for cavalry. The
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CONFEDERATES IN PENNSYLVANIA.
263
residents of the neighborhood were all in sympathy with the enemy, every man and woman, and even children, acted as informants, and conveyed intelligence to the Confederates, which enabled them to elude any force that might be sent against them.
The morning of the 24th brought bright and pleasant weather again, and on the 25th the troops were in motion. The NINTH still had charge of the wagons ; progress was slow. At four o'clock in the afternoon the Potomac was reached at a point near Edwards Ferry, but it was nine in the evening before the regiment crossed. The long-continued rain had softened the roads, and the trains and artillery which had pre- ceded the First corps, had so cut them up, that it was with great difficulty the poor mules could pull their loads. The men were often obliged to put their own shoulders to the wheels, and when a man would step into a particularly sticky spot, he would shout for a mule to help pull him out. Towards midnight the familiar village of Poolesville was passed through. It began to rain again, and when Barnesville was reached, the men were glad to halt and throw themselves down on the wet ground. Twenty miles had been covered, but the men were more exhausted than though they had marched double the distance under ordinary circumstances. The corps had advanced to the vicinity of Middletown to guard the passes in the South Mountain range.
Longstreet's and Hill's corps had reached Hagerstown, Md., during the 25th, while Ewell was pushing on towards Carlisle, Pa. Hooker's plan was to compel the enemy to keep his forces in the Cumberland Valley, on the west side of the South Mountain range, and then, when he had advanced far enough north, to attack his rear with a small force, and thus sever his communications with Richmond. Aware of the pos- sibility of this movement, Lee urged upon the Confederate Government the sending of a large force to Culpeper, in order that it might operate from there north, and keep his communi- cations open ; but this the Richmond authorities could not do, for they had not the men to spare.
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After a few hours uneasy rest in the rain, the regiment was called into line shortly after daylight on the 26th, and plodded along with the wagon train.
Leaving Sugar Loaf Mountain on the right, Greenfield was passed, the Monocacy crossed, and late in the day, after a fifteen-mile march, a halt was ordered near Adamstown, on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Early on the 27th the march was resumed. Shortly after passing through Jefferson, the regi- ment was relieved from duty with the wagon train, and joined the brigade. The march was continued through Middletown, a short distance beyond which the troops halted.
During the day Longstreet and Hill occupied Chambers- burg, while Ewell entered Carlisle, and Jenkins was at Kings- ton, within a dozen miles of Harrisburg. Early, commanding a division of Ewell's corps, had been tearing up the railroad track between Harrisburg and York. and late in the afternoon he entered the latter town. Stuart, with the bulk of his cav- alry, had started on another of his famous raids, hoping, by operating in the rear of Hooker's army, to keep it south of the Potomac long enough to give Lee an opportunity of cap- turing Harrisburg, and, perhaps, other cities further north. On the 26th he crossed the Potomac at Drainsville, and found that the Army of the Potomac was all across the river.
The Confederate Generals exercised the "right of might " in levying contributions of money, food, forage and clothing. upon towns they occupied. At York, Early exacted " one hun- dred thousand dollars in cash ; two hundred barrels of flour ; thirty thousand bushels of corn ; one thousand pairs of shoes," etc. (Doubleday's Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, page 113). On the 26th, Early made a requisition on the authorities of Gettysburg, demanding 60 barrels of flour ; 7000 pounds of pork or bacon ; 1200 pounds of sugar ; 600 pounds of coffee ; 1000 pounds of salt ; 40 bushels of onions; 1000 pairs of shoes ; 500 hats, or $10,000 in money.
He was answered by the President of the Council as follows :
1863
EXIT HOOKER, ENTER MEADE.
GETTYSBURG, June 26, 1863. 265
General EARLY :
SIR :- The authorities of the borough of Gettysburg, in answer to the demand made by you upon the said borough and county, say their authority extends but to the borough. That the requisition asked for, cannot be given, because it is utterly impos- sible to comply. The quantities required are far beyond that in our possession. In compliance, however, to the demands we will request the stores to be open and the citizens to furnish whatever they can of such provisions, etc., as may be asked. Fur- ther we cannot promise.
By authority of the council of the borough of Gettysburg, I hereunto, as President of said Board, attach my name. D. KENDLEHART.
General Early received orders to proceed to York that evening, and the requisition was not required to be filled.
York, however, to which place he next marched, was made to "shell out," as before stated.
At the time of General Hooker's appointment to the com- mand, General Halleck and Secretary Stanton were both opposed to his promotion. The result of the Chancellorsville campaign had not given these two officers any more confidence in him, and Hooker found himself at variance with them many times during the progress of this campaign. Since entering Maryland Hooker had endeavored to obtain control of certain bodies of troops in his immediate vicinity, among others, the garrison of Harper's Ferry of ten thousand men, which he wished to join with Slocum's Twelfth corps, and operate on the Confederate rear, but Halleck would not consent. Other causes of grievance, added to this, determined Hooker to ask to be relieved. On the morning of the 28th General Meade was placed in command.
For several days-in fact, ever since Stuart had left him and started on his independent course -- Lee had been igno- rant of the movements of the Army of the Potomac. Stuart had tried in vain to communicate with his chief, but as the Union Army was between them, his scouts could not get through. It was not till the 28th, that a daring courier, dis- guised as a farmer, presented himself at Longstreet's tent and announced that the Army of the Potomac, which Lee sup- posed to be still south of the Potomac, was then massed in the vicinity of Frederick. Alarmed for his communications with
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Richmond, the Confederate leader called a halt of his advance troops, and ordered his army to concentrate about Gettysburg, intending to move towards Baltimore and thus draw the Union Army further east and relieve the Confederate rear.
Upon assuming command, Meade took the responsibility of ordering General French, who commanded at Harper's Ferry, to cooperate with him. General Couch, who, upon the first news of the invasion, had been sent from the army to command the troops assembling at Harrisburg, was also placed under Meade, and thus the new commander was offered the very facilities that had been denied Hooker.
The NINTH made but a short march on the 28th, starting about three o'clock in the afternoon, and halted within a mile of Frederick at eight in the evening. On the 29th an early start was made and the column passed through Frederick, then turned north, passing in succession through the villages of Lewiston, Mechanicsville, Franklin, and Emmetsburg, and halt- ing about a mile north of the latter place, where line of battle was formed. The men had got their marching legs in order by this time, and the twenty-five-mile tramp was accomplished with little difficulty. The troops bivouacked behind their stacks of muskets during the night.
The extreme left of the Union Army had reached a point near Fairfield, Pa., six miles north and west of Emmetsburg. The Eleventh corps was, with the First, at the latter place. The Third and Twelfth corps were near Middleburg, nine miles southeast of Emmetsburg ; the Fifth corps was at Taney- town, five miles north and east of Middleburg ; the Second at Uniontown, six miles southeast of Taneytown, while the Sixth corps was at New Windsor, about two miles southeast of Uniontown. The cavalry was distributed at various points, part of Buford's division being on the left, near Fairfield, while Kilpatrick's and Gregg's divisions were away on the right, endeavoring to head off Stuart, who at night bivouacked with the head of his column at Union Mills, eight miles southeast of Taneytown. Before dark a part of the Confederate cavalry had been within four miles of Harrisburg, and the people there
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NEARING GETTYSBURG.
were thrown into the greatest consternation, expecting that be- fore daylight the next morning the city would be in the hands of the enemy. During the day, however, Lee's orders reached his advance troops, and they turned towards Gettysburg. General Pleasonton, realizing the strategic importance of that place, had ordered Buford to occupy the town early in the morning of the 30th. It will thus be seen that the heads of the rival columns were directed to the same point, and it could not be long before the clash of arms would be heard.
On the morning of the 30th, the NINTH was again on the march, and the column soon crossed Mason and Dixon's line into Pennsylvania. The First corps had been ordered to push on towards Gettysburg, but General Reynolds, discovering that the enemy were approaching on his left flank from the direc- tion of Fairfield, halted his command near Marsh Creek, and awaited further -developments. At night the right and left wings of the army were twenty-five miles apart, and the troops so disposed as to effectually cover both Washington and Balti- more. General Meade had decided, as soon as he found Lee's army turning about to face him, to fall back-if necessary -- and establish a line of battle on the left bank of Pipe Creek, a small stream which flows in a southwesterly direction and empties into the Monocacy River, about eight miles south of the State line.
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