USA > New York > History of the One hundred and twenty-fourth regiment, N. Y. S. V. > Part 28
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Lossing, in his admirable history, after telling of the assault and capture of the first line, in language similar to the above, and quoting Hancock's pencil note to Grant, says, " Hancock failed to ' go into Early ' in the way he anticipated. The enthusiasm of his troops after their success, was unbounded, and seemed equal to any demand. Indeed, they could not be restrained. They pushed forward after flying Confederates through the woods to- ward Spottsylvania Court House, for a mile, when they were checked by a second and unfinished line of breastworks, behind which the fugitives rallied and turned upon their pursuers. The entire Confederate line had been aroused by the surprise to a sense of great peril, and the most desperate efforts were made to prevent further disaster, and to recover what had been lost. Ewell was immediately reinforced by troops from the corps of Hill and Longstreet, and Hancock's vietors were thrown back to the line they had captured, and upon these heavy masses of the foe were thrown . Lee was determined to re-take the works Johnston and Stewart had lost. Five times he hurled a
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tremendous weight of men and weapons upon Hancock, in order to dislodge him. The combatants fought hand to hand most des- perately, and the flags of both were several times planted on each side of the breastworks, simultaneously, and within a few feet of each other Lee's assaults were repulsed with dreadful carnage on both sides, and yet he persisted, notwithstanding rain fell heavily all the afternoon. It was midnight before he ceased to fight, when he sullenly withdrew with his terribly shattered and worn columns, after a combat of twenty hours, leaving Hancock in possession of the works he had captured in the morning, and twenty guns. So ended the Battle of Spottsylvania Court House, one of the bloodiest of the war Probably there never was a battle where so many bullets flew in a given space of time and distance."
Swinton, in his critical comments on the battle, hints at the culpable blunder of some one, which robbed us of fully one-half the legitimate fruits of our splendid victory; and then gives in most graphic language an account of what he saw on visiting the `works on the morning after the battle : " But though," he writes, " the tactical dispositions to carry the works were admirable, little provision had been made looking to that critical moment that comes after an assault, when the victory must either be assured by a decisive blow or risk a lapse of all the gain Of all the struggles of the war this was perhaps the most deadly- the enemy's most savage sallies were directed to re-take the fan- ous salient which was now become an angle of death, and pre- sented a spectacle ghastly and terrible. On the Confederate side of the works lay many corpses of those who had been bayoneted by Hancock's men when they first leaped the intrenchments. To these were constantly added the bravest of those who, in the as- saults to re-capture the position, fell at the margin of the works, till the ground was literally covered with piles of dead, and the woods in front of the salient were one hideous Golgotha. I am aware that the language above used may resemble exaggeration ; but I speak of what I personally saw."
Pollard, viewing the battle from a Confederate standpoint,
:
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HISTORY OF THE 124TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
sufficiently corroborates the accounts of Northern writers already quoted, to satisfy the reader that they have not overdrawn the bloody picture, or ascribed to Hancock's troops an undue meed of praise. "In the morning of the 12th," he writes, "it was found that Hancock was again in the centre, vigorously assaulting Johnston's division. This division held a salient of the Confed- erate line; and as the enemy, taking the forces within flank, rushed over the angle. they were quickly in possession of the work, capturing most of Johnston's men along with their com- mander, and taking twenty pieces of artillery. Charge after charge was made by the Confederates to regain what ground they had lost. It was a conflict of sublime fury and terrible carnage. The dead and wounded lay piled over each other, the latter often underneath the former. What remained of Ewell's corps held the enemy in check with a courage that nothing could subdue. General Hill moved down from the right, joined Ewell, and threw his division into the struggle. Longstreet came on from the extreme left of the Confederate line; it was a dead-lock of slaughter, in which neither side gained ground, and the inter- vening space was piled with slain. At the close of the day the enemy held about three hundred yards of the Confederate works."
Let us now return to the open field where Hancock's weary troops, having completed their preparations, are lying on the ground, snatching a few moments' sleep, while waiting for the order, forward. The corps has been disposed for the assault as follows: Birney's division in four battle lines, with Ward's bri- gade in front, the 124th composing the right centre of his first line ; Barlow's division formed to the left of Birney's in two lines of masses, Miles' and Brookes' brigades in the first line, and Brown's and Smythe's brigades in the second line, each regiment forming double column on the centre; Mott's division supporting Birney's, and Gibbon's division supporting Barlow's-thus :
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MILES.
BROOKES.
20th Ind.
86th N. Y.
124th N. Y.
99th Pa.
.
141 Pa.
40 N. Y.
110 Pa. 2 U. S. S. S. 3 Me.
BARLOW'S DIVISION. BROWN.
SMYTHE.
BIRNEY'S DIVISION.
.
GIBBON.
MOTT.
The distance from our front to the enemy's line was about one thousand yards. The intervening space in front of Birney was uneven, and that half of it nearest the foe, thickly wooded. In front of Barlow the cleared ground extended up to the ene- my's works. The rain had ceased falling. it was past four o'clock, and the day was breaking; but a dense fog concealed our pres- ence from the view of the unsuspecting enemy's videttes.
At half-past four I stood, with my horse beside me. in rear of the centre of my regiment, every other member of which, so far as I could see, except two of the color-guard, were lying on the ground, apparently fast asleep. I had unstrapped a rubber coat from my saddle, and put it on, outside my overcoat, for it
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HISTORY OF THE 124TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
was damp and very chilly. In order to keep myself awake I had bitten my tongue, so that blood flowed from it quite freely, I was wondering at the relief this afforded me when, suddenly a hand was laid on my shoulder, and wheeling about I found my- self confronted by General Ward.
The General had his cloak wrapped about his massive form, was unattended, and seemed in a most gloomy mood. After re- ferring to the repulse of his brigade on the 10th, he addressed me in a most earnest manner, substantially if not word for word, as follows : "Colonel. you have been assigned a post of honor. I expect you to take your regiment over the works this time or die in the attempt. Give your orders in a whisper, preserve strict silence in your ranks when you advance, and do not fire a shot this side of the enemy's works. You will take direction from the 20th Indiana, the second regiment to your left." He then walked rapidly away, to give, I presume, similar instructions to the other leading regiments of his brigade.
At half-past four, just as the first rays of day began to break through the fog, the order move forward was given. My men, though they had been unable to keep their eyes open, had re- tained a firm hold of their loaded weapons, and at the whis- pered, up, men, sprang to their feet wide awake. Even my jaded horse, as I mounted, pricked up his ears and shook his head as if to say, I too, am ready for the fray
Since the opening of the campaign we had been facing death so much of the time, our sensibilities may have become somewhat blunted. It is certain that the great majority of the men of my command, while fully assured that in a very few moments they would be called to enter upon one of the most desperate under- takings they had ever known, made no determined efforts to keep awake, even after they had fixed bayonets, and formed for the charge ; but on the contrary lay down and yielded to the im- pulse to close their eyes, the moment the opportunity was given them.
At the order forward, guide left, march ! which was given in a suppressed tone, every man of the 124th stepped briskly and
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resolutely forward, save one. This was a recruit whose name I had not yet learned. He was a rather rugged appearing person, but did not look to be over seventeen or eighteen years of age. Riding up to him, I placed the point of my sword against his body, and ordered him to move forward instantly. But he did not stir, and I repeated my order, accompanying it with a threat that, unless he obeyed forthwith, I would run him through, and emphasized the threat with a slight thrust which I believed caused the steel to enter his flesh half an inch, or perhaps, a little more. But yet he stood his ground, and bracing himself said, " I am too sick to take a single step-run your sword through me if you will, I had as leave die here as anywhere else." * I believed the lat- ter half of his statement, and leaving him standing there, hurried to the front and centre of my advancing line.
I was exceedingly proud of the sons of Old Orange as they moved into action that morning. There was not only nothing to in- dicate weariness in their gait or mien, though I knew full well how terribly jaded they were, but somehow they appeared taller than was their wont. There was that too in the handling of their weap- ons and in the unordered but continual quiekening of their pace,
* In December, 1875, I was at a religious meeting held in the Trinity Methodist Church in Newburgh, at which the theme of professing Christians harboring and treasuring up ill feelings the one against the other, was dwelt upon at considerable length, and in a very forcible manner. At the close of the service a stranger approach- ed me, and extending his hand, addressed me as near I can remember in this wise : " You did me a great injury once, and the very sight of you, ever since, has aroused within me a most unchristian feeling. And in order to rid myself of this feeling I have come to you to say that as I hope to be forgiven. I freely forgive you." I looked at the man in amazement, for I could not recall ever having seen him before. This I told him, and added, " but if I have ever unwittingly dene yon an injury, I am heartily sorry for it." He then toll me his name, and related to me the circumstances narrated above. He was the recruit referred to. My sword it appears had sunk into his flesh much deeper than I thought, inflicting a severe wound from which he did not wholly recover for months. He declared on his honor that he was at the time, physically un- able to take another step ; and he evidently yet regarded my conduct toward him, as most brutal. Nevertheless had I executed my threat and run him through on the spot, I would have done a simple duty, in the eyes of military law ; for once on the battle-field, sickness and cowardice are synonymous terms. I fully believe the man is honest in his statement, and only regret that the opportunity to ask his pardon for the injury done him, was not sooner given me. And yet, being faliible, and acting in the capacity of a commanding officer, I can not to-day see wherein I exceeded in the least my simple duty-such is tar.
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HISTORY OF THE 124TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
until I was forced to spur my horse to a lively trot to keep ahead of them, which thrilled me with a feeling of confidence, in both them and myself, such as I had never experienced before. Their bat- tle line all the way across the field was most superb, elbow touched elbow from flank to flank-not a break or a waver in it. Then into the thick woods we plunged, or under the hanging branches, and through the briars and brush which tore both clothes and skin. Occasionally a man would trip and fall, but the next mo- ment he would be in his place again. The enemy's pickets must have been sleeping, for notwithstanding the noise made by the snapping of dry twigs as we passed over them, and the rattle of the brush as we were forcing our way through it, they evidently had not the slightest intimation of our approach until we were close upon them, when they hurriedly discharged their pieces, and fled to give warning to the troops of their main body.
Only one of these shots took effect on our line. That struck a man, near the colors, in the leg, causing him to drop out of the ranks. This instead of impeding our advance, served to quicken the speed of his comrades, who, a moment later, catching sight of the frowning works, sent up a wild, ringing shout and dashed madly forward, grasping by the foot and jerking back one of the fleeing pickets who was half-way over the works; and crowding their leader's horse into the ditch in front, where his rider was obliged to leave him, and hasten to clamber over the earthen bar- rier, lest his regiment should lead him instead of his leading them. Several of our number, while straightening themselves up on the top of the works, were pierced by bullets fired by the rallying foe, but a moment later we bore down on their half-formed line with a force that could not be resisted.
Then ensued one of those hand- to-hand encounters with club- bed rifles, bayonets, swords and pistols, which defies description. Some cried for quarter, while others would not yield until felled to the ground by sturdy blows, pierced by bayonets, or disabled by bullets ; while yet others throwing down their arms, skulked from tree to tree, or taking the chances of being hit by Minie balls they knew would be sent after them, bolted at the top of
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their speed, in a bee line, toward the Confederate rear, mentally singing, perhaps, that old couplet,.
He who fights and runs away May live to fight another day.
Officers of the opposing forces cut and slashed with their swords, and fired with their revolvers into the very faces of each other. In the midst of the melee one of my men who had just smitten down an opponent by a blow delivered with such force as to break off the stock of his rifle, was seen to rush forward the next instant to the relief of an appealing Confederate who had been literally pinned through the body to a tree, by a ramrod fired by some excited Unionist.
A Confederate colonel of the famous Stonewall Brigade, hav- ing emptied the last barrel of his revolver, gracefully surrendered by reversing his empty piece, and handing it to me, remarking as he did so, " I ask as a favor to be sent off the field under guard, for I do not care to be considered one of that flock of sheep." -- pointing at, and referring to the last remnant of his command, which having just been captured and disarmed by the 124th, was being hurried over the works toward the Union rear; there to be picked up by the supporting lines.
All that portion of Johnston's division in our immediate front, including a light battery-some of the gunners of which we bayo- neted at their pieces, having been disposed of, the men, without waiting to re-form, or for the orders of their officers, rushed on through the forest shouting like mad men, shooting at every flee- ing Confederate they saw, picking up prisoners by the score, and sweeping away every living thing from in front of them, for full one-third of a mile.
Ward's second line came up while we were yet engaged in the contest over the enemy's guns, and had entered into the pur- suit with such spirit as to lose their organization at the very out- set, the best runners bounding to the front, while the less active gradually fell to the rear. At the distance from the main line indicated above, the air began to be filled with whistling bullets,
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HISTORY OF THE 124TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
coming from the woods in the front. The Unionists increased their fire and our men began to fall, here one and there one. Presently we came to a light line of rifle-pits behind which the advance halted. About a hundred and fifty yards farther on was an unfinished or partially built line of unoccupied breastworks, while from the woods beyond there came a sharp crackling of riflery which told of a line of battle firing as it advanced. Our further success depended on our reaching these works first, and in sufficient force to hold them.
But a part of the 124th was now with me, and the only color close at hand was the State flag of the 141st Pennsylvania. This was in charge of a lieutenant, who had with him eight or ten men of that command. The roar of riffery from the enemy's advanc- ing line, grew louder and yet louder. The hissing, whizzing bul- lets came thicker and faster. Our situation was now most critical, no one seemed inclined to advance beyond the pits, and some of the men turned about and started toward the rear. The standard of the 141st was, at my request, advanced, but ere its bearer passed over the rifle-pits he fell seriously, if not mortally, wounded ; whereupon the lieutenant rushed forward and grasped the falling color, but a moment later he too was disabled, and our rallying line began to give ground again. At this I shouted " cowards," hearing which a corporal to whom the wounded lieu- tenant had passed the flag, stepped up and handed it to me, de- claring that he and his surviving comrades would follow the old flag into the very mouth of the infernal regions, if I would carry it there.
A moment later some fifty of us started with a wild, charging shout across the intervening space, but we were too late. As I planted the Pennsylvanian's standard on the works. the advancing Confederate line hove in sight, a terrible volley swept over and into us, and I fell among the wounded ; and was hurriedly borne .. toward the Union rear.
On to and over the works rushed the solid and fresh line of the foe, sweeping back- as we a few moments before had done- everything in front of them. It was the piercing Southern squeal,
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AT SPOTTSYLVANIA C. H.
instead of Northern shout, that now rent the air, and resounded above the roar of battle, over the fields and through the woods of Spottsylvania ; carrying joy to the wounded Confederate, but bringing bitter disappointment to the expiring Unionist who had hoped to die shouting victory on a field his valor had helped to win.
On rushed the foe, driving our disorganized battalions back through the camps, to the outer or main line of captured works ; into which troops from front and rear were speedily crowded until our men stood shoulder to shoulder from five to ton ranks deep.
Then ensued that unparalleled struggle of eighteen hours' duration, over a strip of loose upturned carth some four feet high and less than four hundred yards long, in which, hours before the contest ended, there fell a number of mnen sufficient for the build- ing of a barricade of human flesh, along the entire line of captured works, three feet through and so high that there was not a man in either army tall enough to stand at its base and look over at his enemies on the opposite side.
The main body of the 124th, now under command of Major Murray, had, on falling back, taken with them two of the cap- tured brass guns, and a quantity of fixed ammunition. They were given position in that portion of the works now known to history as the Angle of Death. Speedily manning these guns they turned them upon the advancing foe, and under the direction of Captains Wood and Travis -- both of whom had served in Ellis' howitzer company through the Bull Run campaign-used them most effectually until their last round of ammunition was ex- pended.
The principal features of this protracted and, most deadly contest have already been given in the quoted passages from noted authors, found in the preceding pages of this chapter. And as I was not privileged to remain at the front and per- sonally witness the many noble acts performed by the members of my gallant regiment, throughout that bloody day and the event- ful night which followed, I will now ask my readers to accompany me across the battle-field to the general hospitals several miles to the rear.
1
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HISTORY OF THE 124TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
The minnie ball by which I was wounded seemed to fall from the clouds, but came, I have no doubt, from the rifle of a Confed- erate sharpshooter posted in one of the tall trees which stood just inside the works we essayed to occupy. He wasn't a "crack shot " either, for his bullet, evidently aimed at my head, missed the mark by several inches. It however struck and passed down- ward in an oblique direction through the calf of my leg, taking off a slight splinter from the bone, and severing the muscles to such an extent as to render the linb totally useless for the pur- poses of immediate locomotion.
Fortunately, just as I fell, eight Confederates, who had es- caped from the first line of works and taken shelter behind this inner line, finding themselves caught between two fires, threw down their rifles, and sprang over the works and surrendered. Hastily tearing the flag of the 141st from its staff I thrust it in- side my vest, and drawing and cocking my revolver pressed these prisoners into service as stretcher bearers. Without a moment's delay they picked me up very tenderly, using my long rubber overcoat as a stretcher, and set off toward the Union rear. And they made most excellent time. To be sure I held my naked sword in one hand, empty Confederate revolver in the other, and strove hard to look very ferocious. But somehow I soon became thoroughly convinced that these southern gentlemen were as anxious as myself to get out of range of the butiets which whistled about our ears in a most careless manner, and of the shells which occasionally went crashing through the trees above and about us.
For a considerable distance the earthworks at which I fell afforded us some protection against the bullets of the advancing Confederate lines, but whenever we came to the least elevation. in the ground we were passing over my bearers bent very low under their monstrous weight of about one hundred and fifty pounds,-so very low in fact as on several occasions to allow their precious burden to drag and thump against the ground-but no- body grumbled.
At the start two slightly wounded men. who were yet able to carry their guns, accompanied us as a sort of self-constituted
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gnard, but presently one of these, unable to keep pace with the " Stonewall rangers," gradually dropped to the rear and was lost sight of; but the other remained until I had no further need of his services.
My bearers were not very talkative. Six of them carried at a time and the remaining two trudged along by my side in charge of the wounded guard. We had in fact proceeded full half a mile before a word was spoken by any one of them. Then the most frail looking man of the squad, who was one of the second pair of bearers, and consequently had the hardest place, suddenly wheezed out in a very hoarse tone of voice " Thunder and light- nin-you uns knowd I was ni gone with a cold and -- " here his voice gave out entirely ; but the change he wished was soon made and we pushed on again.
We were now out of sight of the advancing foe, and soon began to wonder why it was we could see nothing that looked like a Union line of battle, or even a Union flag. Bullets, coming from we knew not whom, continued to fly about, and ever and anon we would hear a thud and see some poor wounded man, who like ourselves was doing his best to get out of range, whirl about like a top, or throw up his arms and sink down to rise no more.
But we pressed on, and on, until at length there was not a man save my own party in sight, and' I became satisfied that we had lost direction ; otherwise we would long ere that have been in the open country. We had, in fact, moved entirely out of our proper line of retreat, and were now-this wounded soldier and myself-lost and alone in the woods with these eight able bodied men whom we had good reason to suppose were our deadly enemies.
I was very thankful to have even this wounded man with me. On looking up I saw that his features wore a troubled expression. My bearers, now for the first time, seemed inclined to rest, and I . immediately ordered them to halt and lay down their burden for that purpose ; earnestly hoping a squad of Unionists might mean- time happen that way.
We had not rested more than a minute when three or four
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HISTORY OF THE 124TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
shells, which seemed to be red hot. passed over us, causing some rather ludicrous "ducking " among those who were standing. Ludicrous, after it was all over, I mean, for at the time I felt exceedingly sober minded. One of these shells passed so near iny own head as to almost take my breath away, and I felt come over me very suddenly, an irresistible desire to change from a sitting to a lying posture. Following close after the thunder of the dis- charge came a cloud of stifling powder smoke, writhing and twist- ing toward us as if it were some huge unearthly monster, intent on our destruction. As this enveloped and almost stifled us, I heard, not fifty yards distant, orders to reload, given in accents I had no desire to remain and listen to. We had run right up against a masked Confederate battery, and I expected as a mat- ter of course the tables would now be turned-that the prisoners would become the captors and we (the guard and myself) be carried inside their lines. But to my surprise and delight I was the next moment borne hurriedly away in an opposite direction.
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