USA > New York > History of the One hundredth regiment of New York state volunteers > Part 4
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days' rations, and also a ration of whisky, the effects of which were quickly seen. Heavy firing all day on the right.
Thursday, May 29th. Ordered under arms at 5} A. M., marched at S. Moved half a mile. Encamped on brigade line. Entire brigade on picket and fatigue luty. Rebels fired several shells at our pickets. The enemy were reconnoitering and were skirmishing with our picket line. There was constant firing between the pickets of the two armies, and the casualties fre- quent. The rebels were seen on the Richmond road in large numbers. They fired shell at every horse- man that made his appearance. An engine came to the station at night bringing New York papers of the 27th May.
On the morning of the 30th, the rebels attacked onr piekets on the Williamsburg road, in force, killing two of our men and wounding others. They drove our pickets, and were driven in turn, leaving six dead on the field, but carrying off their wounded. Col. Brown being general officer of the day, led the pickets to the charge. The numerical strength of the One Hundredth Regiment, previous to engaging in the battle of the 31st, was six hundred and forty-six men fit for duty.
The night of the 30th of May, will long be remem- bered by the old army of the Potomac on account of the fearful storm that prevailed. The rain fell in torrents, the lightning Hashed with unusual vividness, and the thunder was fearful. It would have required
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no great stretch of the imagination to believe a great battle was going on between the opposing armies. The storm seemed prophetie of the terrible engage- ment that followed. The country was flooded with water, and the low swampy ground was converted into an almost impassable morass. The Chicka- hominy overflowed its banks, and threatened the . destruction of all the bridges. Bottom's bridge, the reliable connection between the two wings of the army, was much damaged.
The morning of May 31st was thick and misty. Taking advantage of the unfavorable connection of the two wings of our army, and apparently cut off by the rapid rise in the river, and the partial destruc- tion of the bridges, the enemy determined to fall upon and crush the left wing before reinforcements could arrive. For this purpose the grand divisions of Gens. Hill, Huger, Longstreet and G. W. Smith, of nearly thirty thousand men, were to be hurled upon Casey's weak division on that bloody day.
At 113 A. M. three shells fired from the enemy's lines fell within our camps, the signal, as we after- ward learned, for the movement to begin. An hour afterward his troops commeneed to drive in our pickets on the Williamsburg road. Soon the enemy came crushing through the woods and bushes to our first line of battle. The One Hundredth was ordered under arms, then stacked arms, and got dinner. but soon were ordered forward, as the firing was becoming continuons and general.
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CHAPTER VII.
THE SOLDIER'S FIRST BATTLE. - ITS EFFECT UPON HIM .- ITS RESULTS. - THE POSITION OF CASEY'S DIVISION. -THE SIGNAL OF THE ENEMY TO OPEN THE FIGHT. - THE CHARGE OF NAGLEE'S BRIGADE. - THE ONE HUNDREDTH ON THE LEFT OF RICHMOND ROAD. -ITS CHARGE THROUGH THE SLASHING. - THE LOSS OF COL. BROWN, LIEUT. WILKESON AND KELLOGG. - THE BACKWARD MOVEMENT. - ENCAMPED ONE AND A HALF MILES IN THE REAR OF OUR FORMER CAMP.
The soldier does not live who can ever forget his first battle. That brief, though significant order. " Fall in." The preparation, the movement, the deployment of skirmishers, the thrilling suspense preceding the first shot, the hissing and explosion of the first shell. the first volley of our skirmishers, the low, decided onder of the commander to advance. Then the suc- massive volleys and simultaneous roar of artillery and small arms, together with the appalling sight of the wounded carried to the rear, while the calm colorless 1.ces of the heroic dead, npturned to Heaven's blup.
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silent so soon after viewing sky, sun and plain, never to be seen by the soldier again.
Long, weary and fatiguing had been the marches along the Peninsula. The One Hundredth Regiment was being acclimated, as well as taking its first lessons in the art and experience of real war. The slow ad- vance had been anything but encouraging to raw troops, and was of a character to dampen, in a great degree, that patriotic fervor so necessary to the success of any cause, however just and holy. Casey's division, of which the One Hundredth forined a part, had been pushed to. the extreme front. From the near proxim- ity to the rebel pickets, and the almost daily encount- ers on the picket line there could be no doubt that a bloody battle was imminent. The incessant toil of the troops, and their constant vigilance, had caused much weariness and indifference. The frequency of alarms had increased watchfulness, but it was evident that officers were not in expectation of a battle so soon. Temporary works were advanced to completion. But, as related, the signal had been given. The troops were under arms. Three companies of the One Hun- dredth were on picket, Co. "D," Capt. Payne; Co. "E," Capt. Bailey; Co. "F," Capt. Rauert; so that the available force of the regiment in action was less than four hundred men.
The diagram of the battle field of Seven Pines. drawn by Maj. C. N. Otis, and engraved in this city by E. R. Jewett & Co., for the Courier, of the position of the opposing lines, is as accurate as could have been
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seeured in time of peace. The enemy's forces, his picket line, as well as that of the National's, the exact position of Casey's division, particularly that of Nag- lee's brigade, the felled timber, the rail fence, the rifle pits, redoubt, position of batteries, with the camp of the One Hundredth New York, Eleventh Maine, Fifty- second Pennsylvania and One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, are all shown with faithful precision. On the 31st of May there was to be no more feints, but a steady advance to success and victory, or defeat and disaster. The One Hundredth was on the left of the Richmond road. The remainder of the brigade was on the right. Casey's division did not number . more than six thousand men, and yet this gallant band sustained the shock, for hours, of nearly thirty thousand rebel troops. The story of this fight has been often told. Lieut. Granger, in a communication to the Commercial Advertiser of June Sth, 1862, gives, per- haps, as accurate an account of the battle and the ways of its workings, as has been given, though it is impossible for one mind, when in the whirlwind of ruin and death, to delineate all the currents and forces which ultimate appalling results. It is not our de- sign to describe this battle, about which so much has been said, and so many conflicting opinions given. Yet from all the descriptions written, there are undis- puted facts which can be stated as axioms of history. Miel inany such can be said of the brave One Hun- Fredth Regiment on that eventful day. The One Hundredth was the first into the fight. Its commander,
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Col. James M. Brown, as the sequel proved, was a fighting man, and the same spirit was infused into the men under his command. To him it was a fight to death, and his record is unmistakable, for it was said of him that " he was a lion in battle." Though works of defence had been constructed, still these new troops were advanced beyond them over the open space and ordered to charge through slashing, which, in military. is thought to be a barrier between the advancing and resisting troops. The order to charge had been given, and Col. Brown shouted, "Charge the One Hundredth," and four regiments of Naglee's Brigade did charge most gallantly, though with no decisive advantage, ex- cept to gain time, by checking the crowded masses of the rebels, and wear away the day, that Sumner and Heintzelman might arrive in time to save what re- mained of Casey's division from being totally ex- terminated.
But it was madness to hold out longer against the rebel hosts. The order was given to retreat ; and nou, as these heroes turned to pass over and under fallen trees, and through tangled thickets, the work of death really commenced. It was now that brave and loyal men were destroyed. Though Col. Brown had de- nounced the order to charge, when given, knowing that it would be fatal, still with a smile and hurrah he led his brave men against the rebel lines, which were made to reeoil with admiration of such unparalleled bravery.
Here fell Lients. Kellogg and Wilkeson, killed, and
--
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Capt. Nash, and Lieut. Mayo, and Lieut. Brown, wounded, with scores of men on every hand. The last seen of Col. Brown he was making an effort to rally the scattered fugitives and make resistance to the last. If he did not seek death, at least he seemed determined to infliet as much punishment upon the enemies of his country as this, his last, opportunity af- forded. Other officers were wounded and made pris- oners. Lieut. Granger was struck with a piece of shell, hitting the buckle of his belt, and knocking him down, though resulting in no permanent injury. Lieut. Col. Staunton was struck with a spent ball in the side, glancing from one of his ribs without pene- trating. Lieut. Col. Staunton affirms that when the enemy appeared in a dense mass from the woods with banners flying, resistance was useless, since the hand- ful that now remained of Casey's division could not check for a moment the impetus of overwhelming numbers. Maj. Otis, though not a regular army offi- rer, in the explanation of the diagram drawn by him of the battle field, says : "Our regiment was the only one of the First Brigade that was deployed on the left of the Richmond road, and the only one that was placed in the centre of a slashing on either side of the road ; and as slashings are intended as obstacles, placed in front of a certain position, I have not yet been able to comprehend the precise object in placing our regi- sent between it and the enemy."
It will be seen at a glance that the order sending the One Hundredth Regiment through that slashing,
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cost it and the country the future services of brave officers and men. It would seem that commanding generals could have had no conception of the disparity of forees on the ground, or if they had they were reck- less of the lives of loyal and heroic men. But the fatal error had been committed. The deed of death . had been delivered. The One Hundredth Regiment had gone to the sacrifice, though without dishonor. Its decimated ranks told of its brave resistance. The division had been forced back beyond its camps, which were taken by the enemy. To them belonged the spoils. The arrival of fresh troops checked their ad- vanee, and night closed upon the bloody day, the bat- tle of " Seven Pines."
The companies on pieket were not without their sad experiences. Lieut. Newell of Co. "D" and twelve men were ent off, while Capt. Payne, with ad- mirable skill and coolness, saved the balance of his company. Capt. Bailey and Second Lieut. Timothy Lynch were taken prisoners. Capt. Rauert and many men of companies "E" and "F" escaped being taken by the rebels.
We should be pleased to transcribe the letters writ- ten by Maj. Otis, Capt. Morse and Lient. Granger, of this sad day's fight, but the plan of this work will not adınit. We have relied upon them for the facts. The regiment counted as the loss of that day, one hundred and eighty-two men in killed, wounded and missing.
:
DANIEL D. NASH. Major.100th N.Y. S.Vols.
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CHAPTER VIII.
THE CONDUCT OF GEN. CASEY'S DIVISION AS GIVEN BY COL. DAVIS OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTH PENNSYL- VANIA. - ITS REPUTATION SUSTAINED. - ITS LOSSES PROVE ITS BRAVERY. - THE LONG HOURS IT HELD THE ENEMY IN CHECK SHOWS ITS STUBBORN COURAGE .- ITS DEFEAT BY OVERWHELMING NUMBERS. - THE CON- DUCT OF GENS. CASEY AND NAGLEE. - THEIR BRAV- ERY AND ENTHUSIASM. - THE BATTLE FIELD. - THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD AND CARE OF WOUNDED.
The conduet of Casey's division at Fair Oaks has been severely and most unjustly criticised. And here we wish to give the opinion of Col. Davis of the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, who had com- manded the brigade to which the One Hundredth was attached before the assignment of Gen. Naglee, and whose opportunities of knowing facts and causes were ample, relative to the action of Casey's division on that sanguinary day. Gen. Mcclellan's telegraphie re- fort stated that it gave way " unaccountably and dis- creditably." This report was made on the strength of information furnished by Gen. Heintzelman the eve-
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ning of the battle. He sent a dispatch about 9 P. M. to McClellan, stating that when he got to the front, " the most of Gen. Casey's Division had dispersed," and that he " saw no reason why we should have been driven back." So far as Gen. Heintzelman is concerned, it may be asked whether he was in a position to judge of the conduct of Casey's division. I do not think he. was. He was not on the field where the heavy fight- ing was done that afternoon. His headquarters were several miles in the rear, toward White Oak Swamp, and by reason of delay, the request for reinforcements did not reach him until about 3 P. M., and it was 5 P. M. when his advance arrived at our then front.
"The battle had then been progressing four hours. and was nearly over ; the enemy was in possession of the camps of both Casey's and Couch's divisions, and the troops of ITeintzelman did not get nearer than half a mile of the grounds on which Casey fought for two hours before he was driven back. By 5 P. M. he had his headquarters established in the vard at Mr. Savage's house, three miles from the field, where a part of his staff, at least, remained the afternoon : and admitting that he went as far toward the front as his troops, which is not often the case with corps com- manders, he was not in a very good position to judge why Casey ' was driven back.' Neither he nor his troops saw the most stubborn fighting of the dav. Heintzehan has the reputation of being the enemy of Gen. Casey, a reason, with many, why he could not see how he came to be 'driven back.' The official
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report tells why, it says: 'The enemy came on in a heavy force, attacking Gen. Casey simultaneously in front and on both flanks.' Gen. Naglee's brigade, with the batteries of Gen. Casey's division, which Gen. Naglee directed, struggled gallantly to maintain the redoubt and rifle pits against the overwhelming mas- ses of the enemy. They were reinforced by one regi- ment from Gen. Peck's brigade. The left of this position was, however, soon turned, and a sharp cross fire opened upon the gunners and the men in the rifle pits ; some of the guns in the redoubt were taken, and the whole line was driven back upon the position oc- cupied by Gen. Couch. Gen. Mcclellan, very clearly answers the question : Casey's division 'was driven back by the overwhelming masses of the enemy.' If (en. Hintzelman had made proper inquiry of those who knew, he would not have had occasion to send that unjust dispatch. Gen. McClellan corrected his first erroneous impression of the conduct of Casey's division, but so far as I am informed, Heintzelman never has. If more testimony were required on the joint we have it in the return of the casualties of that dav. The total loss is five thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven, of which Keyes' corps, consisting of the divisions of Casey and Couch, sustained three thou- -and one hundred and twenty, while the loss of all the rest of the army was but two thousand six hundred .... I seventeen. Casey's weak division alone sustained . loss of about seventeen hundred, one-third of the en- tire casualties on that bloody day.
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" These facts speak for themselves, and an unpreju- diced public can determine whether there was a reason for the division giving way. Gen. Heintzelman ' saw no reason,' because he was not in the proper place to see it. The losses are evidence that the division did not retire without making proper resistance. That night Heintzelman took a train at Savage's Station and went down to Cold Harbor to visit the General- in-Chief.
" If other evidence is wanting it is fortunately at hand. It comes from those who were then our ene- mies, and their testimony is supposed to be at least dis- interested. Col. Switzer, of Gen. McClellan's stati, who had charge of the exchange of prisoners on James river, in the fall of 1862, says, that in a conversation with Maj. Gen. Hill, who commanded the rebel ad- vance at 'Seven Pines,' or Fair Oaks, he asked that general's opinion respecting the conduct of Gen. Casey's troops in that fight. Gen. Hill said : 'I know Gen. Casey's division has been censured, but we are sur- prised at it. The division fought as well as I ever want to see men fight, and after it gave way before our superior numbers, we had nothing more to fight.' What further testimony can one desire ? Justice is done. In closing, Col. Davis pays a just tribute to Gens. Casey and Naglee. The former sat on his iron gray horse, on the Williamsburg road. in the thickest of the fight, encouraging his troops. He was right up at the front where division commanders do not always go. In his exposed situation it was a miracle how he
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escaped the storm of bullets. Naglee was everywhere. He is a sort of thunderbolt in battle. He was away on the extreme right of our lines when the volley of the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania announced that the battle had begun on the left. He came dash- ing toward us through field and wood to be with his brigade. In the warmest of the contest he dashed by the regiment, cap in hand, the men giving him three hearty cheers, and passed toward the left. He was now seen directing a battery, now rallying a regiment, and until the battle ended he was in the midst of it wher- ever he could be of service. These two officers retain, in a large degree, the confidence and esteem of the men who served under them."
We have given these words of Col. Davis, relative to the much mooted question of the conduct of Gen. Casey's division on the 31st of May ; first, because we wish to place on record in this unpretentious volume, the most reliable and truthful exposition of a matter involving the bravery and patriotism of so large a number of loyal and courageous men ; and secondly, that the friends of the regiment and the cause might know at this late hour and date, the unprejudiced story of a division of martyrs that for hours sustained almost alone the shock of nearly thirty thousand rebel soldiers.
That sorrowful night the regiment encamped on the very ground it had occupied one week before. About two hundred and ten men had been collected, atyl lay resting upon their arms. The regiment had lost its camp equipage and baggage, and the officers
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most of their personal effects. Details were ordered to the battle field to identify and bury the dead. The day was hot and sultry ; says an eye witness : "Never can the recollection of that field be effaced from the memory of those who witnessed it on that dav. The weather being extremely hot, with frequent showers, the dead had become bloated and swollen, until their clothes could scarcely contain them; the blood still oozing from gaping wounds, the ground saturated with gore; flies in myriads swarmed around; dead horses with saddles and harness unfastened ; broken guns, remains of camps, with the food cooked for Saturday's dinner untouched ; the air polluted with stifling odors arising from decomposing bodies; wounded men in the agonies of death, all tended to make the heart sick and the soul shudder at the sight."
The dead were buried and the wounded cared for as well as the limited means of surgeons and friends could command. The news of the Fair Oaks slaughter shock with grief thousands of homes. Parental solici- tude tended to the extreme of pain and agony. War with its dark and bloody cloud hung over the Nation, and the victims demanded would cover the land in sackcloth, and fill it with wailings and mournings.
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CHAPTER IX.
THE REBELS ATTACK THE "EXCELSIOR BRIGADE." - GEN. M'CLELLAN VISITS THE TROOPS .- BRIGADE INSPECTION. - WEATHER RAINY AND COLD. - A REAR MOVEMENT COMMENCED. - RAID OF THE REBELS. - BATTLE OF "OAK GROVE." - BATTLE OF MECHANICSVILLE. - BAT- TLE OF "GAINES' FARM." - M'CLELLAN CHANGES BASE TO JAMES RIVER. - GEN. NAGLEE IN COMMAND OF REAR-GUARD. - THE RETREAT COMMENCED. - BRIDGE DESTROYED. - THE REBELS IN PURSUIT.
At 5 A. M., Sunday, June 1st, the rebels made an attack in front upon the "Excelsior Brigade," and were repulsed, with great loss on both sides, after two hours' hard fighting. Heavy firing in the distance on our right and left fronts. Gen. Me- Clellan rode through the lines eliciting rounds of ap- plause. He says : "If we will hold them twenty-four hours he will be in Richmond." About 1 A. M. ordered under arms at daybreak, as the enemy are concentrating on our lett.
Monday, June 2d, encamped in the woods. The men dirty, hungry and lame, and afflicted with the 4
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right of a soldier's crossness. Three days since the great battle, and waiting momentarily for another. Orders for a brigade inspection. Came back to camp about dark. Commenced to rain, and rained all night.
Wednesday, the 4th of June, the whole division was ordered under arms for a march back to the Chickahominy near Bottom's bridge. Regiment got ready, Lieut. Col. Staunton in command, and moved. It rained as it can rain in " Old Virginia." It in- creased and continued till 10 P. M.
We arrived at the rifle pits, near the right bank of the Chickahominy, after a very severe and trying march through deep mud, a terrible rain, fording the stream with water under the arm pits; and more than all, feeling the mortification of falling back to the rear of the whole army, after having stood at the front, crushed by five times our number, resisting to the death, thereby saving the army.
The brigade was stretched from the rifle pits to Bot- tom's bridge. The men lay down to sleep without a particle of shelter from the storm, except such as the bushes and trees afforded. There was neither mur- .mur nor complaint. The men exhibited a spirit of fortitude alike creditable to the service and the regi- ment. The Fifty-second Pennsylvania lay on our right and the Eleventh Maine on our left. Lieut. Col. Staunton found his trunk, mess chest and bed, and ordered them sent to the regiment.
There were always characters in every regiment-
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odd characters, yet without real reliable characters. The latter unfortunately was the case with William Taylor, of Co. "G." He was lazy, and the government could not afford to feed him, nor tolerate his example. He was six feet three inches high, far through his pants and coat sleeves ; government shoes were not of the requisite proportions to meet his wants, and hence the order was given to drum him out of camp to the tune of the rogue's march. The regiment was drawn up in line, and then and there did William Taylor pass in review, with a much worn straw hat to cover his head of shocked hair, and that wo-begone counte- nance of abstraction which says, " What next." He left for parts unknown.
The officers and men felt badly relative to the first dispatch of Gen. McClellan. of the battle of the 31st of May. Later the clouds cleared and the right pre- vailed. Whole number of men for duty, four hundred and seventy-five. Capt. Charles E. Morse reported for duty, having been left sick at Warwick Court House.
June 7th. Cold, damp and chilly, though the regi- ment is doing its share of guard and fatigue duty.
Sunday, June 8th. Firing on the right. Dr. O. F. Presbrey and John Wilkeson, Esq., came into camp. Religious services were held. Chaplain of the Fifty- second Pennsylvania officiated.
Monday, June 9th. Held a regimental inspection. Five hundred and one men, including sick and those detailed for camp service. Weather damp, with cold
¿.
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wind. Monday commenced to rain, and continued cold and very disagreeable, all of which proved fatal to Gen. MeClellan's proposed advance. Maj. Otis' horse strayed away. Commenced drilling for the first time since the battle. Enemy hovering in force on our left. Weather warm. Orders to be ready to march at a moment's notice. Gen. Naglee made a reconnoissance on the left and found the rebels in large force. Troops are arriving in large numbers all along the line every hour.
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