USA > New York > History of the one hundred and twenty-eighth regiment : New York volunteers (U.S. infantry) ; in the late civil war > Part 11
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After this magnificent artillery duel of some two hours, our whole army was advanced. But it was not the intention of Taylor to engage in a regular battle with our forces, and again wisely drew off his troops. Our loss was comparatively slight, the most falling upon Lieutenant Haskin's horse battery F., First U. S., which was exposed to the severest confederate firing, when they attempted to cover their flank movement in retreat. The loss to the enemy must have been quite severe.
We continued our rapid and hot marching, with very little water, until i p. sr., when the rebels had entirely withdrawn from our
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front. We now reached a small bayou and were allowed a half hour to rest and get water. This was the first clear water we had seen for many weeks. At the sight of this, the men broke into cheers and rushed to the banks of the stream. We now continued our march by the flank in the road, and camped about 5:30, some eight miles from the Atchafalaya. Resuming our journey the next morn- ing, we reached Simmesport near 2 P. M., where we found our gun-boats and transports, which had arrived two days before us. In the evening our regiment was ordered on picket duty across Bayou LaGloze. The confederates had continued their annoyance of our army to-day. The rear guard of cavalry had been sharply attacked by Wharton. Delroy, with two regiments and a battery, opened fire on the flank of our moving column at the same time, and also made a dash with two other regiments on the wagon-train near the crossing of Yellow Bayou. None of these attacks amounted to more than an annoyance, but showed our men the necessity of con- stantly being on the watch.
ATCHAFALAYA.
On the 18th, Taylor gathered his whole army for a parting assault, which he made in force upon A. J. Smith's command, which was in position near Yellow Bayou, and protecting the rear of our column while crossing the Atchafalaya. The command was at the time, under the direction of Mower, who handled it splendidly. A very sharp engagement took place, with a complete defeat on the part of Taylor, and a loss of near 500 in killed and wounded and roo taken prisoners.
Colonel Bailey was called into service again at the Atchafalaya to construct a bridge for the passage of troops over the bayou, which was greatly swollen, and now between 600 and 700 feet wide. Twenty-two boats were lashed together and formed into a pontoon.
At four o'clock on the morning of the 18th, the 128th returned from the picket line, and at eight, crossed over this novel bridge, and marched two miles out and bivouacked in a corn-field. The whole army, was in this same manner, brought over on the 18th and 19th in safety. Not, however, without further molestation on the part of Taylor. At 4 A. M. on the 19th, the 128th was double quicked back to the bayou, as the enemy was making a desperate attack on the rear guard. We remained at the river until the last man had crossed. By i p. M. this feat was accomplished. The bridge was now broken up, and the march for the Mississippi began.
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We continued for a few miles and bivouacked. On the 20th the heat was oppressive, and we lay quiet until 6:30 in the evening, wlien we took up our march and continued down the bayou bank until near mid-night, and then halted. We were again "on the go" the next morning by 9 o'clock, and making rapid steps over the sandy road and under a burning sun. Several men were overcome with heat, and many were obliged to fall out by the way. At 5 P. M. we sighted the Mississippi River at Point Coupee. Here we stopped for a brief time and received full rations for the first since the run- ning short of supplies at Alexandria. We had filled out our demands as best we could by plucking blackberries and fruit, and by killing such cattle and hogs as came across our path, which how- ever, had been few. At II P. M., we were moving onward again. We passed through Morganza at mid-night, and continued marching until we came to a small fortification four miles below, which was formed by the junction of a new and an old leeve. This was about 200 feet square. Near this place had been landed some forage. To guard this, and to re-enforce the cavalry who had been fired upon. the night movement of our brigade had been made.
On the 21st of May, the nineteenth corps bade farewell to the men of the sixteenth and seventeenth corps at Red River landing. Bravely had these men stood by us in all this unfortunate campaign. Surely no men could act more heroically, and all due honor was accorded them by the men of the nineteenth corps. They pro- ceeded at once to Vicksburg and prepared to take part in Sherman's forward movement.
MORGANZA BEND.
During Sunday, the 22d, the 128th moved out of our small fortification, and a short distance down the river, and on the river side of the levee, to a spot called Morganza Bend. Here we sought the rest needed by men, after such a fatiguing march in this oppres. sive climate. Not wholly a resting place did it prove however, as we were obliged to keep out a strong picket line, and a heavy camp guard. When the confederates could not now come in person, they seemed to have sent their allies, the fleas and sand flies, by myriads . to keep up the annoyance by night as well as by day.
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SECTION XIII.
RIVER GUARDS AGAIN.
The utter failure of this Red River campaign, greatly dis- pleased the authorities at Washington, and especially General Grant, who now held the command of the whole Union Army. But it is difficult to conceive how anything else than a failure could have been expected from the start. If the expedition was intended as a threat against the monarchical invasion of Maximilian from Mexico, that had already been made by establishing a garrison at Browns- ville, and this position could have been greatly strengthened where gun-boats could have assisted in defending the base of supplies, and from here, a forward movement with a large force could have been made up the Rio Grande, if the danger had increased from that direc- tion. If the purpose was to drive the confederate forces out of the Trans-Mississippi region, that was a most impracticable undertaking, as these troops could scatter in various parts of this broad country which was thoroughly understood by themselves, but which was almost impassable for any large army, because of the undeveloped sections and impenetrable woods and marshes. The uncertainty of the rise of the river had placed the greatest barrier to much of our army, and rendered the support from the navy impossible. If all the battles fought had been complete victories instead of some failures, the results would inevitably have been the same, in the breaking up of the enemy into smaller parties, which would have carried on an annoying warfare to the last against our troops and transports. The strict orders enjoined upon Banks at the opening of his campaign, were to have his army back to the Mississippi and ready for another movement in a different direction. This alone made the occupancy of this region an impossibility, and to any reasonable man, made the whole advance into the Red River country a mere raid with the expectation of no permanent results. Cut off as this region was by our possession of the Mississippi, it ยท ald add little to the strength of the confederacy; and of necessity the rebel forces, if left to themselves, must have dwindled away, or Lave crossed in small parties to the eastern section in order to be of greater service. Hampered from the start, as was the Commanding Vieneral, and being compelled to go contrary to his own convictions
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of prudence, it is not strange that Banks did not achieve signal glory for himself. It is true, that his own officers constantly lost confidence in his ability as a leader, and that the men felt they were doing heroic service at great odds against them. So strong were the adverse reports against Banks, that Grant desired him relieved of his command. The president, however, upheld him the best he could. A compromise was effected by creating the new Military Division of West Mississippi. Over this, by the order of the Government, Major-General E. R. S. Canby, assumed command at Cairo on the 11th of May. This new Department-General met Banks at Simmesport, and announced to him the change. Banks still retained his position over the now diminished department of the Gulf.
But Canby found himself in a difficult position. His orders from Grant were the same as had been issued to Banks, to proceed against Mobile. This was intended to draw the attention of the confederate army from other movements, and to capture this sea- port, as was supposed, with little difficulty. But a large river guard was needed in order to keep the enemy from again strongly entrench- ing himself, and thus rendering useless all the work of the previous year. Canby, therefore directed Emory, as soon as he reached Morganza, to put his command in a condition for this defense. Troops were sent to different points. The nineteenth corps and Lawler's division of the thirteen corps were kept at Morganza, as being the best point for operating. It was intended that the nine- teenth corps should act as a coast-guard and river-patrol, ready to move by transports to any point of threatened attack. Great care was being put upon the details of this plan. Morganza proved to be, however, a most unfavorable place for the comfort of the men. The levee and the woods kept off the breeze. The weather was intensely hot, which made the dry sand along the river scorch and fry the human flesh, which could find no other resting place by night or day. Back from the levee a sea of black mud was somewhat softer and cooler, but scarcely more comfortable, and was avoided as much as possible. The only protection were the booths, constructed of bushes. The hospitals soon filled up with men, and many deaths occurred.
The rest for a few days, after the wearing retreat from Alexan- dria, was a great pleasure, but men soon found camp life monoto- nous, when nothing was being accomplished. About 5 P. M. of May 29th, a little rufile of pleasure came to the 128th, in the order to
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have two days' rations and twenty rounds of ammunition, and be ready to move at short notice. The notice came early the next morning. By five o'clock we were on the way, the "we" consisting of parts of two divisions of the thirteenth corps and our brigade of the nineteenth, all under the command of Brigadier-General Lawler. We took the road running back from the small fort at the Bend, and, in an easy manner, marched until eleven o'clock, when we rested in the woods. The cavalry had a slight skirmish near this place, fol- lowing and driving the rebels to the Atchafalaya, when they returned. Our skirmish at this place was of quite another kind. Several small buildings were near our resting spot, in charge of an old negro during the absence of his master, who was in the rebel service. Some confederate clothing and ammunition were concealed in one house. The colored gentleman made great pretensions of friend- ship for the Northern soldiers, and told some large stories to con- ceal his hidden wares. When these, however, were discovered the property was made to pay dearly for the falsehoods. The house was soon cleared of everything useful, and every article of furniture was destroyed. The poultry and provisions were confiscated for our own use. This was the only time in all the writer's three years of army experience where he ever saw Northern soldiers destroy furniture, or purposely injure the homes of the southern people. At 4 P. M. we started again, and made rapid progress. The sky became cloudy, the roads were dark and muddy. Near eight o'clock the rear of the thirteenth corps was fired upon by an unseen enemy of thirty or forty strong, from across the bayou near the road, over which we were marching, and from a woods. One captain was killed and four men wounded. A volley was fired into the woods in return. Our brigade was brought to a front, but after a brief delay, we proceeded on our way. The rear of our brigade was now fired upon and five men wounded. We returned the fire, and, as we afterward learned, killed one and wounded another man. The only parties disconcerted by this firing from anibush, were the mules before one of our ambulances, which were so frightened as to break the vehicle and obliged us to burn it. We continued our advance until 11:30 P. M., when we lay down for some sleep, having marched eighteen miles.
We were aroused the next morning at five o'clock to get our coffee, and began our return at six. The weather was cloudy, hot and oppressive. Reaching the place where we had been fired upon during the preceeding night, we captured three men, who were
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reported to have taken part in the attack. One afterward escaped. We marched rapidly until noon, many of the men falling out by the way because of the oppressive heat, then we bivouacked at the rest- ing place of the previous day.
On the morning of June ist, we had been re-enforced by another entire brigade, and at five o'clock we started on a raid. We marched to within a mile of the Atchafalaya. The artillery shelled a saw-mill across the bayou, destroyed a pontoon bridge, and' burned another bridge over a small stream. Our cavalry, in another direction, captured five prisoners thirty barrels of pork, a large number of hats and some other things. Having accomplished the purpose of the raid, that of finding out whether the enemy in any force was crossing the Atchafalaya, and having also destroyed their means of crossing easily, we returned in the afternoon, to our resting place in the grove. This grove for several reasons, was far more comfortable than the bank of the Mississippi with its glare and heat of the sand, but about 4 P. M. of the 2d, we started on the back trip, and reached our camp at Morganza about dusk. Heavy showers had fallen during the afternoon, making the mud over shoe in many places, and very unpleasant marching.
On the 3d of June the 128th were reminded that the friends at home had not forgotten them. While on dress-parade we received a beautiful "stand of colors " from the ladies of Columbia County.
The 11th of June was relieved from its monotony by a review of the nineteenth corps by Major-General Emory. The enjoyment and the display of the regiments were greatly interfered with, though not the intense interest of the men, by the down-pour of a tropical torrent. Everyone was drenched to the skin, and the field music lost its charm, but the ceremony went on to the end.
Many of the men will remember the fun, at least to some of us who were spectators, which took place on the 12th. Four months pay had been received during the preceding week by all the men. Although it was Sunday, some " sweatboard " gamblers started their work within the bounds of the brigade camp grounds. "The Officer of the Day," seeing the special interest manifest by a large crowd, inspected the grounds to learn the meaning of the gathering. and whether an unusual religious interest had invaded the brigade. Perhaps it was from the sense of a pecuniary loss to the participants, together with the immoral influence, more than from the religious standpoint, the officer ordered the camp-guards to arrest all who were engaged in this short cut to wealth or poverty. A few of our
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regiment were caught in the trap. All were taken to the Provost- Marshal, and by him were sentenced to work on the breastworks.
The 14th found us on another review. This time it was before Major-General Daniel E. Sickles, who had been sent to Louisana for the purpose of inspecting the troops and military affairs. In the morning of this day, we had removed our camp down the river three-fourths of a mile, as a sanitary measure.
PORT ADAMS.
On the 19th of June the Quartermaster had orders to have ten days' rations on hand. Two were to be cooked, and in our haver- sacks ready for a movement. We embarked on the transport Polar Star at 9 P. M. with the 175th New York. The whole of Grover's division were on seven transports, accompanied by one gun-boat as a convoy. At I o'clock of the next morning, we steamed up the Mississippi as far as Tunica Bend, where we landed some cavalry and one brigade of infantry. It was reported that the enemy had a battery at this point, and were shelling the passing boats. Our brigade crossed to the west bank, and went on shore at 8 o'clock. We remained for an hour and then returned to our transport. At 7. P. M. we re-crossed to the east bank and took on some cavalry. These reported a scout of some ten or twelve miles, during which they had seen small squads of the enemy. Three prisoners had been captured. We steamed slowly up the river during the night, and reached Port Adams, Miss., some six miles north of the Louisiana line, at 6 A. M. Near the water's edge was an old fort made of brick, mostly covered with earth, and said to be of 1812. The village consisted of some fifty houses and two churches at the base of a cone-shaped, precipitous hill. From the summit of the hill could be obtained a grand view for many miles. This quite high elevation was a strong contrast with all the ground we had seen during our experience in this department, and was an object of interest to all the men. Having landed at this place, our brigade remained here until the afternoon, when we returned to our boat and ran down the river two miles to McMullen's plantation. Leaving the 175th at the landing, the 128th acted as a support for the cavalry scouting party. After running around through the woods and corn-stubbles for several hours, we returned to our boat and at 6 p. M. sailed again for Morganza. This guerrilla hunt of two days was much enjoyed by all the men.
A few days were spent in clearing up and passing inspection by
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brigade and corps officers until the 25th, when we passed in review before Major-General Joseph I. Reynolds, who had been assigned to the command of the troops at Morganza. The day was oppres- sively hot and many men were prostrated.
During the last part of June the nineteenth corps was re-organ- ized by General Canby, for the last time, and placed under com- mand of Major-General William H. Emory. The first and second divisions remained nearly the same as they had been during the Red River campaign. A third division under Lawler, made up of regiments from the disbanded thirteenth corps was added, but did not continue long with the corps. The first division, under Brigadier- General William Dwight, was composed of three brigades, com- manded by Beale, McMillan and Currie. Brigadier-General Cuvier Grover had command of the second division, with Birge, Molineux and Sharpe as brigade commanders. A fourth brigade was added later, composed of regiments from the old thirteenth corps, and under Colonel David Shunk. The 128th was in Sharpe's brigade. The other regiments were the 156th, 175th and 176th New York, and 38th Mass.
Little was being done by Canby, except devoting his time to making elaborate and minute arrangements for guarding the river. No forward movement for Mobile was attempted. During this period there were stirring times in the North. Grant needed more men at Richmond and at Petersburg. Hunter had met with defeat in the Shenandoah, and left the road open for an invasion of Mary- land and Pennsylvania. The confederate hopes were centering in Virginia. The nineteenth corps was now ordered to be sent, as speedily as possible, to Hampton Roads, in order to join the army of the James, under Butler at Bermuda Hundred. Canby took this order to mean the first and second divisions, and began on the 30th of June to send these troops down the river to Algiers. On the 3d of July, the advance sailed out of the Mississippi on their Northern passage. Other troops followed as fast as transports could be ob- tained.
Orders came to us at Morganza on the 2d of July to be ready to move at two hours' notice. We broke camp at 2 A. M. of the 3d. and at daybreak the entire brigade, including seven regiments. embarked on the steamer City of Memphis. How the ranks have dwindled ! Once our own regiment would have required a good share of this transport. Exposure and hardship had sent scores home with chronic disease, with which they must suffer during the
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AND TWENTY- EIGHTH REGIMENT.
remainder of their lives. Some had fallen on the battle fields and others were disabled in hospitals. At eight o'clock we bade farewell to the shores of Morganza, with its legions of flies, armies of mosquitoes, batteries of lizzards, troops of fleas, and fortifications of briers, swamp and cane-brake. At 10 P. M. we arrived opposite New Orleans.
ALGIERS.
Our great Independence Day found us going to the bank opposite, a little below the city, and pitching our camp at Algiers. After getting in a comfortable condition to await transportation, we extemporized a celebration for the day. It was understood by us that Colonel James Smith had resigned his position in order to take up the legal profession in New Orleans. Lieutenant-Colonel Foster now took command of the regiment. Mrs. Foster, the wife of the Colonel, paid the regiment a visit, and gave the men a treat of a barrel of lager beer. A speech was made by the Colonel, reminding us of the day, and of all the honor of our nation. Dr. Andrus, who was always the greatest favorite with the men, because of his deep interest in their welfare, and for his ready sympathy shown in every time of trial, followed, and was loudly cheered. Speeches were also made by Lieutenant Croft and by Wilbur, the base-drummer. There was little trouble in the 128th to get up a celebration, as each company could supply some ready talkers, and the patriotism was always running over with enthusiasm.
There is nothing more irksome to a free man than the restraint of military red-tape, however necessary, when he desires a little outing. The writer has in his possession a relic in the shape of a pass, which was required in order to visit New Orleans from this camp. This is made out in the form of a request, assigning the reason for desiring to go, and signed by himself. This paper is approved by the signature of Thomas N. Davis, the Captain com- manding the company ; by J. P. Foster, Lieutenant-Colonel com- manding the regiment ; by the order of Jacob Sharpe, as signed by Chas. M. Kenedy, acting Adjutant-General of the brigade ; and by order of Brigadier-General Grover, as signed by Theo. C. Otis, the Acting Adjutant-General of the division. This document is now regarded, with all of its signatures, as a rare trophy, but at the time. it was no small amount of trouble to run this gauntlet of officers, in order to avoid another gauntlet of soldiers in the city and not bring up in the guard-house.
Our camp, during these days, was surrounded by huckster men
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and women, the most of them being colored, supplying us with a great variety of extra eatables. Picketing was undertaken, but proved very disagreeable. Often would men come in from the border of a cane-brake in the morning, with faces so swollen as scarcely to be recognized, because of the mosquitoes. Trains and vessels were arriving daily with troops, while steamers loaded with the regiments of the corps were being despatched for the North.
Our turn came at 4 A. M. of July 20th. The day was fully `occupied in loading the transport Daniel Webster on which we, with the 176th New York, embarked. We left at 7 P. M. and sailed down the river. Bunks were built on the upper deck, and around the gunwales for many of the men. Some were placed below in the same apartment with the horses. These lower berths were extremely hot and uncomfortable. The most of the men betook themselves to the deck as far as allowed by the officers, or as far as space would permit. By 5 A. M. of the 21st, we left the Mississippi, and the department in which we had seen nearly two years of service. We could congratulate ourselves that our work had not been in vain. The river was open to our vessels. The confederacy could get little help from the Trans-Mississippi region. The army of the enemy was scattered far and wide, and could be of little power in fighting against our forces. In all the marching and fighting, what- ever the results, the 128th had no reason to blush for any dishonor- able deeds as a regiment, but with honors inscribed on its flag, and a reputation for great bravery, it could go forth with confidence to other engagements and take its stand in any department.
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CHAS. H. ANDRUS, M. D., Ist Assistant Surgeon of 128th N. Y. Vols. Promoted to Brigade Surgeon.
AND TWENTY- EIGHTH REGIMENT.
19700
SECTION XIV.
WHITHER BOUND ?
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