USA > New York > Memories of the 149th Regt. N. Y. Vol. Inft., 3d Brig., 2 Div., 12th and 20th A. C > Part 5
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The purpose of the reconnaissance having been accomplish- ed, orders were given to return to Bolivar Heights, This was entirely satisfactory.
While returning through Charlestown some of the men en- tered a store and carried away stovepipe hats, swallow-tailed coats and other equally ludicrous articles which they were on the way home. Pigs, lambs and poultry received general at- tention, and many bayonets were ornamented with a quarter of pig. or lamb, as they were carried over the heads of the men. A number of the boys returned on horseback, and within the regimental lines that night were seven beef cattle and a bounti- ful supply of poultry, pork and mutton. The return was tri- umphal and long to be remembered, not only by the men, but by the inhabitants abont Charlestown.
An order came at daylight next morning to turn over all horses and beef cattle to head-quarters. The horses had to go, but nothing could be found of the cattle except their hides which were lying in the company street ..
No casualty occurred to mar the occasion except an accident to Sherman Betts of Co. K, who stubbed his top and fell while walking on the railroad, discharging his piece, shattering one of the bones of his arm and cansing a bad wound.
The day was cool and pleasant and the men marched about twenty-five miles; therefore they returned to their quarters well fatigued and grateful for a good place to sleep.
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CHAPTER VII.
RECONNAISSANCE TO WINCHESTER.
AT half past two o'clock Tuesday morning, December 2d, the ed Division, under com- mand of Gen. John W. Geary, marched from Bolivar Heights in the direction of Halltown. The 149th, commanded by Lieut .- Col. Van Voorhies of the 137th, was detailed to guard the wagon train and the rear of GRAVE OF JOHN BROWN AT NORTH ELBA, N. Y. the column, but did not get under way until about daylight, although the advance moved so early. The wagon train was over a mile in length, and the whole column extended over three miles, consisting of about six thousand infantry, twelve pieces of artillery and seventy cavalrymen. The cavalry and artillery in advance were followed by the infantry, and these by the wagon train, carrying six days' rations and abundance of ammunition for all kinds of arms. With the wagon train were the ambulances, and in rear of all came the 149th with one company detached. under command of Capt. Ira B. Seymour, as a rear guard to arrest and bring forward all stragglers.
Halltown, a small hamlet about one mile distant, was passed by the rear of the column abont daylight, and Charlestown about 10 A. M.
Having a few minutes at the latter place, the writer visited
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MEMOIRS 149th N. Y. INFT.
the court-house where John Brown was tried for treason, and also the small enclosure or park in the vicinity of a church where he was executed. The court-house was a small brick building of becoming architecture, but at this time much de- spoiled and deseerated. Everything was covered with dirt and filth, windows and doors were broken, and the inside had the appearance of having been used as a storehouse and barracks for military purposes. There was nothing particularly notice- able about either place, yet the cheerless and desolate condition and surroundings of both the place of trial and execution im- pressed the beholder as in keeping with all the other will and weird seenes connected with the life of this remarkable man.
Since the incidents related in this narrative transpired, it has been the writer's privilege, as one of a party of tourists, to visit the former home and the burial place of John Brown at North Elba in the northern wilds of the State of New York. For nearly two-thirds of a day the party had been making its way over a seldom-used road in the primeval forests of that section when suddenly it emerged into a clearing of considerable ex- rtent. A few buildings, not much better than shanties, were elnstered together at one place to receive the name of North Elba. In the fields about could be seen burnt stumps and logs marking the recent conflict between the pioneer and the native forests. Following the instructions given by an inhabitant of the place, the party made its way through a pair of bars in a fence into a field of corn, struggling among stumps and bushes, to a meadow a quarter of a mile from the highway in which stood a small weather-stained story-and-a-half house without additions or ornaments of any kind or even a door-step at its front entrance. Not even a tree of flower grew near this singu- lar dwelling place, and everything about it had a stern and cheerle -- aspect. . This was the former home of John Brown and the place where was nurtured in his breast that love for liberty and that kindly sympathy for the down-trodden and op- pressed which lead him to the performance of those deeds which at Charlestown brought him to such a tragic end. Near
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the house was a small enclosure in which was a large granite bowlder on which was chiseled in large letters the name of "John Brown" and the figures " 1859." Just by its side was his grave marked with a simple stone on which were mortuary notices of himself and sons. Standing within the little enclos- ure, the beholder was impressed with the appropriateness of the resting place for such a person ; simple and rugged as the man who acted as precursor of the great War of Emancipation of 1861.
At Charlestown the command took the left hand road lead- ng towards Berryville. After one o'clock a halt was made for dinner and rest at a cross-road. On one corner was a black- smith shop and back of it the house of the smith. Attention being attracted to the house, a party of officers went over to it and found some of the men engaged in a controversy with the blacksmith's wife, a rampant secessionist, who was freeing her mind on the subject of the Union army and the cause it was defending in no complimentary terins. About the woman were a brood of unkempt children of all ages from a few months to sixteen summers, and these were as thoroughly tinetured with secession as their mother and talked about the " Damned Yan- kees" and " wished them in hell" as glibly as the buxon matron who gave them birth. One of the men chaffed the oldest daughter, a lass of sixteen, about singing a secession ditty, to which she curtly replied that she had rather go to hell than sing Union songs. For prudential reasons the husband and father of this family group had been taken in charge by the head of the column. This did not conduce to the good temper of his spouse, nor to the security of the tools in his shop, most of which were absorbed by the wagon train.
On this march a man by the name of N- drove a two- horse covered mess-wagon for the benefit of the officers of Co. -. While the men were talking with the blacksmith's wife, this man managed to get inside the house and borrow it poor. The spoils on this occasion were reported to include candle-sticks, knives and forks, brushes, towels, and many other articles of comfort and necessity too numerous to mention.
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MEMOIRS 149th N. Y. INFT.
It may be said that on this and other occasions the officers of Co. - enjoyed peculiar indulgences in the matter of mess ac- commodations. Apropos, it was reported that when this wagon returned to Bolivar Heights it carried a full cargo of stores for the benefit of the officers of this company, not more to the dis- gust of the people residing along the line of march than to the officers of the line to whom it was not permitted to enjoy sneh unusual privileges.
The highway from Bolivar to Berryville was a beautiful maeadam pike, but in common with many other roads in the South, it had one peculiar feature : there were no bridges over the brooks and fordable streams. These made their way across the pike and had either to be bridged or forded in passing. Even the shallow ponds on the line of the road had to be avoided by making a detour in the adjacent fields or overcome in the same manner the men overcame the brooks and streams. The passage of unbridged brooks and streams by horsemen or trav- elers in wagons is no great matter, but by footmen in December weather it was found by experience to be particularly annoying. If the people residing along this road could have foreseen the destruction of fence rails used in bridging these ditheulties. they would have put it in order before Geary's command passed over it.
Every two or three miles the column halted for a few minutes' rest. Occasionally the men built fires and made coffee ; at sneh times the disappearance of fence rails ought to have made a farmer sick. If the fences were of stone and the men wished to sit down, the top courses were thrown off until a seat was made to suit. There is no doubt a vast amount of wanton damage was done, but such is war, and it has since been dem- onstrated that the "bummer" did quite as much to bring the Rebellion to a close as the hard fighter.
An effort was made by Gen. Greene to prevent depredations by stationing guards at the farm-houses, but notwithstanding. beef cattle, pork, poultry and all kinds of eatable things were secured by the men in abundance. Gen. Greene was credited
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with making the remark that he believed the 149th would yet steal the Southern Confederaey poor and take the shoes from off Gen. Lee's charger.
Within half a mile of Berryville the column left the highway and passed through the fields to the right to another pike lead- ing west from Berryville to Winchester. Here the head of the column went into camp on either side of the road, one mile west of Berryville, at 5 P. M., but the rear did not come up un- til after dark. The men marched in all twenty-three miles and were tired, hungry, and therefore grateful for rest and sleep even under a December sky without protection other than their blankets. The men collected a few rails, built fires, made cof- fee, roasted fresh pork, eat supper, played enehre for half an hour, and then wrapped themselves in their blankets, laid down with their feet to the fire and slept. If any one was disturbed in the night that person replenished the fire and so kept it burn- ing until morning. At daylight all were up and stirring.
Berryville at this time was the county seat of Clark county and as viewed from a distance in passing appeared to be a thriving country village of about two or three thousand inhab- itants. In the afternoon when the head of the column ap- proached this place it was met and sharply opposed by a de- tachment of the enemy's cavalry. Two or three pieces of artil- lery were quickly put in position and after firing a few shells the opposition was put to flight. A charge of the enemy's cavalry was also encountered by the head of the column just after leaving Charlestown, but no losses were reported at either place and the march was only slightly impeded. For some reason, however, Gen. Geary was impressed with the belief that the attack at Berryville was the preliminary to greater oppo- sition to be encountered by him, consequently in the morning everý preparation and disposition of forces was made that was deemed necessary for an engagement with the enemy. A bat- tery was put in position on each side of the pike with guns un- limbered and men in place, while the infantry was deployed in the fields and woods about as if an attack was momentarily ex-
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· pected. All was excitement and bustle, and the spectacle im- pressive. The General was at least in doubt and on the alert to prevent surprise. All kinds of rumors were in circulation and great excitement prevailed, yet strange to say no one in the regiment was impressed with a feeling of personal insecurity ; perhaps it was on account of its inexperience.
After a delay of several hours spent in waiting for a demon- stration on the part of the enemy without result, Gen. Geary, with two or three regiments and a section of artillery, proceeded to reconnoiter in the direction of Winchester, and about three o'clock in the afternoon the main body followed. A section of artillery led the advance in the highway, while infantry skirmishers were thrown out to the right and left followed by the picket guard as a support. The General and his reconnoi- tering party were soon passed and it became the duty of the head of the column to explore the new territory of the enemy. The men in the skirmish line were extended until they were twenty feet apart so that a wide range of ground was covered with a small number of men. The advance from one hill or slight elevation to another, without knowing what might be " uncovered, was attended with considerable excitement and ex- pectation. In this maier the column proceeded to within five miles of Winchester and camped for the night.
It was a bitter cold night, so when the Major of the 66th Ohio, who had general charge of the picket line, ordered the detail of men from the 149th into a sheltered piece of woods on the left of the road as a reserve, they were happy. After the men were instructed for the night they went to a fire burn- ing under cover of some evergreens to warm themselves : here the Major exeused them from duty except as a reserve, and in- timate that sleep was good for tired men, so acting on the suggestion they wrapped themselves in their blankets and laid down with their feet to the fire. Their chambers were not very satisfactory, however, as they were awakened frequently during the night. On one occasion the disturbance was caused by the enemy's cavalry firing into a house supposed to be occupied
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by Union men. At another time one of the piekets, a member -of the 137th, received a bad injury to his hand by the accidental discharge of a musket. By the light of the fire his hand, which had a glove on, presented a ghastly spectacle of dangling fingers and shreds of glove intermixed. It was nipping cold, so the man was sent to the Surgeon of his regiment for treat- ment.
In the morning the column proceeded towards Winchester leaving the piekets to fall in with a section of the 2d Maine Battery as rear guard. Soon after starting the command forded a large stream and then moved up a winding ravine for about three miles. Near the upper part of the ravine the column halted for dinner. Some of the men were excused for a short time and soon returned with fresh pork and hams just eut up ready for curing and packing. It must have been depressing to the feelings of that farmer to see the hams and pork of his thirty hogs disappearing so unexpectedly. With the aid of good rails for a fire and water from the gently-running stream by the roadside a dinner was soon prepared fit for a king. It was a beautiful day and the sun shone, yet the ice on this stream was half an inch thick from the cold the night before.
The halt lasted two hours, after which the column moved to Winchester, which had been evacuated by the enemy. The route lead through the suburbs, but the men had a view down the principal street. Winchester at this time was the county seat of Frederick county and appeared to be a thrifty place containing five or ten thousand inhabitants. It was built upon comparatively level ground and was commanded by several high hills on the northwest on which were four or five large forts and earthworks.
The object of the reconnaissance having been accomplished, the direction of the line of march was now changed towards Bolivar Heights. The route north of Winchester was first over a pike leading in the direction of Martinsburg. As the . rear of the column emerged from Winchester it was halted. Looking forward Gen. Geary and part of his troops could be
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MEMOIRS woth N. Y. INFT.
seen occupying two forts on the hills in that direction, while the regimental flags were flying from the ramparts and the adjacent hills reverberated with the salvo of artillery. This was too much to come so far and not share in the triumphs of the hour, so the rear guard broke ranks and went up to the forts and took a look at the surroundings.
For the first time on the march an opportunity was given to behold the extent of the command and its excellent appearance. The regimental flags were flying, and burnished arms and bright bayonets reflected the rays of the afternoon sim. In numbers, equipment and discipline it presented a creditable and formidable appearance. The city of Winchester with its streets and public buildings, and the surrounding country with- in a range of thirty or forty miles, could be distinctly seen, and also the vast plain of the Shenandoah Valley with its ravines and slight irregularities furrowed on its surface, like wrinkles on an aged man's face. The distant fields and woods, regular in form and outline, presented a tidy and smart appearance ; the farms were under good cultivation and the buildings, some of which were of brick, were expensive and substantial. The " whole prospect was beautiful and impressive and indicated wealth and prosperity. It was true that the fonees in and about Winchester were destroyed, and here and there were evidences of the devastation of war, yet not withstanding the general appearance was pleasing. Winchester was the southern terminus of the Winchester and Harper's Ferry Railroad, from thirty to forty miles in length. From the forts the earthworks on Maryland Heights could be distinctly scen with the naked eye and appeared no more than ten miles away.
The forts visited were made of earth with a deep ditch or mont on the outside. The ramparts were in part constructed of large bags of sand piled one upon another, and in the center of the works were covered bomb-proofs and magazines for storing amimmition and other military supplies. The different fortifications on the hill- about were connected together by a series of rifle-pits, and all together they represented a vast amount of labor and presented a formidable appearance.
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Gen. Geary and the head of the column spent about two hours in visiting the various works and commenced moving about the time the rear came up. After leaving Winchester the command marched on the Martinsburg pike about six miles and bivonacked in a piece of woods for the night.
The supplies having run short, supper was scant ; neverthe- less the men laid down on a quantity of unthrashed straw be- fore rail fires and slept soundly, arising in the morning greatly refreshed. A demonstration was made on the pickets during the night, but no casualties were reported. About daylight the regiment resumed its march and, after about six miles, came to a place called Bunker Hill: here it left the Martinsburg pike and turned to the right into a narrow road not more than twenty feet in width. At Bunker Hill and another place on the road there were grist-mills from which were taken several wagon loads of flour and other supplies. At one of them was taken a number of bags which turned out to be graham flour, which was afterwards made into pancakes.
The column halted for dinner about ten o'clock at a place called Mill Creek, and at noon passed through a smart little town called Middleway. About this time it commeneed show- ing, which continued during the afternoon and night, making the marching very disagreeable and laborious, so about four o'clock the command turned into a piece of woods four miles south of Charlestown and bivonacked for the night.
Just before going into camp two officers of the regiment left the moving column and went to a house a mile or more away to get something to eat. The house was a large costly brick mansion standing in the fields off from the main road. When they went up the stone steps and made their wants known at the front entrance, they were curtly informed by a young woman who answered their smnmons that they would have their wants suplied by going to the servants' quarter- in the rear of the house. To this they demurred and signified they were willing to be served at the front door. After a little they were invited in and found milk, bisenits and roasted pork on a
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MEMOIRS 149th N. Y. INFT.
marble-top center table. These were summarily put in their. canteens and haversacks; pay being refused, they retired. There were three well-dressed ladies in the room, and from the questions propounded, it was apparent that they were well in- formed in reference to Geary's forces and the names and char- acter of his officers. From a brief survey of the apartments entered, it is no exaggeration to say that this Southern home and its luxurious furnishings would compare favorably with the best in Northern cities. It was a surprise to the officers in question, as they had never before seen anything like it in such a place.
When the officers left their command they had no intimation of its purpose to halt so early, and therefore on departing from the house and not hearing the rumbling of the moving train, they believed themselves left behind and made a bold push over the fences and through the fields in pursuit. In their haste and trepidation, however, they did not overlook a brood of young turkeys roosting in a tree and added one to their stock of sup- plies. After pushing ahead for a mile or two, by reason of artillery firing it was discovered that the command was in rear and not in advance, and so they retraced their steps and sue- ceeded m joining the regiment in safety. The venture, how- ever, was not entirely destitute of incident. for as they were drawing near the picket line, which was then being posted, they were hailed by a horseman dressed in gray. In the un- certain light it was impossible to make out his character, and not caring to investigate they pushed on and left him behind.
The men built booths by leaning rails against poles extend- ing from tree to tree, and on these placing a covering of straw and corn-stalks. In this manner open shed-like structures were made in a semi-circle about a fire. This would have been very well in dry weather, but the heat necessary for warmth caused the snow to melt and the water to trickle down through the cover of the booth upon the sleepers. These having rubber blankets covered themselves and snifered no inconvenience, ex- cept when their faces were uncovered.
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In the morning the regiment made an early start and reached Bolivar, a distance of twelve miles, in a deep snow, without a halt. It was bitter cold and deemed more prudent to keep the men in motion than to make the usual stops for rest. In passing through Charlestown, the men sang "Glory, glory hallelujah" in memory of old John Brown. The deep snow prevented straggling. It was very cold when the regiment arrived in camp, still the men's eloth houses looked good and gave promise of rest and sleep after a long and fatiguing march.
CHAPTER VIIL.
BOLIVAR TO FAIRFAX STATION.
THE 12th Corps was ordered to be in readiness to march from Bolivar December 10th, 1862, at five o'clock in the morning, and although in line at the hour appointed this regi- ment did not move until about Nus at Deriaies VI. 1868, eight and passed Harper's Fer- ry the middle of the forenoon. Many of the officers and men while passing through the latter place sent home their surphis baggage by express.
After leaving Harper's Ferry the command crossed the Shenandoah over a pontoon bridge and passed down the south- ern bank of the Potomac to London Valley. The preceding night had been very cold and there was considerable snow and ice. The road ascends when leaving the river, and in passing into the valley the artillery and wagon train had some difficulty in ascending the sharp pitches. After getting into the valley the column moved sontherly for seven or eight miles and then turned to the left through a gap in the Short Hills. The road was about two rods in width, and the country, although reason- aby fertile, was sparsely inhabited and had a general back country, off-the-main-road appearance. In some places there were drifts of snow two or three feet deep. The command went into camp for the night a mile beyond Hillsboro. This place had a flour-mill, a blacksmith shop, two or three stores,
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BOLIVAR TO FAIREAX STATION.
and was a village of three or four hundred inhabitants. The houses were mostly of stone and had a compact, old-fashioned, but not inviting appearance ; in fact, nearly all the houses passed during the day were of stone or hewn logs with large singularly-built stone chimneys on the outside. There were very few barns or ont-buildings, and what there were had a tumbled-down appearance ; everything was old-fashioned and primitive. In the forenoon it was cold and the roads were hard and slippery ; but in the afternoon the sun came out and it was muddy and slushy, making it difficult for those wearing army shoes to keep their feet dry. The men slept that night on beds of cornstalks with their feet to the fire, and notwithstanding the cold and frost were comfortable.
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