USA > New York > Records of the 24th Independent Battery, N. Y. Light Artillery, U. S. V. > Part 14
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12 o'clock. During the march the rain poured constantly down, soaking every thing through, and at night we lay down under our paulins in the corner of fences, and on waking in the morning from sound slumber found ourselves lying in puddles of water. Resuming our retreat, after we had partaken of a little coffee, we began to feel the effects of a hot sun. The humid atmosphere seemed a cloud of hot steam, suffocating to each person as they breathed it. In the afternoon it again began to rain. A thunder storm, clouds low, and filled with electricity which seemed to follow our guns and musketry, enveloped us, and the terrific flashes of lightning and the deafening roar of the thunder, put to shame our artillery fires and reports.
Our march was through woods. The lightning seemed to play among the trees, now and then selecting some splendid pine and cleaving it to the roots, causing a clap and crash of thundering noise that made the very earth tremble. The rain was piercing ; overcoats nor rubber coats were of any avail, the boys gave up any defence from the rain, and finally jumping from their seats marched through the stream that filled the road until we reached Plymouth. To some of the boys this was first experience, and to them it was pretty trying.,
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June 13th, Captain Lee, by special order, No. 168, was honorably discharged on surgeon's certificate.
E. H. Wardwell, while on a furlough home, had received a commission to fill the second lieutenancy which had been vacant for some time.
Soon after Captain Lee's return to the north, first lieu- tenant Cady received a commission as captain, second lieutenant F. S. Hastings was promoted to first lieu- tenant, and C. H. Dolbeer received a second lieutenant's commission. By order of Captain Cady, a reorgan- ization of the Battery was made and the following is a roll of the names with the respective positions of the members of the Battery :
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FIRST SECTION. L. A. CADY, Captain. George S. Hastings, First Lieutenant. FIRST DETACHMENT. W. W. Crooker, Sergeant. B. F. Corbin, Gunner.
Samuel Stoddard, Caisson Corporal.
T. Rich,
C. R. Griffith,
M. Crosby,
G. W. Kellogg.
P. Marrin,
A. Piper,
Charles W. Fitch,
P. J. Stafford,
H. Chadbourne,
Geo. Duryea,
A. Lee,
H. S. Whitney.
SECOND DETACHMENT.
C. A. Clark, Sergeant. Samuel Nichols, Gunner.
E. H. Hunter, Caisson Corporal.
W. Blood,
O. S. Mccrary,
C. Wetmore,
T. McGuire,
C. T. Phelan,
G. Barker.
G. W. Keeney,
J. Filbin,
E. Richards,
J. Russell,
W. Carnahan,
J. T. Ferrin,
E. Welch,
James Cowen.
SECOND SECTION. C. H. Dolbeer, Second Lieutenant. THIRD DETACHMENT.
R. C. Ainsworth, Sergeant. L. Newcomb, Gunner.
F. M. Alburty, Caisson Corporal.
W. Ainsworth,
J. E. Galusha,
M. C. Smith,
J. Flynn,
W. P. Nichols,
A. McDonald.
G. Miller,
J. G. Miner,
J. Sunfield,
H. Bartlett,
T. Fitzgerald,
J. H. Weller,
G. A. Holman. FOURTH DETACHMENT.
J. W. Merrill, Sergeant. G. G. Wright, Gunner.
E. T. M. Hurlburt, Caisson Corporal.
L. H. Shank,
E. Eastwood,
W. F. Hosford,
R. J. Newton, .
A. Lent,
G. Crounce,
B. F. Bachelder.
A. L. Culver,
P. Fitzpatrick,
C. A. Marean, J. Baker, C. H. Homan,
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Le G. D. Rood,
O. G. Parmlee,
A. W. Comstock.
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RECORDS OF THE
THIRD SECTION. Frederick E. Hastings, First Lieutenant. FIFTH DETACHMENT.
O. Williams, Sergeant. A. T. Ferguson, Gunner.
G. B. Johnson, Caisson Corporal.
A. Griffith,
W. M. Hoyt,
P. Shirley,
J. Button,
L. H. Lapham,
H. V. Clute.
F. Leonard, Z. Allen,
G. W. Stevens,
M. R. Mosier,
Sylvanus King,
J. Bartley,
W. Gould.
SIXTH DETACHMENT.
William S. Camp, Sergeant. Geo. Birdsall, Gunner.
H. Tilton, Caisson Corporal.
J. Woolsey,
H. Loomis,
G. S. Atwood,
J. W. Perkins. P. Pratt,
J. McCrink,
C. Hathaway,
R. H. Barnes,
S. Room,
J. A. Brooks,
W. Armstrong,
E. Wood.
Edward H. Wardwell, Second Lieutenant, Chief of Caissons. H. P. Lloyd, Orderly Sergeant. H. C. Martin, Quartermaster Sergeant.
A. Richards,
P. D. Rawson,
Artificers.
P. Calteaux,
H. C. Burd,
W. A. Whitney, S Buglers.
W. Alburty, Guidon.
J. Chapman, Wagoner.
B. H. Hollister, I Cooks. J. Calkins,
Not long after the reorganization, and while we were busily engaged in making improvements in the appear- ance and the comfort of the camp, preparing our stables for the winter, &c., we were surprised by the arrival of Gen- eral Butler-then commanding the department to which we belonged-on an inspection tour. We find a descrip- tion in a private letter, from which we extract the follow- ing :
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TWENTY-FOURTH NEW YORK BATTERY.
Yesterday Plymouth was alive, noisy, gay. In the early morn- ing the steamer "Colyer " sailed up the Roanoke, with the colors of the General commanding. Immediately orders were issued- " General Butler has arrived, prepare for inspection "-" the Battery to fire a salute." The barn was not completed ; nearly everything was out of order. There was much work done in short time. Blanks were made, guns scoured, grounds policed, harness cleaned, arms and equipments brushed and polished, boots blacked, clothes cleaned, and everything placed in "inspection " order. At eight o'clock we were hitched up and marched down to the parade ground in front of the Generals, and then we fired a salute of thirteen guns. We then returned to park. In about an hour General Butler arrived at our camp. He rode in a buggy with General Peck, driving his own horse. Reining up in front of the Battery, he alighted, and sportively assuming the part of coachman to General Peck, with an extremely low bow, assisted him in de- scending. Then approaching the Captain, with hat uplifted in ac- knowledgment of the "present " of the company, he shook hands with him, passed the compliments of the day, and requested him to dismount and walk through the Battery with him. The " in- spection " was close; they observing all the minor as well as the more important things. Some of the boys in their hurry had for- gotten to black their boots ; that was noticed. Another man, whose pants were too long, had turned them up a little ; the General al- lowed " he had got into the wrong man's pants." "The guns were in good order," he remarked once or twice. Both Generals said, " The men are fine looking, and their clothes in excellent condition." "Yes," says Butler, "well shod, well shod, too." General Wessells followed him, he in a buggy also, with Admiral Lee. They alighted, and came and examined our guns. Lee said "they were the best kind . of field gunsin use." They stayed with us from twenty minutes to half an hour ; it was the most thorough and rigid inspection we have had.
Colder days began to come upon us, prophesying an approaching winter. We prepared for it, and were per- fectly quiet during this season. One or two of the 14
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churches were put in order, and the chaplains of the different regiments alternately held service in them. There was quite an interest manifested among the sol- diers on the subject of religion, and there was usually a large attendance at the services. It was somewhat sin- gular that the preliminary attack on Plymouth was made while our men were returning from the church to their camps. A large "contraband" school was instituted, . and held its sessions in one of the churches. As many as six hundred colored people, young and old, took advan- tage of this opportunity to study and learn. The school was superintended by Mrs. Freeman-a woman eminent- ly fitted for the position-assisted by her daughter, and Mrs. Coombs, from Ohio. These ladies, when the ap- proach of the enemy was known, were sent by steamer to Roanoke Island, where they finally established a very large and very successful colored school under the auspices of the " Christian Commission."
The sufferings which these ladies lessened among both the blacks and the whites, and the good they did, make for them a name that shall live for ever in the hearts of the poor creatures to whom they gave knowledge, com- fort and consolation. In addition to our churches and schools, the gayer portion of the garrison interested themselves in concerts, balls and parties. " Ferguson's Band" was in as great demand as it is in the present winter seasons.
The few whites who were left, and able to entertain, did so. The officers of the different departments enter- tained and the soldiers did the same. Christmas was kept as a holiday, and on New Years, the day was made
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jolly by a show of climbing greased poles for a purse, running sack races, chasing a greased pig, running races with wheelbarrows while blindfolded ; the whole conclud- ing with a grand scrub race of all sorts and sizes of horses.
It was at this time that the older portion of the Battery, who had served their full term of service of three years, were induced to re-enlist.
A short time after their re-enlistment, they received veteran furloughs, and in a body left Plymouth for home.
On their return, Captain Cady again made a change in the roster of the Battery; many vacancies having oc- curred by resignations, promotions, deaths and sickness. We have no copy of this last roster. We remember, however, that Lieutenants Fred. E. Hastings and Dolbeer left the Battery. (We were told, at the time, that the reason of their departure was, that the number of the men in the Battery was too small to entitle it to so many commissioned officers.) William S. Camp was appointed quartermaster sergeant, and W. P. Crooker was appoint- ed orderly sergeant. The duty sergeants were reduced in number, as were all the non-commissioned officers.
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CHAPTER IX.
THE BATTLE OF PLYMOUTH.
Lieutenant George S. Hastings has kindly written for us the following sketch of the battle of Plymouth :
On Sunday, the 17th day of April, 1864, at the hour of dress parade, the pickets of the Plymouth garrison were driven in by the rebel cavalry forming the advance of the division which was rapidly advancing upon the post. The long roll was hastily sounded, and our troops hurriedly prepared for the attack. The garrison then consisted of the Eighty-fifth Regiment New York In- fantry, the One Hundred and First and One Hundred and Third Regiments of Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Sixteenth Regiment of Connecticut troops, one company of the Twelfth New York Cavalry, two companies of the Second Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, and the Twenty-fourth New York Battery, numbering in all not more than 1,900 effective men. The rebel cavalry dis- mounted and deployed under cover of the woods, 1,200 yards from the outer face of our works. Our cavalry was quickly sent out to'draw the enemy's fire and to discover their strength, and, when within range of the woods, received a sharp volley from the concealed rebels, which killed one man and severely wounded Lieutenant
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Russell of the advance guard. It became evident, from the nature of the attack, that it was not simply a dashing raid, and our troops were accordingly prepared for the hard fighting soon to follow. Shortly after the demon- stration upon our front, the shells of a rebel battery began · to fall within our works. These first came from guns opening upon Fort Gray, a small but strong earthwork on the Roanoke River, about a mile from Plymouth, commanding the water approaches above us. This desultory fire, while doing little or no damage, was ac- cepted by us as additional evidence of the seriousness of the attack. All night long the heavy music of artillery and the bustle of hostile preparation continued. About midnight the steamboat " Massasoit " left us, carrying to a safer point the "impedimenta " of the garrison, con- sisting of women, children and the disabled. The writer still retains in vivid remembrance the hasty farewells then and there spoken (some of which were final), the pale faces of affrighted women and children, the groans of the sick and wounded, and the bustle and confusion which, if reproduced, would form so striking and touch- ing a picture of war. He well recollects how proudly the gallant Flusser (the lieutenant commander of the lit- tle fleet of gunboats guarding the waters of the Roanoke) paced the decks of the " Massasoit," with brave words like these, " Ladies, I have waited two long years for the rebel ram. The navy will do its duty. We shall sink, destroy or capture it, or find our graves in the Roanoke."
On the following day the enemy maintained a steady though ineffective fire upon our redoubts until evening, when they assumed a vigorous offensive. During the
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afternoon our skirmish lines had been busily employed in the dangerous exercise of giving and taking powder and ball. About five o'clock, however, the enemy ad- vanced in force along our entire front. Our men fell back in excellent order, keeping up a sharp fire against the solid line of rebels. Behind this dense curtain of infantry, their artillery, consisting of about forty pieces, was advanced to a line about 800 yards from our outer works. Then rapidly taking position, their guns were served with terrific rapidity and precision. Our artillery responded deliberately and with fearful certainty, silencing the guns of the enemy and sending destruction into their ranks. So exact was our range, that in some instances a single shot disabled the rebel piece which had invited the salute. For nearly an hour this duel of artil- · lery continued, the heavy ordnance of the gunboats adding their thunder tones to the chorus of death. As the fierceness of the attack subsided, the shrieks of the wounded and dying could distinctly be heard above the din of battle. The rebel infantry, which had been lying down during the heavy fire, must have suffered severely from our shells, and we believed that half at least of their artillerymen were put out of the fight. A rebel officer was heard to exclaim, " It is of no use ; we cannot endure this fire ;" and so their troops were withdrawn. Had the original design of carrying our lines been further pursued, we were confident that canister and the bayonet in closer quarters would have proved too much for the mettle of the Southern veterans. Their attack was well planned, and would doubtless have succeeded, but for the strength of our earthworks, which protected us from
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TWENTY-FOURTH NEW YORK BATTERY.
a fire that would otherwise have been most damaging. As it was, our casualties were comparatively light, though the air was full of the missiles of death. During this formidable demonstration against our lines, a strong storming party, under the command of Colonel Mercer, of Virginia, attempted to capture a small redoubt, which by some freak of engineering had been located nearly half a mile from the main defences. This redoubt was occupied by a single company of the Eighty-fifth New York Volunteers, commanded by Captain Chapin. Again and again the rebels charged upon this little gar- rison, coming within range of their hand grenades. Their reception was so warm, that they too were com- pelled to retire, leaving some thirty or forty prisoners in the hands of the brave defenders of the little fort. The brigade commander, Colonel Mercer, was killed in the assault.
Thus far, the Plymouth troops were confident of re- · pelling the enemy. Later in the night, the rebel ram " Albemarle". succeeded in passing our batteries and sink- ing two of the gunboats, inflicting a very serious loss upon our naval forces. The gallant Flusser, while hold- ing the lanyard of one of his guns, was struck by a piece of a shell and instantly killed. This reverse, and the consequent withdrawal of our naval supports, and the undisturbed occupancy of the river by the rebels, gave a serious phase to the siege, and our capture then seemed to be a question of time and endurance only. Our left was now no longer protected by the powerful batteries of our gunboats, but exposed to a galling fire from the " Albemarle" and her wooden convoy. Our
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troops then commenced throwing up bomb proofs, as a protection from the fire in the rear. The rebels moved their artillery and infantry to our left, which was plainly our weakest point. Continuing their fire upon our front and right, the bulk of their forces was quietly moved into the fresh position. About midnight of Tuesday, April 19th, in the teeth of a sharp and destructive fire, they laid their pontoons across a creek intersecting the open ground lying just east of our left line. Crossing with two brigades of infantry and several pieces of artillery, they formed a new and strong line of battle, the right of which rested upon the Roanoke and the left swerving around to our front. At the same time, another force advanced against our right line. About three o'clock, on the morning of April 20th, the entire rebel force charged our extended and feeble lines, moving forward with loud and defiant yells. Largely outnumbering our exhausted garrison, they were able to make a vigorous onset upon every portion of the defences, and at the same time to send an independent column along the banks of the river into the heart of the town. This final success was achieved with great losses upon both sides. The pieces of the Twenty-fourth New York Battery were served double shotted with canister, hurling disorder and death into the ranks of the enemy; and not until the rebels seized the muzzles of the guns, did the cannoneers fail in their work. For nearly two hours did the fight go on in the streets of Plymouth, our forces surrendering only under stern military necessity and in small detach- ments. Fort Williams turned its guns upon the rebels, and did murderous execution for three or four hours.
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Finally, when every portion of that strong earthwork was covered by rebel sharpshooters, and the rebel artil- lery had been so disposed as to send a concentric shower of shell within its parapets, General Wessells accepted the situation, and saved the garrison from certain sacri- fice by a reluctant surrender. The rebels raised the black flag against the few negroes found in uni- form, and mercilessly shot them down. Their losses were never accurately known, but were stated in the Raleigh papers as exceeding 2,200 in killed, wounded and missing. Measured by results, the victory, so dearly won, was barren, as Plymouth was a point of little stra- tegic value. The subsequent movements of the rebel forces showed the ulterior design of driving the Union troops from the State. This cherished plan would proba- bly have succeeded, had not the movements of the army of the James caused the hasty recall of the division in North Carolina. Viewed in any light, the battle of . Plymouth afforded a splendid illustration of the valor and sterling qualities of the American soldier. The rebels showed a stout tenacity of purpose and a courage worthy of a better cause. But in the 1,900 defenders of the post, they found men equally dutiful and brave. Our losses in killed and wounded were over 180-a fact sufficiently attesting the heroic conduct of our men, when it is recollected that, for the most part, they fought under cover of strong breastworks.
We give in addition to Lieutenant Hastings sketch, the following selections from the account written at the time by the correspondent of the New York Herald,
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· and General Peck's official report as found in the "Rebellion Record : "
NEW BERNE, April 21, 1864.
General Wessells, commanding the town of Plymouth, and his whole command of upwards of two thousand, officers and men, sur- rendered yesterday at one o'clock P. M. The command consisted of the following :
Eighty-fifth New York Infantry Regiment.
One Hundred and First Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.
One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.
Sixteenth Connecticut Infantry Regiment.
Two companies of the Massachusetts Heavy Artillery.
Two companies of the Second North Carolina Volunteers.
Two companies of the Twelfth New York Cavalry.
Twenty-fourth New York Battery, 100 men, 6 guns.
The enemy gained likewise upwards of thirty pieces of artillery of all calibres, including one two hundred and one one hundred pounder Parrotts, about three hundred horses and a large amount of commis- sary stores.
FORTRESS MONROE, April 24, 1864.
PLYMOUTH SURRENDERED
is the startling and painful announcement I am compelled to make to you in my despatch to-day, which event took everybody by surprise, as it was thought that General Wessells could hold out for a few days at least, until reinforcements, which were already on the way, could reach him. But the rebel ram which had destroyed the South- field kept our transports from ascending the Roanoke River, and consequently the beleaguered garrison at Plymouth was compelled to fight as long as human endurance could stand it, and either be anni- hilated or surrender at discretion. This news reached me this morn- ing by the arrival of the steamer Currituck from Roanoke Island, and through a most reliable source.
THE FIRST ATTACK
was made on the fortifications of Plymouth on the 17th inst., but repulsed, as also another made on Fort Gray. The momentary re- pulse kept the enemy at bay, and lasted for nearly twenty-four hours.
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On Tuesday morning the rebel ram made her appearance, to co-operate with the land forces, and succeeded not only in sinking the Southfield, but in killing Captain Flusser. They drove our naval vessels from the river, and consequently this support failed General Wessells in the most trying hour of his campaign.
THE SECOND ATTACK.
was made by the enemy on all of our forts surrounding the town almost simultaneously, and in every assault he was driven back with terrific slaughter. But the rebels seemed determined, and renewed attacks were made and checked, each one still attended with the most dreadful carnage. From this time until half-past ten o'clock on Wednesday morning the fighting was almost uninterrupted. On Tuesday orders were issued for
THE EVACUATION OF FORT WESSELLS,
better known as the Eighty-fifth Regiment redoubt, situated a short distance from Mill Creek. Captain Chapin, the commandant of the fort had been killed, and although the stock of ammunition on hand was growing " small by degrees and beautifully less," still the heroic little band kept up an incessant firing on the enemy, every shot tell- ing with fearful effect. Upon the reception of the order the survi- vors of the garrison awaited the coming of night, and under its pro- tecting shade silently withdrew to the town, having first, however, disabled the guns of the fort.
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THE UNION FORCES CONCENTRATED,
on the evacuation of Fort Wessells, in Forts Williams, Comfort, and a redoubt facing the Roanoke River, below Mill Creek, and kept up the fight incessantly. The forces of General Wessells thus being massed and able to handle the artillery more effectively, kept up a regular, steady and galling fire on the rebels. The enemy used thirty- pounder Parrott guns and other artillery of about similar calibre.
FORT WILLIAMS STORMED.
At nine o'clock on the 20th inst. a most impetuous assault was made by the rebels on Fort Williams. Our brave boys nobly stood by their guns, and repulsed every attempt of the enemy to enter the fortification. In splendid order did the rebel column advance to the assault. General Wessells allowed him time to come within easy range of his guns, and then gave the order to fire. Every discharge
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mowed down the rebel troops by platoons. Still the gaps were in- stantly filled up and the attack renewed. In this manner the enemy received several severe shocks, and after a last and still more impetu- ous charge, which likewise resulted disastrously to him, he withdrew, evidently to repair damage and make ready for another attack.
GENERAL WESSELLS CAPITULATED
at eleven o'clock on the morning of the 20th inst. (Wednesday), an hour and a half after the repulse at Fort Williams. At the hour above mentioned the Union flag was hauled down on Forts Williams and Comfort, as well as on the Mill Creek redoubt. The rebels had been heavily reinforced during Tuesday night, and the overwhelming forces hurled against our weak and already shattered column was too much to endure, and being out of ammunition and cut off from a further supply, General Wessells could do no less than surrender, or have all his command annihilated. The garrison of Fort Gray no doubt fought nobly to the last ; but, being cut off from the main com- mand, without hope of deliverance, had to succumb also. We have no advices from this post, but common sense teaches us that the fort could not hold out very long.
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