USA > New York > Reminiscences and record of the 6th New York V.V. cavalry > Part 2
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On the afternoon of the 29th of June Captain Wales (commanding Company F, Sixth New York) ordered me to report to General Sumner for orderly duty, which duty consisted in carrying messages and dispatches from one part of the field to another, and when not thus engaged to be near the person of the General. As General Sumner had command of the rear guard- consisting of the divisions of Richardson,
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BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
Heintzelman, Sedgwick and Smith-an ex- cellent opportunity was afforded me to witness the battles in which this corps bore so conspicuous a part.
Being ordered to report at once to Gen- eral Sumner, I rode to his headquarters at a farmhouse a short distance from Savage Station and found the General surrounded by his aides, making preparations for the anticipated attack. He looked every inch the veteran soldier that he was. Over seventy years of age, his hair and beard was bleached almost entirely white, but his tall form was as erect and soldierly in its bearing as any of the younger men about him. I saluted him and said that I had been ordered to report to him for orderly duty.
" Have you a good horse ?" he inquired. " I have an excellent one," I replied.
Turning to an officer whose shoulder straps designated the rank of captain, he said :
" I want you to ride out upon the road leading past Savage Station, and continue riding until you see something of the enemy, this orderly will accompany you."
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BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
Turning our horses' heads to the rear we galloped down the road from whence, in a short time, was to burst the advance of the approaching enemy.
Passing our line of battle, consisting of a part of Richardson's division, then lying on their arms across the crest of a slight rise, we were halted by the skirmish line some fifty or sixty rods farther on. The officer in charge desired to know why we were riding in that direction and cautioned us not to proceed farther, as the enemy were doubtless close at hand. The warning was well meant; but General Sumner's orders were to proceed until we saw the enemy.
Riding on a few rods farther we passed the vidette or extreme outpost, beyond were dark woods agd the enemy ; the for- mer were close at hand, and the latter per- haps almost as near. Reaching the outer edge of the woods some distance from the vidette, and looking off over the wide, open field that sloped away to the west, a sight was presented which sent the blood through my veins on the double quick. Scarcely one hundred rods away, in grim silence
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BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
and with steady tread, we saw the long gray lines of the enemy advancing to the attack.
It was in the afternoon, the sun was scarcely an hour above the horizon, and as its slanting rays fell on those long lines of glittering steel, I thought that I had never witnessed a sight more grand; but it was a sight calculated to inspire terror as well as admiration, for with that advancing host came death and carnage; yet in the woods yonder, a few rods to our rear, rested another dark line of men, with nerve as steady and step as firm ; in a few minutes the conflict would come, and as we halted there for a moment in the quiet of that June evening, I realized that the stillness which reigned all about us, was but the calm which precedes the fearful tempest.
Hurrying back as fast as our horses could gallop, the aide reported to General Sum- ner that the enemy were advancing in force, and would soon strike our outpost. Turn- ing to his chief of staff the General said, " Let the aides be mounted," then followed by his staff he rode out upon the field.
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BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
Scarcely had we taken our position on the crest of a slight hill just to the east of Sav- age Station, when from the woods below there came the sound of scattering shots; then a pause ; then rapidly from right to left in quick succession came shot after shot ; that was the skirmish line; then an- other pause. Then before the last reports had fairly died away and the smoke was just rising above the tree tops, there came crash after crash, roll after roll of musketry; there were no volleys to be heard there, only one continuous roll surging along the lines from right to left. For fifteen minutes or more this firing continued and then it gradually died away, and only a few scat- tering shots could be heard. To the right of our position was a large building ; to this the wounded were being borne, some on stretchers, some leaning on the arm of a comrade, and others limping painfully alone. But what is the meaning of the ominous silence in the woods yonder ? Is .
the battle over? have the enemy been re- pulsed ? No, these are not the men to re- tire so readily when they feel that victory
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BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
is assured. . Away on the left there is a crash, another and another, until the whole line is ablaze; then comes the shouts and shrieks of ten thousand men. It is a charge on our entire line ; from the right, along the centre and to the left the battle rages ; our left stands firm, but the right is gradu- ally being pushed back toward the field on which we stand. Presently an officer dashes across the field and rides up to Gen- eral Sumner; there is blood upon his face, showing that a bullet has been uncomfort- ably near him ; it is General Richardson, commander of the division now in action.
General Sumner's quick eye caught the wound and .he hurriedly asked the extent of the injury. "Only a scratch, General," was the reply as he wiped the blood from a slight bullet wound in his cheek. "How do your men stand?" was the next question. "Steady, only my right is heavily pressed and need some support."
A few rods to our rear lay a long line of men ; they were dusty and bronzed by marching and exposure; they lay on the ground listening to the roar of the battle in
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1:55039
BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
front of them with its volleys of musketry and shouts of the victorious enemy rapidly approaching ; their hands were upon their rifles, and they were anxiously awaiting the order to spring to the support of their comrades. That was the Irish Brigade ; no braver men ever stood upon a battlefield. General Meaghar was in command. Dressed in a suit of dark green velvet, trimmed with gold lace, a broad-brimmed straw hat surmounted with a heavy plume, he looked a fitting leader for those brave men. General Sumner turned to him and said, "General, let your brigade charge on the right, never mind the powder, but let your men go in with the bayonet." Turning to his brigade, General Meaghar shouted : " Irish Brigade, prepare to charge. Three cheers for the old flag and the Irish Brig- ade." The cheers were given, then came the order, "Forward ! March ! Charge !" Like an irresistible wave that long line of men moved down the hill, past our shattered ranks, now being pressed back by over- whelming numbers; from the position of "trail" their arms were brought to that of
0
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BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
" charge bayonets," and with a shout that drowned the "rebel yell" they rushed upon the shouting and seemingly victorious enemy. That charge was brief, no enemy could, or ever did stand before it. Back, over the field they had so nearly won, over the dead and dying, they were driven, until darkness came on and closed the conflict.
From this point we fell back to White Oak Swamp, where, on the following day, a similar engagement took place. At Sav- age Station we left about 2,500 wounded men, who fell into the hands of the Con- federates. Among them was Dr. Clarke, of the Sixth New York, who rejoined us about two weeks later.
The Cavalry at Chancellorsville.
The following is an extract from an article written by Lieut .- Colonel W. L. Heermance, of the Sixth New York Cavalry, for the Journal of the U. S. Cavalry Association.
When Colonel Mc Vicar fell at the head of his squadron the army lost a gallant officer and the Sixth New York a commander whom they loved, and in whose leadership they had the utmost confidence. The writer of the article, Captain Heermance, afterward lieutenant-colonel, was seriously wounded and taken from the field to Libby prison. The charge which he so graphically por- trays was one of the most dashing and brilliant of the war.
On Wednesday morning, April 30, 1863, about two hundred of the Sixth New York, under command of Lieut .- Colonel McVicar, were ordered to report to General Slocum. We crossed the Rapahannock River at
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CAVALRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.
Kelley's Ford, and soon after were en- gaged with a North Carolina cavalry regi- ment, driving them and taking some prison- ers, among them a captain, whose lieuten- ant commanded the guard that a few days later escorted me to Richmond. The lieu- tenant remarked, when he found out that it was the same command that had cap- tured his captain, " that the captain was in the habit of being taken without much trouble."
We skirmished all that day with cavalry in our front, reaching Germania Ford on the Rapidan late in the afternoon, a heavy force in rifle pits on the other side prevent- ing our crossing. We took possession of an old mill on the banks of the river, ex- changing shots with them until the infantry came up, and a battery, put in position, shelled the rifle pits, while the infantry crossed and captured all the defenders of the works. Crossing the ford we again took the advance, capturing some prisoners and baggage of the famous Black Horse Cavalry. We reached the Chancellorsville House Thursday afternoon, having been
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CAVALRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.
engaged more or less all the time since we started, with a loss of three men killed, one officer and five men wounded. Having re- ported our arrival to General Slocum, who was about three miles back, orders were received from him to go to Spotsylvania Court-house. Colonel McVicar knew full well from prisoners captured that the force we had skirmished with since crossing Kel- ley's Ford was vastly superior to ours, and that our advance, so far from support, would be attended with great risk; but, as he told the officers with him what we were expected to do, he ordered the bugler to sound "Forward !"
" His not to make reply, His not to reason why, His but to do and die."
As we marched on a few of the enemy were seen, but they fell back as we ad- vanced. About dark, after marching through the woods, we reached a small clearing : the order to halt and dismount was given ; a mounted guard was thrown out to the rear, and Captain Bell, with a few men, was sent towards the Court-
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CAVALRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.
house. The men had been on almost con- tinuous duty for forty-eight hours, and as they rested, holding their horses' bridles, most of them were lying asleep by the roadside. Captain Bell soon returned and reported that there was a heavy force at the Court-house ; about the same time the rear guard was fired upon and driven in. The command sprang to their feet, and mounting, very soon formed in line in the open field. It was now very dark, and there was some fear that some of our own troops had come up and, by mistake, had fired upon the rear guard. Colonel Mc Vicar sent Captain Goler back to ascertain the true state of affairs. Going back to the junction of the roads of Todd's Tavern and the Chancel- lorsville House, he was challenged, and on answering, " The Sixth New York Cavalry," was fired upon and driven back to the main body. Sergeant Carroll was killed by the volley. As the enemy came down the road, which was only wide enough for a column of fours, our men formed in line, fired upon them and checked their further advance. Then Colonel McVicar ordered the com-
CAVALRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.
mand to draw sabre, break by fours to the right, and cut our way through. As our bugle sounded the charge, it was at the same moment sounded by the Fifth Vir- ginia, and the notes rang out clear and full in defiance of each other, as we rode down to where they waited for us. In the dark- ness it seemed as though a sheet of fire belched forth from their carbines, and at this first fire the brave McVicar fell, and the rest of the command were mixed up with the Confederates as we rode through them. Besides Colonel Mc Vicar, who was killed, three officers were wounded and about twenty men killed and wounded. These were left behind, and the survivors drove the enemy until the cross-roads were reached, where the Confederates took the one to Todd's Tavern, and our men went on to our own lines at Chancellorsville. The wounded were taken to a house near where they fell, and after a few days were sent to Libby Prison.
I copy extracts from an article written for Blackwood's Magasine, published in 1866, at Edinburgh, by Major Heros von Borcke
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CAVALRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.
who was chief of staff to General J. E. B. Stuart at the time of the engagement, and received a bullet through his hat and had his horse shot through the head as we rode through the enemy's ranks. The extract commences at the time of Captain Goler's being challenged :
"General Stuart dispatched Captain White of our staff, to Fitzhugh Lee with orders to send on one of his regiments as soon as possible and to follow slowly with the rest of his brigade. General Stuart and his staff were trotting along at the head of the column, when, at the moment of emerg- ing out of the dark forest, we suddenly dis- covered in the open field before us and at a distance of not more than one hundred and sixty yards, a line of hostile cavalry, who received us with a severe fire which con- centrated on the narrow road. Fully con- scious of our critical position, Stuart drew his sword, and with his clear ringing voice, gave the order to attack, taking the lead himself. For once our horsemen refused to follow their gallant commander; they wavered under the thick storm of bullets ;
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CAVALRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.
.
soon all discipline ceased, and in a few minutes the greater part of this splendid regiment, which had distinguished itself on so many battlefields, broke to the rear in utter confusion. At this moment the enemy's bugle sounded the charge, and a few seconds after we brunted the shock of the attack which broke upon us like a thunder cloud, and bore our little band along with its vehement rush, as if driven by a mighty wave, sweeping us along with it in the darkness of the forest."
The Battle of Brandy Station.
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On the 11th of October, 1863, the position of our army was somewhat as follows :
General Meade, then in command, was falling back from the direction of Mine Run, towards Centreville.
The bulk of General Lee's army being in the vicinity of Orange Court-house, our three cavalry divisions occupied the following positions :
General Pleasanton was on the left, near the Rappahannock; General Buford's di- vision was along the Rapid Anne, near Stevensburg; and Kilpatrick's division was on the right beyond Culpepper.
On the afternoon of October 10, the Sixth New York broke camp and marched to Germania Ford, on the Rapid Anne ; cross- ing that river at 2 P. M. we marched in the direction of Orange Court-house, going into camp at 8 o'clock in the evening.
The following morning, Sunday, Octo-
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THE BATTLE OF BRANDY STATION.
ber II, was an exceptionally bright and pleasant day. Our coffee had been cooked and breakfast eaten before sunrise, and the men were mounted and in line before 6 o'clock. Our line of march was south of Rapid Anne, and in the direction of Orange Court-house. Our object being to feel the enemy and ascertain his position, and at the same time, in conjunction with the rest of the cavalry, hold him in check until General Meade could place his army in position on the heights of Centreville. Soon after 7 o'clock the enemy began to show themselves, coming from the direc- tion of Orange Court-house, and showing a strong inclination to fight. Our regi- ment fell slowly back to Raccoon Ford, a few miles to the south of Stevensburg ; here we crossed-not, however, until we had lost a number of men, among whom was Captain Pierce, who was wounded and made prisoner. After crossing the river we were drawn up in an open field between the ford and Stevensburg, and ordered to prepare to charge a battery that had taken position on a piece of rising ground
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THE BATTLE OF BRANDY STATION.
a short distance to our left. The order to " Draw sabre" had been given, when the battery opened upon us with shells. The first one fell and exploded near the centre of the regiment, killing and wounding three men and three horses; others fol- lowed in quick succession, when the order was given : " By fours, right wheel," and the charge was not made. Luckily for us it was not, for supporting the battery was a heavy line of infantry, not perceived by us until the charge was abandoned. Had we made that charge the Sixth New York · would not have participated in the battle of Brandy Station a few hours later, for the greater part of the regiment would have been left on that hillside.
From this point we gradually fell back toward Brandy Station, the enemy closely following. Their forces consisted of in- fantry and some cavalry. Reaching Brandy Station about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we took up a position in an open field just to the south and east of the railroad station, facing toward the enemy.
In the meantime Stewart's cavalry had
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THE BATTLE OF BRANDY STATION.
attacked General Kilpatrick's division, who was slowly falling back toward the Rappa- hannock; but our division, being less ad- vanced than his, reached Brandy Station first, thus leaving a wide gap between our right and his left. Into this gap the enemy poured, thus partially enveloping him.
General Buford, seeing Kilpatrick's dan- ger, and knowing that for us to fall farther back would but increase it, ordered a halt, hence our position at this time at Brandy Station.
The Second Brigade was nearest the enemy, who was rapidly advancing, not in regular order of battle, but in irregular lines and groups, exultant with the belief that the Army of the Potomac was in full re- treat. General Buford rode up to General Devin, who was near the right of our regiment, and the following conversation passed between them. General Buford said: "General, take your best regiment and charge the enemy in yonder woods" (there were some scattering trees through which they were advancing). General Devin replied: "My regiments are all good, with little choice among them."
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THE BATTLE OF BRANDY STATION.
" Well, take your old regiment, the Sixth New York," replied General Buford.
Saluting his chief, General Devin turned to Major Hall, and in those clear, ringing tones so well remembered by every man of the Sixth, said : " Major, let the Sixth New York charge. Never mind the cuts, but give them the points."
Major Hall gracefully saluted and, draw- ing his sabre, placed himself in front of the regiment and gave the order : "Sixth New York, prepare to charge. Draw sabre ! Raise sabre ! Forward, march ! Trot, gal- lop ! Charge !"
Every order was obeyed as promptly as given. There was no hesitation, no waver- ing ; right into that storm of shot and shell and rifle bullets we rode, and right into and over their broken ranks, striking heavy blows to the right and left.
Passing the railroad station, the regiment wheeled to the right, and reformed some- what in advance of the first starting point, and charged a second time, entirely routing the enemy. Before the second charge was completed, the rattle of carbine and pistol,
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THE BATTLE OF BRANDY STATION.
with the clash of sabres was heard on our right and in advance of us; a moment more and Kilpatrick's men came dashing through.
This last charge of the Sixth had broken the enemy that were swarming in on Kil- patrick's left, and relieved him in a critical moment.
If I remember correctly the Sixth lost about thirty men in killed and wounded. In myown Company F, Captain Wales was dismounted and injured. Michael Kane was killed, and Corporals Jackson and Os- born wounded.
In speaking of this engagement General Kilpatrick is reported to have said that it was this timely and gallant charge of the Sixth New York that relieved him from a most dangerous position.
The Sixth New York at the Wilderness.
A PRESENTIMENT.
My diary for Saturday, May 7, 1864, shows the following entry :
" Left the Foundry this morning and marched to Todd's Tavern. Our regiment was ordered to gallop to the left and sup- port the troops that were falling back. Went into the fight about 3 P. M. and soon became heavily engaged ; drove the enemy back more than a mile, and held our position until relieved by infantry late at night; lost five men. Thomas Carr, of Company F, was shot by my side; we buried him where he fell."
It is to Carr's death that I wish especially to refer in this brief article. Any member of the Sixth New York who may chance to read this will recognize the name of Thomas Carr, as he was the artist who gave us the
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SIXTH N. Y. AT THE WILDERNESS.
excellent engraving of the battle of Brandy Station, October 11, 1863.
"The Foundry" and Todd's Tavern were located in the " Wilderness," and that terrible battle was raging all around us while the entry in my diary was being made To better show our position I will quote the entry of the following day :
" Sunday, May 8, 1864 .- After being re- lieved from our position on the line late last night, we went on picket ; the second and fifth corps moved to the left and re. lieved the cavalry; heavy firing on the right, the army slowly advancing ; the woods are on fire all about us and many of our dead are being burned ; we are obliged to fight dismounted as there is no open ground here ; we are certainly in a wilder- ness."
In the early part of the day, and before we were ordered on to the line of battle, Carr rode up to my side, and in the most impressive manner said :
"If we get under fire to-day I shall be killed."
I made some jesting reply and thought
1
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SIXTHI N. Y. AT THE WILDERNESS.
no more of the remark. A little later Carr came to me with a card on which was written his wife's name and address ; hand- ing it to me, he said :
" There is my wife's name and address ; if I am killed to-day write to her and tell her how I fell and the circumstances of my death."
Seeing that he was in earnest, and that the premonition had taken a strong hold on him, I tried to reason him out of his fears ; but to no purpose. The conviction that he would be killed was upon him, and no words of mine could dispel it.
Soon after noon orders came for us to gallop to the left, where the Sixth New York was in action. After a sharp gallop we reached the point designated, and knew by the rapidly approaching volleys that our men were falling back. The woods were so dense that we could accomplish nothing mounted; the order was hastily given to dismount and prepare to fight on foot. In such cases-the men being in sec- tions of fours-Nos. 1, 2 and 3, after strap- ping their sabres to the saddle, pass their
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SIXTH N. Y. AT THE WILDERNESS.
bridles to No. 4, and dismount, leaving every fourth man in charge of the three horses belonging to the dismounted men; thus, one-fourth of the regiment is left in the rear to care for the horses, while the others advance on the line of battle. Carr's number was 2 ; he dismounted and the line was formed ; our men were rapidly falling back, and the Confederate infantry was ad- vancing through the woods, firing and shouting as they came ; the order was given to advance ; the crack of a musket sounded nearer than the others, and Carr fell with a bullet through his heart; his presentiment had been verified; the man who fired the shot-a gray-haired Confederate-fell al. most at the same instant with a bullet in his side from Harry Sharpe's carbine ; as he lay in the agony of death he said to Sharpe that he was ready to die now, since he had killed a Yankee.
After the battle, late that night, while the fire crackled through the woods and underbrush of the " Wilderness," we dug a shallow grave, and wrapping the body of Carr in his gray blanket, placed it in the
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SIXTH N. Y. AT THE WILDERNESS.
grave and covered it over with sand and sod ; there it rests to-day in company with the nameless dead, who so thickly strew that battle-field.
The Sixth New York Cavalry at Trevillian Station.
In looking over my diary which I kept written up from day to day I find the fol- lowing entry :
"Saturday, June 11, 1864 .- Took up the line of march this morning at 5. Sixth New York in advance. The enemy attacked us when two miles from camp, bringing on a general engagement. After a short fight they fell back, losing many in killed and wounded and about 400 prisoners. The Sixth suffered some. Corporal Langs was taken prisoner and McKenny (both of Company F) wounded, the other companies lost in about the same proportion."
"Sunday, June 12 .- The Sixth on picket last night. This afternoon our men ad- vanced and met the enemy (cavalry and · infantry) in superior force. The Sixth New York was sent in on the right and charged
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