USA > New York > Services of the Tenth New York Volunteers (National Zouaves,) in the War of the Rebellion > Part 11
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BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
York and the 51st Pennsylvania. Other troops imme- diately crossed the stream, and the Ninth Corps advanced to the outskirts of Sharpsburg-the 9th New York Vol- unteers (Hawkins' Zouaves) playing a brilliant part in the operation. The enemy were unexpectedly reinforced, however, and succeeded in repulsing and driving back our now wearied and broken regiments. Blame has
been imputed to Gen. Burnside for not attacking sooner ; but it is probable that, had enough troops crossed to properly support the advanee brigades, their first suc- cesses would have been permanent. The Fifth and Tenth expected to receive orders to advance to their support, but such orders never came, and they were employed later in the day in collecting stragglers and on other duties.
An incident happened, just before the advance across the bridge, which capitally illustrated the oddities of our army life. The men of our own regiment and of the 5th were fraternizing while they rested on their arms, occasionally dodging a shell from an elevated Rebel posi- tion opposite. " Buteh" Sapher, of Duryce's, and Clark. of Company A, of the Tenth, were together. The for- mer was out of tobacco, and Clark incidentally dared him to ask Gen. Burnside for a "chew." The general was at that moment riding past our brigade, familiar to all in his " Burnside blouse," and Sapher jumped up, boldly strode towards him-saluted-and asked for the article desired. The general promptly reined in his horse and handed out his paper of fine cut. from which " Butch" abstracted an enormous chew, returning the paper with a " thank you, Gen'ral." The good-natured officer smiled and said. " Never mind : keep it. You need it, and I can get more."
The main struggle on the right and centre of our line
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
had lasted all day, and at night the enemy had been worsted at all points, and had left numberless dead on the ground which they had contested inch by inch with the veterans of Gens. Hooker, Sumner, Mansfield and Sedgwick. Gen. Sykes' entire division had been in position since the 15th, exposed to the fire of the enemy's artillery and sharpshooters (vide Gen. MeClellan's Re- port). When darkness closed the conflict, the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac had once more gained a vic- tory over the enemy, flushed as the latter were with re- cent temporary successes in Virginia. More than 150.000 men had been engaged in the conflict, with 500 pieces of artillery, and nearly 25,000 men were killed, wounded and prisoners.
Gen. MeClellan concluded not to attack the enemy on the following day, and on that night Gen. Lee with- drew his beaten army across the Potomac-the entire force being safely transported to Virginia soil, bearing with them the supplies gathered in Maryland and Penn- sylvania. It was a bitter disappointment to the country and the army, that they were thus permitted to escape the destruction which might have been their portion if the vietory had been more effectually followed up.
On the 19th, Sykes' division marched to Shepardstown Ford, where an artillery skirmish ensued-Warren's bri- gade exchanging shots with the Rebel skirmishers ou the opposite side of the river. We remained in bivouac near the bank of the stream until the next afternoon (20th), when the brigade crossed the river and deployed skirmishers on the opposite side. The Tenth advanced a few rods, detached from the 5th, and when at the foot of a woody rise, the regiment was met by a sharp mus- ketry fire. Directions were given to lie down, and the
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SHEPARDSTOWN FORD.
bullets whizzed sharply over the line, while Lieut .- Col. Marshall, in command, stood with folded arms in rear of the regiment-a well-defined mark for the enemy's fire- and cautioned the men to be firm and await orders. They came-but, were to withdraw. A stronger force of the enemy than was at first supposed was in our front, and although Gen. Sykes' artillery continued to shell them fiercely, the Tenth and Fifth made an orderly but rather hasty retreat and regained the Maryland bank-our men not pausing to remove their shoes as in first crossing. All hands retained an unpleasant recollection of the Union disaster at Ball's Bluff, in 1861, and did not wish for a repetition in this instance.
The crossing was evidently made to draw the atten- tion of the enemy from a heavy reconnaissance on the right, which resulted in a loss of nearly 800 men on the part of the Union troops.
After two or three days of rather unpleasant duty on the banks of the river, with constant exposure to the fire of the enemy's concealed sharpshooters, and very little shelter from the rain and heavy night dews, Warren's brigade was relieved by a portion of the regular troops, and went into camp a short distance back from the river.
The casualties in our regiment had been slight during the campaign, but the exposure had, of course, caused the usual amount of sickness, and the ranks began to assume a very slim appearance.
On the 24th, while at this camp, orders were received from Army Headquarters, transferring the Tenth to the Second Army Corps (Gon. Sumner's). Camp was struck, and a hearty good-bye said to our fellow-soldiers of the 5th, from whom it seemed rather odd to part after hav- ing been so long and intimately connected. The officers
400
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TIIE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
and men of Duryee's Zouaves bid their fellow regiment "God speed" and a successful future, and line of march was taken by Lieut .- Col. Marshall along the Potomac to opposite Harper's Ferry. Here the regiment crossed the river, marching through the dirty and ancient-looking town, past the bare walls of the burned Government armories and the old battered engine-house hallowed by the memory of old John Brown, whose soul was by this time veritably "marching on."
The tents of the Second Corps, dingy and ragged from long campaigning, covered Bolivar Heights, and the regi- ment, on its arrival, reported at Corps Headquarters : being then ordered to the Third Brigade, of Gen. French's Third Division. Both the officers and men of the Tenth were glad to find that in their new brigade were old and familiar faces -- three of the regiments, the 1st Delaware, 4th New York (Scott Life Guard), and 5th Maryland. having been eneamped near Fort Monroe while our regi- ment was stationed there.
At this place, and along the Maryland side of the npper Potomac, the various corps of the Army of the Potomac had taken position and remained for several weeks, during which the entire army was reclothed and furnished with the camp equipage and accoutrements necessary after the trying campaign they had passed through sinee leaving the defences of Washington.
Recruiting for the National Zonaves had been pro- gressing in New York city under the supervision of Capt. Geo. F. Hopper and other officers, who had left the regiment for that purpose when in camp at Harri- son's Landing, and 180 recruits were received while at Bolivar Heights and assigned to the different com- panies. Company D (Capt. Stocking) was detailed as
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THE SEVENTH WEST VIRGINIA REGIMENT.
provost guard at Gen. French's (division) headquarters- upon which duty it remained (with Company B, Capt. Dimmick, detailed some weeks afterwards), until the muster- out of the regiment in the following April.
The broad, cleared, and almost level plateau on the heights where Sumner's corps was encamped, gave ample room for division and brigade maneuvers, and during the month of October the time was employed in drills, reviews and sometimes sham battles on a small scale. Most of the survivors of the Tenth will recollect the 7th West Virginia Regiment, of the First Brigade (months afterwards brigaded with the Tenth), and its "field music," the prototypes of which must have been the martial bands that made music for our forefathers at Concord and Bunker Hill. These fifes and drums were omnipresent with the 7th, accompanying the regiment wherever it was possible to work in a little music, and even drum- ming their picket details to the outposts and back, reliev- ing the old guard to the tune of Yankee Doodle. Until the last days of the war, the "ith Virginia Band" held its own, and was a feature in the brigade. On the occa- sion of one of the reviews or sham battles above spoken of, the Virginia regiment became considerably detached from the rest of its brigade during one of the movements, and was marching off, apparently on personal and press- ing business, when Gen. French sent one of his aids to remind the colonel of his error. The latter, whose name we do not recollect, turned to Lieut. French, and an- swered literally, as the author is informed, "Tell your father we don't know much about these fancy move- ments, but put us in the bush and we'll fight like h-Il." Subsequent experience with this regiment of "bush- whackers," and the record they had already made at
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
Antietam, proved that they did fight, and in a manner that was an example for the captions soldiers who some- times laughed at their crude and homespun ways.
Probably no veteran of the Army of the Potomac re- members a time when there was so much mouldy and wormy hard tack to a day's ration as during this stay at Bolivar Heights. For many days it appeared as though the surplus crackers left from the last two wars had been resurrected from forgotten cellars and issued to the army. The ways of destroying the live stock infesting the crackers were various. Frying was economical-the animals furnishing the fat and being effectually disguised by the process. "Scouse" was better-the salt pork mono- polizing the taste. After a while, however, the promi- nent characteristic of the soldier-that of accommodating himself to circumstances-asserted itself, and we were able to bite into the square of lively "tack" without wineing. About this time there also came occasional rations of fresh bread, and the more thrifty of us could make the latter last, to the exclusion of the worm-infested crackers.
Rumors grew in camp, as the days passed, of the next move of the army. The quidnunes were busy in sur- mising and explaining why MeClellan did not move when positive orders had been issued by Gen. Halleck. at Washington, to that effect, and they laid out magniti- cent strategical plans whereby Lee was shown to be in a trap, and Mcclellan leisurely awaiting a fine day to gather him in. But still we waited. while squad and battalion drills came inexorably each day, and regimental courts martial occasionally varied the dull routine. The weather meanwhile grew bracing and wintery, and at length orders came to pack up for a bona-fide move.
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HUMORS OF THE MARCH.
It was the night of the 30th of October when the Second Corps moved from Bolivar Heights, crossed the Shenandoah at its junction with the Potomac, and took up line of march along the base of the Blue Ridge. The weather was now quite cold, with light snow, and our regiment struck out with a hearty vim-the bracing atmosphere lending exhilaration to the fully recuperated soldiers. This, it appeared, was the beginning of strate- gic movements to shut up the enemy within the valley of the Shenandoah ; but the latter obstinately refused to be so bagged, and, notwithstanding MeClellan's efforts in seizing the gaps of the Blue Ridge and attempting to engage the Rebels, they succeeded in frustrating his de- signs. Gen. Lee moved his main army south to the Rappahannock River, making demonstrations at the dif- ferent gaps in the meantime, evidently to mislead his adversary. The movements of the Army of the Potomac were in consequence made slowly, the Second Corps reaching Warrenton about the 8th of November.
During the march the weather continued cold and blustering. While in bivouac at Rectortown, several members of Company A, of the Tenth, found, a barrel of flour in a deserted house, and hastily tilled their haver- sacks with the luxury-ridding themselves of hard tack to make room for the coveted article, which they hoped to convert soon after into "slap jacks." Their faces
lengthened considerably, however, upon reaching camp. when they discovered that the flour was in reality pluster of paris, and their chagrin was increased tenfold by the audible smiles emitted by those who witnessed the dis- covery. At another place along the route, some of the more frisky members of the regiment distinguished them- selves by going through one or two sutlers' wagons, and
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
demolishing the antiquated vehicle of a peddler who was asking exorbitant prices for diminutive loaves of bread. The provost guard arrived at the scene just too late, and took no prisoners. This last was only one of several in- stances where our men had laid forcible hands on the provision carts of avaricious venders, while an honest farmer asking moderate prices was rarely molested. Still it was always best for peddlers to keep their opties clear when trading in the camps of New York troops. A "butternut" once declared that "the Yanks could steal the shortening outen a cookie without breakin' the crust," and it is more than probable that he had been shorn by a metropolitan regiment.
It would puzzle a philosopher to say why the boys throughout the army treated the sutler as a natural ene- my. Most of them would postpone a prayer meeting to raid one of these unfortunate army followers. The sutler was a necessity, and could not well be dispensed with ; he was accommodating, and would allow a soldier to run np a bill to the full extent of his anticipated pay, and although he was sometimes given to charging three or four hundred per cent. advance upon Northern prices, yet for a five dollar bill, or perhaps less, one could pur- chase a bottle of " blackberry cordial," put up " for medi- cinal purposes only," but with a latent strength sufficient to "set up" a tent-full of men. Still the average soldier would, at any moment, join a conspiracy to turn a sut- ler's wagon or tent upside down-provided the owner was connected with some other regiment. The antler was hardly ever handled roughly by members of his own regi- ment ; except, perhaps, by men whom he had refused to trust or by those natural thieves or drunkards who would steal or get drunk wherever fate might locate them.
155
REMOVAL OF M'CLELLAN.
Upon arriving at Warrenton, the army was apprised that Gen. MeClellan's plans had been suddenly checked by his removal from command, and the appointment of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside in his stead. The order issued by Gen. Mcclellan, taking leave of his troops, was read to the respective commands while drawn up in line on the 10th inst., and immediately thereafter he rode past the lines, attended by his personal staff. The seene at this final farewell was pathetic. Few generals had ever been favored with the esteem of the rank and file to a greater extent than had Mcclellan, and his removal created a sensation throughout the army. Gloom per- vaded the ranks for a time. The fact that the troops were in motion, ostensibly to make a final endeavor to over- throw Lee's army, impressed many with grave fears as to the expedieney of making a change at such a momentous hour. On the other hand, a majority had faith in the President's judgment and sagacity. Gen. Burnside was generally esteemed for his patriotism and devotion to the National cause, and his previous military successes, although in a narrower sphere, led the army to hope that his assumption of the command might be fraught with happier results than many anticipated. *
The march was resumed a day or two after this event
* "Annals of the War," p. 38S: "With the cannons roar that celebrated this deeply interesting scene and memorable military pageant of tears and cheers, of floating banners and proudly marching columns, the period of ' hero worship' in the Army of the Potomac passed away forever. Heroes, it is true, rose and fell after this in quick succession ; but stern war, determined, uncompromising war, now more than ever became the moving power, thought and cry of the thinking masses of the loyal people of the land. The popular irresistible public sentiment was impelling the mighty columns of that great army to close up to the now historic bloody lines of the Rappahannock and the Rapidan, and there, and on many bloody battlefields far beyond, almost regardless of whose hand wielded the sceptre of command, thousands upon thousands gallantly fought, bled and died to vindicate the flag of the Nation."
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
transpired, route being taken towards the Rappahannock. The steady tramping over stony and broken roads for three or four days was monotonous-the more rollick- ing members of the National Zouaves being at times considerably nonplussed at the absence of anything along the road worthy of notice, or upon which to vent their overflowing vocabulary of army slang. Occasion- ally the inquiry would be made, by some straggler in search of his command, "What regiment is that?" Some one of the Tenth would answer, "1st Ireland," or "99th Rhode Island," or oftener, "10th New Zealand," and perhaps refer the questioner to our knapsacks, on the face of which appeared, in white letters, "10 N. Z." If the querist was from the Empire City, he would probably retort with some remark not at all complimentary to those who had given the unsatisfactory replies, and a small war of words would ensue. A soldier of a rural regiment, however, would generally perceive the inntil- ity of trying to cope with the vituperative powers of city-bred soldiers, and lapse into sudden silence, unless he was of an especially combative disposition.
Occasionally a squad of cavalry would trot past the column, edging our less fortunate foot soldiers towards the right or left of the road, and covering them with dust or mud. "Get off that horse, yellow-belly," or " Get inside your mule," would come from some of the regi- ment. The horsemen would retort with an allusion to " pack mules," and trot past, not quickly enough, how- ever, to escape the sarcastic query, " Who ever saw a dead cavalryman ?" This last shot, by the way, might perhaps have had some significance at this time, but later in the struggle, when Phil. Sheridan fought his cavalry at every opportunity, mounted and dismounted, the
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IN CAMP AT FALMOUTHI.
allusion had no weight. The fighting of the gallant cavalry divisions subsequently, and especially during the last days of the war, at Five Forks and on the road to Appomattox, proved that they were the peers of their infantry comrades in desperate charges upon strong works, armed with their short-range carbines.
About the 15th of November, the advance of the Second Corps arrived at Falmouth, on the Rappahan- nock, opposite the city of Fredericksburg, and French's division went into camp near the first-named place. Gen. Burnside had decided that the proper and most direct line of operations against Richmond lay in this direction. and the various corps of his army were quickly coming into position east of the river.
On the 21st, Fredericksburg was summoned to sur- render by Gen. Sumner. Gen. Lee, however, was rapidly concentrating his army on the heights west of the city, and the authorities refused to accede to the summons- the Rebel sharpshooters continuing to hold possession of the houses along the river.
Strong piekets were thrown out along the Union side of the stream, for a distance of several miles, the ene- my's ontposts being stationed opposite. The weather was at first rainy and the Tenth had a good share of picket duty during its continuance-French's division guarding the river north of Falmouth. As the days passed and December arrived. the nights became bit- terly cold, and it was with considerable difficulty that the pickets were enabled to keep themselves from freez- ing while on post. Luckily there was little if any firing across the river, and in consequence fires were allowed at the reserve stations.
For a time, while in this eamp, the inveterate users
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
of tobacco suffered from a scarcity of that highly-prized luxury. Convalescents from the hospital and teamsters arriving from the depot were persistently interviewed, and, if they were well supplied with "navy plug," were able to sell it at a high price. The sutler's arrival in camp at length broke the "corner," and placed the article within the reach of all; but, until his appearance, the shifts resorted to by some of the veteran chewers and smokers of the Tenth were curious. A morsel of the weed would be chewed for a time and then carefully laid away to dry on the ridge-pole of the tent or in some other out of the way spot, and in a few hours would again serve its owner as a fresh chew, unless spirited away meanwhile by a tent partner or some casual visitor. Coffee served as a first-rate substitute for smoking to- bacco, and, when that happened to be scarce and valu- able, dried oak leaves were often used. At first thought the latter might seem a rather dull and insipid sort of tobacco, but, when thoroughly dried and then smoked in an old laurel or briar pipe, well impregnated with the taste of former "navy" smokes, the leaves were not found to be altogether unsatisfactory.
It has been asserted with great truth and force that no armies were ever in existence containing the general intelligence, ability and various talents which marked the citizen soldiery of the Federal eanse during the great Rebellion. Certainly some of the best and most reliable records of the war have been furnished by men who plodded along with musket and knapsack. Education Was common enough in the ranks, and soldiers would vary the talk around the bivouac fires with opinions couverning the different maneuvers of their army and prophecies as to the results-criticizing with unspar-
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A SOLDIER'S VIEWS.
ing tongue the tactics of their superiors. Diaries of obscure soldiers have proved of great benefit to histori- ans, and have sometimes furnished data for important paragraphs. A portion of a characteristic letter from an enlisted man of the Tenth, to his relatives at home, would perhaps be interesting at this point.
He writes from Falmouth, a few days subsequent to the arrival of the Army of the Potomac at that place: "Again you see we have been chasing the Rebels, but we seem to have come to a dead stop here. We are camped but a few rods from the spot where we laid one night last August while marching up towards Bull Run, and after tramping through and over some of the most mountain- ous and stony parts of Virginia, 'here we are again, waiting evidently for something to turn up, and as far from the end, apparently, as ever. It has been my opin- ion since Antietam that there must be either some great 'strategy,' or as great an amount of imbecility on the part of our generals. The Rebels have been hotfooted after us, acting as a sort of provost guard to pick up stragglers. We hurried from Warrenton to this place as if Old Nick himself were after us, over stony and muddy roads and sometimes no roads at all, and-we have laid here five days, doing nothing. Yesterday morning it commeneed to rain, and it has fallen in tor- rents sinee, raising the river greatly. The . Johnnies' are hobnobbing with us from their side of the river, and coffee, bacon and tobacco somehow change hands very often."
Expectation was now constantly on the qui vive until the actual movement upon Fredericksburg took place. The army had been divided into three Grand Divisions --- Right, Left and Centre. Gen. Sumner had been placed
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
in command of the former, composed of the Second and Ninth Corps; Gen. Couch assuming command of the Second Corps, in Sainner's stead. Acquia Creek, where it empties into the Potomac, was established as the base of supplies, piers and roads were constructed, and im- mense quantities of stores conveyed thither for the use of the large army, computed at over 100,000 men, now in the vicinity of Fredericksburg.
Gen. Sumner stated, in his testimony before the Committee on the Conduct of the War, that if the pon- toons necessary for the crossing of the river had been at hand, he would have crossed and taken the city at any time within three days after the arrival of his advance : for the force of the enemy then near the city was small. The pontoons, however, did not reach Falmouth until the 22/1 or 234. giving the Rebels ample time to concentrate on the hills behind the city.
In order to operate successfully against the city, defended as it now was by Lee's entire army, it was the intention to have crossed the Rappahannock at Port Royal, below the city ; but, in his report, made after the battle, Gen. Burnside said : "During my preparations for crossing at the place I had first selected I discovered that the enemy bad thrown a large portion of his force down the river and elsewhere, thus weakening his de- fences in front, and alo thought I discovered that he did not anticipate the crossing of our whole force at Fredericksburg ; and I hoped, by rapidly throwing the whole command over at that place, to separate, by a vigorons attack, the forces of the enemy on the river below from the forces behind and on the crest in the rear of the town, in which case we could fight him with great advantage in our favor."
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