USA > New York > Services of the Tenth New York Volunteers (National Zouaves,) in the War of the Rebellion > Part 15
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Since leaving Falmouth, June 14th, our battalion had done severe work. Its position on the march was in the rear of the division, with the strietest orders to bring up stragglers under all circumstances, and prevent any halt- ing at houses along or near the roads. This duty was both difficult and disagreeable, and called for countless tramps across fields and through woods bordering the line of march, surprising many little impromptu picnics
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INHOSPITABLE PENNSYLVANIA.
and coffee-boiling parties, and calling forth anathemas upon the heads of the offending and officious "provosts." Most of the officers of the Tenth were mounted, and this made the duty easier for them ; but both officers and men generally sank on the ground with tired bodies when camp was reached at night.
On the march through Maryland the Union troops had generally been met with open hands and generous hearts by the hospitable and loyal farmers of that State, and it was natural to expect that the same reception would be accorded in Pennsylvania ; but it was with disappointment that our troops experienced the reverse as regards the border counties of the Keystone State. The wearied, soiled and ragged veterans of the Army of the Potomac were snubbed unmercifully, and met with numberless rebuffs at the thresholds of farm houses, and the prices of bread and other little luxuries were doubled and trebled. In some places wells were guarded, to prevent water being drawn from them by the passing soldiers-the parsimonious farmers seeming to lose sight of the fact that, by submitting to slight loss or tempora- ry inconvenience, they were probably gaining lasting benefit. Soon after going into bivouac, on the night of July Ist, a soldier reported to Gen. Hayes that, at a eer- tain house near by, the owner was standing guard over his well, resolutely refusing water to every applicant. In this instance the bluff general, without a moment's hesi- tation, ordered a file of men from the Tenth to arrest the irate farmer, and he was detained under guard all night, departing to his home next morning a sadder, if not a more patriotic Pennsylvanian.
The bivouac of the Second Corps on the night of the Ist was short, for, at three in the morning, the Third
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
Division was aroused and marched to a position to the left of the Taneytown Road and on the west slope of Cemetery Hill, where it formed line of battle, connecting on the right with the Eleventh Corps and on the left with Webb's Second Division-forming the left centre of the general position. Each division had one of its bri- gades in reserve in the rear of the line. Gen. Meade had decided to establish his line of battle here, upon the ridge just south of the town of Gettysburg, and give battle to the enemy, who, it was now evident, was rapid- ly concentrating in the immediate vicinity.
Skirmishing commenced in the front of the Second Corps at half-past eight, A. M., and continued until half- past one, P. M .; after this all was quiet until four o'clock, when the artillery of the corps opened upon the enemy, who had thrown a force upon the left of the advanced position held by Gen. Sickles with his Third Corps. Parts of the Second, Third and Fifth Corps were soon after engaged, and a desperate attempt by the enemy to capture the strategical position at Round Top was de- feated. The corps of Gen. Sickles, however, was broken and forced back and the general himself disabled. Our line was eventually reformed and again pushed forward. leaving the afternoon's battle undecided in a measure. Our battalion was hurried to the left during the action. to halt the stragglers from the corps engaged, and it re- mained here until after dark, doing service under a fire of artillery, and losing one man wounded.
The new Third Brigade of Hayes' division had been sent to the left of the line, to Siekles' support, and it lost fifty per cent. of its numbers in a gallant advance. At dark Col. Carroll's First Brigade was sent to the right, to the relief of Gen. Howard on Cemetery Hill, and the
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BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
brave Western troops made a resistless charge upon a force of the enemy who had succeeded in reaching Rick- ett's Battery, sweeping the Rebels from the hill.
At daybreak, on the memorable 3d of July, the bat- teries along the Union lines opened, and heavy infantry firing soon after commenced upon the extreme right, as Gen. Slocum, holding that part of the line, pushed for- ward his corps (the Twelfth) to retake the rifle pits which the Rebels had captured the previous night. The fighting continued until ten o'clock-then there was a lull of anxious expectancy, broken occasionally by bursts of firing here and there as different dispositions were made on the lines. A barn opposite the right of Hayes' division was filled with the enemy's sharpshooters, who caused great annoyance to our skirmishers, and Gen. Hayes sent out a party under Col. Thomas A. Smyth, of the 1st Delaware Volunteers, commanding the Second Brigade, which captured all who were in the barn and then fired the building.
Soon after one o'clock, the enemy's batteries, number- ing at least one hundred and twenty-five guns, opened a tremendous and scathing fire upon the eentre and left of the Union line. The ground was gashed and seamed with round shot and shell, piece after piece of our bat- teries disabled, and hundreds of the Second and Eleventh Corps killed and wounded by the hail of projectiles. Shells flew through the air, falling and bursting in all directions-men, horses and stray cattle were torn and horribly mangled ; caisson after caisson exploded, and their horses were killed by seores. Wherever opportu- nity offered, the troops lay prone upon the earth, and sought every shelter that could be derived from trees, stone walls and hollows of the ground. More than an
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
hour of this horrible din and havoc continued-the nu- merous batteries of the enemy being answered by four score guns along the Union front-and then the heavy brigades of the enemy advanced against the front of the Second Corps. The line held by Hayes' division was weak, and there were no reserves at hand. Ilis first bri- gade (Col. Carroll's) had not yet returned from the right.
Swinton, in his "Army of the Potomac," describes in a graphic manner the preparations for the attack and the final charge of the Rebel divisions upon the front of the Second Corps :
"As Pickett's division, of Longstreet's corps, had reached the ground during the morning, and as Longstreet wished to use the divisions of Hood and McLaws in covering his right, it was ap- pointed to lead the van. Pickett formed his division in double line of battle, with Kemper's and Garnett's brigades in front and Armistead's brigade supporting ; while on the right of Pickett was one brigade of Hill's corps, under Gen. Wilcox, formed in column by battalions ; and, on his left, Heth's division (also of Hill's corps). under Gen. Pettigrew. The attacking force numbered about fifteen thousand men, and it advanced over the intervening space of near a mile in such compact and imposing order that, whether friend or foe, none who saw it could refrain from admir- ation of its magnificent array. The hostile line, as it advanced, covered a front of not more than two of the reduced and incom- plete divisions of the Second Corps-numbering, it may be, some six thousand men. While crossing the plain, it received a severe fire of artillery, which, however, did not delay for a moment its determined advance, so that the column, pressing on, came within musketry range-the troops evincing a striking disposition to with- hold their tire until it could be delivered with deadly effect. The first opposition it received was from two regiments of Stannard's Vermont brigade, of the First Corps, which had been posted in a small grove to the left of the Second Corps, in front of and at a con- siderable angle with the main line. These regiments opened upon the right Hank of the enemy's advancing lines, which received
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BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
also an oblique fire from eight batteries under Maj. McGilvray. This caused the Confederate troops on that flank to double a little towards their left, but it did not stay their onward progress. When, at length, the hostile lines had approached to between two and three hundred yards, the divisions of Hayes and Gibbon, of the Second Corps, opened a destructive fire, and repeated it in rapid succession.
"This sally had the effect to instantly reveal the unequal metal of the assaulting mass, and proved what of it was iron and what clay. It happened that the division on the left of Piekett. under command of Gen. Pettigrew, was in considerable part made up of North Carolina troops, comparatively green. To animate them, they had been told that they would meet only Pennsylvania militia. But when, approaching the slope, they received the fen d'enfer from Hayes' line, there ran through their ranks a cry, the effect of which was like to that which thrilled a Greek army when it was said that the god Pan was among them -. The Army of the Potomac !' Thus suddenly disillusionized regarding their opponents, Pettigrew's troops broke in disorder, leaving two thousand prisoners and fifteen colors in the hands of Hayes' division.
"Now, as Wilcox's brigade had not advanced, Pickett's division remained alone, a solid lance-head of Virginia troops tempered in the fire of battle. Solitary this division, buffeting the fierce volleys that met it, rushed up the crest of Cemetery Ridge, and, such was the momentum of its assault, that it fairly thrust itself within Hancock's line.
" It will be remembered that the brigade of Stannard held an advanced point on Hancock's left." As the assaulting cohimin passed his right, to strike Webb, he moved to the right, changed front forward and opened a very savage fire on the enemy's flank.
* L'pon returning to the Second Corps, on the night of the ad. after participat- ing in the battle on Sickles front, Caldwell's first division did not resume close connection with Gibbons' (now Webb's) division, and the interval was filled by Stannard's brigade of the First Corps. It thus happened that Caldwell's division took no very active part in repulsing Longstreet's charge on the :d. Ilul the divi- sion properly connected, this last grand charge would have been met entirely by the Second Corps, and its measure of glory would have been greater, if possible. -- V'ide " Life of Hancock."
14
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
At the same time the colors of the different regiments [Of Hayes' and Webb's divisions-AUTHOR.] were advanced in defiance of the long line of battle flags presented by the Confederates, and the men, pressing firmly after them, engaged in a brief and determined combat and utterly overthrew the foe. Whatsoever valor could do to wrest victory from the jaws of hell, that, it must be conceded, the troops of Pickett had done ; but now, seeing themselves in a desperate strait, they flung themselves on the ground to escape the hot fire, and threw up their hands in token of surrender, while the remnant sought safety in flight. Twenty-five hundred prison- ers and twelve battle flags were taken at this point, which brought the aggregate of Hancock's captures up to four thousand five hun- dred prisoners and twenty-seven standards." *
During the progress of the terrible cannonading, the Tenth Battalion was deployed along the road directly in the rear of the division, and afterwards on the right of Gen. Meade's headquarters, and sustained several easu- alties from the bursting shells. Upon the advance of the enemy the command was ordered quickly to the front by Gen. Meade in person, its small numbers ap- pearing actually necessary to assist in repelling the Rebel charge. On its way it was met by a surge of Confede- rate prisoners, who had thrown down their arms, entered our lines, and were flying to the rear to escape the mad hail of musketry and artillery which was still sweeping through and over our lines. Maj. Hopper and his sub- ordinate officers immediately took charge of the excited men, and the Tenth that evening delivered three hundred and sixty officers and fifteen hundred enlisted men at the
* Pollard (" Lost Cause") candidly says : " On our side, Pickett's division had been engaged in the hottest work of the day, and the havoc in its ranks was appall- ing. Its losses on this day are famous, and should be commemorated in detail. Every brigadier in the division was killed or wounded. The e Nonels of five Virginia regiments were killed. The ah Virginia went in two hundred and fifty strong. and came out with only thirty-eight men, while the equally gallant 19th rivalled the terrible glory of such devoted courage."
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BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
headquarters of the Provost Marshal of the Army- being a portion of the number which had surrendered in the immediate front of Hayes' division. A large number of captured Rebel flags were grouped around the gallant general's tent that night.
During the heaviest part of the shelling, two stretcher- bearers, carrying a badly wounded soldier, were coming to the rear, when a shell burst immediately in their vicin- ity, and they dropped their burden and headed towards a safe spot. George Hackett and Ed. Harrison, of Com- pany B, ordered them to halt, and compelled them to pick up the stretcher and its occupant and take them to the rear. Hackett also proved himself devoid of fear when he caught a runaway horse from Arnold's Battery, and coolly rode it back to the guns, in the very midst of the storm of shot and shell.
When the advance columns of the enemy appeared, debouching into the fields opposite the Third Division, Capt. Dewey, provost marshal, was despatched by Gen. Hayes to Gen. Meade, with the message, "We must have reinforcements or we cannot hold our position." Capt. Dewey found Gen. Meade in a distant part of the field, and was asked to conduct him to Gen. Hayes' position. On nearing the ridge a shell came near proving fatal to the commander, and, being warned by Capt. Dewey of his danger, the captain was directed to report that he (Meade) had already sent two batteries and a brigadeto report to Hayes, and would send more as soon as pos- sible; and at that moment the triangular flag of Col. Carroll's brigade was seen moving rapidly over Cemetery Hill from the right. When the message was delivered by Capt. Dewey it was met by the characteristic reply from the impetuous Hayes, " D-n Gen. Meade and his
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
reinforcements," and, almost while speaking, he seized a Rebel color which had been planted within a few feet of our line, and rode along the division front, dragging the flag in the dust, and greeted with cheers and roars of triumph by his men, who had turned the seemingly momentary success of the enemy into a repulse and retreat.
Of the Tenth, Privates David McGill, of Company A, and John T. McCormick, of Company D, were killed on the 3d. The records of the regiment in our posses- sion do not show the wounded during the battle, of whom there were probably three or four.
The "trefoil " won imperishable honors upon this bloody 3d of July-the Rebel respect for the wearers of the insignia of the Second Corps dating from Gettys- burg. Both Gens. Hancock, commanding the left centre, and Gibbon, in command of the Second Corps, had been wounded. The casualties in the corps during the battle were 4,413-nearly forty-four per cent. of all engaged. The "missing" numbered only 350 enlisted men, most of whom were captured from Caldwell's division, July 2d. Hayes' division lost 1.3822 men; Webb's, 1,627, and Caldwell's, 1,248. The artillery brigade lost 150 men and 250 horses. The number of colors captured by the corps was, in reality, 33, of which Hayes' division cap- tured 15.
Gen. Meade, in his official report of the Maryland campaign, thus summed up the three days' battle and its following : "The result of the campaign may be briefly stated in the defeat of the enemy at Gettysburg. his compulsory evacuation of Pennsylvania and Mary- land, and his withdrawal from the upper valley of the Shenandoah ; and in the capture of 3 guns, 41 stand-
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GEN. LEE'S REASONS FOR ATTACK.
ards, and 13,621 prisoners. 24,978 small arms were collected on the battlefield. Our own losses were very severe, amounting to 2,834 killed, 13,709 wounded, and 6,643 missing-in all, 23,186."*
In connection with his report of the first day's battle, Gen. Lee says : "It had not been intended to fight a general battle at such a distance from our base, unless attacked by the enemy; but, finding ourselves unexpect- edly confronted by the Federal army, it became a matter of difficulty to withdraw through the mountains with our large trains. * * * A battle thus became, in a measure, unavoidable." The successes attending the battle of the 1st, probably spurred the Confederates to the attack upon Sickles' front and Round Top on the following day, and, according to Lee himself, the advan- tages gained on the 2d induced the fatal assault upon our lines on the 3d. This last grand charge and attend- ant defeat illustrated the fact, so often experienced during the Rebellion, that the armies of the North and South were equal in bravery, and that, unless the charg- ing columns were overpoweringly superior in numbers, there was seldom a hope of forcing their opponents from a position naturally and artificially strong.
The following memoranda, mainly from the diary of an officer of the Tenth, details the movements of the battalion during the two weeks immediately following the battle :
"July 4th .- This glorious day opened upon a victorious army. We started from Gen. Patrick's headquarters (army provost mar- shal) and arrived at our old position about ten, A. M. Skirmishing
* The total loss of Lee's army, from the beginning to the end of his northern campaign, has been placed as high as 40,000. l'his includes the loss by straggling and desertions.
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
still continued, but the enemy were reported retreating. Remained on the field, burying the dead and collecting arms. until July 5th, about three, P. M., when we started for Two Taverns.
"July 7th .- Reached Taneytown. Maryland, about ten, A. M. Being very short of rations, foraging parties were sent out to col- lect whatever provisions could be found.
"July 8th .- Left Taneytown about ten, A. M., and marched through Brucesville, Woodbury and Walkersville, to within five miles of Frederick City, Maryland.
" July 9th .- Left camp at half-past five, A. M .; passed through Frederick City, and marched two miles up the Middletown pike : then crossed to the Knoxville pike ; thence through Jefferson and Burkesville. Crossed South Mountain at Crampton's Gap, going into camp at night, well worn out.
"July 10th .- Started at seven, A. M. Went through Rohrersville, Cypress Grove, Keedysville, and part of the old Antietam battle- field, to the pike, where we formed line of battle extending along the pike towards Hagerstown, and remained there all night.
"July 11th .- Again started at seven, A. M., and marched via Hagerstown pike to Jones' Cross Roads, where we were again drawn up in line of battle-the Twelfth Corps on our left. The skirmishers in our front advanced two miles during the night.
"July 12th .- At eleven o'clock. A. M., marched about a mile on the pike, countermarched half-way back and halted. At four, P. M., moved out and formed line of battle, at a right angle with the pike, the Fifth Corps on our left-all wondering why ' the ball' does not open, being satisfied a great victory awaits us. Very heavy rain set in, deluging everything. Threw up a line of works during the night.
"July 13th .- Raining this morning : all quiet until two, P. M., when the division changed front, bringing our line parallel with the pike.
" July 14th .- Reports came in that the enemy had crossed the river, and it was soon generally known that Lee's entire army had escaped into Virginia. At eleven, A. M., we followed via the Wil- liam-port road. to near Williamsport, turned to the left and moved to near Falling Waters. Roads very muddy and strewn with Rebel remnants of camp, &e. Raining.
" July 15th .- Left camp at seven, A. M., and marched through
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ESCAPE OF LEE'S ARMY.
Downieville, Bakersville, Sharpsburg, and thence towards Harper's Ferry, via the towpath of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Bivou- acked within two miles of the Ferry, after a march of over twenty miles.
"July 16th .- Left camp at six, A. M., and marched to Pleasant Valley, where we encamped."
Gen. Meade had thus failed either to rout the Rebel army or prevent its recrossing the Potomac, although the rank and file of the Army of the Potomac, during the pursuit, were full of spirit and eager to finish the war there and then, if the destruction of Gen. Lee's beaten army could effect that result. Not pretending to lengthy criticisms, we will not plunge into a recital of the reasons for Gen. Meade's since recognized mistake in allowing Lee's certainly marvellous escape. Our army was a disappointed one when it commenced its march down along the Potomac River.
On the 16th, while at Pleasant Valley, opposite Har- per's Ferry, the baggage wagons, which had not been seen for over two weeks, came to the troops, together with a huge mail. Letters, of course, were the first con- sideration, and then the welcome boon (for the officers) of arraying themselves in clean and whole elothing. Carrying no knapsacks, they lacked a " change" when, perhaps, their subordinates were more fortunate. News also reached the army of the great Draft Riots in New York city, causing excitement and some trepidation in the Tenth-the majority of whose families were resid- ents of the metropolis. If the desire of the zonaves had been consulted, short shrift would have been given to the brutal murderers and robbers who were hanging defenceless negroes and plundering the city under the guise of resistance to the draft.
..
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
The army crossed the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, on the 18th of July, by a pontoon bridge, following nearly the same roads traced by MeClellan the preceding fall. and for the same object-i. e., the overtaking of Lee's army. This time we were in advance of the Confede- rates, being enabled to seize all the gaps in the Blue Ridge north of the Rappahannock. This caused Lee a longer detour in retreat, but accomplished no more direct result-his army safely gaining its old ground, south of the river. Tedions and fatiguing marches were made by our troops-Hayes' division reaching Warrenton June- tion late in the afternoon of Sunday, July 26th, after a march of over twenty miles in twelve and a half hours. This day had been terribly hot, and many men were fatally overcome by the heat. Water was scarce along the ronte, and the almost dried rivulets, which occasion- ally filtered their way across the road, were thick with the dust of travel ; but our almost strangled men would throw themselves flat on the ground and swallow the dirty liquid with the eagerness with which a famished castaway npon the sea blindly and fatally gulps the salt water which surrounds him. Even the lucky few who had carefully saved a few mouthfuls of "commissary" in their canteens, found that the liquor was almost boiling hot and useless as a stimulant.
While in bivouac in the vicinity of Warrenton, orders were received by the Tenth Battalion, detailing three officers-Maj. Hopper, Capt. Dewey and Lieut. Keegan -with a small detachment of men, to proceed to New York city for the purpose of bringing out drafted men. They left immediately, and Capt. Field assumed com- mand of the battalion, Capt. Tait acting as Division Provost Marshal. On the 31st, the corps marched to
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EPISODES OF CAMP LIFE.
Morrisonville, where it went into camp-the whole army having taken position along the Rappahannock. The next morning, however, the Third Division proceeded to Elk Run, three or four miles distant, in the vicinity of which place camp was formed and we made ourselves comfortable, in anticipation of a long rest.
Six weeks were passed here, and they proved of great importance to the battalion. Recruits were received, discipline was increased, and the health of all improved. The command was encamped advantageously in a fine piece of woods near division headquarters, and to most of the officers and men the time passed pleasantly enough. Two or three houses near by, one owned by a Vermont family, afforded an opportunity to obtain good substantial meals for a moderate sum, and also agree- able company, for there were young lady members in each household. It can be imagined that society of this kind was acceptable in the highest sense to soldiers forced to neglect all the social amenities of civil life, and the efforts of these ladies to cause time to pass pleas- antly have often been remembered by those who visited them.
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