USA > New York > Services of the Tenth New York Volunteers (National Zouaves,) in the War of the Rebellion > Part 24
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needed. Company A had lost four men, made prisoners while pushing through the woods as skirmishers. They were Sergt. John W. Townsend, and Privates David Sheldon, John Brady and George Wier. So unexpected- ly did the enemy's force approach that these men were surrounded and made prisoners in an instant. Beside these, our battalion had lost during the day four or five men wounded. One of these, Corp. Reuben W. Hoose, of Company D, died subsequently of his wound, and Private William B. Davie, of Company C, had a leg taken off by a shell or solid shot .*
Rain had been falling during the afternoon, and the two divisions were exhausted from their efforts. The conflict of the day had so drained the quantity of ammu- nition on hand as to seriously cripple the cavalry and artillery, while the Dabney's Mill Road, narrow at best, was being rapidly rendered impassable by the rain, be- sides being seriously threatened by the enemy. This road was the only connection with the main portion of the army, and it now became a question with Gen. Han- cock as to what course to pursue in order to insure the safety of his small force. The Fifth and Ninth Corps had not been successful in carrying out their part of Gen. Grant's programme, owing to the almost impene- trable woods and the impossibility of using artillery to advantage, and Gen. Warren had not as yet succeeded in forming a junetion with the Second Corps. t
* A writer says : " By this time the situation was rather mixed. The enemy were in force in our froat, and their artillery was firing upon us from three direc- tiens-in fact, from .dl directions, excepting the narrow road on which the corps had marched from Dabney's Mill and the Quaker R. ad, and Hampton [eav dry-At- TROR| had pushed so far up the plank road that his shot passed entirely over Gregg's line and into our front line of infantry, which was engaged in an opposite direction."
. + " Great Civil War," Vol. III .. p. 312 : " The officers of Craw ford's division.
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
Gen. Hancock at length decided to withdraw during the night, he having received a dispatch from Gen. Mcade authorizing him to do so if he thought proper, and, at ten, P. M., the order was given to march. Gen. Egan's division followed Gen. Mott's, but halted at Dabney's Mill, two or three miles west, to protect the withdrawal of Crawford's division, of Warren's corps, and then again resumed the march. The mud was ankle- and sometimes knee-deep along the miserable road-the path obstructed by brush and fallen trees-the darkness pro- found-the soldiers wet to the skin -rendering the march one of extreme discomfort ; but the weary troops struggled on, and reached the lines in front of Peters- burg next morning.
The losses of Gen. Hancock's command in this battle aggregated 1,482, in killed, wounded and missing. The recruits of our own battalion, with a very few excep- tions, acted as veterans, behaving well under heavy fire from artillery. Adjt. Cowtau was brevetted captain of U. S. Volunteers, upon recommendation of Gen. Han- cock, for his action in reconnoitering the enemy's lines, and Sergt. Gilkison was, soon after the battle, promoted to a second-lieutenancy by Lieut .- Col. Hopper. The fol- lowing complimentary order was received by the Tenth in connection with these operations :
on the left of the Fifth Corps, not having been able to find the only road which connected their position with that of Hancock, at the bridge over Hatcher's Run, endeavored in vain to make their way through the woods ; and, though the Second and Fifth Corps were, through a good part of the day, actually not very far apart, a junction was rendered impracticable by the natural obstacles presented, in the shape of dark and dease woods and swampy ground. The security of the few miserable roads was such that troops got into the opposing lines, and stati officer. lost their way in the forest gloom "
329
FORT M'GILVERY.
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS STATE OF NEW YORK, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, ALBANY, November 15th, 1864.
LIEUT .- COL. GEO. F. HOPPER,
Commanding Tenth Regt. N. Y. S. Volunteers.
COLONEL :- A communication has been received at these Head- quarters from Brig .- Gen. T. W. Egan, commanding Second Divi- sion, Second Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, wherem he speaks in the highest terms of the conduct of the Tenth Regiment New York State Volunteers in the late operations before Petersburg.
I am instructed by His Excellency, Governor Seymour, to ex- press his gratification, and to tender his thanks to the officers and men of the regiment for this additional evidence of the good con- duct of New York troops in the discharge of their duties. I am, colonel,
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, [Signed,] JOHN T. SPRAGUE, Adjutant-General.
A day or two after returning from Hatcher's Run, the Second Corps again took position in the main line of works, the right of the Second Division resting upon the Appomattox River. Our battalion occupied the works on the left of Fort McGilvery, a strong fortification, built on high ground, near the river and very near Petersburg- the guns of the fort easily throwing shells into any part of the city. The position was enfiladed by the Rebel line on a rise to the left, where was stationed a two-gun bat- tery, and was also in direct range of the Rebel Fort Clifton, on the opposite side of the river ; that work be- ing mounted with one or more Whitworth guns of long range and large calibre. Onr breastworks were solidly built of pine logs, and heavily banked with carth, tra- verses being erected on the inside of the works at inter- vals of ten or fifteen feet, on account of the danger from
330
THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
the enfilading works. The picket line was particularly near that of the enemy, and extra precautions were ne- cessary to prevent a surprise at night. The orders in relation to reveille, and in other particulars, were the same that prevailed while the battalion held position in the works near Fort Morton. At about four o'clock each morning, the line was aroused, and stood to its arms until daybreak, or soon after, when breakfast was cooked.
In spite of the strong defences, and continual precau- tion, the Tenth suffered a heavy loss during the month it held this position-thirty-two men being killed or wounded while upon the picket line or in the main works. The killed or mortally wounded were :
Company A: Privates John McManus and John Wait.
Company C : Privates George Bruso and David Fow- enier.
Company E : Private Thomas Stapleton.
Company F : Private Peter Smith.
Added to the casualties from the enemy's fire were many disadvantages in the nature of the ground, with an almost constant spell of rainy weather, causing much sickness. The necessity of sheltering the battalion from the enemy's missiles became so imperative that Lieut .- Col. Hopper ordered excavations to be dug close to the works, which he proposed to roof over with logs, as was in vogue at other exposed positions along the line. This would have afforded a shelter where at least a portion of the command could sleep at night without fear of be- ing struck by bullets or fragments from bursting shells. The work was in progress when stopped by an order to move on December Ist. Two hundred men only could then be mustered for duty, out of the three hundred
331
DESERTING TO THE ENEMY.
which the battalion numbered a month previous. The proximity of the Rebel lines at Fort McGilvery offered inducements for deserters from both sides, and one night a corporal and two or three men of the Tenth, who had been advanced from the picket line upon a vidette post, seized the opportunity to give themselves up to the ene- my. They were substitutes, who had obtained consider- able enlistment money, and the experience of life behind the breastworks had evidently been too much for them. The corporal was a Canadian-at least one of his com- panions hailing from the same province, and their regard for the flag of the United States was presumably very slight.
The Second Division was relieved by other troops on the date above mentioned, and marched to the extreme left of the line, which had been extended to a point near Hatcher's Run. Here it occupied the works of the Fifth Corps and Mott's division of the Second Corps, while those troops were raiding, under Gen. Warren, down along the Weldon Road. In this vieinity, the entire Se- cond Corps at length went into position, and log huts were erected, the extreme cold weather foreshadowing a cessation of active hostilities for some weeks at least.
Private Nicholas Sherry, of Company C, was killed December 11th.
The latter part of the month just passed brought an important and much regretted change to the Second Corps. Its gallant commander, Gen. Hancock, who had so long shared the fortunes of his grand old corps d'ur- mec, had been requested to proceed to Washington, for the purpose of organizing a corps of veterans from those soldiers who had been honorably discharged from the
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
service .* In taking leave of his command, the gene- ral issued the following order :
HEADQUARTERS SECOND ARMY CORPS, BEFORE PETERSBURG, November 26th, 1864. .
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 44 :
SOLDIERS OF THE SECOND CORPS :- In obedience to instruc- tions which direct me to another field of duty, I transfer the com- mand of this corps to Maj .- Gen. A. A. Humphreys, United States Volunteers.
I desire, at parting with you, to express the regret I feel at the necessity which calls for our separation. Intimately associated with you in the dangers, privations and glory which have fallen to your lot during the memorable campaigns of the past two years, I now leave you with the warmest feelings of affection and es- teem.
Since I have had the honor to serve with you, you have won the right to place upon your banners the historic names of "An- tietam," "Fredericksburg," "Chancellorville," "Gettysburg," " Wilderness," " Po," "Spottsylvania," " North Anna," "Cold Harbor," "Petersburg," " Ream's Station," "Boydton Road," and many other contests.
The gallant bearing of the intrepid officers and men of the Second Corps on the bloodiest fields of the war, the dauntless va- lor displayed by them in many brilliant assaults on the enemy's strongest positions, the great number of guns, colors, prisoners and other trophies of war captured by them in many desperate com- bats ; their unswerving devotion to duty, and heroic constancy under all the dangers and hardships which such campaigns entail, have won for them an imperishable renown and the grateful ad- miration of their countrymen. The story of the Second Corps will live in history, and to its officers and men will be ascribed the honor of having served their country with unsurpassed fidelity and cour- age.
* When the spring operations of the Army of the Potomac were about to com- mence, in 1565, Gen. Hancock applied for order, returning him to the Second Corp. in the field ; but, late in February, he was requested to take command of the troops in the Shenandoah Valley. He therefore never returned to his old corps.
333
GENERAL HANCOCK.
Conscious that whatever military honor has fallen to me during my association with the Second Corps, has been won by the gal- lantry of the officers and soldiers that I have commanded, I feel that, in parting from them, I am severing the strongest ties of my military life.
. The distinguished officer who succeeds me is entitled to your entire confidence. His record assures you that. in the hour of battle, he will lead you to victory.
WINFIELD S. HANCOCK, Major-General of Volunteers.
The gallant Hancock had, in truth, commanded a corps which had written its history in blood. A respon- sible writer, in the U. S. Service Magazine, May, 1866, stated that the Second Corps, during its existence, em- braced on its rolls the names of upwards of 200,000 men; that it lost 70,000 men in battle ; that it captured nearly, or quite, a hundred colors, and as many guns as any other corps ever took from the enemy, excluding those captured at fortified places ; and that, in the campaign from the Rapidan to the surrender of Lee's army, it lost 38,000 men, being one-third the entire loss. Thirty-seven of its brigade commanders were killed, wounded and missing (there being only two of the latter) between May 3d and October 27th, 1864 .*
During the latter part of the year now elosing, several promotions of officers had been made in the Tenth, to till the positions made vacant by death, wounds. &c. First- Lieuts. E. D. Van Winkle and Harvey Y. Russellt were commissioned as captains, and Second-Lients. William F. Beers, Bernard Brady and Harvey Curtis, as first- lieutenants. Albert C. Risley was also appointed first- lieutenant, from civil life. Color-Sergt. Samuel Minnes.
* Junkin's " Life of Haneuch."
* Brevetted major of U. S. Volunteers.
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
Sergt .- Maj. U. J. Covert, and Sergts. D. S. Gilkison, William N. Skidmore and William H. Vanderpool were commissioned as second-lieutenants. (Vanderpool after- wards declined.)
Christmas and New Year's Day came with cold and seasonable weather, and, to the troops that environed Pe- tersburg, it was a season of rejoicing. Another year had passed away, and, although the Army of the Potomac- thinned by death and disease again and again, and as many times reinforced in strength by the free North-was still held at bay before the earthworks of Lee's army, the men who filled its ranks had been made enthusiastic by the tidings of the great and important events which had been transpiring in other parts of the great theatre of war. Gen. Sherman had electrified the world by his successful march from the interior of Georgia to the Rebel seaboard, the capture and occupation of Savan- nah, and his victorious march northward ; and the end of the great struggle seemed to be surely approaching.
The effect of Sherman's operations had been severe upon the Rebel Army of Virginia-the gradual capture and blockade of all ports by which foreign aid and sus- tenance could be received, resulting in a diminution of the necessary supplies of clothing and equipments for the enemy's troops and of medicines for their hospitals. The rank and file of Lee's army seemed to have suddenly lost heart and become despondent. Hundreds deserted each night to the lines of the Army of the Potomac, in most cases bringing their arms with them : an order having been issued by Gen. Grant, and circulated within the Rebel lines, offering a stated price for arms or equip- ments brought in by deserters. Coatless, shoeless and hungry, as many of these Southern soldiers were when
335
THE HOLIDAYS IN CAMP.
they entered the Union lines, they were both fed and clothed by our Government, and treated with magnani- mity and generosity.
The holidays were ushered in by salutes of shotted guns from all the forts along the line of the army, ac- companied by the music of the bands and salvos of cheers, which were carried along the lines for miles, as each successive brigade and division would catch the enthusiasm. The camp of the Tenth was decor- ated with arches of evergreens, and illuminated at night with hundreds of candles, purchased from the Commissary's department by the box. Timber and tree branches for the camp decorations were rather difficult to obtain, and were brought from a distance over roads muddy and treacherous ; but the men had been seized with the spontaneous disease for ornamentation of the camps which came upon us all at times of particular jolli- fication, and no labor was spared.
Christmas Day was observed among the officers of the Tenth by an old-fashioned turkey dinner, given in Lieut .- Col. Hopper's log hut. The Colonel had spent considerable time and labor in supervising the erection of his house, and its smoothly hewn logs, papered in- terior and comfortable camp furniture, gave it a hospit- able appearance. The officers all joined in the banquet. and the affair consumed the best part of the afternoon and evening. The entire battalion participated in extra dinners and amusements during the day. Sutlers were present with the army in numbers, and the paymaster having recently made his appearance, money was not wanted with which to season the holidays with those luxuries which always assisted in reminding us of home comforts and enjoyments.
336
THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
In January, efforts were made to obtain authority to send a recruiting party to New York, hopes being enter- tained that the battalion might be strengthened to ten companies. The requisite permission, however, could not be procured, and the Tenth still numbered but six companies when the movement against the enemy's works, in the neighborhood of Hatcher's Run, occurred, on the 4th of February.
This was another general reconnoissance towards the Rebel right, with intent to develop the strength of the enemy's lines, and to the Second Corps was given the duty of attacking the works east of the run. The Fifth Corps was directed to cross the stream further south, and endeavor to force the enemy's right. During this short campaign the Tenth held a position directly upon the run, on the extreme left of the corps ; Rebel earth- works were on the opposite side, from which a vicious fire was directed upon the battalion. Lieut. Samuel Minnes was wounded twice on the 5th inst., as well as one or two enlisted men. Our division, temporarily under the command of Gen. Smyth, with McAllister's brigade, of the Third Division, had a desperate encounter with the enemy on the 6th, repulsing a well-planned and deter- mined attempt to break the line of battle formed by the Second Corps. The Third Brigade suffered a com- paratively severe loss in the engagement. West of Hatcher's Run, the Fifth Corps, supported by the Sixth, advanced against the Rebel works through a dense forest, but were driven back, losing several hundred in killed and wounded. The movement ended with no par- ticular advantage to onr army, save the additional ground gained by the Second and Fifth Corps. The former now held an advanced position, with its left resting upou
337
APPOINTMENTS IN THE TENTH.
Hatcher's Run, and the Fifth occupied ground west of the stream. On the 8th, our corps again went into camp.
The few weeks which now elapsed before the final movements of Gen. Grant's forces against Lee's army, were a season of rest to the battalion, varied by regular tours of picket duty, and officers and men availed them- selves of such amusements as could be had in camp. Notices of the following appointments of commissioned officers were received from the Governor of New York during the spring :
To colonel : George F. Hopper.
To lieutenant-colonel : Anthony S. Woods.
To major : Charles W. Cowtan.
To surgeon : Robert O. Craig, vice Brower Gesner * (resigned).
To quartermaster : William F. Beers.
To first-lieutenants : Samuel Minnes and D. S. Gilki- son.
To second-lieutenants : Sergts. Chas. Egan and Fran- cis L. Mead.
A few reeruits were sent to the battalion from New York, some of them from the interior of the State.
* Surg. Gesner received a brevet commission as lieutenant-colonel of U. S. Volunteers. He served after the close of the war on the medical staff of the army, and died of disease on the 5th day of November, 1874, at Fort Gibson. The fune- ral services took place in New York city on the 15th of November, and were at- tended by members of the Tenth.
Capt. Geo, M. Dewey would have received the appointment of major had he not been discharged on account of wounds. Besides being the senior captain, he was the first choice of the officers for the position.
22
PERIOD IV.
THE LAST STRUGGLE-SURRENDER OF LEE-THE MARCH NORTHIWARD-THE FINAL MUSTER OUT.
Gen. Grant was now anxious, in the fear that the Rebel army defending Petersburg and Richmond would evacuate its lines suddenly and endeavor to unite with the forces of Gen. Johnston in North Carolina or in the mountains of Virginia ; thus effecting a combination which might insure a long and expensive campaign to our armies and partly repay the Confederacy for the loss of its capital. The utmost care was exercised along the lines of the Army of the Potomac to observe the slight- est movement of the Rebel forces, Gen. Meade mean- while holding his troops well in hand to immediately take advantage of the first favorable opportunity to strike a crushing blow at the Rebel Army of Virginia .*
On the other hand, Gen. Lee, whatever his intention may have been regarding the final evacuation of his lines. resolved to anticipate Grant's expected movement and deliver a blow which might possibly break the anaconda- like embrace in which he was now held, and at least draw forces from Grant's left, which would relieve his (Lee's) final line of retreat if such was deemed necessary. This
* Swinton says. p. 574 : " It is now certain that at this time the Confederate commander had resolved to adopt the course of evacuating Petersburg and Rich- mond and effecting a junction with the forces of Johnston on the Danville line. Preparations for the intended movement were begun early in the month of March. Johnston was to refuse his left if Sherman advanced ; flatboats were collected for bridging the affluents of the Roanoke ; rations were to be accumulated at Amelia Court House, and the line of retreat and columns of march were arranged."
338
339
ATTACK UPON FORT STEADMAN.
attack was made at Fort Steadman, the next fort on the left of MeGilvery. The work mounted nine guns and was supported by mortar batteries on the right and left. It was surprised and taken by a coup de main, many prisoners being captured. Reinforcements, however, with the heavy artillery fire immediately brought to bear upon the captured work by the contiguous forts and re- doubts, turned the tide of battle, and the Rebel force was driven back or captured. During the progress of the action the troops on the left of Gen. Meade's line were ordered to advance, which they immediately did, portions of the Second Corps capturing and holding the strongly intrenehed pieket lines in their front. Our own battalion did not leave camp; but Gen. Smyth, in his diary, says : " Two, P. M., I took five hundred men of my brigade and made an attack on the Rebel right, charged through the creek, carried their works and took some prisoners." Thus Lee had failed in his attempts either to seriously break the lines in his front or to draw troops from his opponent's left sufficiently to relieve his own right flank.
An order had already been prepared by Gen. Grant (March 24th), directing a general movement of the army ; but the affair at Fort Steadman had delayed its promulgation. On the 29th, however, the respective corps had received it, and were on the march towards the left.
Soon after daybreak of that date, the Tenth New York Volunteers left camp with the rest of the Second Division (now commanded by Gen. William Hays). The change from the comfortable quarters of the past seven weeks to the realities of a stern campaign was made not unwillingly. The glorious news which had
340
THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
been constantly arriving from the armies of Sherman and Thomas, and the knowledge that the termination of the Rebellion could not be far removed, had imbued every one with enthusiasm and sanguine expectation ; and, as the column moved along the Vaughan Road to the bridge which now crossed Hatcher's Run, where, five months before, we had forced a passage in the face of a rain of bullets, the spirits of our soldiers rose to the highest pitch.
The advance of the Second Corps, after crossing Hatcher's Run, was northwardly, constantly feeling for the enemy. The country was thickly wooded and most difficult of penetration by a column of troops. Hum- phrey moved the corps through the woods, between the Quaker Road and Hatcher's Run. The enemy's skir- mishers were driven in by the advance, but no main line was encountered, and darkness forced the troops to bivouac.
At six, A. M., of the 30th, our battalion was aroused from a fitful sleep and resumed the advance. Rain had fallen during the night and continued heavily all day. The enemy were driven into their intrenchments during the morning and our corps formed line, the right of the Second Division (being the right of the corps) resting on Hatcher's Run, near the Crow House, a redoubt on the enemy's line being in close proximity. Gen. Hum- phrey's left connected with the Fifth Corps, near the Boydton plank road, which trends southeast from Peters- burg, and upon which the enemy held strong works.
The heavy rain and accompanying mud had made the roads alnost impracticable for artillery and trains, and Gen. Grant found himself embargoed just when he was ready to strike heavily. The intervention of rain had,
341
OPERATIONS ON LEE'S RIGHT.
however, assisted Gen. Lee, whose infantry, marching on an inner line without trains, had been for hours filing to the right.
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