USA > New York > Services of the Tenth New York Volunteers (National Zouaves,) in the War of the Rebellion > Part 3
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The change to garrison life was gladly accepted by all. The experience of camp life, during the month just passed, had hardly been pleasant, despite its novelty and attendant excitements. The uniforms furnished to the regiment at Sandy Hook had been worn to an alarming degree of dirt and raggedness, and the health of the command was not of the best. while the comfortable barracks and tents within the Fort, and the prospect of being able to draw clothing, and to eat well-cooked food, allowed of no comparison with the rough life at Camp Hamilton. The commencement of garrison duty was therefore welcomed as a fresh departure in the history of the National Zouaves.
Fort Monroe was designed by the celebrated engineer, Gen. Barnard, in 1819, and is built upon the widening end of a narrow strip of sand beach, several miles in length and in some places but a few rods in width. Situ- ated on Hampton Roads, at the month of Chesapeake Bay. the work commands the approaches to Maryland and Virginia and to the various rivers which empty into the bay. Fort Wool, on the Rip-Raps, intended to cross fire with it, was incomplete during the Rebellion. causeway with a bridge towards it- end leads from Fort Monroe to the mainland, the road thener passing to Hampton, about two and one-half miles distant. The bay between the peninsula and the mainland, enclosed
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
between the neck of sand and the causeway, varies in width from one to three miles.
The outer walls of the Fort embrace an area of nearly sixty-five acres, of which twenty-five, regularly laid out and shaded by trees, form the parade ground. The work is bastioned, and of an irregular heptagon form; while the walls, constructed of granite and embanked with earth, are thirty-five feet in height. A broad and deep moat surrounds the work, capable of being flooded to a depth of from eight to fifteen feet. The Water Battery. outside of the Fort proper, is constructed of stone, of such solidity and thickness that it was supposed, in 1861, to be proof against any weight of metal. The armament of the Fort, as originally recorded, was much modified in the number of guns and augmented in ca- libre while the Tenth performed garrison duty. The regiment mounted some of the heaviest and most ap- proved guns then known upon the ramparts to command the water approaches. Heavy guns and mortars were also placed in position faeing the artificial causeway and the strip of beach connecting with the land on the east. There were about seventy large casemates in the Fort, bomb and shot-proof. These were occupied as officers' quarters, the sutler's store and guard houses. Groups of houses, of both brick and wood, and a small Episcopal chapel formed quite a village within the walls.
About six miles from the Fort is Newport News, situated upon a point of land at the mouth of the James River. This place had been occupied by Gen. Butler May 27th, and was now the camp of several regiments of New York troops.
The houses formerly used by the regulars as barracks were now taken by the Tenth for the same use, as also
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FORT MONROE.
the buildings originally occupied as ordnance and black- smith shops. Gen. B. F. Butler, commanding the De- partment, had his headquarters within the Fort, and exercised a personal supervision over all general matters, the details of the post being left to Lieut .- Col. Dimmick.
Within a few days after the entry of the Zouaves into the Fort a member of the regiment makes the fol- lowing entry in his journal: "Sunday-This morning I have been on guard upon the ramparts facing the sea. It is a beautiful day; the sun shines gloriously, and everything is so still, calm and beautiful, one can hardly believe that war is upon and around us. The new guard is being mounted on the parade ground, and a soft melody from " Il Trovatore" comes stealing to where I am now lying, having been relieved from post. From a man-of-war in the Roads comes the sound of the service- bell, and it seems like church-time in one of our Northern villages."
Besides the regular " garrison guard" and " gun-yard guard," it became the duty of the regiment to supply a daily picket, which was posted some distance up the beach. Drills and parades became as regular as clock-work, ex- cept upon rainy days, holidays and Sundays, and the Zouaves began to appreciate the fact that this soldiering business was to be no pie-nie, even though they were com- fortably ensconced in good barracks and tents, with straw mattresses on which to stretch themselves at night.
July 14th, Capt. White was ordered by Gen. Butler to take twenty men and seout in the neighborhood of Back River, ten or twelve miles distant. The men were taken from Company A, and started at midnight. They were absent about three days, succeeding in getting badly bitten by mosquitoes, and bringing in a prisoner,
-
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
a man named Phillips, who was accused of signalling across Back River. The men had considerable experience in rough marching and bivouacking without tents, in this bit of scouting, but were disappointed in having reaped no more fruit from their labor.
"Old Point," as the vicinity just outside of the Fort was generally termed, had now the appearance of a busy town. The waters around were covered with shipping, and the docks filled with small sailing vessels and lighters unloading stores. The old " Hygeia Hotel," formerly a famous summer resort for the planters from up the James River, was now occupied by the Provost Guard, consisting of men detailed from the Tenth, and also as a post hospital. Besides the various buildings used by the Quartermaster's and Commissary's departments, and the Government foundries and work shops, many frame buildings had been erected, which were occupied by sutlers, and as dwellings for the workmen employed by the Government. Flanking these were numberless shan- ties and tents erected for the accommodation of the hun- dreds of escaped slaves, who had flocked in from the ad- jacent country in consequence of the promulgation of Gen. Butler's semi-official pronunciamento (destined to become a lasting and national epigram), that slaves were " contraband of war." The highest prices were asked by the sutlers for everything, but their quarters were gene- rally crowded with buyers. the volunteer souliers seeming determined to eat of the best while their money lasted. The regulars were not so free with their pay, and gene- rally contrived to live on what Uncle Sam furnished, with extras purchased by the "company fund."
A fire which occurred at Hampton, a few days after the regiment entered the Fort, gave the ex-fire-laddies of
43
BRAVERY OF FRED. DAUENHAUER.
the Zouaves a little diversion. There were no appliances at hand to extinguish the flames, and when word came to the Fort, of the danger which menaced the village, a couple of ancient looking fire engines were resurrected from their hiding places, and the ropes manned by Com- panies C and H, aided by a numerous body of "runners." They reached the scene at Hampton in an incredibly short time, considering the run of several miles over a road heavy with dust, and under a burning sun, eclipsing anything ever experienced by the "vets" of New York. The fire was extinguished after the destruction of a dwelling or two, and the return to the Fort was more leisurely accomplished.
Later in the year, a more serious fire broke out in one of the dwellings outside of the Fort, and the services of the guard and a detail from the regiment were called into requisition to stay the spread of the destroying ele- ment, which threatened a serious conflagration, involving the probable loss of a great amount of Government property. The flames were brought under control, and confined to the building in which they originated, the structure being wholly destroyed. An exhibition of un- selfish bravery occurred during the progress of this fire which deserves especial mention. Fred. Dauenhauer of Company H, the regimental butcher, had entered the burning building and rescued a child which was nearly suffocated ; he then re-entered the house, going to the top to search for a person still supposed to be inside. While thus engaged, the roof fell in, burying him beneath the ruins. He was taken out as quickly as possible by hi- comrades, but was found to be severely burned-his injuries incapacitating him from duty for some time.
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
July 24th .- An expedition consisting of one hundred men, thirty of whom were from Company A, started from the Fort at about 8 A. M., under the command of Capt. White, and marched about ten miles, over rough ground, to Back River-a not very long, but broad stream, emptying into the Chesapeake. Here the steamers Fanny and Adriatic, an armed steam launch from the frigate Roanoke, and several batteaux manned by men of the Naval Brigade to transport the infantry, were found in readiness to go further up the stream.
The object in view was the destruction of vessels which might be, and probably had been, used for illicit traffic between the Eastern Shore and the Peninsula. On the way up the river, eight or ten sailing vessels were burned and numerous smaller boats, and the expedition turned about soon after nightfall, running down the stream and continuing the work of destruction up Harris Creek, where six schooners were destroyed.
Although no armed resistance was encountered, it was a day and night of adventure, with some pretty hard work sandwiched in. The burning of each vessel ne- cessitated the landing of a part or the whole of the force from the flatboats, sometimes through mud and water waist deep, the operation being covered by the guns of the launch, which shelled the woods at inter- vals. In several instances, upon leaving the shore, the men were compelled to wade through the mud, pushing the heavy batteaux before them until deeper water was reached. While rowing down Harris Creek about 2 A. M .. the bugler on the steam launch filled the air with the clear strains of " Yankee Doodle" and other patriotic airs, while the moon shone with a brightness which lit the broad river with a weird daylight, casting a sparkling
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BACK RIVER EXPEDITION.
silvery sheen in the wake of the little fleet, and giving a romance to the scene which probably was not appreciated by the owners of the vessels destroyed under the inex- orable necessities of war.
Ludicrous and amusing incidents were not wanting during the night. Two or three of the men, while pushing with main strength to release the grounded boats, sud- denly found themselves clinging to the stern in deep water, and were hauled in amid the jeering of their more fortunate companions. After the batteaux had been taken in tow by the steamer, and while Charley Ludwig, of Company A, was comfortably ensconced in a snug cor- ner of the boat, composing himself for a short nap, the tow rope extending from one of the steamers to the rear batteaux was suddenly drawn taut and swept across Company A's boat, causing the men to drop flat, and un- ceremoniously lifting Charley by his knapsack high in the air and depositing him in the water. He was drawn out with some difficulty, owing to the forward movement of the boat and the weight of his aceoutrements.
The expedition reached Fort Monroe on the morning of the 25th, after twenty-four hours of solid work.
A few days afterwards a scouting party, consisting of twenty men from Companies A and HI, again commanded by Capt. White, was sent out from the Fort. The fol- lowing extract from a letter, written by a private who took part in the adventure, gives an interesting descrip- tion of it :
" Night before last we started on a scout, a rumor being abroad that the Fort was to be attacked. Twenty men made up the complement, and I managed to be one of them. We started up the road towards Fox Ilill. This road had been heavily barricaded. and, for six or seven miles out, large trees had been felled every
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
few yards to prevent the enemy's cavalry from surprising our pickets. Having gone some distance past the outside posts, we heard heavy musketry firing at Hampton, which lay on our left, and soon after the sky was bright with fire. The Rebels had come in and fired the town, under cover of a heavy musketry fire directed at our troops on this side of the creek. Now nothing is left but bare and scorched walls .* We struck off through the woods towards the village, and. after marching all night, and skirt- ing the creek, came up at daylight to the crossroads back of the town. Here we threw out scouts, and searched several deserted houses, where the Rebels had picketed a few hours earlier. We remained here all day, learning that the "Secesh " were encamped. two thousand strong, two miles from the cross-roads where we were lying. Their videttes were posted half a mile from us. One of our party, Charley Young,t was sent early in the morning to report discoveries and obtain further orders from the Fort. He returned at evening with directions from Gen. Butler to return immediately and risk no further danger. We reached the Fort next morning, footsore and hungry."
These movements of the Rebel forces on the York- town Peninsula, and rumors of intended advances upon our positions, were prevalent during the summer, and afforded a little excitement to the troops in the vicinity of the Fort that was acceptable enough as a variation to the monotony which was inseparable from camp and garrison duty.
On July 30th a larger and more important expedition than had yet been organized from Fort Monroe started . from the post by water. It consisted of Companies A.
* Greeley's " American Conflict," Vol. I., p. 520: " This village was burnt Aug. och by Magruder's order, that it might no longer att ord shelter to our troops. An attempt was at first made to attribute th's devastation to the Unionists."
+ Private Young, of Company A, mentioned here, was afterwards transferred to the ist New York Mounted Ritles, and fell in a skirmish on the Blackwater in the following year.
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EXPEDITION TO THE EASTERN SHORE.
Cand F of the National Zouaves, under Captains White, Louther and Winchester, a detachment of the Naval Brigade and a body of sailors, with an armed transport, a small gunboat, a frigate's steam launch, and two flat- boats or batteaux, one armed with a howitzer. The whole was under command of Capt. Crosby, Officer of the Port-Capt. Winchester commanding the infantry.
Leaving the Fort in the morning. route was taken up Chesapeake Bay to the Pocomoke River, on the Eastern Shore, near the boundary line between Maryland and Vir- ginia. The fleet lay at anchor over night, and the next morning Companies A and C, in the two batteaux, rowed up the Pocomoke, landing at Fletcher's wharf, and firing a large vessel. They succeeded also in dispersing a newly-formed company of Confederates, capturing a lieutenant's uniform and a musket. Several boxes re- cently emptied of firearms and uniforms, were found in a barn-some of the boxes being marked as coming from a Philadelphia firm. An order assembling the company was also discovered, with some military books and papers. A store was visited, and some of our boys levied on the stock of eggs and gingerbread, for which, however, they were compelled by Capt. Crosby to reimburse the store- keeper, much to their disgust.
Capt. Louther's Company (C) was now placed on guard at a bridge or wharf, and Captain White deployed several files of Company A as skirmishers, while Lieut. Ryan of the Naval Brigade supported with a few men. This was hardly done when rifles began to crack from adjacent woods, and several of Company A immediately responded. A portion of the Company was marched forward, and for a few minutes it seemed as though a severe engagement would ensue. The neighborhood had
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
evidently been aroused and rallied, with the intention of resisting any further operations of our small force. The advance of Company A and Lieut. Ryan's squad, how- ever, with the volleys now fired by them, ended all ag- gressive movements of the Rebels, and our men were pursuing them, when orders came from Capt. Crosby to retire immediately to the boats. None of our force had been killed or wounded.
Scarcely had the force re-embarked on the batteaux, and started for the anchored gunboats, than a shot was fired from the woods. A reply was sent back in the shape of a shell from the howitzer, and then another, which set fire to a large white house, and seemed to silence everything for the time. On the passage down the creek or river, a number of men were seen running across the fields, in the hope, perhaps, of cutting off the detachment. Apparently, however, they had a whole- some dread of the howitzer, and kept at a safe distance.
The expedition now left the anchorage, and steamed southerly along the shore, stopping several times at dif- ferent inlets to destroy suspicious vessels. On the fol- lowing morning the fleet started for Cherrystone Inlet, and here were evident indications of a hastily-constructed earthwork on the beach. Soon after coming to anchor off the inlet, the soldiers remaining upon the boats-find- ing the water very shallow in places and the bottom thickly covered with shell-fish of different kinds-waded into the warm and pleasant water and were soon hard at work gathering the elams and oysters. The rations fur- nished the expedition had been damaged and ran short. (three days having now elapsed since starting) and the hungry soldiers were elated at the opportunity of satisfy- ing their vigorous appetites without paying exorbitant
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EXPEDITION TO THE EASTERN SHORE.
prices to the stewards of the vessels for coffee and tough cakes, as some of them had done.
In a short time an attempt was made by the trans- port Fanny Cadwallader to move, when it was discovered that she was fast aground. The men were immediately ordered aboard, and efforts were again made to move the vessel, but in vain. Company C was ordered to the launch and batteaux, and they took a good position near the shore-the rifled gun and howitzer of the boats being brought into action. Unmistakable signs of ae- tivity had for some time been observed on shore, and a sharp fire had suddenly been opened on the trans- port, whose freight of men were now busily engaged in lightening the vessel by throwing over coal and using other means towards moving her, assisted by the efforts of the tugboat Fanny. Bullets whistled over the deck and struck the smokestack, and round shot came skip- ping along as she gradually glided into deeper water, and the men sprang to their arms again.
In a very short time the shore battery was silenced and deserted, and the expedition again steamed off towards Fort Monroe, having exceeded its orders as re- gards time. Old Point Comfort was safely reached by the hungry and fatigued, but enthusiastic battalion of soldiers and sailors, after an absence of three days. The operations had been attended by no loss of life on the part of the expedition, and important results had been attained, including the destruction of nearly forty vessels of all kinds which were suspected of smuggling arms and military stores into the Rebel States.
The warm weather, constant drills, and rather mono- tonous everyday work of their garrison duty, seemed 4
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
to tell on some of the restless spirits of the regiment, and deep growls began to be heard before two months had been passed in the Fort. The want of clothing was a fruitful cause for grumbling. Zouave uniforms of a new style and color had been promised and were ex- pected ; but meanwhile the clothing brought from New York, now tattered and worn, grew daily more ragged and dirty, where it had not actually dropped off from sheer inability to hold together. At least one half of each company was incapacitated from duty on account of the now stale excuse, "no uniform," and it became a matter of necessity to wait no longer for that which might never come. Accordingly a fatigue uniform, of blue blouse and trousers, similar to that of other regiments, was now talked about, and requisition made for the necessary quantity. In advance, however, came under- shirts, drawers and socks, which were acceptable enough -the supply of such essentials brought from the North by the soldiers having generally grown beautifully less by degrees, as the desire to wash one's own clothing lost its charm and washerwomen were sought after. These individuals were sometimes scarce, and often addicted to appropriating and losing garments entrusted to them.
Upon a hot afternoon in the first part of August it was " officially " expected that every man capable of turning out on parade would show himself, and as Com- pany A had of late attended parade with slim ranks, on account of the number of its ununiformed members, it was suggested by some one that the company should appear in the new and clean white shirts and drawers. Ist Sergt. Oscar F. Angell* entered with boyish ardor into the
* Afterwards Killed, while in command of the regiment, at Spottsylvania Court House, May roth, 1864.
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AN INTELLIGENT CONTRABAND.
scheme, and with his sergeant's sash, belt and sword rather too clearly defined against the ground of white, Angell led a full company attired in white under-eloth- ing across the broad parade, towards the line of the regi- ment already nearly formed. When half of the distance had been covered, a loud and peremptory order from Capt. White-to halt-reached the ears of the company, and a retrograde movement was ordered to the barracks. The parade took place that afternoon with nine compa- nies, instead of ten. Sergt. Angell was reprimanded by his superiors, but felt satisfied with the little break in the dullness, and Company A always imagined that the affair materially assisted in hurrying up the issue of the fatigue uniforms, which took place shortly thereafter.
Tuesday, September 3d .- An escaped slave arrived this morning from the Rappahannock River, some forty miles from Old Point. He had started at night, and was discovered by his master, and chased and fired at by several men. At one time he was lost in the fog, "But," said he, "I put my trust in de Lord, an' he hab mercy on de poo' nigger, an' steer my helm straight for Ole Point." He gave a very amusing account of the journey, which had lasted a night and a day, his adven- turous voyage being made in a sailboat, or "cooner," as the fishermen call them here. Company H has hired him as cook.
The therapeutic value of salt water bathing appeared to be as fully appreciated by the men here as at Sandy Hook. Each afternoon during the summer details from the several companies marched to the beach and went into the water in quick time, taking the plunge in puris naturalibus. The exhilarating effects of this bathing, upon a beach celebrated throughout Virginia, was highly
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THE NATIONAL ZOUAVES.
beneficial, and, aside from the pleasure derived, it is safe to ascribe to this daily practice the excellent general health of the regiment, which enabled it to undergo the campaigning of 1862 with a much smaller percentage of disease than prevailed in most other commands.
The various company cook-houses of the regiment were supplied with utensils of sutheient capacity to fur- nish huge quantities of fried beefsteak, soup, boiled fresh and salt beef, vegetables and coffee, and the fare was plentiful and good, if the manner of cooking and dishing up was not very inviting. "Soft bread " was issued daily, with the privilege of buying delicacies of all kinds outside of the Fort, so long as money lasted. The regiment improved greatly in health while in garri- son-the invigorating air of the locality proving a tonic that filled our soldiers with vigorous life and spirit.
Cæsar, an ancient white-headed darkey, was em- ployed by Company A as cook for several months. Formerly a slave of Col. Jones, whose farm was about a mile beyond Hampton, he had escaped with his family in June, coming into Gen. Butler's lines. Jones, who was now in the Confederate service, had been possessed of fifteen slaves, ten of whom he had hired to the Govern- ment before the war to work on the Rip-Raps. Chris. Farrell, of Company A, succeeded old Casar in the euli- nary business, assisted part of the time by Bob Coffin. Bob was an odd genius, boiling over with rough spirits, and was a general favorite. His gruff voice, that seemed to come from his boots, summoned the company three times daily to fall in for rations, or, as he rather indeli- cately phrased it, "swill," and his peculiar notification became a familiar and anxiously awaited episode .*
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