USA > New York > The history of the Forty-eighth regiment New York state volunteers, in the war for the union. 1861-1865 > Part 2
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TI HE precise origin of the regiment, which was first known as the "Continental Guard." but after the date of its muster, as the FORTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT NEW YORK STATE VOLUNTEERS, is difficult to determine. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Barton and Quartermaster Avery deserve perhaps the credit of the very first thought. In the spring of 1861, on President Lincoln's calling for seventy-five thou- sand men, these two young men started to raise at least a company of a hundred men in Brooklyn. They rented a room in old Montague Hall, on Court Street, and advertised for recruits. Soon they had more responses than sufficed for a company, and with a fine courage they determined to raise a full regiment.
In response to such an announcement they received let- ters from some of the future officers of the Forty-eighth. vying. " We have a number of men on hand ready to join a good regiment : who is to command it?"
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FORTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT, N. Y. S. VOLS.
That was a question they found it necessary to decide at once. At that time it was announced in Brooklyn that the Rev. Dr. James H. Perry, pastor of the Pacific Street Methodist Episcopal Church,-a clergyman well and widely known throughout the city,-had determined to tender his sword to the Government, for service in its defence. In the public Conference he had declared that as he had been edu- cated at the expense of his country at West Point, he felt that she had a claim upon him for any service he could ren- der her in her hour of peril. It was a happy thought of Messrs. Barton and Avery to tender to Dr. Perry the com- mand of the regiment they had started to raise. They re- ceived promptly the following answer: "I have given the matter careful consideration. Our country needs help ; there are dark and serious days before it, and this rebellion must be crushed. If you think you can raise the number of men requisite for the formation of a regiment, and will at- tend to the detail work of recruiting, . . . you can use my name as Colonel."
These seem to have been the circumstances of the origin of the brave and heroic company of Union soldiers which became known in history as the Forty-eighth New York. The names of Lieutenant-Colonel William B. Barton, Quar- termaster Irving M. Avery, and Colonel James H. Perry deserve to stand at the head of its honorable roll.
And yet there were other units of company organizations. which had distinct origins, but which afterwards were joined to the forces that were rapidly recruited, when once the name of Dr. Perry had been authoritatively announced as the commander of the new regiment. Among others, Lieutenant B. R. Corwin had early begun to recruit a company in Brooklyn, under the personal authorization of Colonel Perry, and Captain D. C. Knowles had opened in July a recruiting-office in Trenton, N. J. Others in Mon- mouth County, N. J., and along the valley of the Hudson had gathered little groups of men, and when they learned that Dr. Perry was forming a regiment they gladly offered
:
JAMES H. PERRY,
FIRST COLONEL 4Sth, N. Y. S. Vous.
3 .
ORGANIZATION.
themselves and their men. Many religious parents, fearful of the moral contamination of army life for their sons, gladly heard of a regiment to be commanded by an eminent minis- ter, and sent their sons to join it. Undoubtedly that was how the organization gained its quaint sobriquet of " Perry's Saints."
As the formation of the regiment was made largely about the personality of its first commander, we will here give a sketch of his life.
JAMES H. PERRY was born in Ulster County, N. Y., June IS, 1811. He inherited from a Welsh ancestry splendid natural endowments, both intellectual and physical. He stood fully six feet in height, broad-chested, broad-browed, a man of noble bearing and of a courageous heart. He had early evinced an inclination to a military life, and received an appointment to a cadetship at West Point from President Jackson in return for political services rendered by his father. There was a delay in the forwarding of his credentials. and. supposing that he had failed to receive the promised appointment, young Perry began the study and entered upon the practice of law. He also married. When his appointment finally reached him he instantly relinquished the pursuit of the law, and entered West Point. There his independent and manly character brought him into frequent difficulties, as he would resent the insults which the Southern cadets were accustomed to heap upon the boys from the North. He did not relish being called a " mudsill," and he never was called it a second time. He became a sort of leader to the nobler of the Northern boys chafing under the nifronts they habitually received. In one encounter with several of the Southern cadets, who assaulted him in a most cowardly manner while he was unarmed, he barely escaped with his life, but thoroughly whipped his assailants. For that fight he was court-martialled, and sentenced to be dis- missed from West Point ; but President Jackson, himself a brave man who could appreciate the courage of a brave boy, not only annulled the sentence, but wrote a letter commen-
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FORTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT, N. Y. S. VOLS.
'datory of the manly conduct of young Perry. During his third year at the Academy he resigned his cadetship, and at the breaking out of the Texas rebellion against Mexico espoused the Texan cause. Perry was commissioned a colonel in the Texan army, and authorized to raise a regi- ment at the North. He only succeeded in raising part of a regiment, which he took with him to Texas, and with which he served with great and conspicuous ability. At the battle of San Jacinto there occurred an incident which changed the career of Colonel Perry from that of a man of war to that of a man of peace. General Santa Anna, the com- mander of the Mexican army, had been guilty of such duplicity, craftiness, and cruelty that every officer of the Texan army had taken an oath to take his life if they met him in battle. The reason for that desperate determination was the atrocities of Santa Anna at Goliad and at the Alamo. At Goliad he had butchered in cold blood the entire garrison after it had surrendered, and upon the cap- ture of the Alamo he had put to the sword every one of that gallant garrison, sparing only one woman, one child, and one servant. Because of these barbarities the Texan army had declared him an outlaw and a bandit, and the Texan officers had bound themselves by an oath to kill him at sight. At the battle of San Jacinto, where Texan independence was finally won, Colonel Perry commanded the left wing of General Houston's army. The battle-cry of the brave Texans was, "Remember the Alamo." In the battle Colonel Perry found himself opposed to a general whom he supposed to be Santa Anna. He rode towards him, and, in a hand-to-hand encounter with swords, killed him. After the battle, when Santa Anna was brought into the Texan camp a prisoner, Colonel Perry learned that his antagonist had been the chief of staff of the Mexican General, and that he had slain unwittingly an honorable soldier. Stung with remorse, he instantly withdrew from the army and came back North. That mistake in the identity of his antagonist at San Jacinto had a singular effect upon Colonel Perry's
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ORGANIZATION.
whole career. Brave as a lion, he was tender as a woman, and a cloud of remorse for that act shadowed his noble life from that hour until the day in Fort Pulaski when he died. His most intimate friends have always believed that it was this that led to his conversion, and the dedication of his life to the Christian ministry. On returning North after the Texan War he settled in Newburgh, on the Hudson.
I am indebted to his friend the Rev. J. B. Merwin for the following account of the conversion and the ministerial life of Colonel Perry :
" In the early fall of 1836, on a call at Newburgh, I found great in- terest because of an event of the Sunday night previous. At the close of the sermon in the Methodist church a prayer-meeting was commenced within the altar. The pastor, Rev. Seymour Landon, gave an invitation to any who desired to give their hearts to the Lord to come forward. Colonel Perry, who recently had returned from Texas. sat in the middle aisle near the door; he instantly rose, and deliberately walked to the altar and knelt for prayers. The man, so conspicuous for his elegant and lofty bearing, wearing the badge of his military office, manifesting so fearlessly his decision, awed the congregation, thrilled the church, and made such an impression that it became the topic of conversation throughout the town. His sincerity was seen in his docility: he sought and followed the advice of his pastor and his brethren. In less than two years from his conversion he was admitted on trial in the New York Conference, and began to preach. His first appointment in 1838 was Burlington and Bristol Circuit. Conn. The usual military parade took place that fall in Burlington, and the Rev. Mr. Perry was invited to act as chaplain. He discharged his duties with such fine dignity and such military form that the event of that day was the part taken by the chaplain. At the session of the New York Conference in 1841, held in Mulberry Street Church (now St. Paul's), New York City, the preacher assigned to fill the pulpit on Sabbath evening failed to appear. Colonel Perry was asked to take his place. In the spirit of military and ministerial discipline he obeyed orders. The ability he exhibited won for him an invitation to become the pastor of that church. He was not yet elected to elder's orders. and vet he filled what was then the most important appointment of the Conference with conspicuous success. Afterwards he was always assigned to the principal churches. The magnificent physique and marked characteristics of Dr. Perry were clements in the power and cificiency of his ministerial career. In any assembly of men he was
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FORTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT, N. Y. S. L'OLS.
likely to be the most noted figure in it-a Saul among his brethren. Tall, well-proportioned, with large head, full clear blue eye, a coun- tenance expressive of intelligent manliness, benignity and kindness, and a native dignity and grace of bearing that inspired confidence and respect, with nothing of that pomp and stateliness that repels-these but poorly indicate the character and proportions of his mind and heart. He was noble and manly in all his traits; in his attachments firm, constant, and reliable; the soul of honor and courage, always courteous, always a gentleman. Such a man he was, and he brought himself, his gifts, training and attainments into his work as a minister. Many can testify in all the churches to his great usefulness. He was a man of strong nature, had decided opinions, and possessed fine ability as a ready, dexterous, and cogent debater. He was a zealous advocate for lay-delegation in the Methodist Church. He received from Dickinson College in 1844 the degree of D.D. His manner in the pulpit was calm, dignified, and impressive; his style was distin- guished for its clearness, accuracy, and vigor, and for historic and classical allusions."
He was twice a member of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his success in the ministry was eminent. It was during the session of the Conference to which he belonged in the spring of 1861 that news of the bombardment of Fort Sumter was received. Rising in his seat, amid an enthusiasm that will never be forgotten, he said, "I was educated by the Government ; it now needs my services. I shall resign my ministry, and again take up my sword."
This was the Christian minister who was to become the first commander of the Forty-eighth Regiment, whose name was "a tower of strength" in its recruiting, who was to lead them to the front, and after ten months of noble ser- vice at their head, was to die amid their love and tears, and to live in their memory forever.
From the day that Colonel Perry's name was announced to command the new regiment the work of recruiting went rapidly on.
Lieutenant-Colonel Barton made a journey to Washing- ton, accompanied by the Ion. Moses F. Odell of Brooklyn, -an early and loyal friend of the regiment,-and received
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ORGANIZATION.
a promise from the Hon. Simon Cameron, then Secre- tary of War, that when more troops were needed the men they were enlisting would be accepted by the Government.
On July 24, 1861, the first recruits went into camp at Fort Hamilton, Long Island. The camp was named "Camp Wyman," after Mr. Luther B. Wyman of Brooklyn, our early friend and patron, whose interest in us and zeal to promote our welfare never wearied.
The regiment was designated originally the " Continental Guard," the design being that it should be independent of any State-and that is why the overtures of its projectors were made to Washington rather than to Albany. That idea was, however, soon abandoned, as the general policy of the Government was to obtain its soldiers in given quotas from the several States.
Before President Lincoln had issued his famous call for three hundred thousand men to serve " for three years or during the war," under which the Forty-eighth New York was mustered into the service, the noble men who were at work recruiting it had expended between two and three thousand dollars of their own money, and had been liberally aided by Mr. Wyman with means to establish the camp at Fort Hamilton, and to procure blankets and other neces- sities for the recruits:
Soon, however, their faith was to have its reward. On the renewal of the application to the War Department word was received from Governor E. D. Morgan, the great " War Governor" of New York, that when the regiment was pro- perly officered and organized he would come on at once and give it its number and muster it into the service.
Finally, on August 16, 1861, the first three companies were mustered in, namely, companies H, I, and K. After- wards the companies were mustered as fast as their quota of men was filled. Companies A and D, August 21 ; Com- pany G, August 26; Company E. August 27 ; Company F, August 31; Company B. September 5; and Company C, September 10. The time at Camp Wyman was spent in
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FORTY-EIGHTH REGIMMENT, N. Y. S. VOLS.
drill, and by the officers in studying the tactics. The writer remembers the night when he first arrived there-on July 30, 1861. Only one tent had been erected,-a round tent, such as a sutler afterwards used,-where all of us slept on the straw, with feet towards the centre. We recall a visit of inspection at Camp Wyman by Governor E. D. Mor- gan and his staff. Among the staff that day was a brilliant young gentleman by the name of Chester A. Arthur, late the President of the United States. The officers of the "Continental Guard" gave a fite champêtre one evening before we left the camp, which was a fine affair. The only officer, except Colonel Perry, who seemed to have had any elaborate military education (although Lieutenant-Colonel Barton and several others had belonged to the Seventh New York State Militia, and some to other militia regiments) was Lieutenant Elfwing, a Swede, a graduate of the Royal Military Academy of Sweden, and a very skilful swords- man, whose service with the regiment was destined to be long and conspicuous, and who is now the U. S. Consul at Stockholm, Sweden. The regiment took form in those days at Fort Hamilton, company by company, and at the final muster it received its number as the Forty-eighth Re- giment, New York State Volunteers.
We all remember the noble horse that Colonel Perry rode. It was presented to him by the Methodist ministers of New York and vicinity. I have received a letter con- cerning the circumstances of the'gift from the Rev. L. H. King, D.D., who writes as follows :
"I had been making a brief call on Colonel Perry, at his head- quarters in Brooklyn, and when leaving the thought occurred to me that it would be a handsome thing to do if the ministers would present him a horse, caparisoned and ready for use. At once I commenced raising a subscription. The preachers about New York readily sub- scribed $5 each, and Judge Fancher gave me some 860. I had but little trouble in raising the money, but a very hard time in finding a horse suitable for that kind of service. We tried many horses. An old farmer in U'Ister County sold me an unsound horse and I prose- cuted him, and he was glad to settle and refund before the suit came
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ORGANIZATION.
to trial. Finally, a thorough horseman came and volunteered to get me a horse ; and he found a good one, for which I paid $180 (the horse was afterwards sold for $2480). Betts of New York City made the saddle, bridle, etc., for which we paid him $60. One bright Monday afternoon I rode the horse down to Fort Hamilton. The regiment formed in a hollow square, and I made the presentation-speech from the saddle. to which the Colonel made a brief reply, and mounted his charger and rode away, and that was the last I ever saw of my genial and much-loved friend, Colonel Perry."
All will remember the scene thus described. Dr. King is a man of magnificent physique, not unlike that of Colonel Perry, and when one dismounted and the other mounted the noble steed-which we all came to love-it was a sight to remember. Finally, on September 15th, orders were received for us to proceed to Washington ; and on September 17th the regiment left Fort Hamilton (964 strong) for the front.
The field and staff officers and the commanders of com- panies on the day of our departure were as follows :
Colonel-JAMES H. PERRY.
Lieutenant-Colonel-WM. B. BARTON.
Major-OLIVER T. BEARD.
Adjutant-ANTHONY W. GOODELL.
Quartermaster-IRVING M. AVERY.
Surgeon-JOSEPH L. MULFORD.
· Assistant-Surgeon-PATRICK H. HUMPHRIES .* Chaplain-W.M. P. STRICKLAND, D.D.
Company A : Captain-LOUIS H. LENT.
.. B:
JAMES FARRELL.
C: EDWARD R. TRAVIS.
D : DANIEL C. KNOWLES.
WVM. B. CO.AN.
E : F: JAMES M. GREEN.
.6 G : ANTHONY ELMENDORF.
.6 H : DUDLEY W. STRICKLAND.
6. 1 :
JOSEPH G. WARD.
..
K:
SAMUEL J. FOSTER.
* Assistant.Surgeon Humphries' name is given here in order to complete the staff, although in fact he joined the regiment a little later.
CHAPTER II.
To the Front-September 17 to December 31, 1861.
Leave Fort Hamilton-Through New Jersey-Supper at Philadelphia- Through Baltimore-At Washington-At Annapolis-The Forty-seventh New York-Flag Presentation-Last Sermon of Colonel Perry-October 18th, Embarked on Steamer Empire City-At Hampton Roads-Organiza- tion of the Expeditionary Corps-October 29th, the Expedition Sails-The Fleet-Sealed Orders-The Storm at Sea-Off Port Royal-November 7th, the Battle of Port Royal-Landing at Hilton Head-In Camp- Contrabands-Brigadier-General Viele-Lady Nurses -- Drill-" Jeff"- Sickness-End of the Year IS61.
WE TE sailed by steamer John Potter from the dock at Fort Hamilton (landing at Pier 1, North River, New York City), through Staten Island Sound to South Amboy, N. J., and thence proceeded by rail to Philadelphia. Many will remember the greetings on the way: certain of com- panies D and H, whose homes were along the line of the railroad between South Amboy and Bordentown, in New Jersey, were met by their friends at the stations and loaded with gifts and refreshments; notably Tantum, when we reached his home at Windsor, and Captain Knowles, as we passed his father's farm at Yardville. All will remember also the supper at Philadelphia. at the " Cooper Shop Re- freshment Saloon." The noble City of Philadelphia gave a hearty meal to all the soldiers who passed through it, on their way to the front, and often it was the last "square meal" the boys were destined to have for years. We marched through Baltimore with loaded rifles, every man having received forty rounds of cartridge in case of emer- gency ; but we were undisturbed : none greeted us with en- thusiasm, but no one presumed to insult us. Colonel Perry was somewhat affronted by a pretended invitation to the
II
TO THE FRONT.
regiment to dine, which proved a fiasco. We reached Wash- ington at six P.M. on September 18th; next day we were assigned to temporary quarters in a brick building on Penn- sylvania Avenue, not far from Willard's Hotel, and received our rations at the Soldiers' Retreat, but soon went into camp on Capitol Hill. We felt now that we were at the front. Here one day we caught our first glimpse of President Lincoln as he reviewed a regiment of cavalry which was in camp near us. In company with Mrs. Hanley, the writer called at the White House ; we sent up our cards, but we were not received. Possibly we had forgotten that we had
VOLUNTE
REFRESHMENT SALOON
UNION
FREE
FOR
UNION VOLUNTEERS
UNION REFRESHMENT SALOON, PHILADELPHIA.
ceased to be "citizens" and had become soldiers. " Pri- vates" and regimental nurses were not expected to call upon the Chief Magistrate on passing through Washington. We learned the lesson of docility slowly, but we did learn it at last.
From September 20th until October 5th we remained in our camp on Capitol Hill, spending our time at drill ; here we were brigaded, and one day General T. W. Sherman, who was to be our commander, inspected our brigade. On Octo- ber 5th we received orders to proceed to Annapolis, Md. We left Washington at twelve o'clock noon, and arrived at Annapolis the same night at eleven o'clock. Application was
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FORTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT, V. Y. S. VOLS.
made to the authorities of St. John's College for permission to quarter the regiment in the college buildings that night, but it was refused ; whereupon Colonel Perry intimated that . "bayonets could pick locks," and we did sleep in the college buildings that night. Our rations not having arrived, we were invited by the Third New Hampshire to come to their quarters at the Naval Academy, and partake of coffee and hard-tack as their guests. Next day we went into camp in rear of the college buildings, our camp adjoining that of the Forty-seventh New York. From that day that brave regiment and ours became sworn allies, whose career in the war ran side by side for years, and between the two regi- ments a great friendship existed and many mutual courtesies were exchanged.
On the 12th of October, Mrs. Viele, wife of our brigade commander, General Egbert L. Viele, presented the regi- ment with a stand of colors. An address of presentation was made by Governor Hicks of Maryland, to which Colonel Perry responded. That flag was destined to be shot into shreds at Fort Wagner.
An amusing incident occurred on the first Sunday we were in Annapolis. The pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church invited Colonel Perry to preach for him in the even- ing. There is a story told, at the expense of the ministerial members of the regiment, that the Colonel excused himself, saying, "You can call on Major Beard, or Captain Knowles. or Sergeant Irvine, or some of the enlisted men :" but finally the Colonel did accept the invitation to preach.
The congregation of the Methodist church in Annapolis were startled that night to see a tall and dignified minister ascend their pulpit, arrayed in full regimentals, with his sword at his side; he unbuckled his belt and laid his sword upon a pulpit chair as he knelt to pray. Many Southern sympathizers in the congregation left the church ; those who remained heard a noble sermon from a noble preacher. It was his last appearance in a pulpit.
The officers of the regiment received many courtesies
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TO THE FRONT.
while in Annapolis, especially from Judge Brewer and his family. We now first learned that we were destined to par- ticipate in an expedition which was forming for an attack upon some unknown point on the Southern coast.
On October the 18th we received orders to move, struck camp, and went on board the steamer Mayflower, which took us two or three miles down the river to the steamer Empire City, which lay at anchor in the stream. Our lives and our fortunes were now embarked on that ship, where we were assigned narrow quarters for days to come.
On October 21st we sailed for Fortress Monroe, where the expedition was to rendezvous. Hampton Roads pre- sented an imposing spectacle in those days as the magnifi- cent expedition of naval vessels and transports, the greatest that up to that time had ever sailed under the American flag, was there assembled. The military forces, 12,653 in number, were under the command of Brigadier-General T. W. Sherman ; the naval portion of the expedition was com- manded by Captain S. F. Dupont. The fleet was composed of fifty war-vessels and transports, with twenty-five coal vessels under convoy of the Vandalia. The organization of the expeditionary corps was as follows :
ORGANIZATION OF THE EXPEDITIONARY CORPS, COMMANDED BY BRIGADIER-GENERAL THOMAS W. SHERMAN, U. S. ARMY, OC- TOBER 28, 1861.
First Brigade. Brigadier-General EGBERT L. VIELE.
Eighth Maine, Colonel Lee Strickland.
Third New Hampshire, Colonel Enoch Q. Fellows.
Forty-sixth New York, Colonel Rudolph Rosa.
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