USA > Ohio > History of the three months' and three years' service from April 16th, 1861, to June 22d, 1864, of the Fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the war for the Union > Part 8
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REACH FREDERICKSBURG WITH THE ARMY.
confidence prevailed, save the criticism that somebody was per- mitting Lee to escape.
The regiment now had one hundred and ninety-six officers and men for duty. It was now known that Longstreet was ahead of us, and Jackson over in the valley, and that the army had been divided into three Grand Divisions, and that General Halleck had been consulting with Burnside for two days, each giving color to the rumor that we were to have a general engage- ment very soon; the weather was exceeding fine during our eight days' sojourn at Warrentown, but the 15th doomed us to a long tramp through dust, and close, sultry pine forests, when many overpowered by the heat dropped out of the ranks; yet the next day, with its rain in the forenoon, and our slipping, sliding and dodging around the wagons, as wagon-guards, for fifteen miles, capped the climax; for the greater part of the way there was no place to squat down to rest save on the damp mould of the pine forests, where in a few moments wood ticks were in one's shoes, climbing up the legs, crawling down the neck, or lancing a hole in one's scalp, soon pushing their pincers and head through the skin, so that the more one tried to pull the vermin off it only stuck the faster, until off came a part of the body, leaving the head to fester and itch most intolerably for a day or two.
On to Richmond, this time sure, for have we not ten days' rations and one hundred and twenty thousand men, against seventy thousand under Lee? On the afternoon of the 17th our corps reached Falmouth and the troops were as anxious as was Sumner to cross over to Fredericksburg and take the battery and a few hundred men that were guarding the city. But nay, Burnside would not have it so; he had been so intent on getting to Falmouth, that he seemed to forget for a few days to keep himself posted as to the whereabouts of Lee, and evidently thought that his entire force might be on hand to scoop any force that might have been thrown over; it was certain that Burnside foresaw no contingencies, or could not easily change a plan, or consider details and adapt himself to them; he had given orders not to cross, and the orders must not be changed, if for no other reason than to give Sumner and his men to understand that "orders is orders," and that Burnside commanded the Grand Army; already did we begin to lose confidence in our new
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FOURTH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
Commander in Chief. We remained in camp about two miles from Falmouth. The next day several muleteers, mules and wagons were captured near Banks' Ford, and the brigade was hurried out, only to return in a short time, as the Fourteenth Indiana had accomplished all that was desired. For two days the roll was called every hour. On the 18th Franklin's Grand Division camped a few miles northeast of us, and the next day Hooker settled down about the same distance to the northwest. Soon the Confederate pickets became more numerous, and many of them were busy throwing up earthworks on the Heights back of the city; considerable part of Longstreet's Corps had arrived, and about the 25th, the day the pontoons came to hand, Jackson took his position below the city, so that we had Lee's entire army, huge earthworks and a river between us and Richmond: to all appearances we were farther from that coveted city than ever, and the dissatisfaction in the ranks increased. On the morning of the 21st Sumner demanded the surrender of the city, because from the houses along the river our men were con- stantly being fired at. The authorities having promised that the city should no longer be used for any warlike purposes, it was spared a bombardment.
CHAPTER XIV.
BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.
On the 8th of December the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-eighth New Jersey regiments were assigned to our brigade. Prepara -. tions were soon made to go into winter quarters, making the fatigue duty very fatiguing, in the endeavor to hack down and cut up with blunt, serrated and edgeless axes, large pine trees with which to build log huts.
On the fine morning of December 9th came the order to be ready with three days' rations in the haversack. The people of the North kept constantly complaining, " Why don't the Army of the Potomac move?" and the Confederates had their earth- works and cannon ready for us and we had our huts pretty well under way, which gave three very plausible reasons that we ought to move against the enemy. On the roth there was inspection, and the old song " Be ready to march at a moment's notice," was changed to be ready to march at three in the morning. Morning came with its booming guns sounding rev- eille ; we took our position at about 7 o'clock, between the Phillips House and the river, on the Stafford Heights; a heavy, impenetrable fog had closed down upon the city and both armies ; the guns ceased firing, and for a short time all was quiet, when there came the peculiar crack of rifles and wounded men were carried back; the Mississippi Riflemen, from stone walls and houses, had been firing upon the men that were putting down pontoon bridges; orderlies were soon seen galloping from head- quarters and General Hunt, Chief of Artillery, along the river with instructions to fire fifty rounds from every gun; from ten until eleven one hundred and forty-seven guns, varying in caliber from a ten-pounder Parrott to four-and-a-half-inch siege-guns sent destruction into the town; the spectacle was most appal-
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FOURTH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
ling, although nothing but fire, stifling smoke and the sun's red disk could be seen; the city was shrouded in the cloudy, sul- phurous gloom, and silent as the grave; not a single response came from the enemy ; the mists cleared away, and many houses in the city were on fire ; another attempt was made to put down the pontoons, but failed, until the Seventh Michigan crossed in several pontoon boats and drove the enemy through the city. Toward night we were marched near to the Lacey House, and held ourselves in readiness to cross at any moment; many of the men were at the bank, taking observations, as the sun was setting back of the fortifications on Marye's Heights, when there was a puff of smoke that hid its glory, and a frightful whirring noise was heard overhead, probably made by a piece of railroad iron, fired at us to test the range of gun, or as a matter of experi- ment with such unusual missiles; we were at once marched to the rear under cover.
All slept soundly until four the next morning, when after a hasty breakfast we crossed the river on the pontoon bridge, and immediately, the Fourth being in advance, deployed as skir- mishers, up the streets, past the smouldering embers of burning buildings, furniture and dead Confederates; no enemy could be seen, until the outskirts of the city were reached; the people had forsaken their homes, with the exception of a very few; some taking with them all their goods, others leaving pretty much everything in their houses; order; were given to protect the property, and not as much as might naturally be expected was carried away; there were a number of homes that indicated taste and refinement; in Lieutenant Maury's house were entire boxes of maps, charts and books presented to him by the French government; there was but little indication of damage done by the bombardment save the burning of buildings. A few people that remained said that most of their neighbors were back of Lee's forces, in tents and huts, expecting soon to return.
The fog had raised sufficient for operations, and several squads were detailed from the Fourth and sent out in command of Captain Jones to determine the "where" and "how many" of the pickets on the edge of the city; the details moved out on two different streets and were immediately fired upon on Han- Over street, and Watson Mccullough, of Company C, was wounded, causing a halt, and a sharp engagement until the
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93
SKIRMISH OF THE 12TH.
squad on Princess Ann street took possession of a log house, flanked the rebel pickets, and caused them to fall back; advanc- ing still further they noticed the depot and machine shops, and made for them one by one, under a shower of bullets coming from a new source, a railroad cut, yet no one was hit; here a number of arms were captured and the pickets routed out of the cut; William Kepler, of Company C, happening to be the first man to reach the depot, captured an eighteen by thirty-two inch flag-the stars and bars-which he still has in his pos- session ; the squad now crossed the bridge over a canal, a stream about four feet deep and twelve wide, moved to the right oblique to the house that was the furthest out of any, went up stairs where they obtained a full view of the battle-field of the mor- row; looking out the west window, they saw near at hand the pickets taking good aim, and firing on our men near Hanover street; the window was opened and a volley sent into the flank of a number of "graybacks" lying in a ditch, when there was a lively climbing and rushing to the rear by fifty or more Con- federates, who did not stop until they were under the protection of their comrades, behind the stone wall, by the telegraph road at the foot of the hill.
After this flank movement there was but little firing back of the city during the day. Before leaving the house a noise was heard in an outhouse; the squad marched to the door with guns at an aim; the door was tried, but found locked; Lieutenant Byron Evans, with drawn revolver, demanded a surrender; in a moment the door was burst open with a stick of cord wood, when, lo! scores of chickens fluttered in every direction; the next morning drumsticks and wish-bones, which had been picked whilst the situation was being discussed, were scattered about a large building.
Franklin, it was understood, had crossed his division below town, and was supported by part of Hooker's Corps. It was concluded that they were to turn the position of the enemy, and that Sumner's Division was to move forward to help in the grand rout, when Jackson's flank had been turned by a coup de main, for it was certain, they thought, that he could never carry the works back of the city by storm, for it was evident that the ene- my had complete range, and could concentrate the fire of all his guns to one point, and mow us down. All were pretty well
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FOURTH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
1
agreed that Lee had us just where it suited him best, and that was the reason he did not reply to our guns the previous day ; "he wants us back of the town where he can give it to us," says one ; "all creation can't drive the Johnnies out of those breastworks," said another. These men knew as well as any general could know, the entire ground, for they had looked at it for some ten hours the previous day ; they knew that troops could cross only at two places over the canal ; that there was a rise of ground that must be crossed, and could be swept by a large number of guns; that beyond this was a ravine with the longest slope toward the enemy where his muskets and rifles, fired from a stone wall and breast works, would likely bring down the few that were spared by the cannon; and that if Marye's Heights are taken, there are more guns and troops in earthworks, further back; some of them thought our forces had better go around by the fords up the river.
Nine o'clock of December 13th had come, and with it the order to fall into line; General Franklin was already hard at it on our left ; the orders were overheard, " Three regiments are to be deployed as skirmishers, followed by divisions, two hun- dred yards apart; "do you hear that boys?" says one; "there is going to be some terrible hot work," says another; the men looked downcast; they were willing to do their whole duty, but were perfectly satisfied that it would be a useless waste of lives unless a continuous bridge spanned the length of the drain ditch, and several divisions moved rapidly against the enemy with fixed bayonets.
Colonel Mason was to take command of and advance the line of skirmishers, composed of the following regiments: Fourth Ohio, in command of Lieutenant Colonel Godman, to move on Princess Ann street, as the left flank; the First Delaware, as center, in charge of Major Smyth, was to follow, and the Eighth Ohio, as right flank, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sawyer, was to move out on Hanover street ; Captains Jones and Grubb, of the Fourth, had been detailed to act as guides, the former of the First Delaware, the latter of the Eighth Ohio. This force was on the first street east of the drain ditch, and parallel with the river; on the next street north-Caroline street-General Kimball was waiting, in command of the Seventh Virginia, Fourteenth Indiana, Twenty-fourth and 28th New Jersey regi-
95
LEAD ATTACK ON MARYE'S HEIGHTS.
ments, which were to follow and support the skirmishers; all the streets were filled with infantry and artillery. We had been in readiness for over two hours; the pickets had been called in and were in line ; Franklin's and Jackson's booming cannon had been heard during all this time, contending with each other on our left; on our front, Longstreet, as well as we, had remained quiet all morning, probably awaiting developments.
Colonel Mason, commanding the skirmishers, near noon gave the order to advance. Colonel Godman now com- mands: "Attention! Shoulder arms. Forward-file right- March!" Our regiment, now numbering nineteen officers and ninety-eight enlisted men, moves in the advance, rapidly out Princess Ann street, to the rear of the town, crosses the canal bridge and we are just in the very act of climbing up an embankment two to three feet high, and can plainly see the rebels upon redoubts on Marye Heights move rapidly to and fro, while Godman riding coolly at our head, gives the order : "Deploy as skirmishers! By the left flank!" when there is a puff of smoke on the Heights and two men fall; immediately several more cannon belch forth fire and smoke and sixteen more fall; Peter Akum and Captain Wallace have received mortal injuries, and Godman is wounded in the thigh. The wounded are immediately laid back of the embankment or helped to the house a few rods to our right and soon cared for by Sur- geon Morrison.
Hundreds who had watched our advance and had seen the batteries open on us, and the men falling right and left, thought we had been annihilated. Shot and shell are still hurled over, to right, left and front of us, while the line in com- mand of Major Carpenter and Captain Stewart, with the right flank of the regiment at the street and the left flank extending to the right until we join with the First Delaware; we continue on the run up the slope over the rise of ground, down the further slope, under a continued storm of missiles, which does now but little damage to our thin line; we cross a ravine, with its mud and fence, then up the Marye Heights slope, a triple line of rebel skirmishers rapidly vanishing behind a stone wall from which there now comes volley after volley from some half a dozen lines of rebels; again one after another of our boys fall ; human nature cannot endure facing such a storm of bullets and
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FOURTHI OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
not reply; we have reached the crest of the slope and open a vigorous fire.
We hug the ground for some time, hoping reinforcements would soon come to help us drive the enemy from the stone wall; General Kimball's other four regiments now come over the hill behind us on the run, closing the gaps that are made in their ranks by the storm of missiles; they reach us, drop down by our side, and open fire. General Kimball having been wounded in the thigh as soon as the plain was reached, left the command of the brigade to Colonel Mason, and the skirmishers in charge of Lieutenant Colonel Sawyer of the Eighth Ohio.
Nearly an hour has passed by since the ordeal began, when the Second Brigade of our division forms at the canal and comes charging midst a terrific hurling of shot and shell; crosses the ravine, comes up the slope, drops down at the crest and joins the general fusilade against the stone wall. In like manner at intervals of less than half an hour comes brigade after brigade, doing just the same things, rush over the plain for one-third of a mile, over dead, wounded and dying, closing up the gaps, while the showers of lead and iron leave the field more difficult to cross because of the increased number of man- gled remains that must not be trampled into the earth ; French's Third and last brigade is followed by Zook's, Meagher's and Caldwell's Brigades of Hancock's Division ; at about four o'clock comes Howard's Division, Owens' men first, then Hall's just as we were relieved by two regiments of Sully's Brigade, and soon the other two regiments tried the ordeal, followed to the first slope by Hazzard's Rhode Island battery, which being terribly handled by the concentrated fire was soon relieved by Franks' New York battery. At this juncture Humphrey's Division, just at the time when most of our regiment are able to get back as far as the buildings, goes forward as if determined by running toward the Heights and cheering vociferously they could strike consternation into the rebels that were safely cuddled down behind the stone wall, where nothing had as yet molested them or made them afraid.
We had thus seen thousands of men come over the slope and get down at the crest with us before the Heights and there remain, while on the hill and slope behind and among us the sight is horrible and heart-rending; hundreds of the bleeding
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COLOR-BEARER TORRENCE FALLS.
and mangled are dragging themselves from the dead and dying, are trampled upon by the thousands, many of whom in the excitement hardly knew whither they were going save to the certain slaughter. Wounded men fall upon wounded; the dead upon the mangled; the baptism of fire adds more wounds and brings even death to helpless ones; as we look back the field seems covered with mortals in agony ; some motionless, others are dragging themselves toward the rear; occasionally the shell or cannon ball that comes into their midst, sends arms, hands, legs and clothing into the air ; on the front line there is no safety, for here men fall; our colors for a moment are down, for our noble color-bearer George B. Torrence, (after whom the G. A. R. Post at Delaware is named,) falls, having his head blown from his body, leaving his blood and brains upon comrades and the flag. It is a baptism of fire and blood. Blood is everywhere. Overhead is a pandemonium of shrieking missiles. Comrade is separated from comrade by the thousands that have come to the crest and there huddled together, so that several of our boys fall, no one knows when or how. Some were so separated that they did not see a soul they knew, as they were lost in the mass until they returned to the rear in the evening.
By about 4 o'clock our ammunition was gone and all had been used that could be found upon the helpless and dead; the entire brigade was ordered to fall back into the town, form in line where we had formed in the morning, get ammunition and await orders.
When we reached the house at the outskirts a wounded comrade called to the writer, "Company C, take me along;" again and again did others use the same words, and beg most piteously and in imploring tones, "Take ME along;" a solid shot fired at Hazzard's Battery plunged through the house; returning comrades heard the imploring voices, were asked to take hold of doors, boards or window-blinds, place a wounded man upon each and take him to the rear; Aide de Camp Lester, with orders from Mason, came to hand at this juncture and ordered that every man be removed as soon as possible, as the house would probably be shelled; not a man refused to do his utmost, and soon every wounded man was removed to the rear and placed in charge of surgeons. It was none too soon, for shot and shell came with a vengeance before the last man was
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FOURTH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
carried away; one of the shells plowed through the bed from which Chaplain Warner's son, "Tommy," had just been re- moved.
We shall never forget how a comrade asked to relieve us, took hold of the improvised stretcher in our place, nearly reached the bridge, when a solid shot took him and the wounded com- rade through their bodies, neither ever knowing what had befallen him. At this juncture, just as Humphrey's men were going forward, a plucky little fellow of some sixteen summers came from the front, swinging the stub of his right arm, from which by shreds dangled his hand and the spurting blood describing a circle he shouted at the top of his voice, "Hurrah! Hurrah for the Union!" and his watch-word was vociferously echoed by the line that was just passing as the little fellow sank to the earth.
The carnage would certainly soon end for the sun was getting low and nothing had been accomplished. Men were getting angered at the useless slaughter. Says one: "Great gods, if only one of those shells would take Burnside on the head!" Surely there was reason for complaint, when men are sent in to be whipped by detail. It was certain, too, that our men would obey orders even though it is a forlorn hope.
"Six times," says Lee, "did the enemy, notwithstanding the havoc caused by our batteries, press to within one hundred yards of the foot of the hill, here encountering the deadly fire of our infantry." Some of our men were within twenty-five paces of the stone wall and not a single line went nearer the enemy than did the skirmish line at noon. Before us, behind the stone wall. were massed four brigades: Cobb's, Kershaw's, Cook's and Ransom's. Says Ransom: "Another line was formed by the enemy, he all the while keeping up a brisk fire with his sharp- shooters-few lingered under cover of fences and houses, and annoyed us with a scattering and well-directed fire."
Night came on; our thin ranks were very much thinned; we had gone into the fight with nineteen officers and ninety-eight enlisted men; we lost one officer killed and four wounded, two mortally; six men killed, thirty-four wounded. During the entire night could be heard the moaning, groaning, and shrieks . of our wounded; many of the poor fellows were brought in under cover of darkness; the lower rooms of houses in the
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Map of the BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG DEC. 13 TH. 1862
REFERENCES :
Union Troops.
A. Meude's furthest advance
B. Gibbon's
C. French , Hancock &. Howard.
Confederate Troops. a Charge of Trembler's Brig. b
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THE DAY AFTER THE BATTLE.
town were filled with the wounded; surgeons were exhausted with their tasks; masses of blood were upon floors; legs and arms lying in heaps.
The next morning we were again in line. The Ninth Corps was in readiness. Burnside threatened to lead his old corps and take the Heights at the point of the bayonet. General Sumner persuaded him to do no such thing. Had he placed dozens of bridges over the canal on the night of the 12th and then ordered his men to attack with empty guns and fixed bayonets he would doubtless have driven the enemy at the first onset.
Burnside, in his report, says: "For the failure of the attack I am responsible, as the gallantry, courage and endurance shown by the men was never exceeded, and they would have carried the points had it been possible." General Couch says: "General Kimball's brigade was in front, and by its subsequent conduct showed itself worthy to lead."
On the morning of the 14th there was a skirmish, but nothing transpired save the caring for the wounded and sending them north as fast as possible. In the evening the heavens were lit up by the aurora. The mail was distributed; many letters were for fallen comrades: missives of love never read, never an- swered. Morning came again and with it the order to make out reports of losses and the part taken in the action. Colonel Mason commanded the division and Colonel Sawyer the brigade. We had our quarters along the south side of the river. The roll is called; instead of the familiar "Here," came the answer, "Killed," "Wounded," and caused a breathless hush as of death. Oh, the horrors of war!
On the 15th nothing special transpired. At night we recrossed the river and returned to our old quarters on Claiborne Run, . and slept in a driving rain.
On the forenoon of the 16th there was regimental inspection, and in the afternoon the brigade was drawn up in line of battle in the rear of the camp, in expectation of an attack from the direction of Banks' Ford, where a fatigue party had been fired into as it was going after wood.
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