History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, Vol. II, Part 11

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902. cn
Publication date: 1869
Publisher: Harrisburg, B. Singerly, State Printer
Number of Pages: 1386

USA > Pennsylvania > History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, Vol. II > Part 11

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1862

DEFENCE AT THE BRIDGES OF THE CHICKAHOMINY.

and in the language of his official report, "remained with him until Sunday, . rendering most valuable service and behaving well." Of the two hundred and forty-nine officers and men who went into the conflict, one hundred and twen- ty-five, just one-half, were killed or wounded. Of the latter were Captains Davis, who lost an arm, Lennard, Chamberlain, Weidensaul and Carskaden. At the time of the battle there was much misrepresentation of the conduct of Casey's Division, to which General M'Clellan, judging by imperfect reports, was the first to give currency, but which, as is seen above, he subsequently corrected. The fact was, the troops of Casey and Couch, numbering but twelve thousand men, were fighting five divisions of the rebel army, led by its Gen- eral-in-Chief.

A month now intervened without any movement on the part of either army. The enemy seeing the Union army divided by the Chickahominy, concentrated his forces npon the left bank, and struck heavily the right and weakest wing. He first encountered our forces at Mechanicsville, on the 26th of June. "On the 27th," says General Naglee in his report, "orders were received from Gen- eral M'Clellan by General Keyes, directing that the railroad and Bottom's bridges over the Chickahominy, should be held at all hazards, and if pressed the bridges should be destroyed. This important service was entrusted to my brigade. Upon the first intimation of the approach of the enemy in this direc- tion, I had lined the Chickahominy between the bridges, and a mile above and below them, with the sharpshooters of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania and Eleventh Maine, and had placed the especial charge of the Railroad Bridge with Colonel Plaisted and the remainder of his regiment. The remainder of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania, Lieutenant Colonel Hoyt, the Fifty-sixth New York, Colonel Van Wyck, and One Hundredth New York, Lieutenant Colonel Stanton, were distributed in the redoubts and riffe-pits, and on picket duty. *

During the 26th the only evidence of the approach of the enemy was the constant roar of the artillery borne upon the breeze from the desperate conflict at Mechanicsville ; on the 27th small reconnoitring parties approached the Chickahominy, but they soon learned to respect the presence of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania and Eleventh Maine, that were concealed in that swamp, waist deep in water. * * *

"On the 28th, the day after the battle of Gaines' Mill, there were indications of activity in our immediate neighborhood. From early morning, cavalry watched our industrious efforts to complete our earth-works. Infantry pressed into the woods and skirmished with our picket line, but too close an approach to my sharpshooters, concealed in the swamp, soon led to great caution. About noon a large force, reported as two brigades, moved down to the railroad. A battery of artillery, with cavalry, supported by two regiments of infantry, crossed the railroad, and under cover of the wood, took a position upon the high ground facing the Chickahominy, and about one thousand yards from the bridges. Making every preparation, I awaited their attack, and ordered Mil- ler's Battery to respond slowly but skillfully until he learned the range. I di- rected Morgan and Brady to test the range in the same manner, and with about an hour's practice we were fully prepared. Half an hour afterwards I observed changes of position, as if in preparation for an attack, and ordered the three batteries to increase their fire, and to concentrate it npon the troops that were moving. This had the desired effect and they were compelled to withdraw into the woods. I then concentrated the fire upon the battery, which, by four

FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT.

1862

o'clock, was so effectually silenced, that it responded but seldom during the re- mainder of the afternoon.

" On the 29th large bodies of the enemy were constantly hovering around in force, but he did not renew the attack, being fully occupied in the terrific struggle that continued throughout this day at Savage Station. At 7 P. M. the destruction of the railroad bridge was made complete by running into the gap the locomotive and long train of cars filled with immense quantities of ammunition, which exploded with sublime and terrific power that shook the whole earth, and the white smoke ascended in a column so grand, so magnificent, that all stood spell bound, impressed to that extent that it cannot be forgotten. At 10 P. M., the army and its trains having passed by the road less than two miles in rear of these bridges, the necessity of holding this position no longer existed, and I received instructions from General M'Clellan to follow with the rear guard and cross the White Oak Swamp Bridge. It was nearly daylight on the morning of the 30th of June, when the brigade bivouacked on the rising ground near to, and commanding the White Oak Swamp Bridge. At 10 A. M. Naglee's Brigade was ordered by General M'Clellan to report immediately for duty to Brigadier W. F. Smith, and by eleven o'clock it was in line of battle perpendicular to and the right resting on the main road leading from the White Oak Swamp Bridge, with the left on the swamp, about three-fourths of a mile from the bridge-a portion of the Fifty-second being deployed in the swamp, extending from the brigade to the bridge. All the space between the swamp and the line occupied by my brigade, was covered with troops, infantry and artillery, belonging to the divisions of Smith and Richardson, under command of General Franklin, who was ordered to hold the position and prevent the passage of the bridge that the army might continue the retreat from the Pen- insula. * Frequent efforts were made by the enemy to cross the

bridge and swamp, but he was as frequently repulsed.

At ten

o'clock P. M., I was ordered to follow General Smith's Division, and made imme- diate preparations to retreat as soon as the division should file off. The brigade arrived on the following morning at Haxall's, on the James River, at six o'clock .

* A. M., on the 1st of July, after a march of seventeen miles. * *

Thus for seven days were the men of my brigade constantly on duty. On the 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th of June the safety of the army depended upon our holding the railroad and Bottom's bridges, and on the 30th upon holding the bridge at the White Oak Swamp. Many, day and night for four days, stood to their middle in the water of the Chickahominy Swamp, and all impressed with the responsible duty required of them, served their country in this hour of trial, enduring the most excessive labor, fatigue, and exhaustion, with extraor- dinary endurance and cheerfulness; and well may they and their many friends in all the future, refer to those gallant deeds and trials, with the conscious pride that they are deserving the thanks and remembrance of their country."

On the 2d of July the army retired to Harrison's Landing. Here for a time the brigade was under the command of Brigadier General William H. Emory. On the 20th of August it arrived at Yorktown, moving in conjunction with the whole army to the support of Pope. A raid of the enemy at about this time, upon the out-posts at Williamsburg, then held by the Fifth United States Cav- alry, resulted in the temporary detention of the brigade at Yorktown, where it occupied the vast intrenchments environing the place, and mounting over one

1863

ATTACK UPON THE CITY OF CHARLESTON.

hundred heavy guns. Here the men were thoroughly trained as heavy artille- rists, instruction which subsequently proved of the greatest value.

In December the Fifty-second, with its own and several other brigades, was ordered to report to Major General Foster, in North Carolina. A terrible storm overtook the fleet off Cape Hatteras, and the famous iron-clad Monitor, the victor of the Merrimac, was lost. The expedition was supposed to have been intended to operate against Wilmington, but the sinking of the Monitor de- feated the purpose.

On the 29th of January, 1863, in company with a large flect, the Fifty-second sailed out of the harbor of Beaufort, North Carolina, into the broad Atlantic, heaving under the effects of a long and severe storm. Sealed orders, opened after passing south of latitude thirty-four degrees north, showed its destination to be Port Royal, South Carolina, and upon its arrival, found the great harbor covered with Dupont's frigates, iron-clads, monitors, consorts, and supply ships. On the 9th of March, General Naglee was relieved of his command by General Hunter, commanding the Department of the South. At his departure, much regret was felt among the men, for he had won the confidence and love of all by his devotedness and gallantry.

On the 6th of April the Fifty-second, embarking upon a transport, moved up the North Edisto, to a point twelve miles below Charleston. The great naval attack upon the defences of the city was about to be inaugurated, and all the infantry in the Department was transported to points favorable for follow- ing it up in the event of its success. The attack, bold and skillful, with the mightiest enginery of warfare hitherto devised, failed. Drifting about the wa- ters of the Sea Islands for a few days, the Fifty-second returned, but arriving at the entrance of the harbor at Hilton Head, too near dark to enter, the barque was obliged to put to sea to avoid the shallow coast. A severe storm came on in the night, and when in the morning the barque entered port, the men, who had been gleesome upon the quiet waters of the river, had grown care-worn and long visaged.

Debarking at Beaufort, the regiment remained until the 5th of July, when it moved to Folly Island. In the meantime General Hunter had been super- seded in the command of the Department by General Gilmore. With great secrecy and celerity, preparations were made for the bombardment of Morris Island. To create a diversion in favor of the attacking party, an expedition consisting of the Fifty-second and One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, under command of General Alfred Terry, was, on the night of July 9th, sent up the Stono River. It was preceded by the monitor Nantucket, Commodore Beaumont, of Wilkesbarre, who threw his fifteen inch shells right and left as he proceeded, and by twelve o'clock, midnight, both regiments had floundered through the mud from the steamers to the solid land of James Island. Am- buscaded upon a causeway on which it was attempting to advance, the com- mand halted until day-light, when the march was resumed, and the enemy's pickets and cavalry were rapidly driven into their strong lines at Secessionville. By this time the descent of our troops upon Morris Island had been success- fully made under Generals Strong and Seymour, and that strip of land was held as far as Fort Wagner. The position of Terry's troops on James Island, had now become critical, and he was re-inforced by several regiments and a battery. Before day-light on the morning of the 16th, the enemy, with several pieces of light artillery, opened upon the gun-boat Pawnee, the principal reli-

FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT.

1863

anee of the command for safety. The men instantly sprang to arms, and soon their bivouack was swept by his shells, and a brigade of his infantry rushed forward to the assault. Captain Rockwell's Connecticut Battery, which had fortunately arrived upon the island during the night, was soon brought into position and opened with fine effect. A charge of the infantry sent the enemy back to his intrenchments. A few shells from the eleven-inch Dahlgrens of the Pawnee, helped to hasten the flight. The rebels suffered severely, but it was manifest that General Terry could not hold the position with the force in hand, and an evaluation was ordered for the following night. The Fifty-second, only two hundred and fifty strong, was sent upon the picket line in the after- noon to cover the withdrawal. The pickets on both sides were in open country, in plain view, and in easy range of each other. The night proved rainy, and so intensely dark, that an intelligent movement in any direction was impossible. Finally, towards morning it was announced to the officers that the evacuation was complete, and the piekets were withdrawn in safety. The movement at- traeted the attention of the enemy, who were left alone blazing away with their muskets into the blank darkness. Upon the next night, at dark, the Fifty-sec- ond had reached the head of Folly Island, and the men were spectators of the desperate and bloody assault upon Fort Wagner. Sixteen hundred men were left in front of its fatal trenches.

It was evident that the fort could only be reduced by the slow process of a siege, and that, under the concentrated fire of Wagner and Sumter, and of in- numerable batteries on James and Sullivan Islands, bristling with heavy rifled cannons, columbiads, and mortars. Morris Island, upon the head of which Fort Wagner was located, is a low neck of sand, five miles long, ending within one thonsand yards of Fort Sumter. It varies in width from half a mile at its lower extremity, to a hundred feet in front of Wagner, where it suddenly widens to two hundred yards. At its narrowest point, Wagner extended quite across it, a heavy sand fort with a wet ditch and bomb-proof, capable of holtling fourteen hundred men. The sands of the island shift with every tide, and it is on no two days of the same shape or size. The siege by which the fort was finally reduced became a memorable one, and lasted fifty days.

"The barren ridges and hillocks of the island," says Colonel Hoyt, " fur- nished absolutely nothing but standing room, and even that was most unstable. All supplies, timber excepted, were brought from the north in transports. Folly Island was stripped of a thick and handsome growth of pine, for piles, piers, and batteries. It is difficult to give any adequate notion of the energies and activity displayed by the besieging forces. The first parallel was com- menced one thousand four hundred yards from Wagner, and was a mere flying sap up to the second parallel, eight hundred yards distant. At this point the highest resources of the engineers' science were exhausted. Works of great strength were built, provided with magazines, depots, and bomb-proofs. It be- came of course the focus of the fire from all their lurid circumference. It was found that Fort Sumter must first be reduced or silenced, as it threw plunging shot into our works over the heads of the garrison of Wagner. By the 17th of August General Gilmore was prepared to open upon Sumter with the following ' machinery :' In the first parallel was a naval battery manned by sailors from the fleet. It mounted two two-hundred-pounder Parrotts and two eighty-four-pounder Whitworth guns, five eight-inch and five ten-inch siege mortars, two thirty-pounder Parrotts and a Requa Battery. These batteries

REDUCTION OF FORT WAGNER.

1863

were four thousand yards from Sumter. In the second parallel three thousand four hundred yards distant, were two two-hundred-pounder Parrotts, and five one-hundred-pounders. In the left battery, four thousand two hundred and thirty-five yards distant, were one three-hundred-pounder, two two-hundred- pounder, and four one-hundred-pounder, and four twenty-pounder Parrotts.

"On the 18th of August these batteries opened. In a short time the boys of the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery got the range. Every puff of smoke from these ungainly piles of sand, over which these Parrotts loomed long and black, was followed by a little cloud from Sumter. These great bolts went hissing quietly, but unerringly into the sides of this old fort, across the miles of intervening swamp and water. At the end of the first day Sumter had the appearance of a bad case of small pox. The next day gaps began to appear in her parapet, and by the 25th it was a shapeless pile of brick-dust, and as a Fort was demolished; but remained a garrison for infantry for more than a year.

"All arms of the service were engaged in this work. By turns each was engineer, artillerist, and infantry. Operations were suspended during the day, for now, everybody was under the musketry fire of Wagner, at will. At dusk the eight hundred and forty guards of the trenches were marched out, and the relief was marched in. The men filed up the low, imperfect covered ways, sa. luted by an infernal fire from all directions. The process involved great vigi- lance, and more dodging than always comported with dignity. The guards once fairly posted, became quiet, and the busy workers behind them took up their chorus of industry. Here a couple hundred of men were dragging by long lines a three-hundred-pounder Parrott on its gin with wheels ten feet in diameter, to its sandy bed in front; there was a squad of busy men with shovels-here a party filling sand-bags-there a detail with their fascines and gabions, repairing yesterday's damage, or framing a new embrasure-here were the artillerists car- rying their mortar, their solid shots and cartridges to the outermost zig-zag- and there was the telegraph operator with his instrument well in advance, and Professor Grant pouring his powerful calcium light on the ragged eminences of Fort Wagner. Beating time to the tides, alongside, rode a glorious fleet of iron-clads and men-of-war.

"Over all this diversity of labor were constantly exploding, at night, the shells of the enemy. 'Cover-Johnson !' would be called from our look-out. There is a flash away across the harbor-in ten or fifteen seconds comes a report- away up in air is seen a small unsteady twinkle-presently it 'whistles' and 'wobbles,' and roars like a coming storm-down, down on the heads of men crouching bebind their mounds of sand-lower, and lower still-and now in very imminent proximity, it winds up with a ' bang,' and the villanous ' whir-r-r' of half a hundred pieces humming into the marshes, or mayhap into the living muscles of its poor victims. Then the ' Bull of the Woods' would open its pyro- techny-and ' Bee' and 'Beauregard,' the ' Peanut' and 'Haskill'-and so the thing was kept up until tired, and weary, and mangled, the detail went out of the trenches at dawn. This kind of duty continued for forty days, recurring to each man once in two days. At last the fifth parallel is pushed to within a hundred yards of Wagner. Early on the morning of September 5th the work is done, and everything is ready for a final test of the effect of shell on a sand fort. A hundred guns open with their great throats on Wagner, from sea and land. For forty hours its sand boils as a great caldron ; its sand-bags, guns, S-VOL. II.

FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT.

1863

carriages, and splinters are thrown high in air. All this while no man can live in its parapet, and its garrison lies smothering in its bomb-proofs."

The announcement that another attempt was to be made to carry the fort by direct assault was hailed with shouts of satisfaction. To the Fifty-second was assigned the duty of passing Wagner on the beach, and of charging Fort Gregg-the old Cumming's Point Battery. At midnight long lines of men marched and filled the trenches. The men of the Fifty-second with shovels and muskets, and spikes for cannons, took their places. All were cheerful and full of heroism. At two o'clock A. M. a deserter reported the Island evacu- ated, and a hasty march to the fort proved it to be true. It was the end of the siege.

It is impossible to give the casualties. Out of a detail of two hundred men sent into the trenches, the average daily loss was one man killed and six wounded. It requires a high degree of steadiness and endurance for men, day after day, and night after night, to walk into the jaws of so much certain death, to be received in the attitude of very helplessness. Not the least extraordinary feature of this siege, was the appearance of the Sanitary Commission at the front. In the busy trenches its agents kept the weary and wounded men sup- plied with ice water, which it furnished in barrels all along the parallels.

In December a large portion of the regiment re-enlisted and were given a veteran furlough. Upon their return, the regiment was recruited to a thousand strong, all armed with the improved Springfield muskets and well equipped. It was attached to the Tenth Corps, General Gilmore, and with it embarked to join the army at Bermuda Hundred, on the James River. By some mischance, never understood by officers or men, it was kept in the Department of the South. It remained at Hilton Head, and occasionally made a raid by steam- boat around among the Sea Islands. One was made up the Ashapoo River on the 25th of May, under command of Brigadier General William Birney. It was intended that the force should land at the Musquito Landing, on the Ash- apoo, at night, march twenty-seven miles to Jacksonburg, and destroy the railroad bridge over the Edisto at that point. The Fifty-second arrived at the landing at midnight as arranged, and marched six miles into the enemy's country, where it was halted by General Birney. The transport Boston, a fine steamer, laden with other troops, passed the landing in the darkness without notice, and continued on its course until it grounded under rebel batteries where it was destroyed, defeating the plan. The Fifty-second was re-called, and leisurely re-embarking, returned to its camp.

In the month of June a plan was formed for the capture of Charleston The Department was now in command of Major General Foster.

The scehme involved a movement from John's Island, James Island, and Morris Island ; the first under General Foster in person, the second under Gen- eral Schimmelfennig, and the last under Colonel Gurney, One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York Volunteers. The force from Morris Island was com- posed of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania, One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York, and a detachment of the Third Rhode Island Artillery. It was ar- ranged for the force from Morris Island to embark in small boats in the creek running through the marshes between Morris and James Island. They were then to rendezvous at Paine's dock, at the out-let of the creek, and as soon as the tide permitted, pull across Charleston Harbor. The route lay between Fort Sumter and Battery Simpkins, mounting heavy guns on James Island. The

1864

DESCENT UPON FORT JOHNSON.

Fifty-second in advance, was to pull directly for the beach, six hundred yards in front of Fort Johnson, land, and assault the fort. The One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York was to land at Battery Simpkins, a half mile nearer and carry it. The Third Rhode Island Artillery was to take possession of, and turn upon the city any guns found in the works. This bold undertaking could only be successful by being a surprise to the enemy. The harbor was at that time picketed by two rebel rams and a line of picket boats, extending from Sumter to James Island on one side, and Sullivan's Island on the other. The most formidable obstacle for the forces to overcome was a bar, extending from the beach in front of Simpkins, to within a few hundred feet of Sumter. This bar was completely out of water at low tide, and was only covered when the tide was three-quarters full. The time selected seemed unfortunate; for on the night for the movement, July 3d, it was dead low tide at one o'clock A. M., and there would not be sufficient water to pass the bar before four, day-light, at that season.

The regiment made very full preparations for this perilous enterprise. If the fort should be taken, it could only be held by strong re-inforcements. Its garrison was believed to consist of four hundred men. Could a landing once be effected, the rest seemed a work merely of dash and boldness. The Fifty- second went out with the intention of taking the works and remaining there; to that end, it was furnished with several days' rations, entrenching tools, and other needed supplies. All day of the 3d of July, preparations for the com- ing night-work went solemnly but steadily on. The bar was carefully exam- ined, if possibly it had a channel through it. Boats were put in order, and boat-crews organized. Signals were agreed upon, and minute instructions is- sued.

All this was indeed indispensable, for no word of command, above a whis- per, could be uttered without betraying the movement. The expedition, once fairly afloat, must-thenceforth proceed according to the pre-arranged scheme or fail. The night came at last and the regiment fell in, in front of its camp by boat crews. They silently wound arouud the sand-hills, down to the marsh where the fleet of boats was moored. One by one they were filled and shoved out to Paine's Dock, the place of rendezvous. Before they reached the dock many of them grounded, for the tide was now at its lowest, and most crews only made progress by debarking in the muddy shoals of the inlet. By two o'clock A. M. the fleet was together and the tide turned. As it covered the shoals, the Fifty-second in advance, they moved out in single file and headed into the darkness for Fort Johnson. Either through ignorance or miscon- duct, the pilot selected by Colonel Gurney, from the One Hundred and Twenty- seventh New York, failed to find any passage over or around the bar. Day- light began to streak the east when the leading boat passed the bar, close under the slopes of Simpkins. Towering in the distance, at one thousand yards, frowned Fort Johnson. Steadily the boats pulled on. The lookout at Simp- kins had, however, discovered the procession of blue coats. Discharging his musket, he with the rest of the pickets on duty, fled up the beach. It was an even race now between the boats and the rebel sentinels. Soon the guns in Fort Johnson opened, sending their shells hissing over the heads of the men, now pulling for dear life. Discovery was no longer to be avoided. With a hearty cheer one hundred and twenty-five men of the Fifty-second landed from the five leading boats at the designated points. Promptly forming, they

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History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, Vol. II, Part 11

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902. cn Publication date: 1869 Publisher: Harrisburg, B. Singerly, State Printer Number of Pages: 1386

Author: Bates, Samuel P. (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902. cn
Publication date: 1869
Publisher: Harrisburg, B. Singerly, State Printer
Number of Pages: 1386