USA > Pennsylvania > Dauphin County > History of the 127th regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers > Part 9
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"From the hickory wood sent by General Mitchell, (with the evident purpose of saving his fences ), fires were seen all around like bon-fires, and around a good wood fire amongst the men, stood a fine looking young darkey, about twenty years old. I viewed him up and down and said to him, 'How would you like to march along with us in the morning?' He said, 'All right.' I said, 'You be here at this place.' He replied, 'Yes, sah,' laughingly.
"December 4th. Last night was lively ; but this morn- ing all was quiet. The adjutant, quartermaster and my- self occupied a Sibley tent, (for the accommodation of sixteen persons). Our tent was full. A dull sound struck the ground in the tent, and a voice said, 'That's
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for you, Major.' George, our cook, got up early and found a duck in the tent -- (dead, of course). He at once took the duck down to the mess-chest and cleaned it. He laid it down to get a knife, and when he returned, the duck was gone. He looked about, saw 110 one, but swore in Dutch, yet no duck came back. The tents were very close, all around here, hardly a yard apart. Some one was watching every movement of the cook, and when his back was turned, the duck disappeared. Of course somebody was spited. At the fire stood the slave. I said, 'Are you ready? Come on.' Gave him in charge of Lieutenant Schreiner, of Company "H." The regiment marched on. Later on I discovered that this George Washington was not the man I talked with last night. It was his brother. Whether the other fellow, who was older, backed out and got his brother to go, I never knew. 'George Washington' was 18 years old, and remained with me during the service. I took him along home to Middletown, where he worked at the furnace. After I moved to Lancaster, the furnace blew up, and 'George Washington' with it, and was killed. George was a strong boy. He could 'tote,' as they called it, half a bar- rel of water on top of his head, and carry it for a quarter of a mile. His walk was slow; but lie took long steps, nearly one yard in length-evidently never ran in his life! When the regiment left for Fredericksburg, George had my gray mare, with a bag of oats, and went with the wagons. At the Lacy House the cannonading was so ter- rible that 'George Washington' could not stand the noise, so he left on 'vacation.' About two weeks later, he stuck his head in at my tent door and grinned. 'Hello! you black rascal, where were you all this time?' 'Oh, I worked at Acquia Creek.' 'What were you working?'
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'Unloading boats.' 'What did you leave for?' 'Oh my! So much shooting; not used to dem big guns. I was nearly skeered to death.'
"Just before starting again on our march, General Mit- chell brought a bill to Colonel Jennings for a mile and a half of fence, 7 cords of hickory wood, 45 hogs and pigs, 21 sheep, 3 calves, 100 fowls and 5 slaves. The bill was shown to each of the field officers, and then quietly pock- eted by the Colonel. I do not think that the Colonel ever gave it any further consideration. Certainly it was not approved by him, or by the commander of the 127th Regi- ment."
December 4th, the regiment made an early start, marched fourteen miles, and bivouaced for the night. The following morning the regiment broke camp and marched to Liverpool Point on Potomac river, distant about seven miles, in a furious rain and snow storm. A steam trans- port was in waiting, and the regiment embarked and was conveyed down and across the Potomac river near Acquia Creek Landing, where the regiment encamped about one mile from Acquia Creek Station. December 6th, Satur- day, was a very cold day, with snow covering the ground. The regiment waited the arrival of the wagon train, and went through daily dress parade. On the arrival of the supplies and wagon train, the regiment, on the 8th of De- cember, broke camp at eight A. M., and marched about eight miles, (three miles unnecessarily, having missed the right trail), and camped for the night. Our progress was slow in consequence of the great movement of an immense body of troops, which, with the wagon trains, jammed the roads and made marching exceedingly slow work. The regiment had now reached the great body of the Army of
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the Potomac. Every hill top and the slopes were dotted with tents, and the country as far as the eye could reach, seemed literally one mass of camps and troops. It was one inspiring scene, and the well-drilled soldier was now made to feel that he would soon have his training practi- cally tested. Rubbing up against the old experienced fighters did the men good, and made them ambitious to practice their courage on the enemy, and show their com- rades-in-arms that they too were fully equal to the occa- sion.
December 9th, the regiment broke camp at dawn, and, although the horses had no hay since the regiment crossed the Potomac, "forward" was the command, and forward the regiment marched until it reached its destination, about noon, when the brigade, which Colonel Jennings had com- manded for nearly four months, was broken up and dis- tributed among the old brigades of the army; and the 127th Regiment, P. V., was assigned to the third brigade, commanded by Colonel Hall, of the Regular Army; in the second division, commanded by Major-General How- ard; in the Second Army Corps, Commanded by Major- General D. N. Couch.
We soon learned that the Second Corps was the fighting corps of the Army of the Potomac; and that it was in- variably in the van, and opened battle ; or in a retreat, that it was assigned to cover the retreat. After marching three and a half miles, we reached our place of rendezvous and were assigned a scope of ground on a little elevation, on the extreme right of the brigade, about a mile north of the hill overlooking Falmouth, and in full view of the city of Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock river. The ground was covered with an undergrowth, and filled with the stumps of trees, which had been cut by the army for
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fuel ; leaving stumps innumerable from three to four feet in height. This place was named "Camp Alleman," in honor of the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Regiment.
Our subsequent marches were comparatively short ; but some of them of the most exciting character; while others were full of interesting incidents.
The short march, when we were aroused about four o'clock in the morning of December IIth, and marched to the rear of the Lacey House, and every one of the regi- ment knew that we were going into an engagement, was memorable, as every man nerved himself for the terrible ordeal. We marched light, that is, we left our tents standing, and everything in camp which we did not abso- lutely need; but weighted down with ninety rounds of ammunition, filling our cartridge boxes, and what space was left, with six days' cooked rations, which more than filled the haversacks, went into the knapsacks.
The continued march on and over the pontoon bridge, the field and staff officers mounted, Colonel Jennings and Lieutenant-Colonel Alleman taking the place of the band and drum corps, and leading the regiment, amid the thundering roar of cannon on both sides of the river, with bullets whizzing as thick as hail, from the rifles of the sharp-shooters, was intensely thrilling, and very trying to the nerves ; as not a shot could be fired by our men until the opposite side of the river was reached. The pontoons rocked from the tread of the horses and men; but the steadiness of the men during this trying experience was truly and eminently praiseworthy.
The marches on the Fredericksburg battle field are em- bodied in the thrilling description of that famous battle ; and the return march to Camp Alleman was full of mel- ancholy incidents, intensified by the sadness of an en-
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forced and ignominious retreat. The regiment left camp long before daylight on the IIth of December, with full ranks, brim full of enthusiasm, and with laudable deter- mination to fight and win, or bravely die in the attempt.
Both officers and men did their full duty ; but the odds of position was too strongly against them, and they were compelled to fall back, or be ruthlessly mnowed down, without the shadow of a chance to capture the foes, so strongly entrenched, that their lines were practically im- pregnable.
The regiment returned to Camp Alleman on the 16th of December, not in a compact phalanx, as it started, only five days before; but mostly in detachments, squads, in couples and singly. Some were borne on the shoulders of their stalwart comrades ; some hobbled into camp as best they could; and when roll-call was sounded, there was ominous silence when the names of the missing, the wounded, the dying and the dead were called; and even those who providentially escaped unscathed, answered to their names in bated breath, as their hearts were saddened and their spirits broken, not only on witnessing the appall- ing scenes of suffering, horror, and death upon the bloody field of Fredericksburg, but the painful knowledge of de- feat made every man a sincere mourner ; and with the en- vironment of distress, he could not escape the feeling of bitter sadness.
The marches of the early days in May, 1863, were, only in a less exciting degree, but a repetition of the Freder- icksburg campaign. True, the men profited by the sad, sad experiences of the past, and inured themselves to the hardships of a soldier, determined to do their duty ; but it was the same old, old story, "we buried our comrades on the battle field, and the other absentees are in the hospi-
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tals." But they bore up better, as the part which they took in the disastrous battle of Chancellorsville was a vic- tory, and they smiled and triumphed over their success.
Camp Alleman and Camp Rohrer were successively abandoned; and on the return of the regiment from the Southern shore of the Rappahannock, they formed a new camp, and named it "Camp J. Wesley Awl," in honor of the gallant captain of Company "B."
The men felt proud of their record, in engaging the enemy after the term of their enlistment. Although the regiment was formally organized on the 16th of August, 1862, and, as a regiment, its term expired on the 15th of May, 1863, yet the date of muster of the company organi- zations were mostly during the first week in August, while the bulk of the men were mustered into the service the last week in July, and the first two days in August. When the order came to go forth to battle, not an officer or a single man complained, or set up the plea of "term of en- listment expired."
After resting in camp, or performing daily picket duty, the following order was read by acting Adjutant A. J. Fager at dress parade on the 13th of May, 1863.
"General Orders No. 77.
"Headquarters Second Division, Second Corps, "Near Falmouth, Va., May 13, 1863.
"The Adjutant-General's office having corrected the date at which the time of the 127th Regiment P. V. ex- pires, and decided, after representations made from the headquarters, that the term expires on the 14th inst. in- stead of the 20th inst., the regiment is hereby relieved from all duty with this army, and will repair to Harris- burg, Penn'a, there to be mustered out of service.
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"In bidding farewell to this regiment the General com- manding the Division recalls with pride and satisfaction that, although in it, as well as in several other regiments in the service, a difference of opinion has existed in re- gard to the expiration of the time of the men ; this differ- ence has never interfered with their duty as soldiers, and they now can return to their homes with the proud con- sciousness of duty well and faithfully performed.
"Your comrades will be glad to welcome you back to their ranks.
"By command of BRIGADIER GENERAL GIBBON, "J. P. WOOD, Capt. and Asst. Adj't-Gen'1."
"Headquarters 3d Brigade Division,
"May 13, 1863. "Official. W. R. DRIVER, Act. Asst. Adj't-Gen'1."
An order was issued that same evening to "strike tents" at daylight the next morning ; and at 5.30 o'clock the regi- ment was in column and started on the march for Fal- mouth station. There were no stragglers. The whole regiment united in singing "Home, Sweet Home," and on reaching the station, boarded the train in readiness for them, at 7.30 for Acquia Creek, and at 9 o'clock embarked on a steamer, and steamed up the river for Washington City-a very pleasant sail up the Potomac, in strong con- trast to the cold and stormy experience in crossing that river in the previous December. When we passed Mount Vernon, the band played a funeral dirge in honor of the immortal Washington.
We arrived at the Sixth street wharf in Washington about two P. M. on Thursday, May 14, and after disem- barking, the regiment marched in four ranks up Sixth
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street to Pennsylvania avenue, and out the avenue to the Soldiers' Retreat, in a furious thunder and rain storm; but these veterans marched steadily forward, and paid no more attention to the driving rain and blinding flashes of lightning, as though they were in their natural element. Resting at the Retreat until next morning, transportation was furnished over the Northern Central Railway. Al- though the regiment left Washington for Baltimore on train of open freight cars, fitted with seats formed of rough boards, crossing the sides of the cars, at seven o'clock in the morning, the regiment only arrived in Balti- more at two P. M., where the regiment was detained until eleven o'clock at night ; and day break on Saturday morn- ing found us only five miles north of Baltimore. The train afterwards moved more rapidly, and reached York about ten o'clock, where it was received by a committee of distinguished citizens, who, after giving the regiment a hearty welcome, escorted it to Harrisburg, which was reached about 1.30 P. M. amid the firing of a cannon sa- lute on Capitol Hill, the ringing of bells, and the cheers of tens of thousands of friends, who had gathered to join them in the glad welcome.
The regiment was quickly formed into column with Colonel Jennings and Lieutenant-Colonel Alleman mount- ed in the lead ; the band and drum corps in their glory, the regiment to a man in ranks, with Major Rohrer on his horse in place, and as a procession had already been formed and in waiting, under the chief marshalship of Colonel Henry McCormick, assisted by Dr. George Dock, Dr. George Bailey and William C. McFadden as assistant marshals, marched up Market street over the program route to Third, and out North Third street to the front of the Capitol, where an official reception took place.
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Colonel Jennings joined Governor Curtin, and turned the command over to Lieutenant-Colonel Alleman, who led the regiment over the further designated route, laid out by the chief marshal ; and on reaching Market Square, gave orders to Adjutant Chayne to permit the captains to grant the men leave of absence, to report in Camp Curtin punctually on Monday morning. He then gave the last regimental command on the march, "Halt !" when the or- ders were quickly conveyed to each captain, and the men were relieved from duty until the following Monday morning, and permitted to go to their homes.
On Monday morning, the 18th of May, 1863, the regi- ment assembled informally on State street, without arms, left in front, and marched to the late home of Sergeant Chas. B. Hummel, of Company "D," who was killed at Chancellorsville, whose body was brought to Harrisburg, and the regiment attended the funeral. After the funeral, the regiment marched to Camp Curtin, pitched their tents, and this was the very last march of the 127th Regi- ment of Pennsylvania Volunteers.
CHAPTER IV.
T HREE separate and distinct accounts of the great battle of Fredericksburg were prepared, the one by Comrade George D. Rise, the regimental his- torian; another at the request of Colonel Wil- liam W. Jennings was prepared by Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Alleman, which received the approval of Colonel Jennings, and was adopted by the regimental historian ; while the third account was taken from the diary of Ma- jor J. Rohrer ; and from these three well prepared sketches the following account has been compiled.
BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.
When Colonel Jennings' brigade reported at Falmouth, Virginia, December 9th, 1862, his several regiments had the numbers of a veteran Division, and for effective work, those regiments were distributed among the brigades of the Grand Division commanded by Major-General Sumner.
The 127th Regiment was assigned to the Third Brigade commanded by Colonel Norman J. Hall, a cavalry officer of the Regular Army, and Colonel of the Seventh Michi- gan, of the Second Division commanded by Major-Gen- eral O. O. Howard, of the Second Army Corps, con- manded by Major-General Darius N. Couch-in the Grand Division of Major-General Sumner-of the Army of the Potomac-commanded by Major-General Ambrose E. Burnside.
The Third Brigade comprised the 7th Regiment Michi- gan Volunteers, Colonel Norman J. Hall; 19th Regiment
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Massachusetts Volunteers, Colonel Arthur F. Devereux ; 20th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, Colonel George N. Macy ; 42d Regiment New York Volunteers, Colonel James E. Mallon; 127th Regiment Pennsylvania Volun- teers, Colonel William W. Jennings; 59th Regiment New York Volunteers, Colonel Max A. Thornan.
The Army of the Potomac was divided into three grand divisions, the Right Grand Division was commanded by Major-General Sumner; the Left Grand Division by Major-General Franklin; and the Center Grand Division was commanded by Major-General Hooker ; while Major- General Sigel commanded a strong force of reserves.
The right of the army was at Camp Alleman, one and a half miles north of Falmouth, and within cannon range of the Confederates across the Rappahannock river. The enemy threatened to shell General Couch's headquarters, and gave him twenty-four hours to move his family.
During the night of December 10th, the engineers com- menced laying pontoon bridges in front of the city of Fredericksburg. Before they reached mid-stream of the Rappahannock river, the workmen were repeatedly driven from the pontoons by the enemy's sharpshooters, concealed in houses along the water's edge; and about four o'clock on the morning of the IIth, they were again compelled to abandon the work.
About the same hour, the Third Brigade marched from their respective camps for the scene of the pontoon bridge, reaching there about daybreak.
On the 10th of December, the 127th Regiment received orders to march at sharp six o'clock on the following morning, with four days' cooked rations in their haver- sacks. A small guard of convalescents were left in charge of the camp; and the early dawn of that day found
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the regiment winding its way along the ravine, until it reached a point directly opposite the center of Fredericks- burg, on the plane of the Lacey House, where it was as- signed to the support of an eight-gun battery of heavy artillery.
Before eight A. M. the cannonading opened. It was a beautiful sight-every road and every hill visible was filled with troops.
Defeated in his efforts to build the bridges, General Burnside ordered up his heavy guns, and opened fire upon the city, and during the bombardment, the 127th Regi- ment valiantly performed its assigned duty in support of artillery.
The bombardment of Fredericksburg was a magnificent war spectacle ; 140 cannon were firing continuously on the city, and on the heights in the rear, where Lee's army was entrenched, and this dreadful artillery duel was kept up incessantly for some eight hours, with no apparent effect. The artificial thunder was terrific, and Fredericksburg seemed doomed to total destruction; but the persistent shelling did not have the desired effect of dislodging Barksdale's Mississippi sharpshooters, who were securely intrenched in deep rifle pits along the whole front of the city, and occupied the line of houses on the river front, preventing, by their continuous and well-aimed shots, the completion of the pontoon bridges.
Many and heroic attempts were made by the engineers and the pontoniers to complete the building of the bridges; but the raking and concentrated fire from the sharpshooters in ambush, swept the half completed bridges, which were occupied with construction parties, who were only partially concealed by the dense smoke which settled; but it had the happy effect of somewhat
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veiling the scene, and lessening the sense of actual danger.
When it became painfully evident that our heavy can- nonading, and well-directed artillery fire failed to quiet the rifles of the expert sharpshooters, heroic measures were taken to enforce silence. A call was made for three hundred volunteers from the Third Brigade, about three P. M., and scores upon scores of the 127th Regiment vol- unteered for the "forlorn hope"; but only a limited nun- ber could be accepted, as the veteran regiments were given the preference ; so that but a squad of the 127th Regiment, under the leadership of the intrepid Porter Buchanan, of Company "F," were permitted to join their fellow brigade comrades of the 7th Michigan, the 19th and 20th Massa- chusetts contingent, who, at about 3.30 o'clock P. M., sprang into the few pontoons within reach, poled them- selves quickly across the river, unmindful of the leaden shower of bullets poured upon them, and after a short, but desperate fight at the point of the bayonet, courageously drove the sharpshooters from the rifle pits and their hid- ing places, enabling the engineers and pontoniers in their ninth effort to complete their work before sundown.
The "Forlorn Hope," besides accomplishing its mission, captured upwards of fifty prisoners, and brought them across the river.
Our Third Brigade was the first to cross the pontoons, the 127th Regiment was on the left of the brigade, in num- bers equal to any three regiments of the brigade.
As the 127th Regiment was in readiness to dash across the pontoon bridge immediately on its completion, on the first moment of signal, both officers and men were eager for the fray. On descending the embankment, the regi- ment was saluted by a shower of shells, one of which fell directly under the Colonel's horse, but fortunately did not
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explode. The regimental band was ordered to take its position at the first pontoon of the lower bridge, and to fall in the rear, and cross with the regiment. Major-Gen- eral O. O. Howard, commanding the Second Division, with his full staff, mounted, were at the end of the bridge to encourage and review the crossing troops. The signal was given, and instantly Colonel W. W. Jennings and Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Alleman rode side by side at the head of the regiment ; and on reaching the bridge, the band played "Yankee Doodle," the Colonel and Lieutenant- Colonel saluting the General, rode on the pontoon bridge, followed by the regiment, amid volleys of rifle balls from the returned sharpshooters, and an avalanche of shells. Captain Fox, of Company "K," was the first regimental victim of the Confederate shells; while another shell passed through the bass drum of the band, and completely silenced "Yankee Doodle" for the remainder of that day.
The men naturally dodged their heads as the shells came whizzing-it being their first experience under fire. General Howard sat on his horse at the water edge of the first pontoon, and as the men were dodging, called out to them, "Don't dodge, men, the shells are not half as dan- gerous as they seem." Just then a shell passed over the General's head, and he dodged, when one of the boys of the regiment yelled, "Don't dodge, General, that shell is not half as dangerous as it seems." The General smiled and said, "Dodging appears to be natural."
The Third Brigade of the Second Division of the Sec- ond Army Corps reached and mounted the southern em- bankment about five P. M., and it charged upon and drove the enemy from Fredericksburg, clearing one-half of the city before midnight ; the 127th Regiment taking an active and most efficient part in the successful charge. The
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regiment was fired on from cellars and from windows in orthodox bushwhacking style. These guerrillas were, how- ever, soon silenced, and the close of the day found Colonel Hall in full possession of one-half of the city, enabling the remaining troops of General Sumner's Grand Division to cross the pontoon bridges in safety. The regiment having satisfactorily completed the duty assigned to it, with some attendant losses, was ordered to the river front, some time after dark, to wait there for further developments.
On the bank of the Rappahannock just south of the lower pontoon bridge, stood an old two-story stone house, which had the lower front knocked out of it, together with most of the upper story during the bombardment. The lower corner near the ground was entirely carried away, so that the house was standing on three corners. Quite a number of our men had taken refuge in it, and were eating their rations in the dark. Major Rohrer came along, seeing the danger, said to the boys, "This house stands only on three corners, and is dangerous, so you had better get out." The house was promptly vacated. The cannon balls and shells had crushed in the stone wall, and the large chimney in the center of the house was demol- ished, while upstairs, amongst the debris, were found bodies of twenty-eight dead Confederates ; and one man in the corner, with both legs shot off above the knees, begged to be shot-the poor fellow bled to death in a very few minutes.
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