USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, together with a complete roster of the regiment and regimental officers > Part 11
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The march was resumed next morning at daylight, keeping on the north side of the railroad. reaching Powhattan Station at 9 A. M., where a good supply of bacon and forage was found. After dinner. the station and fifteen cars, loaded with forage, were destroyed. At Mattox Bridge. the enemy was in a fortified position on the opposite bank, commanding all approaches from our side. Leaving the advance regiment (Fifth Pennsylvania) to keep up a front against the bridge, and to bring up the rear, the column moved down the river to Good's Bridge, where it was delayed in the rain to repair a span of the bridge which had been cut by some of the country people. Major Stratton, whose en- gineering skill always came into play in such emergencies, super- intended the work, which was finished in three hours. After dark the crossing was commenced : large fires were built at each end to furnish light. After a long ride in the dark, the column neared Chula Station. and rested in the woods. being ordered to keep quiet and not strike a light. A small party was sent to the railroad to tear up the track. Soon an engine with a Confederate lieutenant aboard came down to reconnoitre. They ran off the track and were captured. Immense piles of wood at the station, together with the engine, were burned next morning. The rail-
JOHN CASSELS,
Captain Co. C and Major Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry. Brevet Lieut .- Col. U. S. Volunteers.
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road was then crossed, and advance made as far as Flat Creek Bridge, where a sharp skirmish ensued. A number of men from Company A were engaged. Lieutenant Shriver, who com- manded the party, was killed. The captured locomotive was one of three which had brought as many train loads of troops to the defence of the Mattox and Flat Creek Bridges.
Early on the morning of the 14th, General Kautz sent Col- onel Spear with detachments of the Eleventh and Third New York to make a demonstration against the Flat Creek Bridge, while the rest of the command was engaged in destroying the railroad property at the station. General Kautz says: "On the morning of the 14th, I dispatched Colonel Spear to see what could be done to destroy the Flat Creek Bridge. He did not seem to have comprehended my desires in the matter, and made a fight to get at the bridge, losing more men than the capture of the bridge would justify. I hoped to find the bridge more assailable than it proved. The colonel on this occasion, as well as on many others, showed that his judgment was not on a par with his bravery." Colonel Spear attacked a strongly fortified enemy, out of range of our carbineers. While the fight was going on, Colonel Spear received orders to withdraw which were promptly obeyed. The loss of the Eleventh was one officer and four enlisted men, all of whom were left unburied on the field.
As soon as Colonel Spear's detachment joined the command, General Kautz set out for Southside Railroad, going by way of Bevill's Bridge. When four miles beyond the bridge, Colonel Spear was sent to Wilson's Station to destroy the station and public property. While there, Colonel Spear received a message from General Kautz bidding him report to Black and White Station, where the First Brigade had gone. General Kautz says : "We captured a good supply of forage and provisions, and a train of freight cars. After the usual routine of burning station and other railroad property, we moved south about five miles, and being overtaken by a heavy rain, the command went into camp for the remainder of the night. At 7 A. M. the march was resumed towards Lawrenceville, over a muddy road, which was reached after a hard march of 35 miles. Here some rations were captured and issued to the command ; a lot of Confederate wood and cotton was destroyed. Next morning, the command moved in the direction of Bellfield, on the Welden Railroad, at which place the Hicksford Bridge spans the Meherrin River. General Kautz says: "The destruction of this bridge would have been
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very desirable, but the information I was able to get indicated that it was very strongly guarded by a Confederate regiment and a battalion of Zouaves, in two redoubts, each having two pieces of artillery, and an infinite reinforcement of local troops. Our supply of ammunition, owing to the recent rains, had become very much reduced, so that we were in no condition to make a good defence, much less an attack on a fortified position. On the morning of the 16th, we marched to Bellfield as if that point was our destination. The enemy's local troops were very active in watching our movements, so we halted to give the impression that we had in view an attack upon that point. When we were a few miles from Bellfield. I directed the march towards Jarrett's Station, where I was somewhat surprised to find the water tank replaced and a train of cars crossing the Nottoway where only eight days before we had burned the bridge, making evident how short had been the delay caused by our work of destruction. But other evidences were furnished that we had very seriously annoyed and delayed the enemy. The roads showed that both during and since the recent rain many troops and much material had passed over the breach made in the track. The broken wagons and scattered materials were proof that the roads had been rendered well nigh impassible by the number of wagons that had passed over them during the week. We learned that General Beauregard's reinforcements had been greatly delayed in their trip northward."
After destroying the repairs the Confederates had made, the columns marched to Freeman's Bridge, where the enemy, en- gaged in destroying the bridge, was driven back by the First District of Columbia which had the advance. The bridge had to be reconstructed, and nearly the entire night was occupied at the work, which was done by the First Brigade. After breakfast on the 17th, march was resumed for City Point, by way of Jerusalem and Baxter Roads. The rear guard (Company A of the Eleventh) was annoyed by small bands of Confederates who followed to pick up stragglers from the command. The Eleventh arrived at City Point about S P. M., tired out by in- cessant marching, for an average of 40 miles per day had been made except on the 8th, which was spent in fighting and destroy- ing government railroad property.
On this, as on the previous raids, large numbers of colored people of all ages followed the troops to City Point and to free- ·dom. Some were on foot, some were mounted on old horses
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and mules ; some rode in every sort of vehicle from a cart to a family carriage, hauled by steers and cows, horses and mules, hitched up in every conceivable manner-a conglomerate lot. It was remarkable how those on foot kept up with the long march, but most of them did-the gift of perseverance.
The loss of the Eleventh on these two expeditions was one officer and six privates killed; one officer, one sergeant. and twelve privates wounded; also one private missing. General Kautz compliments the men under him in the strongest manner. saying: "The fighting qualities of the men I have never seen excelled, and in this I congratulate the whole command without distinction."
The stay at City Point was short. On the 21st, the com- mand was ferried across the Appomattox to Bermuda Hundred. On the 26th, orders were received to march on foot with three days' rations. The whole division fell in just after dark and the march was begun. Rain began to fall, and through mud ankle- deep we plodded along for five miles. We halted in an old corn- field and bivouaced for the night-that is, we lay down between the corn rows in the mud and water. In the morning we found ourselves near the breastworks between the Appomattox and James Rivers. The spires of the churches of Petersburg were in sight. We made our camp close to the breastworks among the stumps of what had once been a thicket of jack oaks. The men were employed in filling bags of sand to lay on top of the breast- works.
On the 28th, the Eighteenth Corps left the line to march to Grant's assistance at Cold Harbor. Soon there was a report that we were to be attacked, and we were quietly aroused at 3 A. M. to be at the breastwork until morning. Papers from Rich- mond were frequently obtained the day on which they were printed. Our pickets had a place in the woods where they met the Confederates to trade coffee for tobacco and papers.
On the 30th, horses were brought and a horse camp was established at the rear of the breastworks. On the 3d of June. muskets for temporary use were issued to the Eleventh, which were regarded more as badges of humiliation than weapons of defence ; the entire outfit, from commanding officer to private, would not bear inspection. There was considerable artillery firing along the line occupied by the cavalry division, and several times during the night a magnificent display of fireworks, as shells trailed their fiery way through the air, whizzing and
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screaming and exploding, with the only result an aerial display. About this time the Gatling gun was given an introduction, but, being received with disfavor by artillery officers, both regular and volunteer, was soon relegated to the rear.
General Butler had planned to send General Smith with a force of 11,000 men, on the 27th of May, against Petersburg, but an order from Grant, directing that Smith's command be sent to reinforce the Army of the 'Potomac, about to engage Lee at Cold Harbor, prevented the carrying out of his design, and he was unable to send another expedition to capture Petersburg until the 9th of June. Evidently it was Butler's plan to send General Hicks with 3,500 men from his colored division of the Eighteenth Corps to attack the defences of the city on the Jordan Point and City Point Roads, while General Kautz with 1,200 or 1,400 men of his division should make a detour to the Jerusalem Plank Road to attack the defences of the city from the south. But General Gillmore, much against General Butler's better judgment, obtained command of the infantry part of the expedi- tion, General Kautz's command being an independent affair.
The infantry and cavalry, with the former in advance, set out for their respective positions at 10.30 P. M. on the 8th, by way of the pontoon bridge over the Appomattox at Point of Rocks. A series of blunders attended the starting of the expedi- tion. Colonel Hawley, who led the advance of the infantry column, was unacquainted with the country, and his guides seemed to be no better, so that the colonel lost his way, became entangled in a swamp where the mud was nearly knee-deep, and did not reach the point which should have been reached at midnight until 3.40 A. M., depriving the men of three hours' rest as con- templated by General Butler, sending them upon their day's work fagged out.
Major Wetherill has given a magnificent account of this ex-
· pedition, that we extract from his notes. His detailed story here and there may cross what has been said:
"May IIth. Crossed the Appomattox River this morning, going to the front.
"May 12th. Our forces moved out this morning to give us a chance to get beyond the enemy's lines.
"By throwing our line forward the enemy supposed our in- tention was to flank them. and threw their eleventh line back. We reached Chester Station unharmed. and pushed on for Chesterfield Court House. At this place we broke jail and re-
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leased those who had been imprisoned for refusing to join the Confederate ranks ; the criminals we did not disturb. It was a pleasant sight to see the Southern Union men, whose loyalty was unshaken, whose fidelity had been proved. We took the road to Good's Bridge, but turned off to the right, taking a wood- land road, which brought us to Coalfield Station, three miles west of Richmond. We gossiped awhile with the operator at Richmond. While there Spear got ready to fire the coal mines and reported to General Kautz. The general approved at first, but when I said: 'General, when the fire is once started it can never be extinguished. Why should future generations suffer for the errors of this?' General Kautz at once ordered guards to be placed over the pit, holding Colonel Spear responsible for the safety of Richmond coal basin. Thus the coal field was saved.
"May 13th. Started at 4 A. M. for Powhattan Station. Plenty of forage and rations were found. After destroying the telegraph, we pushed rapidly on to High Bridge at Mattax. The enemy with artillery were in considerable force. One com- pany of the Fifth Pennsylvania was sent forward and deployed as skirmishers. General Kautz said: 'That place cannot be taken without great loss of life, and should I succeed, it cannot be destroyed by fire. I have no tools to take it down.' We then pushed for Good's Bridge and found the centre section had been destroyed. In three hours we rebuilt it. We pushed on to Chula Station, four miles below the iron bridge, and then learned that three train loads of troops had passed and had reinforced the troops at Iron Bridge. The wires were cut, the tracks torn up, and we rested. A locomotive was reported coming down the track. The track was cut. When the engine reached the place the track spread ; the engine and fireman were captured, the en- giner and officer escaped. Here was demonstrated the value of volunteer troops. In every instance, volunteers to make bridges, or to do other mechanical work, brought out ex- perienced mechanics. When men were wanted to ruin the locomotive, thirty or forty engineers sprang to the front, emptied the water, filled the fire box with wood, covered it with old rails. fired it; half an hour, and there was not an inch of cast iron work that had not been heated red-hot and expanded beyond repair.
"May 14th. Colonel Spear, with the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry ; Major Jacobs, Third New York Cavalry, were ordered to make a demonstration on Flat Creek Bridge. Spear opened
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the fight by ordering Lieutenant Shriver to charge the bridge, who led splendidly, but was killed at the first volley. The enemy was so well posted, covering the bridge, that our boys were compelled to fall back. Major Jacobs opened on the right, but as the affair looked serious, General Kautz ordered the burn- ing of the bridge and retreat of our forces. Our column got mixed up with animals and ambulances, and, when in order, struck for Deep Creek. Our loss was two officers and 33 men, killed, wounded, and missing.
"We learned that 5.000 Confederate troops had been sent to intercept us at Beverly Bridge, three or four miles below, on the Appomattox. The Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry was ordered to advance towards Beverly, while the rest of the division pushed on for Wellville, on the south side of the road. Later, the Fifth joined the division, and we out-generaled the enemy. On ar- riving at Wellville, while the rest of the division destroyed the depot, etc., as soon as we heard from Spear's brigade we pushed on to Blacks and Whites, on the Danville Road. Here we found a large supply of commissary stores. We replenished our own stock, burned the rest. Here many thousand pounds of bacon, hundreds of barrels of flour, and storehouses were destroyed by fire.
"May 15th (Sunday). Our start was later than usual. having no guide. We traveled, using captured county maps and compass, and reached Lawrenceville at 4.30 P. M. The Confed- erate picket was driven in by a company of the Eleventh led by Lieutenant Monroe.
"May 16th. Destroyed a depot of supplies and pushed on for Bellfield. Here we discovered the enemy was in force, and learning that the Third New York and District of Columbia were nearly out of ammunition we reluctantly turned off towards Jarrett's Station, leaving the enemy on our right flank, about a mile away. The track had been relaid which we had destroyed. The command was divided, Spear's brigade to attack the Notto- way Bridge by the railroad, while the rest moved by the road. The men and horses being worn out from twelve days of in- cessant marching-650 miles-and hard work, tearing up tracks, destroying bridges and depots, little rest or food, it was neces- sary to get back to City Point with as little delay as possible, saving ammunition for coming struggles. So, we pushed rapidly for Freeman's Bridge on the Nottoway. We reached it at mid- night, just in time to save it : twenty or thirty of the enemy were
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destroying the bridge to cut us off. After a sharp skirmish they retreated, and we commenced the repairing of the bridge. A section of forty feet had to be put in.
"May 16th. We arrived at Johnson Fork, near Belchers. The Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry destroyed the mill and 1,000 barrels of flour stored there. We pushed up the Jerusalem Plank Road, dispersed one company of Confederate cavalry, and took the road to the right for City Point. When we reached the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, workmen were rebuilding the bridge destroyed on our other raid. We upset all their work, broke up cars, brought along 60 negroes who were working there, and reached City Point at nightfall."
This is the story of Kautz's second raid :
"May 19th. Heavy firing was heard on the right towards Drewrey's Bluff. and we learned that General Heckman had been captured. He was on the left, in an intense fog, with the fighting Ninth New Jersey. The enemy, knowing the ground, sur- rounded them, and demanded a surrender, which was answered by a volley. The Ninth New Jersey fought like tigers and most of them got out, but were much cut up. Heckman was captured ; Wheeler, of his staff, killed; Emerson wounded. As soon as it was known that Heckman was captured, Colonel Pickett rallied his brigade and came out of the trap with a bayonet charge.
"May 22d. Off to Bermuda Hundred. About II P. M. last night, the enemy massed their forces on our left centre to break our lines. The pickets fell slowly back, drawing the enemy within range of our artillery, and threw themselves on the ground. The artillery opened upon them with grape and canister. In the morning. by flag of truce, the dead were buried. The gun- boats kept up their attack on Drewrey's Bluff, and our division encamped on the Appomattox.
"May 30th. On Gillmore's front the pickets were within 300 yards of each other, and as daylight comes they hail: 'Good- morning, Yank!' 'How are you. Johnny?' 'No shooting to- day?' 'All right!' Papers were frequently exchanged for tobacco. Billingsgate at times re-opens the fire, then all would seek their holes. Hinks opens his attack on Fort Clifton.
"Captain Reisinger made a foot reconnaisance on the morn- ing of June "Ist. nearly to Petersburg Plank Road, and reported no troops in our immediate front. Their return had been fol- lowed by a battery at the mill in front of our position. and threw a few solid shot into our camp. This brought the general and
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his staff out to see what was the trouble, when Dr. Haney, Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry, rushed in, half clad, with one boot on. When asked what was the matter, he excitedly said: Why doesn't the commanding general issue some orders? They are throwing shot through my ambulance.' General Kautz looked comically at him, the staff laughed, and the doctor left.
"Dr. Rivers, division chief, received the following poetic request :
" 'Not for the skill that guides the knife Along the shrinking nerves, And just evades the springs of life, With hand that never swerves ;
"'Not for the scientific art That finished culture shows,
To warm the faintly flutt'ring heart Whose life-blood freely flows ;
" 'Not for the strangely-mingled draught Of drugs from foreign land, Compounded with the subtle craft That speaks of practiced hands ;
" 'But merely for the simple juice That emanates from rye, A fluid whose peculiar use I feel inclined to try.
"'A single bottle would suffice For all my modest need, And you, by sending some that's nice, Would prove a friend, indeed.'
"The wish was met.
"On June 2d, a fierce artillery duel took place in front of Terry's command. An infantry attack followed which drove in our pickets. Two companies of the Seventh Connecticut were driven in without loss. Two companies of the District of Colum- bia Cavalry, with their Henry volcanic rifles, repulsed the enemy. killing the colonel of the Twenty-seventh South Carolina. In the afternoon, the Third New Hampshire recovered the rifle pits."
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Concerning his part of the expedition, General Kautz says : "The route of the cavalry lay across the country through narrow roads, very circuitous, so that the distance proved much longer than was expected, and instead of reaching our destination at 9 A. M., it was HI o'clock before we confronted the enemy's en- trenchments on the Jerusalem Plank Road. We were also de- tained at many points by the enemy's cavalry, but capturing some pickets, we learned that there were no regular forces holding the entrenchments in our front." When the advance under Colonel Spear arrived at the above-mentioned entrenchments, he ordered the leading squadron of the Eleventh to charge with drawn sabres, but was repulsed. The colonel was about to hurl the second squadron against the works when General Kautz ar- rived and prevented the charge. The general says of the affair: "He (Colonel Spear) had sent one charge, and it had gone down under the concentrated fire, and was driven back with heavy loss. Such a disposition would have enabled the small force behind the entrenchments to repulse the entire command. I at once formed the whole force into line, the centre battalion being dismounted as skirmishers, and a mounted battalion on each flank. At the command 'Forward!' they went over everything without halting, capturing all that remained, about 40 uninjured prisoners and one field piece. A force of about 200 local troops had been charged with the defence of that portion of the line which we had carried, all of whom had been killed or captured."
The carbineers on the right flanked the Confederates, and they ran, leaving their two guns in our hands. Sergeant Mal- colm, of Company A, was the first to reach the guns. Putting his hand on one of them, he exclaimed "They are ours !" and rushed on after the retreating enemy. On his return, he found a lieutenant astride one of the guns, and loudly claiming their capture. He seemed to fear some one would deprive him of the honor of their capture, and it took some peremptory orders to overcome his excitement, and cause him to reform his battalion.
General Kautz had done his work well, and had General Gillmore done likewise, Petersburg would have been invaded long enough to destroy the bridge across the Appomattox and to have allowed General Kautz the track of the Southside and Weldon Railroad for a considerable distance. But when General Gillmore came within sight of the enemy's lines, he saw lions in the way, not going far enough to see if they were chained. The Confederate forces holding the defences of Petersburg south of
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the Appomattox, a distance of six or eight miles, were not more than 600 Confederate soldiers, 900 reserves and militia. General Butler was deeply disappointed over the failure of General Gill- more to carry out his part of the work, and a bitter correspond- ence followed between the two generals, which resulted in General Gillmore being relieved of his command on the 17th.
The loss of the cavalry division, according to official reports, was four killed, twenty-six wounded, and six missing. The Con- federates lost heavily of those making the defence, and General Kautz is doubtless correct in saying that all the enemy's force defending the part of the line which his men carried were either killed or captured. Many words of praise were heard among the men of the Eleventh for the old men and boys who died in defence of their city.
General Butler was determined, if possible, to destroy the bridges at Petersburg, and on the roth, called for volunteers to make the attempt. Sergeant Robert P. McRae and Private Chas. F. Hopkins, from Company M, of the Eleventh, responded. They were supplied with combustibles and started on their perilous expedition that same day, but on the day following were captured and spent nearly two months in Andersonville and other prisons. On the 14th, horses enough to refit the cavalry di- vision were taken from the two regiments of colored cavalry, the Eleventh receiving about 300 as its share. General Butler still clung to his purpose to capture Petersburg, and another oppor- tunity soon presented itself.
After the battle of Cold Harbor, General Grant decided to transfer his army to the south side of the James River and attack Richmond from the rear, necessitating the capture of Petersburg. The Eighteenth Corps was returned to Butler's lines, arriving on the night of the 14th, and on the following day General Smith with the Eighteenth Corps, accompanied by General Kautz, with his division, was sent to carry out what General Gillmore had failed to do. This time General Smith was to attack the enemy's entire entrenchments from the east, while General Kautz should approach them from the southeast. In the proposed movement it was not expected that the cavalry would find any undefended point where it would be able to enter, and was, therefore, only required to make a pretence to enter, that as many troops as possible might be drawn from the real point selected for Smith's assault. The cavalry division, accompanied by a section of the Fourth Battery, crossed the Appomattox and at 5 A. M. next
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