USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania volunteer cavalry which was recruited and known as the Anderson cavalry in the rebellion of 1861-1865; > Part 18
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Memories Musical of Camp Fires.
the deep bass of the Regiment. These four would join in singing such songs as "Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming" and the choruses of "Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party," "Nellie Was a Lady," "The Poor Old Slave," or they would make the welkin ring with the "Star Spangled Banner," "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" and "Rally Round The Flag." It would not only be most im- pressive, but its skillful performance would be recognized fre- quently by hand-clapping and cheers by the boys, who appreciated the melody and the sentiment. Some of them would sing with banjo and guitar accompaniments.
There were others in the Regiment who could sing besides the four mentioned above. One little mess in old Company H, com- posed of "Billy" Moore, "Billy" Brown, Dan Henderson and Sam Chadwick, were gifted with fairly good voices, and amused their company comrades in no small measure. Captain Lloyd and his First Sergeant, afterward Lieut. Geo. M. Petty, had several spe- cialties which they sang as duets, quite effectively. Our Scotch comrade, Alex. Milne, often gave his rendition of "Annie Laurie," as only a Scotchman can sing it. "Jim" Conaway also had a good voice, and helped to swell the volume of sound in most of the choruses sung around the camp fire. There were several comic singers in the Regiment. The most prominent was "Bog Hole Smith." He had several selections, the best of which were "The Goose Hangs High" and the "Old Bog Hole." "Charley" Jenkins was another comic singer, as well as an actor, and lie often amused the boys with "Teddy O'Ran" and "Shamus O'Brien." He also had one or two specialties which he would sing, and in some parts of the song he would interpolate recitations, which were very good.
Some of our boys were quite good instrumental musicians. Ned. Spang, with his violin, was most excellent. Sergeant Lingle, with his cornet, could do fine work. John Gulden, with his banjo and negro songs, was always well received. Scho- macker, although at that time not knowing a note of music, could perform wonderfully well on the piano. His performance of tlie "Maiden's Prayer." which was very popular at that time, was con- sidered a beautiful rendition. The comrade who composed "We're All Bound for New York," adding to it several parts of different choruses, undoubtedly created the most popular song generally
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sung in the Regiment. It was the tuneful rhythm, more than the merit of the words, that caused the song to be so popular with the boys of the Regiment, and to this day it is frequently asked for at our reunions.
Among the special songs that attracted attention was "Eighty Years Ago," when sung, as it usually was, by Howard Buzby. He had a peculiarly penetrating voice, with a little of the Yankee nasal twang, which gave it far-reaching range, and when he enunciated its patriotic sentiments every guard around the camp could locate "Buz." He held the record as the long-distance singer.
Buzby had for a messmate Samuel Lewis, who was a quiet, educated man, a good soldier and in every sense of the word a gentleman. The two had a mutual liking for each other, but Lewis had not spoken one word in appreciation of the other's singing, and Buzby rather hungered for it. One day, when alone together, Howard determined to make the other speak. He sang with all the vigor that a good voice could give, but Lewis was not moved. Buzby tried the sentimental ones and added all the fervor and passion he was capable of, but still Lewis did not speak. Then he tried the operatic, and to the tune added his stock of histrionic talent to make it effective, and then, not receiving the applause he craved, said: "Sam, you don't like singing, do you?" "Yes," Lewis replied; "I am passionately fond of it, but I don't like this d-d hollering."
Among the natural musical talent of the regiment the colored element must not be ignored. Nearly every negro servant was a slave at one time, and some of their melodies, rendered in the plantation style, frequently accompanied by certain shuffling and movement of feet, was very tuneful. Perhaps the most prominent of the negro boys was one called "Sandy," of Company A. This little darkey had one of the most unique negro faces, which, with his large eyes and big mouth ornamented with an unusually fine set of teeth, presented a correct picture of a negro boy, such as is often delineated at minstrel shows. His thick lips being very red, the width of his mouth was much magnified, and its size would have struck terror to a "Delmonico" caterer. With a clapping of his hands on his knees and a movement of foot work this "Sandy" would accompany himself to a song called "Get
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Memories Musical of Camp Fires.
Along, Lida Jane!" The words, to the best of my recollection, were as follows :
I went down to the mountain To gib my horn a blow ; Thought I heard Miss Lida Say, yonder comes my beau !
CHORUS. Get along, Lida, Lida ! Get along, Lida Jane ! Get along, Lida, my own true luv, Till I come back again !
The war inspired many beautifully worded ballads, which were sung by different members of our singing band, the most promi- nent of which were: "Noble Republic," "The Vacant Chair," "When This Cruel War is Over," "Dear Mother, I've Come Home to Die," "Flag of the Free," "Mother, When the War is Over," and "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again." Some of the songs are not only remarkably sympathetic in tune, but also admit of being recited with good effect, and add no small part to Ameri can poesy.
Some of the situations of our camps admitted of the Regiment being able to listen to martial music by regimental, brigade or division bands in nearby camps. This was considered a musical treat, and very often when the bands played such tunes as "Old Hundred," "Nearer, My God, to Thee," "John Brown," "Colum- bia, the Gem of the Ocean,""The Star Spangled Banner," and some other patriotic tunes and songs, the whole Regiment would follow the tune with the words of the song, and a volume of melody would swell on the air in a gigantic wave of grand harmony that was most impressive. Sometimes the effect would be most dc- cidedly thrilling, and at the conclusion the boys would yell and cheer, in approving acclaim.
I well remember one night in the spring of 1863, when we were in camp just outside of Murfreesboro. It was a still, pleasant night, and the spirit of song was so strong that our camp was har- monious with the music we furnished. Just a short distance away was the 19th Ohio regiment which possessed an unusually fine band. When we finished a piece the applause they gave us followed. and then the band played its sweetest song and we applauded, and
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History of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry.
so we alternated, one after the other, until the far-off taps sounded at some division headquarters warned us that our concert was near an end. Then, someone started that grand old doxology :
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Everyone joined in, and fully 800 voices sang "Old Hundred" with a fervor and pathos never excelled. The spirit of the prayer seemed to thrill each singer and filled us with a holiness which could only come from the eternal Father of us all.
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THE ESCORT COMPANIES AT ARMY HEAD- QUARTERS.
SERG. T. H. SMITH, COMPANY K, PHILADELPHIA.
N EXT to the patriotic feeling which prompted us to enlist in the defence of our country in the dark period of the summer of 1862, many, if not all of us, were elated with the thought of joining a battalion, which grew into a regiment of twelve companies, that was enlisted for special service, and that was to be an Escort for the Commanding General and to be attached to army headquarters.
When we were fully organized and equipped these promises were carried out, and during our term of service it is prob- able that at some time or other every man was called on to perform some duty which is ordinarily entrusted to an officer of some General's staff; so that the remark, so frequently heard from other regiments, that the "Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry ran the Army of the Cumberland" had a shadow of truth in it. It was the good fortune of the escort to be engaged in a continuous work of this character for seventeen months during the period it was attached to headquarters. Each one of the men saw sufficient of the varied phases of army life and had experiences which if col- lected would make a book in itself.
The Army of the Cumberland, under the command of General Rosecrans, started on what was known as the Tullahoma canı- paign on June 23, 1863. Two days afterwards Companies B and K, under Capts. Wm. Wagner and A. B. Garner, were detailed for duty at headquarters. On August 9th Company H, under Capt. Edw. Sellers, at Winchester, Tenn., was added to the detachment. While on our escort service we were under two Major-Generals who commanded the army-Wm. S. Rosecrans and Geo. H. Thomas-and were with the army in all its movements. It was an exceedingly interesting duty. Few soldiers are cognizant of
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facts except those which transpire in his own immediate view, and even their vision is limited. Our outlook took in the movements of the whole army, for no important event took place in any part with- out some escort man happening to be there on some duty or other. We carried dispatches to corps, division and brigade headquarters, and soon got to know all the prominent Commanders who served with us.
One of our duties was to inform ourselves and keep posted on the positions held by all our troops at all times, in camp or on the march. Our duties covered a wide scope, from acting as ordinary soldiers on the skirmish line to riding in state behind the General who commanded the army. When members of the General's staff were sent to inspect fortifications, defenses or bridges, details for escort duty were always made from our command, and we learned the topography of the country over which the army moved. These details were frequent, day or night, and some of our men were in readiness with horses saddled at any hour, so that no time was lost in getting ready. To keep the escort in the highest state of efficiency the quartermaster department was always ready to sup- ply our needs, even if there was a shortage for the rest of the army.
The army had moved out from Murfreesboro, Tenn., June 23d, on the campaign against Chattanooga, and the detachment found headquarters in the field, eight miles south of Murfreesboro, on the Manchester turnpike. Our duties were ascertained to be the fur- nishing of a number of orderlies daily, the remainder constituting the escort proper of the General commanding.
The detachment participated in the battle of Hoover's Gap, and entered Manchester on the 27th of June. Headquarters were es- tablished at Tullahoma, July Ist. On the 5th General Rosecrans, accompanied only by his escort, made a tour of inspection of the army as far as Elk River bridge and Estelle Spring. At the latter place the detachment stopped for the night, and furnished a camp guard and did picket duty. Next morning they returned to Tulla- homa.
July 13th headquarters were removed to Winchester, Tenn., where it was maintained three weeks. While at this place the army was reviewed by General Rosecrans ; our detachment turned out on four occasions and each time was highly complimented by the General on its soldierly appearance.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE " ESCORT" IN CHATTANOOGA
Lieut. Wmn. M. Field
Com. Chas. S. Hinchman
Maj. Wm. Wagner
Maj. A. B. Garner Lieut. Stuart Logan Capt. Edw. Sellers
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The Escort Companies at Army Headquarters.
Headquarters were removed from Winchester to Stevenson, Ala., early in August, where it remained until September 5th.
On Sept. 4th the detachment crossed the pontoon bridge at Caperton's Ferry, being the first troops to cross, and scouted the country for twelve miles south of the Tennessee River. It re- turned the same day to Stevenson, having marched thirty-four miles. Next day the army crossed the river, and our detachment moved with General Rosecrans to Trenton, Ga., where it re- mained on the 6th, when intelligence being received of the evacua- tion of Chattanooga, headquarters moved there immediately. Next day they moved down the valley to General Thomas' headquarters, and on the following morning moved to Crawfish Springs.
Headquarters of the army were at this place when the battle of Chickamauga began. The detachment was actively engaged dur- ing the whole of this memorable fight, remaining almost constantly saddled. Dispatches of the most vital importance were entrusted to the men by the Commanding General, his staff not being able to take all the messages ; all of which were promptly delivered, under circumstances of appalling danger. When the charge was made by the enemy on the 19th, which lost to our army the position in front oi Widow Glenn's house, the General commanding, accompanied by the detachment, rode rapidly toward the broken lines of our infantry, and upon coming up to them he ordered sabers to be drawn to force back the stragglers to their places, in the endeavor to re-form the line. The order was obeyed until the effort proved to be useless, the tide becoming every instant stronger and stronger, until the detachment was obliged to fall back, being borne to the rear by the surging crowd of retreating soldiers.
On the next day (20th) the detachment was again exposed to a galling fire, and lost six or eight horses, three of which were instantly killed. The men dismounted by these casualties took to their carbines, fought gallantly on foot, contesting every inch of the ground and vieing with the best of our infantry. Running out . of carbine ammunition they picked up muskets, and stood up to their work till the army reached Chattanooga. Happily, none of these were injured except Corp. Jacob H. Isett, of Company K, who was hurt by his horse falling on him when shot, but who continued to fight on foot notwithstanding. He and Serg. Robert Sowersby, of Company H, particularly distinguished themselves.
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The others are unfortunately not remembered. The detachment received the very high compliment of being the only body of cavalry mentioned, in the Commanding General's official report of this bloody battle, for distinguished gallantry and prompt obedience.
After the battle of Chickamauga Major-General Rosecrans was relieved from the command of the army, and was succeeded by Major-General Thomas, who, fully appreciating the usefulness of the detachment, continued them on duty at headquarters. The town was then closely besieged, and forage became so scarce that all but ten of the horses of the escort died from starvation. These ten were on duty during the battle of Mission Ridge, their riders acting as orderlies to Generals Grant and Thomas. A long period of inaction followed, during which nothing of interest occurred.
On the 28th of April, 1864, at the urgent solicitation of Colonel Palmer, Company B was relieved from duty at department head- quarters and returned to the Regiment, which was then stationed at Rossville, Ga. Companies H and K remained, and being thor- oughly re-equipped and remounted, started with the headquarters' wagon trains for Ringgold, Ga., on the 2d of May, the army being about to commence the campaign against Atlanta.
On the 6th of May they encamped at Tunnel Hill, Ga. At this place six mounted orderlies were furnished to General Sherman. Some of these men were afterward regularly detached and accom- panied General Sherman on the great march ; one of them, Private Walter, of Company K, being with the General in every battle from Tunnel Hill, Ga., to Bentonville, N. C.
On the 14th the detachment participated in the assault on Resaca, and was subjected to a severe artillery and musketry fire for over eight hours.
May 27th, the army having started on a flank movement around Allatoona, and the main roads being very much crowded with troops and trains, General Thomas sent his headquarters' train to Dallas on a byroad, upon which there were no troops, under escort of a regiment of infantry, Companies H and K, Fifteenth Pennsyl- vania Cavalry, and Company L, of the First Ohio Cavalry, with Brigadier-General Whipple, Assistant Adjutant General, in conı- mmand. When within two miles of Dallas they came upon the pickets of the enemy, who opened quite a sharp fire upon the de-
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The Escort Companies at Army Headquarters.
tachment, which was in advance. The fire was returned with spirit. Captain Garner immediately deployed his cavalry as skir- mishers, and pushed forward about half a mile from where the enemy was first met, skirmishing all the way. General Whipple, finding such determined resistance, concluded to withdraw. Heavy cannonading was now heard on the left, and the train was put in motion to the rear, several miles away, where it was left, under guard of the infantry and Ohio cavalry. The General pushed some three miles up Pumpkin Vine Creek, with the detachment of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania, when they met the flank of General Hooker's corps, heavily engaged with what was afterward ascer- tained to have been the bulk of the rebel army. General Thomas came up in the night, and headquarters were established in the rear of Hocker's corps, a position from which it was shelled at daylight next morning.
The detachment continued on the march down as far as Kenne- saw Mountain without incident, except that while at Big Shanty Captain Garner was appointed Acting Assistant Quartermaster on the staff of General Thomas. At Kennesaw Mountain the de- tachment participated in the assault, and on the 4th of July moved into Marietta, Ga.
On the 6th they arrived at Vining's Station, where headquarters were established for several weeks, until the enemy withdrew from the south bank of the Chattahoochee River, when the command passed over, and, after assisting in the battle, encamped on Peach Tree Creek.
The siege of Atlanta now commenced, during which forage be- came very scarce, on account of raids by guerrillas and rebel cavalry on the communications, and it was found necessary to forage as much as possible on the country. This could only be done on the extreme flanks of the army. This ground was com- mon to the foragers of both armies, and the detachment had fre- quent little skirmishes with small parties of the enemy's cavalry who were out on similar errands. The detachment moved, with Generals Sherman and Thomas, to the rear of Atlanta, and were actively engaged at the battle of Jonesboro, Ga. It entered Atlanta, September 8, 1864, and remained until October 28th.
In the meantime General Thomas was ordered to Nashville to organize the forces north of the Tennessee River, and the detach-
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ment was placed under the orders of Major-General Slocum, commanding the post. While subject to these orders they accom- panied three large foraging expeditions to Yellow and South Rivers, Georgia, the expeditions being under the command of Major-General Geary. They also performed picket duty at At- lanta, the latter being incessant and hard, as the men were on duty every other day. On the 25th of October orders were re- ceived to guard the train belonging to department headquarters back to Chattanooga, Tenn., the detachment arriving at Chatta- nooga on the 4th of November, and shortly after rejoined the Regiment near Wauhatchie, after an absence on separate duty of over seventeen months.
It will be seen that during a portion of the time they were absent from the Regiment the detachment was ingloriously inac- tive while on duty at established headquarters and in garrisoned posts, but when on the move, which occupied the greater part of the time-for it is a matter of history that the army of the South- west kept moving and moving, and that, too, nearly always in the right direction-it was exposed to as much danger and per- formed as much field duty as any other portion of the army of equal numbers.
HOW I BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH GEN. P. H. SHERIDAN.
JOHN M. ZOLL, COMPANY K, PHILADELPHIA, P.A.
S OME time after the battle of Stone River, when the Army of the Cumberland was on the move, with temporary head- quarters at Tullahoma, I was detailed early one morning as escort to a native Union guide and scout, with orders to deliver him to General Thomas, then far in the advance.
Accordingly, I saddled up, drew my rations and started for my destination, accompanied by my Tennessee friend. He was mounted on a large mule, was dressed in butternut clothing and had large saddlebags well supplied with corn bread and other delicacies.
The guide had a very suspicious look to me, so I accordingly watched him very closely, and had my pistol handy for any emer- gency. But, fortunately, he was what he represented himself to be, and no trouble occurred.
We rode nearly all day up and down mountains, chatting and eating, without finding the headquarters of any general officer.
Just before dark, however, we reached the headquarters of Gen. P. H. Sheridan, who was then commanding a division.
We halted, and I made inquiries as to the location of General Thomas' command.
General Sheridan, who was present, inquired why I wished to see General Thomas. I told him I was ordered to deliver the guide and scout to him and then return to department headquarters with General Thomas' receipt.
General Sheridan said he did not know General Thomas' loca- tion exactly, but that he himself badly needed a competent guide and scout, and would, therefore, take charge of him and give me his receipt. I told General Sheridan my instructions were to deliver the guide to General Thomas, but Sheridan insisted on taking
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History of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry.
charge of him, and assured me that his receipt would hold me blameless, so I was obliged to yield to superior authority.
It was then quite dark, so General Sheridan ordered the Cap- tain of his escort to take charge of the guide and myself and our horses, to give us supper and a tent to sleep in, and breakfast the next morning. He ordered me to report to him before leaving and get the receipt for the guide. He then left us.
The Captain also left us shortly afterward and entirely neglected us. So we went to bed supperless ; neither had we any breakfast.
It seems the Captain had a card party on hand that night, with plenty of whisky and cigars, and evidently thought of nothing else but his own pleasure.
However, the next morning early, I saddled up, reported to General Sheridan, told him I was ready to return and asked for his receipt.
He replied, "All right," and inquired if I had my breakfast. I told him I had not.
"Did you have supper last night ?"
"No, sir," I replied.
"What !" thundered the General; "no supper and no break- fast? "Orderly !" exclaimed the General, "tell Captain Williams to report to me at once."
In a short time the Captain reported-half asleep, unwashed, uncombed and red-eyed from the effects of too much whisky the previous night.
As soon as the General saw him he said: "Captain Williams, did I not order you last night to take charge of this cavalryman and the guide and give them supper and breakfast?"
"Yes, sir," falteringly replied the Captain.
"Then, why did you not do as I ordered? I have a notion to tear off your shoulder straps and put you under arrest."
The General then gave the Captain the severest tongue lashing that I have ever heard, before or since, making the morning air actually blue.
That was the first time I understood the meaning of the expres- sion, "He swears like a trooper."
When the General commenced disciplining the Captain, being a modest young man, I naturally started to walk away, but Sheri- dan insisted that I should remain and hear the conversation.
How I Became Acquainted with Gen. P. H. Sheridan. 219
After the storm had somewhat blown over Sheridan again or- dered the Captain to take charge of the guide and myself ; and it is needless to say that the Captain gave us the best breakfast we had had for a long time and filled our haversacks to overflowing.
I then reported to General Sheridan, when he asked me my name and Regiment, gave me my receipt and ordered me to return to headquarters.
Thus ended my first acquaintance with General Sheridan.
ON THE COURIER LINE.
HENRY CHALMERS, COMPANY E, AKRON, OHIO.
T HE courier has many and varied experiences in his line of duty. Some are pleasant, but all are more or less hazardous and dangerous. While Company E was on duty at Gen. George H. Thomas' headquarters at Elk River, during the campaign from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga, the frequent heavy rains had swollen the river to such an extent as to render it unfordable.
General Thomas desired to send a dispatch across the river. He called for a courier from his escort, Company A, First Ohio Cavalry, but not a man was willing to run the risk of being drowned. The General said: "I know who will take it-some of those Fifteenth Pennsylvania boys." Comrade Charles P. Sellers, with the worst mount in Company E, took the dispatch, entered the ford and swam his horse, but, in endeavoring to make the opposite landing, his horse was struck by a log which threw Sellers into the river. He recovered himself, swam ashore, bringing his horse with him, delivered the dispatch to another Company E man, who carried it to the next post. I do not know whether Comrade Sellers received the United States medal for meritorious conduct or not, but I am sure that he richly deserved it. Being an extremely modest, young man he probably never applied for it.
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