USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Fifty-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry > Part 6
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Unlike the battlefields of Virginia where we usual- ly fought in the woods or thickets, we were now on a field where we had an unobstructed view, and could see something of the movements of other troops, besides our own regiment or brigade.
At this time the 3d corps consisted of two divisions commanded by Generals Birney and Humphreys. The right of the latter division joined the left of Han- cock's 2d corps on the southern slope of Cemetery hill. Birney to the left was to extend his line on the same prolongation to the base of Little Roundtop. But this line was commanded by the high ground ground along the Emmitsburg road and at the peach orchard. General Sickles, after having repeatedly in- formed General Meade that the line was a weak one, assumed the responsibility of changing it. He there- fore posted Birney's division as follows: Graham's brigade on the right, its right resting a few rods north of the Sherfy house on the Emmitsburg road. At
the peach orchard, which is a part of the Sherfy farm, an angle was formed in our brigade line, part of it facing west, and part to the south. On Graham's leit was De Trobriand's brigade which in part occu- pied the wheatfield. Ward's brigade held the left of the division passing through the rocky ground called Devil's Den, with his left resting at the western base of Little Roundtop.
A great part of the day was spent by the ma- neuvering of both armies. General Meade's opinion was that Lee would attack his right, while that gen- eral was moving his troops behind Seminary ridge
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for the purpose of attacking Meade's left. The key point on this part of the line was Little Roundtop, but strange to tell, it was not occupied by our troops until after the battle began and then just in the nick of time. A few minutes later the enemy would have gained the crest and Gettysburg would have been lost. The occupation of the hill is due to the energy of General Warren, chief of engineers, who succeeded in getting troops there just as the enemy was beginning to ascend the western base of the hill.
In the meantime our regiment was lying in a field a few rods in the rear of the Sherfy house, which stood on the opposite side of the road. The 105th Pennsylvania was on our right, and the 114th on our left. For two hours we lay here under the hottest fire of artillery we had as yet been subjected to. The enemy had some thirty pieces of artillery planted on the ridge to the south and west of us, hurling their missiles toward us as fast as they could work their guns. Fortunately most of them were aimed too high to do us injury, but to stay there so long under that howling, shrieking storm of shot and shell, was more trying to the nerves than to be engaged in close action with the enemy.
Finally this long cannonade ceased and the enemy began to advance his infantry to attack our part of the line. The 57th and the 114th were ordered across the road, where we beheld the enemy, which proved to be Barksdale's Mississippi brigade, advancing through the fields toward us. Our regiment at once took advantage of the cover that the house, outbuild-
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ings and trees afforded and opened fire on the enemy, who were within easy range, and did not reply to our fire until they reached a rail fence about a hundred yards in our front. There were then no rebels to the right of those engaged with us, and for a while we had the best of the fight owing to our sheltered posi- tion. The men of the 57th who were in the house kept up a steady fire from the west windows of the house. The writer had posted himself by a large cherry tree against which some fenceposts were lean- ing, on the north side of the house. Before the fight closed this cherry tree was struck with a twelve pound solid shot from one of our guns. When the monu- ment of the regiment was dedicated in July, twenty- five years later, the tree with the cannon ball em- bedded in it was still standing.
Although the angle of the peach orchard was long and bravely defended by our troops there, they were at last compelled to yield ground, and by so doing the regiments along the Emmittsburg road were en- Mladed and obliged to fall back also. When we found the enemy coming up the road in our rear, Captain Nelson, who was in command of the regiment, tried to notify those in the house, and order them to fall back, but amid the noise and confusion it was impos- sible to make then understand the situation, and they kept on firing from the windows after the rest of the men fell back, and they were summoned to surrender by the rebels who came up the stairs in their rear.
Those of us who got out of this tight place were soon after formed with the rest of our division, on a 7
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ridge in the rear of the position we had occupied in the morning. Reenforcements from the 5th, 2d and 12th corps were sent in to reestablish the line which our division had held, but they were unable to do so when darkness put an end to the conflict.
The 57th entered the battle with 18 officers and 187 enlisted men. Our losses were 2 officers and 9 men killed, 9 officers and 37 men wounded, and 4 officers and 55 men captured, a total of 116, over half of the number carried into action. Lieutenant Henry Mitchell, of Company E, and Lieutenant John F. Cox, of Company I, were killed, and Colonel Sides was among the officers wounded. Of the 55 enlisted men captured only LI returned to the regiment. The re- maining 44 died in prison at Belle Isle, or at Ander- sonville. Major Neeper was captured, as were also Lieutenants Hines, Burns and Crossley.
General Graham was wounded and taken prisoner in the peach orchard. General Sickles lost a leg near the Trostle house about 6 p. m. General Birney then assumed command of the corps. Col. A. H. Tippon, of the 68th Pennsylvania, succeeded General Graham in command of the brigade.
Early in the morning of the 3d our division was ordered to the front, which was now considerably in rear of the position we occupied the day before. The enemy occupied the Emmitsburg road and the peach orchard, and fields to the south. On the left near the Roundtops their line was farther back than the position they gained the evening before. From the position of our regiment we could plainly see the
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Sherfy house, which was about three-fourths of a mile to our front and left.
When General Geary, with part of his division, on the 2d left his position on the right of the Union line at Culp's hill to reenforce the 3d corps, he left behind him to hold his works the brigade of General Greene. The enemy in the evening in strong force attacked this position and succeeded in capturing a part of the line of works, but they were recaptured by General Geary early next morning.
In front of the 57th everything was quiet and the men were enjoying a much needed rest under the trees in the little grove in which they were stationed. Rations were distributed and we also received a good ration of commissary whiskey, which at that time was duly appreciated. It was quiet during the fore- noon and many of our men, pillowed on their knap- sacks, were asleep when the tremendous artillery fire began which was the prelude to the charge of Pick- ett's division on Hancock's position on Cemetery hill. Their fire was soon responded to by our artillery and for about two hours the earth fairly shook with the thunder of these guns and the bursting of shells. All this noise was going on about a mile to the right of us and as we were "not in it" we were anxiously wondering what the result would be.
After this cannonading had been going on for some time we were ordered to fall in quickly. About eighty of the 57th were left to respond to the call. These were soon in line and with the rest of the bri- gade we moved rapidly to the right in the direction of
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the firing. Moving in double quick for about a mile we were halted and took a position a few rods in rear of several batteries which were heavily engaged. They had just repulsed a charge of Wilcox's rebel brigade, which was supporting Pickett on his right, and whose retreat was being covered by the rebel artil- lery. We did not become engaged while here, but were exposed to the enemy's fire, which, however, did us no harm. After the firing ceased and the smoke had lifted, we learned of the repulse of Pickett's men and that our army had for once gained an important victory.
That night the regiment was sent on picket duty about half a mile to our front on ground that had been fought over on the afternoon of the 2d, and as the bodies of dead men and horses strewed the ground, the hot sun had decomposed them, causing an odor that was extremely disagreeable.
At daylight we moved back and rejoined the bri- gade. It was the 4th of July, the eighty-seventh anni- versary of American Independence, and here we were on a field strewn with the bodies of our comrades, who had died for the great principles which our fathers had maintained. in 1776. With the exception of a little picket firing there was no fighting on the 4th, and that night the enemy began their retreat back to Virginia.
General Sickles has been blamed in some quarters for taking the advanced position he did at Gettysburg on July 2d, but he is also sustained by many promi-
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nent military men, among them Gen. U. S. Grant, who visited the battlefield after the war.
The enemy having retreated, the 6th corps and cavalry were sent in pursuit. Our corps did not leave until the 7th. On the afternoon of the 6th the writer took a stroll out to the Sherfy house to look at the ground there. At the house the brick walls on the south and west sides were scarred by the enemy's bullets and the roof had a number of holes made by fragments of shell. The bursting of shells had set fire to the large barn and destroyed it, burning at the same time a number of wounded soldiers who had sought refuge in it. The dead had all been buried. but where our batteries had stood were heaps of dead horses. It was then I discovered the cannon ball in the cherry tree, mentioned above, by which I had been standing during the fight on the 2d. The ball was from our own guns, and no doubt struck the tree dur- ing the fighting of July 3d, or on the afternoon of the 2d after our men had abandoned the house.
While visiting the battlefields in 1888 Mrs. Sherfy informed me that nothing worth mentioning had been taken from the house or destroyed. An eight-day clock, which had been wound up before the family left the house when a battle was imminent, was still tick- ing away when they returned after the fight was over. She also stated that a limber chest containing a lot of ammunition was found in the field opposite the house. The men of the family were afraid to handle the ammunition, so to dispose of it, they dug a hole beside the chest, and tumbled it in, contents and all.
-
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and covered it up, and it had not been disturbed since. The chest no doubt belonged to Randolph's battery, as a section of it was in action at the point indicated by Mrs. Sherfy.
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CHAPTER IX.
BY E. C. STROUSS.
We Leave Gettysburg-Rebel Spy Hung-French's Division Joins the 3d Corps-Enemy's Position at Falling Waters-He Escapes Across the Potomac-In Old Vir- ginia Again-Manassas Gap-Camp at Sulphur Springs- Movement to Culpepper-Eleventh and Twelfth Corps Sent West-Lee's Efforts to Gain Our Rear --- Skirmish at Auburn Creek-Warren's Fight at Bristow Station- Deserter Shot-Retreat of the Enemy-Kelly's Ford- Mine Run Campaign-The Regiment Re-enlists-The "Veteran Furlough"-Recruiting -- Presented with a New Flag by Governor Curtin-Back to the Front-General Grant Commands the Army-Reorganization-The Wil- derness Campaign -- Three Days of Hard Fighting-Loss in Fifty-Seventh.
On the morning of July 7th we left Gettysburg and moved southward, through Emmitsburg and halted for the night at Mechanicstown, Md. On the 8th we passed Frederick City, and encamped two miles beyond the town. While passing the town we could sce away off to our right near the town a gallows standing, and a large crowd gathered about it. A rebel spy had been caught and hung. Some of our men who saw this spy, recognized in him the same man who sold and sang songs throughout our camp the summer before when we lay in front of Rich- mond. He was a fine singer and sold lots of his songs, but he met the fate of a spy at last. On the 9th we moved again and at night we reached South Mountain.
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About this time the division of Gen. W. H. French was assigned to our corps and became the 3d division. General French being the senior general, now took command of the corps. Colonel Tippon had been relieved from the command of the brigade, which was now commanded by Colonel Madill, of the 14Ist Pennsylvania.
On July roth we marched from South Mountain to a point about five miles beyond Keedysville, Md. On the 12th we were drawn up in line of battle near Falling Waters, and expected to attack the enemy. who had thrown up a strong line of works to cover their crossing of the Potomac. The attack, however, was delayed too long, and when we advanced on the 14th we found their works deserted and the enemy safely across the river. Previous to this many of their wagons had been captured and many prisoners taken by our cavalry.
It was humiliating to think that the enemy escaped so easily. With the swollen Potomac in their front. their pontoon bridge destroyed, and our victorious army in their rear, they ought to have been compelled to surrender. But Appomattox was still a long way off and many brave boys would fall before the end came. The news that General Grant had taken Vicks- burg, and caused the surrender of Pemberton's army, was some consolation in our disappointment over Lee's escape.
On the 15th we passed over the old Antietam battlefield, and halted for the night about two miles beyond Sharpsburg. On the 16th we passed through
Monument and group of survivors of the 57th Regiment, Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers.
(At the rededication of the monument on Gettysburg battlefield, Sept. 11, 1889.1
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Brownsville and Rohrersville and encamped near Harper's Ferry. The next day about dark we crossed the Potomac at Harper's Ferry and were once more on the soil of Virginia.
We resumed our march on the 18th and 19th, and on the 20th we reached Upperville. On the 23d we were near Manassas Gap, where it was expected we would strike the enemy's column, which was mov- ing up the Shenandoah valley. We moved to the top of a high hill, where we had a fine view of Front Royal and the surrounding country. We also wit- nessed a fight in a field in the valley to our right, of a force of the enemy and Sickles' old Excelsior brigade. This engagement, in which we were but slightly en- gaged, is known as the skirmish of "Wapping Heights." The enemy retreated during the night and next day we moved some miles beyond Piedmont on the Manassas Gap railroad. The greater part of our march was over the torn up railroad track, and as the day was excessively hot we were a tired lot of men when we encamped that night.
On the 25th we marched to within six miles of Warrenton, in Fauquier county, Va. The next day we moved four miles beyond the town and encamped at Fauqueir Sulphur Springs. Here we remained for about six weeks, during which time Colonel Sides and some of the officers and men who had been wounded at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg returned for duty. Here we had a fine camp, with good facilities for bath- ing in Hedgeman's river, a branch of the Rappahan- nock. The large brick hotel at the springs had been
1
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destroyed by fire the year before during Pope's cam- paign. Back of the hotel site was a fine park which was surrounded on three sides by cottages which had been used by summer sojourners at this place. Near the center of the park stood a pavilion, under which was the noted spring, the water of which was very cold and strongly impregnated with sulphur. We drank freely of this water and were advised to do so by the medical officers of the division. If we had been afflicted with the itch, the water would no doubt have been an effective remedy. but the only itch that troubled us was caused by a small insect known among scientists as the pediculus vestimenti and the sulphur water was not effective in driving the pests away.
Our camp at the spring was broken up on the afternoon of September 15th, when we moved south- ward to Freeman's ford, where we crossed the Rap- pahannock and took up a position between Culpep- per and Stone House mountain. The whole army was now in position between the rivers Rappahan- nock and the Rapidan.
About the end of September the 11th and 12th corps were detached from the Army of the Potomac and under General Hooker were sent to the west to reenforce our army operating around Chattanooga. Tenn. Longstreet's corps of the rebel army had pre- viously been sent to the same point to reenforce General Bragg.
We remained in the vicinity of Culpepper until October 12th, when it was found that Lee's army had
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crossed the Rapidan and was turning our right. This caused a retrograde movement of our whole army. Our division moved to the rear on October 11th, the 57th acting as flankers on the left of the column. At one point, when on a high hill, we had a fine view of a cavalry battle which was going on in our rear near Brandy Station. In the evening we crossed the Rap- pahannock at Freeman's ford and halted for the night in a pine woods. On the morning of the 12th we learned that the enemy had driven back our cavalry, and was crossing the river at our old camp at Sulphur Springs, about three miles above us. Our march to the rear continued on a by-road which brought us to the Warrenton branch of the O. & A. R. R. about three miles east of Warrenton. We rested here for a while and then after a march of about five miles further we halted for the night.
About 4 p. m. on the 13th we encountered the enemy's cavalry at Auburn creek. Our brigade held the advance of the column on this day, and the 57th was the leading regiment. Companies A and K acted as advance guard. These companies deployed on both sides of the road and opened fire on the rebels, who were dismounted and advancing through the woods and fields. Our firing soon brought up the rest of the brigade and a battery, whereupon, the rebels see- ing we were well supported, mounted their horses and retreated at a lively gait. Several men of our regiment were slightly wounded in this affair. When the skirmish was over we resumed our march, and about dark we reached the English settlement called
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Greenwich, where we encamped, and our regiment was posted as pickets.
We started again next morning and moved to Centerville, via Bristow and Manassas Junction. Late in the afternoon, the 2d corps, under General Warren, acting as rear guard, had a severe battle with Hill's corps, in which Warren was victorious, capturing a battery, several battle flags, and about four hundred prisoners.
On the 15th we moved to Fairfax Station and here on the following day, our regiment for the first time witnessed the solemn spectacle of a military exe- cution. A private of the 5th Michigan who had de- serted to the enemy and had been recaptured, was shot for desertion.
In the late movements, General Lee's object was to gain our rear and cut us off from Washington, but when we reached the strong position on the heights of Centerville, he found he was foiled, and then it became his turn to retreat. He was followed by our cavalry and several brisk skirmishes took place be- tween our troopers and the enemy.
On the 19th our division was again moving, this time with our faces toward the Rappahannock, and at night we encamped near Bristow station. On the 20th we marched through Greenwich and encamped two miles beyond the town. On the ?Ist we passed through Auburn, and over the ground where Gen. Alex. Hay's division of the 2d corps had engaged the enemy a few days before, and at night we en- camped near Catlett's station. From this date until
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November 7th we moved to various points along the railroad, which having been destroyed by the enemy, made it necessary for us to rebuild it, consequently our advance was slow.
Near Warrenton Junction, at 5 a. m. on November 5th we broke camp and moved to Kelly's ford on the Rappahannock. Here our crossing was disputed by the enemy and a brisk skirmish ensued. They finally relinquished their attempts to hold the ford when we crossed over and encamped about dark. In this skir- mish, while Capt. T. L. Maynard, our brigade inspec- tor, was giving a drink of water to a wounded rebel, he was mortally wounded and died next morning.
While we were fighting at Kelly's ford, the 5th and 6th corps had a fight with the enemy, whom they drove out of their works at Rappahannock station, about eight miles above Kelly's ford.
On the Sth we reached Brandy Station and after a few days we moved into the woods near James Bar- bour's house, and occupied a lot of huts, which had lately been constructed by the rebels, to be used as winter quarters, but they had now fallen back beyond the Rapidan river. We remained in this camp for a few weeks and then were once more on the move to take part in what is known as the "Mine Run can- paign."
On the morning of November 26th we moved out of camp, and in the evening crossed the Rapidan at looks' ford, without interruption from the enemy. The advance was resumed next morning and about 4 p. m. our division was hurried to the front to relieve
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the 3d division, which had become engaged with John- son's division of Ewell's corps. We got into a brisk little fight in which the 57th had seven wounded. This action occurred near Locust Grove. It appears that our corps commander, General French, had been in- structed to move on a road which would have led him between the corps of Hill and Ewell, who were miles apart, but he got on the wrong road and ran against the corps of Ewell, which brought on the engagement. The enemy retreated during the night and the next morning their army was concentrated, which our movements the day before were intended to prevent.
On the 28th we started again and after marching all day in the rain we came up with the enemy, who were occupying a strong position near the western bank of Mine run. This stream, flowing north, is deep and sluggish, with steep banks, and empties into the Rapidan at Mitchell's ford.
On the 20th the regiment lay in rear of a battery as a support, and at night a part of the regiment was sent out to the run to support the picket line. It was bitter cold, and we were allowed no fires, so we had a very uncomfortable night of it.
General Warren, with the 2d corps, held the ex- treme left of the line, and he thought that he could carry the enemy's position in his front, if strongly re- enforced. Early in the morning one division of the 6th corps, and the ad and 3d divisions of the 3d corps were sent him. We of Birney's division were in the . center, posted along the brow of a hill with the enemy
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behind breastworks about three-fourths of a mile in our front. We were to hold ourselves in readiness, upon hearing the sound of Warren's guns, to charge the enemy's works. Warren, upon further examina- tion of the enemy's lines, informed General Meade that the enemy's lines were too strong to hazard an attack. We were not sorry when we heard this, for it would have been extremely perilous to have charged over the broad open field in our front up to the ene- my's works.
On December Ist a snow storm set in, and after dark we marched to the rear, and recrossed the Rapi- dan at Culpepper ford about daylight on the 2d. About 9 o'clock our march was resumed, the 57th and the 63d Pennsylvania acting as wagon guard to our long train. Having run out of rations we were very hungry, but we contrived to get something to eat be- fore night. On December 3d we reached our old camps, and finding our huts still standing, we soon had them roofed, and were again comfortably housed.
A few days after we got settled down, the question of reenlistment was much discussed among the men. The War Department had issued General Order No. 191, which allowed every man who reenlisted a bounty of $400.00 (to be paid in installments ) and a furlough for thirty days. Before leaving on furlough each man was to be paid $100.oo, under the bounty act of July 22, 1861, one month's pay in advance, $13.00. premium, $2.00, and first installment of bounty under General Order 191, $60.00, making a total of $175.00. Where three-fourths of the men present for duty in
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