USA > Pennsylvania > Martial deeds of Pennsylvania, Vol. 2 > Part 26
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with unexampled heroism, was forced to retire, led it back to the new line of battle, where it remained facing the foe until the close of the conflict. At Auburn, Locust Grove, Kelly's Ford, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the Petersburg front, he was with his regiment, and much of the time in com- mand. With it he was mustered out at the close of its term of service.
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OHIN EMORY PARSONS, Colonel of the One Hundred and Eighty-seventh regiment and Brevet Brigadier-General of Militia, was born on the 23d of December, 1837, on Duncan's Island, Dauphin county. He was the son of William and Cath- arine (Leibrick) Parsons. By the death of a kind father, before he had completed his fifth year, he was robbed of that guiding hand; but a devoted mother, possessed of great energy, by her moulding influence gave fortunate bent to his character. Soon after this bereavement the family removed to the little village of Halifax, on the Susquehanna, where he received a common school education. He early turned his attention to civil engineer- . ing, and was at successive periods associated with the corps engaged upon the lines of the Northern Central, and Philadelphia and Erie railroads. An incident occurred at this period which well illustrates his character. He had been employed for some time on the latter line, when he received notice at evening that on the following morning he was to take the place of the chief of the staff. Besides not having had any previous practice, he had grown forgetful of the principles. What was he to do ? Should he acknowledge his weakness and decline the place ? His pride was touched. Securing the necessary books, he sat up all night by the cabin fire in the deep forest where the work was progressing, and by morning had the subject so familiarized as to take the helm with a steady hand.
On the 30th of August, 1862, he entered the service of the United States as Adjutant of the One Hundred and Forty-ninth regiment, the first of the Bucktail brigade. Soon after reaching the field Ire was detailed to staff duty as Acting Assistant Adju- tant-General, in which capacity he served in the battles of Chan- cellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Tolopotomy,
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JOHN E. PARSONS.
and Bethesda Church. General Stone, on whose staff he was engaged, after mentioning him in commendatory terms, as a gentleman and a soldier, particularizes his qualifications as a disciplinarian, and his sagacity and self-possession in an engage- ment. As a marked illustration of the latter, he cites his conduct during the first day in the Wilderness, where, by his keen discernment amidst the wildest confusion consequent upon a surprise of the skirmishers, he saved the guns from inevitable capture.
On the 30th of June, 1864, President Lincoln appointed him Assistant Adjutant-General, with the rank of Captain, and he was assigned by the Secretary of War to a brigade of the Fifth . corps. General H. G. Sickel, in whose command he acted, says : "I found in him a gentleman of fine attainments, including extensive military knowledge, and of excellent executive ability, enjoying the confidence and respect of all with whom he had official intercourse. Among the acts most worthy of notice is that at Poplar Spring Church, or Peebles' Farm. While our brigade was forming for a charge upon the enemy's fortifications, one of the regimental commanders misunderstood the order, and filed his regiment into a piece of wood in the rear, and there remained, leaving our left unprotected. When the right of the line reached the enemy's works, I found our flanks exposed and threatened by the enemy's infantry, and a disaster might have been the result, but for the discerning sagacity of Captain Parsons, who galloped off through a storm of bullets, reformed the tardy regiment referred to, and directing the charge in person, routed the enemy, and the result was a complete victory for the Union arms. His conduct at the battle of Hatcher's Run, and upon other occasions, was equally commendable, though not so marked." General Chamberlain, late Governor of Maine, says : "I recommended him for appointment as Adjutant-General of my brigade on the ground of his soldierly bearing and acquaintance with his duties. He recommended himself much to me by his fidelity and strictness of discipline."
On the 27th of January, 1865, he was commissioned Lieuten- ant-Colonel of the One Hundred and Eighty-seventh, and subse- quently Colonel, in which capacity he served till the close of the
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA.
war, when he retired to his home in Halifax, and was for two terms elected a member of the House of Representatives of Penn- sylvania. He was appointed by Governor Geary upon his staff, with the rank of Brevet Brigadier-General. He is at present Cashier of the Real Estate Savings Bank of Harrisburg. In person he is above the medium height, well proportioned, and of a fair complexion, indicative of health. In manners he is pecu- liarly courteous and affable. . He was married on the 9th of October, 1873, to Miss Georgianna, youngest daughter of Benja- min Parke, LL.D., of Parke Vale, Susquehanna county.
OBERT C. Cox, Colonel of the Two Hundred and Eighth regi- ment and Brevet Brigadier-General, was born on the 18th of November, 1823, in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. He was the son of William and Hannah (Courson) Cox, both of German descent. His earliest impressions of life were amid rustic scenes, and he received his education in the common schools. For a period of seven years he served in a company of volunteer cav- alry, and was for six years Brigade Inspector of militia. He was married in April, 1846, to Miss Lydia A. Wheeland. He entered active service in April, 1861. In November, 1862, he was com- missioned Major of the One Hundred and Seventy-first militia, and was in the affairs at Blunt's Creek and Jacksonville, North Carolina, in February, 1863, and New Hope School House in March. Returning home he devoted himself to recruiting a vol- unteer regiment, of which he was made Colonel. This he led to the field, which was for a time stationed on the investing line before Petersburg, occupied by the Army of the James, but was subsequently incorporated with the Ninth corps, Hartranft's division. When the enemy, at dawn on the 25th of March, 1865, captured Fort Steadman, Colonel Cox had his regiment promptly under arms and joined in the assault for its recovery. With four companies, which he led in person, Colonel Cox dashed on, dis- regarding the enemy's fire, and was himself among the foremost to reach the hostile lines and rescue them from the invader's grasp.
But even more courageous and daring was his conduct in storming and capturing the rebel works on the 2d of April, when
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ROBERT C. COX.
Petersburg after a siege of nine months finally yielded to Union valor. At two o'clock on the morning of that day his camp was alive, and at a little after three he led his regiment out and formed it for the assault, just in front of Fort Sedgwick, popu. larly known as Fort Hell, the left resting on the Jerusalem plank road. Opposite was the rebel Fort Mahone, with the equally suggestive title of Fort Damnation. The works were of exceeding strength. A double line of chevaux-de-frise, a well- strengthened picket line, a ditch and a strong main work had to be encountered in front, while to right and left were forts and angles, whence a devastating cross fire of artillery could sweep the ground which an attacking force would pass. In breathless silence the moment was awaited by this devoted regiment when the trial of fortitude should come. Scarcely was so desperate a work attempted in the whole progress of the siege, or during the war, and it was only equalled in temerity by the charge of Pickett's division at Gettysburg. Finally the rocket, which was to be the signal, shot up into the heavens, and General Hartranft gave the order to go. Colonel Cox did not assign to subordinates the duty of conducting the movement; but dismounted, with drawn sword, took his place in the front rank and cried, "Comc. boys, let us do or die!" The enemy's artillery had for some time been in full play, and the booming of the cannon, the screaming and bursting of the shells and the almost hopeless work before them were enough to fill the heart with dismay; but when the order came and the call of the leader was heard, not a soldier faltered. As they went forward men fell at every step, and all the ground over which they advanced was strewn with the dead and the dying. The axemen severed the links which bound the chevaux-de-frise, and it was rapidly opened; but time was consumed, every second of which was costing precious lives. From the neck of Colonel Cox bullets cut the hair, and his coat was riddled; but he remained unscathed, almost miraculously preserved, and pressing on led the survivors over the enemy's works, clearing the way at the point of the bayonet and planting his flag upon the wall of the hostile line. Such an exhibition of bravery and so complete a triumph it has rarely been the lot of a soldier to know. His gallantry was not long without reward,
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for the President had no sooner heard the joyful tale than he conferred upon him the rank of Brigadier-General by brevet. In his own official report he says: "Officers and men fell on every side. My color sergeant, George J. Horning, was shot down, pierced with seven balls, and three of the color guard fell by his side." General Matthews, who was at the head of the brigade, says: "To Colonel R. C. Cox, who commanded the leading regi- ment, I owe the entire success that attended the charge. Fore- most among those who scaled the enemy's works, cheering his men by his courage, preparing them to meet the many charges of the enemy to retake the lines, he is deserving of the highest praise." Thirty-seven of his men were killed, one hundred and forty wounded, and eight missing. The foe repeatedly essayed to regain their works, but were as often hurled back. When the enemy found the city no longer tenable, he fled in confusion. Pursuit was promptly ordered, and a week later the entire rebel army laid down its arms at Appomattox Court House. Since the war General Cox has filled several offices of honor and responsi- bility, having been a justice of the peace, school director, and Treasurer of Tioga county. On the 2d of April, 1865, he was commissioned by Governor Geary Major-General of the Thirteenth division of the National Guards.
ENRY SHIPPEN HUIDEKOPER, Colonel of the One Hundred and Fiftieth regiment and Major-General of the National Guard, was born on the 17th of July, 1839, at Meadville. He was the eldest son of Edgar Huidekoper, and a grandson of H. J. Huidekoper, a native of Holland, one of the early settlers in the northwestern part of the State. His mother, Frances (Shippen) Huidekoper, was a daughter of Henry Shippen, formerly Presi- dent Judge of the sixth judicial district. He early manifested a taste for mechanism, and those sports and occupations common to country life. He was educated at Harvard University, grad- uating in the class of 1862. The war had aroused a martial spirit even beneath the peaceful shades of the university, and before leaving it, he had given considerable time to the study of tactics and to battalion drill.
On returning to his home he found operations in progress for
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HENRY S. HUIDEKOPER.
the formation of the Bucktail brigade, and immediately embarked in the enterprise. On the 30th of August, 1862, he was commis- sioned a Captain in the One Hundred and Fiftieth regiment, and was soon afterwards made Lieutenant-Colonel. Most of the winter was spent in the city of Washington, where he served on a general court-martial. Early in the spring this brigade was incorporated in the First corps. The campaign of Chancellors- ville involved much hard marching in its preliminary stages, and anxious reconnoissance, but little severe fighting on the part of this corps. The march to Gettysburg followed close upon the retirement from this field, and here Colonel Huidekoper fought his first and his last battle. But though confined to half of a single day it was such a baptism of fire as a soldier rarely receives in a long life of service. The regiment moved to its position, midway between Willoughby Run and Seminary Ridge, at noon on the first day of the battle. Earnest fighting soon commenced, the open ground where the regiment stood being raked by the enemy's artillery. When shot and shell failed to move it, rebel infantry advanced to the attack, and from right and front bore down upon it with overwhelming force. The troops which stood next it, Wadsworth's, yielded and retired to the wooded heights in rear. But the men who wore the bucktail, though more ex- posed than any other part of the line, remained immovable as the rock against which the billows unavailing beat ! " I relied greatly on Stone's brigade," says Doubleday, "to hold the post assigned them, as I soon saw I would be obliged to change front with a portion of my line, to face the northwest, and his brigade held the pivot of the movement. My confidence in this noble body of men was not misplaced. They repulsed the repeated attacks of vastly superior numbers at close quarters, and maintained their position until the final retreat of the whole line. This brigade in common with almost every regiment in the Third division was composed of Pennsylvanians, who were actuated by a heroic desire to avenge the invasion of their native State."
The storm had not been long raging before Colonel Stone was shot, and Colonel Wister, of the One Hundred and Fiftieth, suc- ceeded him. This threw the whole responsibility of directing the regiment upon Lieutenant-Colonel Huidekoper at a most critical
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA.
stage of the battle. The enemy was just then coming down upon it with overwhelming force. "The rebels now advanced," says General Doubleday, "from the northwest to flank the two regi- ments in the road, but the One Hundred and Fiftieth, under Lieutenant-Colonel Huidekoper, changed front forward, and met the enemy precisely as Dwight had met them, with two volleys of musketry and a gallant bayonet charge, led by Colonel Wister in person. This dispersed them. Another desperate onslaught came from the north, passed the railroad cut, and almost reached the road, only, however, to encounter another defeat from the irresistible bayonets of our men. The next attack came from the west, but was again repulsed by the indomitable One Hun- dred and Fiftieth regiment. . . . Just previous to this the brave and resolute Lieutenant-Colonel Huidekoper had faced four com- panies to contend with the opposing forces from the west, while six companies kept off an entire brigade from the north. Every regiment of Stone's brigade changed front forward, and two changed front to rear, while closely engaged. The most eminent military writers regard the first movement as difficult, and the last as almost impossible to execute under fire." In the midst of these intricate manœuvres, and while battling with a lion-hearted determination, Colonel Huidekoper received a wound in the leg and another severe one in the right arm. Not long after the remnants of this gallant brigade were forced to yield, and when the enemy, pushing eagerly forward, gained possession of the field, Colonel Huidekoper was insensible upon the operator's table. He woke to find himself a prisoner, and that good right arm no longer his.
When the battle was over and the echoes of the great conflict had died away, Colonel Huidekoper, with thousands of the Union wounded left upon the field, came again under the old flag. He was taken to Philadelphia, where he was cared for by kind friends, and his wounds soon healed. He returned to the field, and in February, 1864, was promoted to Colonel; but on the 5th of March following, feeling himself incapacitated for field duty, resigned. That heroic soldier, General Doubleday, under whose eye he fought, in a communication to the War Department, said : "There is not a more gallant officer or more perfect
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JACOB M. CAMPBELL.
gentleman in the Army of the Potomac than Colonel Huide- koper, and when the history of the war is written no harder fighting will be recorded than that of the One Hundred and Fiftieth regiment Pennsylvania volunteers during the first day at Gettysburg."
Colonel Huidekoper was married on the 26th of October, 1864, to Miss Emma Gertrude, daughter of Thomas W. Evans, of Ger- mantown, Philadelphia.' In person he is five feet eight inches in height, compactly built, and of an erect and determined mien. Since the war he has devoted himself extensively to the manu- facture of woollen cloths, in which he has achieved great success. When the National Guard of Pennsylvania was organized he was selected by Governor Geary to command the Twentieth division, as Major-General, which position he still holds, his being notably one of the best drilled and most efficient divisions in the entire corps.
ACOB MILLER CAMPBELL, son of John and Mary (Weyand) Campbell, was born near the summit of the Allegheny mountains, in Somerset county, on the 20th of November, 1821. He learned the trade of a printer, but being fond of adventure was successively clerk, mate, and part owner of a steamboat running on the Mississippi. He was the first at Camp Curtin with his company for three months, during which he was Quar- termaster of the Third regiment. He was made Colonel of the Fifty-fourth, with which he served over three years in West Virginia along the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and in the Shenandoah Valley. The duty was hazardous and put the metal of the troops to a constant strain, as the hour could not be divined when a superior force would come down upon them. Skirmishing and hard fighting were frequent, and he was engaged in several severe battles, among which were New Market, Piedmont, Lynchburg, Winchester, and Cedar Creek where he was wounded. He was much of the time in command of a brigade, and occasionally of a division, and was recommended for a Brigadier's commission. It was long delayed, but finally granted for his gallantry at Piedmont in June, 1864. He was for two terms Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania. He was mar- ried in 1847 to Miss Mary Rankin Campbell.
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA.
ORATIO GATES SICKEL, Colonel of the Third Reserve regi- ment, Brevet Brigadier and Major-General, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of April, 1817. His paternal ancestors were descended from an old Holland family, his maternal from English Quakers who came to this country with William Penn. For several generations both branches had been well-to-do farmers in the neighborhood of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth (Vandergrift) Sickel, an intelligent and refined lady, died when he was but seven years old, and he after- wards found a home in the family of an elder sister, Mrs. Henry Kuhn, where he wrought upon a farm in summer and attended school in winter. At the age of eighteen, having a mechanical turn, he apprenticed himself to the business of smithing, reserv- ing the right to three months attendance annually in the Friends' school at Byberry. On arriving at his majority, being possessed of a good business education and a small legacy from his grandfather Vandergrift's estate, he established himself in smithing and coach- making at Quakertown. In 1842 he married Eliza, daughter of William Van Sant, of Northampton, and three years later re- moved to Philadelphia, where he engaged in manufacturing and mercantile business, which he prosecuted with success.
For more than twenty years previous to the Rebellion he had been an officer of the volunteer militia, commanding the Old Washington Grays of the Second, and the Mechanics' Rifles of the First Division. Among his earliest lessons was that of de- votion to country. His eyes had first seen the light in the neigh- borhood of some of the most stirring exploits of Washington and the patriots of the Revolution. Familiar with the story of their trials and sufferings and imbued with the spirit which moved them, he rendered prompt obedience to the call for aid in the spring of 1861, and was unanimously elected Colonel of the Third Reserve, organized in the camp at Easton. His discipline was methodical and exact, and withal so mildly yet firmly en- forced that it encountered little question or resistance. He exer- cised special care for the health, comfort, and well-being of his men, and while encouraging manly sports and diversions, dis- countenanced gaming and kindred vices. The social intercourse at his head-quarters was agreeable and elevated.
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HORATIO G. SICKEL.
He went to the Peninsula just previous to the opening of the Seven Days' battle, and participated in the hottest part of the actions at Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines' Mill, and Charles City Cross Roads, having a horse shot under him in each of the last two engagements, and was honorably mentioned in the reports of Generals Meade and McCall. In the last battle General Meade was disabled; whereupon Colonel Sickel succeeded to the com- mand of the brigade, which he continued to exercise until it reached Acquia Creek, on its way to join Pope. In the trying campaign which followed, he led his regiment, and though suffer- ing from sunstroke in the battle of Bull Run, continued with his men to the last.
Recovering from a severe indisposition he rejoined the army at Sharpsburg, and moving down the Valley of Virginia acted with great gallantry in the memorable charge of the Reserves in the battle of Fredericksburg. Soon afterwards, upon the promotion of General Meade to the command of the Fifth Corps, Colonel Sickel succeeded to that of the Reserves, and in February, 1863, was placed over the defences of the city of Alexandria. In April, 1864, he was ordered to the command of a brigade, under General Crook, in West Virginia, and participated with distinction in the campaign from the valley of the Kanawha to Wyattsville and Doublin on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. On the 9th of May a heavy force of the enemy, under General Jenkins, was discovered posted near the summit of Cloyd Mountain in an ap- parently impregnable position. An assault was at once ordered. When arrived near the hostile works, Colonel Sickel, seeing that his men were exposed to a destructive fire, ordered two regiments to lie down and crawl stealthily forward. While the attention of the foe was attracted by these, he sent the balance of the brigade to the right. Proceeding under cover of the high ground their progress was not discovered until, with a wild shout, they burst like a whirlwind upon the rebel left flank, driving it in confusion and achieving a complete victory.
On the following day, General Crook, on account of sickness, turned over the entire command of the army to Colonel Sickel. The destruction of the depots and warehouses, with immense stores and military equipage, was promptly commenced. The
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railroad for a distance of six miles was utterly destroyed, the rails being twisted and the culverts blown up. Advancing east- ward, at New River Bridge Sickel encountered the enemy under General McCausland, whom he defeated after an obstinate resist- ance, driving them over the bridge, an immense covered structure. a mile and a half in length, which was totally destroyed. The army moved to Meadow Bluff, when the three years' term of service of the two Reserve regiments, which were of Sickel's brigade, expired. He was accordingly ordered to move with them to Philadelphia, where, on the 17th of June, they were mustered out. But Colonel Sickel was not the man to desert his country's armies in this her hour of. need. He at once tendered his services to Governor Curtin, and was offered the command of a veteran regiment, but accepted instead that of one of the new ones just then being recruited by the Union League Association of Philadelphia, the One Hundred and Ninety-eighth.
On reaching the front it was placed in the First brigade, First division of the Fifth corps, and Sickel was given command of the brigade. He at once won distinction, leading with marked skill in the battle of Peebles' Farm and in the movements of the 1st, 2d and 3d days of October, being honored at their conclusion with the brevet rank of Brigadier-General. He was engaged in the demonstration upon the South Side Railroad, and on the 6th of December in the destruction of the Weldon Railroad. At Hatcher's Run, on the 6th of February, 1865, seeing the Second brigade hard pressed, he led his force to its support, and with sword in hand headed the charge which ended the struggle and brought victory to the Union arms. In the heat of the engage- ment he received a painful flesh wound. Fortunately it soon healed, and he returned to duty in time to take part in the action at Lewis' Farm or Quaker Road, one of the principal military achievements of his life. General Chamberlain, of Maine, since Governor, in referring to General Sickel's conduct, thus describes it : " His regiment greatly distinguished itself here, the gallantry of its charge being fully equalled by the fortitude with which it withstood a heavy and determined countercharge, and for more than an hour disputed the ground. .... While all this was going on, General Sickel and his command were behaving in the most
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