USA > Pennsylvania > Martial deeds of Pennsylvania, Vol. 2 > Part 5
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603
HUGH.S. CAMPBELL.
that intrepid soldier; John W. McLane. He had never had any military training, but such was the confidence reposed in him that he was elected Captain, and at the terrible battle of Gaines' Mill, fought on the 27th of June, 1862, where both the Colonel and the Major were slain, the command of the regiment devolved upon him at a critical juncture. Isolated by the giving way of troops upon its right, the staff officer killed who had been sent to order it back, Captain Campbell resolved not to leave his position without the motion of his superior, and the regiment fought on over the dead bodies of its leaders, causing the enemy to shun it by its very boldness and audacity. Finally a mes- senger reached him and he withdrew, but steadily and full of spirit. In the engagement at Malvern Hill on the Ist of July, Captain Campbell led his men in a charge which hurled the enemy back, and resulted in the capture of the colors of a South Carolina regiment ; but he was himself severely wounded. He, however, kept the field until the 9th, when, being unable to walk, and there appearing to be no further prospect of an immediate renewal of the contest, he received a leave of absence, and re- turned home. In the brief space of twenty days, which was the limit of the furlough, he obtained one hundred recruits, most of whom went with him to the front.
He at once resumed command, and in ten days after again led his regiment on the disastrous field of Bull Run. Here, while leading a charge upon the enemy, he was severely wounded, a Minie ball shattering the large bone of the left leg. The regi- ment was in full motion and passed over his body in carrying out his order. In the varied fortunes of the battle, it was obliged to give ground, and in retiring came again upon him and bore him back. He was sent in an ambulance to Alexandria, where he remained several weeks. As soon as he was able to travel, he returned to his home, but was obliged to be conveyed the whole distance upon his cot, his surgeon not allowing him to travel upright. For over a year, he was able to move only upon crutches. His name still remained upon the rolls of his regi- ment, he having leave of absence from the Secretary of War until recovered. Despairing of ever being able again to take the field, he offered his resignation and was mustered out of the
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service, on the 14th of May, 1863. Immediately thereafter, he was tendered the position of Provost Marshal of the Nineteenth District of Pennsylvania, which he accepted, and retained until its abolition in 1865, discharging its duties to the great accept- ance of the Government and his constituents. He was tendered, likewise, the appointment of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Veteran Reserve corps, which he declined.
ILLIAM McFINN PENROSE, Colonel of the Sixth Reserve regiment, was born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 29th of March, 1825. His father, Charles B. Penrose, was a native of Philadelphia, of Welsh descent. His mother was Valeria F. Biddle, also a native of Philadelphia. His boyhood was mostly spent at school, and he graduated at Dickinson Col- lege, Carlisle, in due course. He had had no military experience previous to the Rebellion ; but when the call was made for troops for the Reserve corps he was active in securing recruits, and upon the organization of the Sixth regiment of that corps he was com- missioned its Lieutenant-Colonel. The location of the camp where the troops were first stationed near to Washington was an unhealthy one, and about three hundred were stricken with fever, among whom were Colonel Ricketts and Lieutenant-Colonel Penrose. For this cause Colonel Ricketts was discharged, and soon after died.
The battle of Dranesville was fought on the 20th of December, 1861, in which the Sixth regiment bore a prominent part. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Penrose was in command, and for his steadiness and soldierly bearing in the hour of peril was warmly com- mended by General Ord, who commanded the brigade engaged, and also by Major-General McCall. The regiment was first held in support of Easton's battery while the duel with the enemy was in progress. When, by the superior skill and accuracy of Easton's fire, the rebel artillery was silenced and driven, the regiment, by direction of General Ord, was ordered to follow on the right of the road leading to Manassas, and gallantly pursued until the discovery was made that the foe had fled beyond reach. The victory of the Reserves in this battle was complete, a large number of the enemy having been killed and wounded, a caisson
605
WILLIAM M. PENROSE .- WILLIAM R. GRIES.
blown up, and a considerable quantity of arms, ammunition, and clothing taken.
On account of ill health, induced by the malarial fevers at the first camp, Colonel Penrose resigned soon after this battle, and was never afterwards able to rejoin the army. A little more than a month from taking leave of his command General Ord wrote: "Your departure, together with his (Colonel Ricketts'), has left the regiment badly off for field officers. I wish circum- stances could have enabled you to have remained ; your coolness at Dranesville satisfied me that, had you taken hold, the regi- inent would have gone ahead in discipline with a corresponding zeal."
When the rebel army invaded the State in 1863, and a body under General Ewell approached Carlisle, Colonel Penrose, who was then a member of the town council, went out with Assist- ant Burgess Allison and Major Martin Kuhn to meet it and endeavor to secure protection to the place. The greatest con- sternation prevailed, as Union troops were in the vicinity, and a battle seemed imminent. They were fired on. as they attempted to make their way through the rebel lines, but succeeded in obtaining an agreement that the enemy should not charge into the place, though a brisk artillery duel was had, in which several buildings were struck and more or less injured.
Colonel Penrose married, on the 23d of July, 1857, Miss Valeria M., daughter of Brigadier-General Charles Merchant, of the United States army. Colonel Penrose was a member of the town council of Carlisle in 1861-62-63. He was by profession a lawyer. He was nearly six feet in height, and previous to the Rebellion was of robust health, but after his retirement from the service never fully recovered from disease there incurred, and died in 1873.
ILLIAM R. GRIES, Chaplain of the One Hundred and Fourth regiment, was born at Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of September, 1826. His father was Doctor William Gries, an eminent physician of Reading. At the opening of the Rebellion he had charge of a parish in Doylestown, Bucks county, of the Protestant Episcopal Church; but when the One Hundred
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA.
and Fourth regiment was formed, in the summer of 1861, he accepted the position of Chaplain and continued with it during the war, performing, if not dangerous, laborious and efficient duty. . He had two brothers in the service; John M., Major of this regiment, who fell at Fair Oaks, and Lemuel, First · Lieutenant of the Ringgold Artillery. Colonel Davis, of the One Hundred and Fourth, in his history of the regiment, says : " Before I conclude I deem it necessary to say a few words about the labors of Chaplain Gries. The regiment was fortunate in having such a Chaplain. Neither officer nor man was more faithful in the discharge of his duties. He served out his full time of three years, and was seldom absent from the regiment unless on duty. During this time he held more than a thousand religious exercises. He preached every Sunday in camp, with a prayer-meeting and a short address every evening when possible. Besides these he held special service in the hospital. For a long time he was the only Chaplain on duty with the brigade, and he alone held daily and continuous services among the troops. For a considerable period during the operations on Morris Island he was the only Chaplain in that army to officiate at the burial of the dead. At one time he was engaged in this duty nearly every hour in the day. While connected with the regiment Mr. Gries baptized and received into the church fifty-nine soldiers and one officer."
Besides the important work here sketched, Chaplain Gries was active in ministering to the needs of the men, personally taking charge of remittances of money and paying it over to their families, who were often in great need. After leaving the army he became pastor of a parish in Churchtown; and, in 1868, removed to Allentown, where he became Rector of Grace Church. In October, 1872, he sickened and died. In the church he held a high rank, in private life was greatly esteemed, and in the family circle was regarded with that affection which only the good can command.
ILLIAM ALBERT LEECH, Colonel of the Ninetieth regiment, and Brevet Brigadier-General, was born on the 3d of February, 1832, in the city of Philadelphia .. He was the son of
607
WILLIAM R. GRIES .- WILLIAM A. LEECH.
Henry and Frances S. Leech. He graduated in due course at the Philadelphia High School, and subsequently at the United States Military Academy at West Point. After the decease of his parents, and not long after his leaving the Academy, he resigned his commission and commenced the study of the law in the office of Benjamin Gerhard, with whom, after being admitted to practice, he continued until the breaking out of the Rebellion. He had for some time previous been an officer in the First Pennsylvania Artil- lery, a volunteer organization of some reputation. This regiment responded promptly when called, and after having been filled to the maximum strength was received into the service, as the Seventeenth of the line, for three months. Of this he was Major. It was the first regiment to enter Baltimore after the attack of the mob on Massachusetts and Pennsylvania troops. It was quartered for a time in the Senate Chamber on reaching Wash- ington, and when Patterson entered the Shenandoah Valley, pro- ceeded up the Potomac to join him in the column led by General Stone.
At the expiration of this term of service he returned to Phila- delphia, and assisted in recruiting the Ninetieth Pennsylvania regiment, of which he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel. When the campaign upon the Peninsula opened, his regiment, being attached to the column of McDowell, remained before Washing- ton and was actively employed in the operations in the Valley of Virginia. At Thoroughfare Gap, where Longstreet sought to force his way through to form junction with Jackson who had gone before, Ricketts' division, in which the Ninetieth served, held that able leader with his entire corps at bay for the space of eight hours, while Pope was concentrating his forces, and finally, when forced back, retired in good order. Henceforward the Ninetieth shared the fortunes of the Army of the Potomac, and Colonel Leech participated in nearly all the battles and skir- mishes in which that historic body was engaged. Colonel Lyle. the leader of the regiment, was often called to the command of a brigade, which left Colonel Leech its chief, and ably did he dis- charge the duty.
At the battle of Weldon Railroad, fought on the 18th of August, 1864, the division to which he was attached was flanked by
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA.
heavy masses of the enemy under the rebel General Mahone and, before the line could be withdrawn, Colonel Leech and a number of officers and men were taken prisoners. When the Colonel found that there was no possibility of escape, determined that the enemy should not take from him his sword, he thrust it into the ground and broke it, casting away the pieces. It was raining heavily when he was captured, and a rubber coat which he wore afforded some protection. But this was unceremoniously taken from him, the beginning of a series of indignities and barbarities which reached through his sad imprisonment, and fastened in his system the seeds of disease which finally carried him to an early grave. He was confined in succession at Libby, Danville, and Salisbury. The exposure and harsh treatment here was extreme, and the authorities knew and encouraged it. On one occasion, while General Leech was standing under an oak tree within the inclosure at Salisbury, a rebel guard shot and killed a Lieutenant while engaged in gathering acorns, though more than twenty feet within the dead line. For this murderous act the rebel guard was given a furlough of thirty days. Colonel Leech was not released until February 20th, 1865. He was soon after offered command of one of the fine regiments then being raised by the Union League of Philadelphia; but so enfeebled had he become from his imprisonment that he could not accept it, though he cherished the purpose of returning to the army as soon as health would permit. That time never came. The war closed soon afterward, and on the 20th of July, 1870, he died, a victim to rebel barbarity.
On the 13th of March, 1865, he had received the brevet ranks of Colonel and Brigadier-General. In 1867 he was elected Regis- ter of Wills for the city of Philadelphia. In person he was tall, with a military bearing. He was a brave and humane soldier, and, while a strict disciplinarian, still held his command by warm attachment. As a token of their friendship the soldiers of his regiment presented him with a costly sword. In private life he was esteemed for his social and liberal qualities, and for his gentlemanly and Christian virtues. He was married on the 4th of October, 1860, to Hannah T., daughter of Edwin and Susan V. Greble. His widow and three children survive him. He was
609
ROBERT L. BODINE.
buried with military. honors at Woodlands Cemetery, beside his brother-in-law, Lieutenant John T. Greble, United States Army, who was killed at Big Bethel.
4
OBERT L. BODINE was born on the 30th of May, 1832, in Northampton, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. His father, John R. Bodine, and his mother, Sarah Lewis, were both of American origin. The son during boyhood was engaged in the usual labors of his father's farm, and in attending the district. school. He afterwards spent some time at the Doylestown Academy. As his mind became developed, he manifested a strong liking for mechanical studies, and the science of mili- tary operations. A fondness was also exhibited for the study of history, especially the valorous decds of the great men of past time.
His tastes naturally led him to seek some opportunity for military training, and he joined a volunteer company then exist- ing in Bucks county, known as the Pennsylvania Blues. In this he served for several years, rising to the position of a commis- sioned officer. At the opening of the Rebellion, he made haste to enroll himself as a private in the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania regiment, among the very first to be organized in the State for the three years' service. The date of his entrance to duty was the 5th of May, 1861. He commenced at the lowest round in the ladder; but his ability and worth soon found him out, and his advancement was rapid. On the 30th of the same month he was promoted to Commissary Sergeant; on the 25th of August following, to Second Lieutenant of Company K; on the 15th of January, 1862, to Captain, and on the 10th of July to Major of the regiment. During all this period, he was in constant service with his command, bearing a conspicuous part in the battle of Williamsburg with General Small, and at Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, Glendale, and Malvern Hill. When the remnants of Mcclellan's army, spared by the bullets of the enemy and the no less deadly and destructive miasms of the Chickahominy, retired from the Peninsula, and proceeded to the support of Pope on the Rappahannock, this regiment, forming part of Hooker's division, was prompt to move. When it was ascertained that 39
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA.
Stonewall Jackson had come in upon the rear of Pope's army and was at Manassas Junction, Hooker was ordered to move back upon the railroad to meet him. Major Bodine was now in com- mand of the regiment, and took the lead of the brigade in that march. A. sharp encounter resulted in the triumph of Hooker, and he moved on to the Second Bull Run battle-ground. The regiment was here put to severe service, at one time being led with the brigade upon an old railroad grading, behind which the enemy was concealed, and from whom it received a deadly fire ; and at others supporting artillery in different parts of the field that was hotly engaged, sustaining throughout severe losses and acquitting itself worthily.
. After the battle of Fredericksburg, in which the Twenty-sixth participated, the whole army was reorganized under that gallant leader, General Joseph Hooker; and here the carly tastes and reading of Major Bodine proved of great service. He opened a school for the instruction of the officers of the regiment, in which the elementary and necessary principles of military duty were studied and explained with great acceptance and signal useful- ness. The battle of Chancellorsville disclosed the value of the in- structions which had been given, the regiment being manœuvred in the most trying situations with great ease and success. After this battle, the Colonel being obliged to retire from service on account of wounds received at Chancellorsville, and its Lieu- tenant-Colonel being permanently on detached service, the entire command devolved on Major Bodine, and he was soon after advanced to the grades of Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel.
Few commanders of regiments were placed in more trying circumstances than was Colonel Bodine at the battle of Gettys- burg. Carr's brigade of Humphreys' division was posted on the right of Sickles' corps, on depressed, open ground where the enemy from all sides, from commanding positions, could sweep it with his artillery, his sharpshooters and line of battle, with terrible effect. And here, with nothing to shield it from the deadly fire, it was compelled to stand through the long hours of that terrible day and submit to swift destruction. The regiment went into position with 364 enlisted men, of whom 213 were either killed or wounded. Of eighteen officers two were killed
611
ELISHA B. HARVEY.
and nine severely wounded. Two of the nine died of their wounds, and five were disabled and made cripples for life. Three color-bearers were killed.
With the Army of the Potomac, Colonel Bodine continued to lead his regiment in all the hard marches and desperate fighting of that heroic organization, until the expiration of his term in June, 1864, when with his regiment he was mustered out of service. In March previous he was brevetted Brigadier-General for meritorious conduct. At Gettysburg he received special com- mendation from General Carr; and early in the war, when with four cavalrymen and a negro guide he proceeded eighteen miles down the Potomac and captured five of the enemy, with large quantities of contraband goods ready for transfer to the rebel army then lying opposite, and brought them all to General Hooker's head-quarters, he received the warm approval of that intrepid soldier.
General Bodine was appointed, in July, 1866, Consul to Cape Town, Africa; but resigned in September, on account of differ- ences in political sentiments between himself and the President, Andrew Johnson, and took an active part in the canvass for Governor during that year. He was appointed Flour Inspector of Philadelphia, in March, 1867, by Governor Geary, which office he held until March Ist, 1873. He was married on the 10th of July, 1856, to Miss Kate Y. Burn. He died at his residence in Philadelphia, on the 16th of January, 1874, universally esteemed for his nobility of nature and kindness of heart. .
LISHA B. HARVEY, the first Colonel of the Seventh Reserve regiment, was born at Harveyville, Luzerne county, Penn- sylvania. His father, Benjamen Harvey, was of English descent, though his more immediate ancestry were from Connecticut. His mother was Sally (Nesbitt) Harvey, also of English descent. The occupation of his father was that of a farmer, and in this the son participated during his boyhood, receiving the rudiments of an English education in the public schools. He prepared for college under the instruction of Deacon Dana at Wilkesbarre, and in the grammar school of Dickinson College, and subsc- quently graduated at the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Con-
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA.
necticut. He was, for a time, Professor of Mathematics in the Wyoming Seminary at Kingston, but commenced almost imme- diately the study of the law in the office of Charles Dennison, and was admitted to the bar on the 4th of November, 1847. He possessed in a remarkable degree the confidence of the public, and was elected County Superintendent of Schools, and Register of Wills and District Attorney. Though his tastes inclined him to literary pursuits, he had a strong predilection for military pageants, and early joined a militia organization, holding, at different times, from 1832, when he first enlisted, to the opening of the Rebellion, the position of Lieutenant and Captain of a troop, Captain of artillery, Colonel of a volunteer regiment, and Brigade Inspector-a place which he held for five years. The company of artillery he recruited and took to the field in 1861.
Upon the organization of the Seventh Reserve regiment, Cap- tain Harvey was chosen Colonel. Having, for nearly thirty years, been familiar with militia duty in all arms of the service, he was well fitted to instruct and drill a raw regiment. This duty he performed in such a manner as to attract the attention of the commander of the division, calling forth his hearty ap- proval. His first experience of active service was at Great Falls, on the Potomac, above Washington, where his skirmishers were face to face with and in close proximity to those of the enemy. On the 4th of September, 1861, the enemy attacked, with a battery of two howitzers and three rifled guns, and for two or three hours a brisk cannonade was kept up. Colonel Harvey, being only provided with smooth-bore pieces, ordered the Cap- tain of the battery not to reply, and the enemy finally with- drew, the regiment sustaining only slight loss in wounded.
The first great conflict in the Seven Days' battle before Rich- mond fell upon the Reserves, who, almost single-handed, breasted the torrent of the attack. To Colonel Harvey's regiment was assigned the task of supporting Easton's battery, which played an important part in the battle. "Somewhat later in the day," says General McCall, in his official report, " a heavy column was launched down the road to Ellison's Mill, where another most determined attack in force was made. I had already sent Eas- ton's battery to General Seymour, commanding the left, and I
613
ELISHA B. HARVEY.
now despatched the Seventh regiment, Colonel Harvey, to the extreme left, apprehending that the enemy might attempt to turn that flank by crossing the creek below the mill. Here again the Reserves maintained their position, and sustained their character for steadiness in fine style, never retiring one foot during a severe struggle with some of the very best troops of the enemy, fighting under the direction of their most distinguished General (Lee). For hour after hour the battle was hotly con- tested, and the rapid fire of our artillery, dealing death to an awful extent, was unintermitted, while the greatly superior force of the enemy enabled him to precipitate column after column of fresh troops upon my nearly exhausted lines."
In the battles at Gaines' Mill, Charles City Cross Roads, and Malvern Hill, Colonel Harvey's command fought with a deter- mination and a bravery unsurpassed, the flower of the regiment being cut down in these sanguinary struggles. The hardships during this week of battles have rarely been exceeded, and at its close Colonel Harvey found himself prostrated by disease. He was attacked with rheumatism of such a type as to preclude service in the field. Accordingly, on the 4th of July, 1862, he resigned. During his active duty he received a buckshot wound in the neck, and a slight flesh wound from a Minie ball.
In person, Colonel Harvey was above the medium height, sparely made, and of a fair complexion. Though of a naturally weak constitution, his health was well preserved by temperance and sobriety. 1
He was twice married; to Miss Phebe Maria Frisbie, who died in 1849, leaving one son ; and to Miss Sarah Maria Garretson, of Summerville, New Jersey, who, with five children, survives him. After leaving the army he resumed the practice of his profession at Wilkesbarre, and opened a classical school for both sexes, his pupils at one time exceeding two hundred. He was soon after chosen Burgess of the town, and subsequently Justice of the Peace, which office he continued to exercise until his death, which occurred on the 20th of August, 1872.
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