USA > Pennsylvania > Our Campaigns: or, The marches, bivouacs, battles, incidents of camp life and history of our regiment during its three years term of service > Part 14
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Up to four o'clock very severe skirmishes occurred constantly at various points on our line, being brought on at every indication that the enemy made of a dispo- sition to retreat, the object being to hold them until Porter and MeDowell with the rest of his corps could turn their right and rear, when it was confidently ex- pected we would be able to overwhelm or capture the larger portion of Jackson's forces before he could be
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reinforced. At two o'clock, when Porter and McDowell should have been in the positions assigned them, they had not arrived, and peremptory orders were sent by General Pope to Porter, to advance and attack the enemy. At half-past five o'clock, when it was confidently ex- pected that Porter was coming into action in compliance with orders, Generals Heintzelman and Reno, on the right, commenced an assault upon the enemy's left. The attack was made with great gallantry, and the whole of the left of the enemy was doubled back towards his centre, and our forces, after a sharp conflict of an hour and a half, occupied the field of battle, with the dead and wounded of the enemy. In this attack Grover's brigade broke through two of the enemy's lines and penetrated to the third before it could be checked. By this time General McDowell arrived on the field with the balance of his corps, which was pushed to the front along the Warrenton turnpike to fall upon the enemy, who was retreating towards the pike from the direction of Sudley Springs.
This attack was made by King's division at about sunset, but by that time the advance of the main body of the enemy, under Longstreet, had begun to reach the field, and he encountered a stubborn and determined resistance at a point about three-fourths of a mile in front of our line of battle.
While the attack was being made on the enemy's left, General Reynolds was ordered to threaten their right and rear, which he proceeded to do under a heavy fire of artillery from the ridge to the left of the pike. This battery of heavy guns it was determined to attempt to capture, for which purpose the First Reserves, Colonel Roberts, and our regiment, Colonel McCandless, were sent into a dense woods to the right from which we soon drove the enemy's skirmishers without any loss. Hav- ing advanced through the woods to the opening upon the opposite side, we displayed ourselves to attract the attention of the enemy, who soon opened upon us a
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most terrific fire of shell and grape, to which we could give no response. Having succeeded, however, in draw- ing the fire from the storming party, we laid down quietly and watched our comrades on the left. Generals Seymour and Jackson, at the head of their brigades, most gallantly led them to the charge, but notwithstand- ing the steadiness and courage shown by the men, they were compelled to fall back before the heavy artillery and musketry fire which met them both on the front and left flank.
The fire for a time was drawn from us, but soon again it returned, the iron hail whistling and bursting over our heads through the woods, tearing the branches from the trees and scattering the bark in every direction. It was here that young Poulson of Company K was killed. As the storming party had been driven back and as there was no further use of our maintaining the posi- tion, Colonel McCandless withdrew the regiment in good order from the woods, and we fell back over the fields with the round shot and shell plowing up the ground and bursting over us. If we had had a battery of rifled guns, the result would probably have been different, but Ramson's being smooth-bored, their range was too short. We withdrew to the position we moved from in the morning, the enemy occasionally sending round shot at long range among us.
Whilst this attack was going on, the forces under Heintzelman and Reno continued to push the left of the enemy in the direction of the Warrenton turnpike, so that about eight o'clock in the evening, the greater por- tion of the field of battle was in our possession. Bay- ard's cavalry also made an attack on the extreme left, which ended the fighting for the day, which we could safely now claim as ours.
In regard to the conduct of General Fitz John Porter, the following is extracted from the official report of General Pope :
"Nothing was heard of General Porter up to that time,
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(eight, P. M.,) and his force took no part whatever in the action, but were suffered by him to lie idle on their arms within sight and sound of the battle during the whole day. So far as I know, he made no effort whatever to comply with my orders nor to take any part in the action. I do not hesitate to say, that if he had dis- charged his duty, as became a soldier under the circum- stances, and had made a vigorous attack on the enemy, as he was expected and directed to do, at any time up to eight o'clock that night, we should have utterly crushed or captured the larger portion of Jackson's force before he could have been by any possibility sufficiently rein- forced to have made any effective resistance. I did not myself feel for a moment that it was necessary for me, having given General Porter an order to march towards the enemy in a particular direction, to send him in addi- tion specific orders to attack, it being his clear duty, and in accordance with every military precept, to have brought his forces into action wherever he encountered the enemy, when a furious battle with that enemy was raging during the whole day in his immediate presence. I believe-in fact, I am positive-that at five o'clock in the afternoon of the 29th, General Porter had in his front no considerable body of the enemy. I believed then, as I am very sure now, that it was easily practi- cable for him to have turned the right flank of Jackson, and to have fallen upon his rear; that if he had done so, we should have gained a decisive victory over the army under Jackson, before he could have been joined by any of the forces of Longstreet; and that the army of Gene- ral Lee would have been so crippled and checked by the destruction of this large force as to have been no longer in condition to prosecute further operations of an aggres- sive character. I speak thus freely of the strange failure of General Porter, not because I am more convinced of its unfortunate results now than I was at that time, but because a full investigation of the whole subject, made
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by a court-martial has fully justified and confirmed that opinion."
Our loss during the day was estimated by General Pope at from six to eight thousand killed and wounded, and Generals Hooker and Kearney, who had been over the whole field, separately estimated the loss of the enemy at from two to one, and from three to one of our own.
The weary and hungry boys had just thrown them- selves upon the ground to sleep, when orders came for our brigade to go on picket. Picket on the battle-field means to be in line of battle within a short distance of the enemy, and to be prepared at any moment for an attack in force. We silently moved off to a woods on the edge of which we were concealed, with pickets about twenty yards in advance of us. In our front, and within hearing of their voices, were the . foe reposing on their arms. A sleepless night was passed, but at last dawn came, and we were relieved and marched back to the division.
The men of our regiment were now absolutely suffer- ing for food, and were worn down by constant marching, fighting and loss of sleep, and unfit for the battle-field, until they had rest and rations. Many of them were so utterly exhausted that it was necessary to send them to the rear, as they could not continue with us. The brave boys who had been without food for two days, and had hardly murmured before, now commenced complaining, and four of them came to appeal to the Colonel. Mc- Candless heard their story, which he knew was too true, and turning to his saddle-bags, drew forth two buns which he had just received from an aid, and breaking them in half, distributed them, remarking, " Now, I have fed the regiment." The men seeing this, complained no more.
Soon after we marched to the right of the Warrenton pike, and a few boxes of crackers were distributed among us, giving to each man about five. We then nurried into line and moved forward, crossing Young's
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creek, where we found a number of wounded men who were collected and sent to the rear. Moving forward, we were deployed as skirmishers to the left of the "Bucktails," over a rising piece of ground flanked on either side by heavy woods. As we advanced a pretty but sad sight presented itself. It was the dead of the preceding day, most of whom at this point were the Fourteenth Brooklyn, dressed in their large flowing red trousers and blue jackets. Through the gray of the morning they resembled Zouaves sleeping peacefully upon the ground, and interspersed with them as we approached nearer, we could see the blue coats and gray jackets taking their last sleep also. This was the pretty sight, but when we crept up stealthily among them on our bellies watching for the foe, it was sad to gaze upon their cold pale faces, and think of the happy ones at home that would soon be steeped in anguish for the loss of the brave but still hearts that laid around us.
After feeling for the enemy for some time they were found occupying a store and some out-buildings about three hundred yards in advance of us, from which they kept up a brisk fire. Leaving a portion of the skirmish- ers to occupy their attention, McCandless moved with the balance to the left, and under cover of the woods crept up upon them, but the scamps were too wide- awake to be caught, they skedaddling before we could flank them. Taking up a position in the buildings and the extreme edge of the woods, a sharp fire was opened by both sides across a broad field, beyond which the enemy were posted in a woods, with their sharp-shooters in the trees, from which they were dropped in a lively manner by volleys from squads of our men who marked every tree from which smoke issued. While at this work Captain Connors received a severe wound from a rifle- ball passing through his right breast. At the same time . a brave little "Bucktail," who was going "to try my luck," got knocked over.
As it was desirable to ascertain more fully the strength
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of the enemy in our front, we were ordered to advance, and with loud cheers we crossed the field that intervened between us and the foe, driving them before us, and pressing on about four hundred yards when we halted. In the meantime a masked battery was discovered to our right and front about three hundred yards, and a large force of infantry and artillery on our left and rear about twelve hundred yards distant. By this time the Third Reserve, Colonel Sickel, come to our support, but McCandless seeing the critical position we were in, ordered us to retire, which we did with the utmost deliberation and order, some of the men stopping to destroy muskets left upon the field by the enemy. A fine brass howitzer was also found in the road, which would have been brought off had not the spokes of its wheels been cut. Taking up our former position we laid down and were quiet for about an hour without the enemy molesting us in the least.
It was now near two o'clock and the day thus far had been remarkably quiet, nothing but a little skirmishing going on. Up to ten o'clock in the morning every indication pointed to the retreat of the enemy from our front along the Warrenton pike in the direction of Gainesville. Our line was formed with Heintzelman's Corps on the right, Reno's next, Sigel's next, and Porter's on the left and the Warrenton pike, and the Reserves on the extreme left, south of the turnpike, they being the pivot in the attack which Porter's Corps was to make on the enemy's right wing, then supposed to be on the pike and in retreat. About this time, two o'clock, Porter's Corps supported by King's division of Mc- Dowell's Corps, attacked the enemy along the pike, and at the same time, Heintzelman and Reno on the right were ordered to push forward to the left and front- towards the pike, and attack the enemy's flank.
It was soon after this attack, that our line of skir- mishers fell back over the field, and when General Rey- nolds saw it he inquired of Colonel MeCandless why be
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had withdrawn, and upon being informed the enemy were on our left, he replied it was impossible. Putting spurs to his horse he boldly dashed through our skir- mishers to the left and passing into the open ground beyond, he found a line of skirmishers of the enemy nearly parallel to our line covering the left flank, with cavalry formed behind them, perfectly stationary, evi- dently masking a column of infantry, formed for attack on our left flank when our line should be sufficiently advanced. The skirmishers hoping for a rich prize opened fire upon him, but he run the gauntlet and gained the division, losing an orderly who followed him.
It was now apparent that the enemy was not falling back, but massing his troops on the south of the pike to turn our left flank, and General Reynolds upon commu- nicating the fact to General McDowell was directed by him to form his division to resist this attack, the dispo- sitions for which were rapidly completed. Our line fell back over the same ground we advanced on in the morning, crossing the creek, and joining our division which was drawn up on the Ball Hill in rear of a heavy woods. Our guns to the right of us were soon engaged with a battery, whose range they soon got, and forced to withdraw.
Farther to our right and front, in the woods covering the right of the field we first skirmished over in the morning, Porter's Corps was hotly engaged with the enemy, and from the number of brigades we saw going into the woods some hours before we had strong hope they would be able at least to hold their ground, as they were fresh troops, having arrived upon the field that day. But Porter's attack was not with the vigor or persistency it should have been, and soon it retired in considerable confusion.
The Reserves were then ordered across the field to the rear of Porter, to form a line, behind which his troops might be rallied, but before the rear of our column had left the position the threatened attack by the enemy's
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right began to be felt, and the rear brigade, under Colonel Anderson of the Ninth Reserve (the gallant Colonel Jackson having been taken sick on the field early in the day), with three batteries of artillery, were obliged to form on the ground on which they found themselves to oppose it. With the remaining two brigades we hurried on across the field to the right under a heavy fire of round shot and shell, passing by the Robinson house across a road, our course being diverted by the difficult nature of the ground, and the retreating masses of the broken columns, among the troops of Heintzelman's Corps already formed, by which much time was lost and confusion created, which allowed the enemy to sweep up with his right, so far as almost to cut us off from the pike, leaving nothing but the Third brigade, the three batteries of artillery of the Reserves, Tower's two Brigades and McLean's to resist the advance of the enemy on our left. This attack on the Ball Hill was too severe for the troops to hold it long under the hot fire the enemy maintained upon it, and after heavy loss, little by little they were compelled to yield it. It was here that the most severe loss of the Reserves was sustained, both in men and material; Kern losing his four guns, but not until wounded and left on the field; Cooper, his caissons. Colonel Harding, Twelfth Reserve, was here severely wounded. The brigade sustained itself most gallantly, and though severely pushed on both front and flank maintained its position until overwhelmed by numbers, when it fell back, taking up new positions wherever the advantages of ground permitted.
Our two brigades and battery took up a position on the brow of a hill, near a road, from which we overlooked a large portion of the field, and Porter's troops com- menced forming behind us, but on account of the posi- tion at the Ball house being forced by the enemy, we were ordered over to the extreme left, and took up a position on the Henry House Hill. There we were formed in column of brigade, with Ransom's battery of
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Napoleons in our front, who were throwing their shells at long range upon the heavy masses of the enemy, who were advancing upon us. Here, under a most terrifie shower of shell we remained for nearly an hour, with the brave boys falling around us, but all in good heart, hoping yet to gain the day. While here, an act of hero- ism was performed that has seldom been surpassed upon any field. A shell dropped a few feet in front of the left of our regiment, which naturally recoiled from it, when the fiery missile was seized by a non-commissioned officer and hurled into a hole.
At last we saw line after line of our troops giving way, as the enemy came sweeping on in dense columns, shout- ing their victorious huzzahs as they advanced. If this position was lost, our left wing would be turned and the enemy would interpose his force between the main body of our army and Centreville, on the Warrenton pike, at the crossing of Bull Run creek, and the result would be fearful. Therefore it was necessary for us to maintain it at all hazards. Onward the well-dressed lines of the enemy advanced, when, "forward Reserves!" shouted the gallant Reynolds, as he dashed the spurs into his horse's sides, and led the charge, followed by a mass of living valor, whose loud cheers drowned the roar of battle. The columns met, like the meeting of contending waves of the ocean, bubbling up and foaming over-but the rear ranks pressed on, trampling the wounded and the dead under their feet, till faltering and trembling, the gallant enemy were hurled back upon the denser masses that supported them, and were advancing through the woods. The scene at this moment was the most magnificently grand man ever beheld. In the van, towering above the masses, rode the gallant Reynolds, waving aloft a standard shot from its staff. Near him was the cool-headed Meade, who in the heat of battle almost became excited as he urged the men forward, and next followed Seymour with his brigade, who by the
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gentle waving of his hand restrained the ardor of his men and preserved the distinctness of the lines.
Onward we pressed, pushing the enemy into the woods, when their reserve of five or six lines deep opened upon us a withering fire, while several batteries of artillery that had obtained our exact range, poured into us their flaming missiles, which bursting in our midst, produced fearful havoc. At the same time, the enemy from their vastly superior numbers were able to turn our left flank into which they poured a rapid and destructive fire of musketry. The struggle here became most fearful, and it was a long while before our lines could be forced back. But at last, slowly and in good order we yielded the ground, and fell back to our original position, near which we reformed and again held the foe at bay, rein- forced by a brigade of regulars, under Lieutenant-colo- nel Buchanan. After dark, having been forced back about three-quarters of a mile, but still covering the turnpike, we withdrew, but not until our ammunition had become almost exhausted, and almost the whole army had been withdrawn from the field. The Third brigade soon afterwards rejoined us, and in the early part of the night we marched toward Centreville, and bivouacked with Sykes' division upon the east bank of Cub Run.
When we were forced to yield the ground to the enemy, Colonel McCandless, whilst most gallantly urging the men on, received a severe wound in the right thigh, near the groin, and seizing the flag he attempted to push on with it, but was taken from the field by main force, by Captain Mealey, and the flag saved .*
Lieutenant James C. Justus, who, though sick, had con- tinued with the regiment from Harrison's Landing, was taken from the field utterly prostmated, and sent to Washington.
On account of Company G being detached, and the
* See Appendix A.
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number of sick and those who had given out from ex- haustion and want of food, we entered that day's battle with but one hundred men.
Iu the official report of General Reynolds, the loss of our division is put down at six hundred and fifty-three men, and the conduct of our regiment and Colonel McCandless is complimentarily noticed, as also in the reports of Generals Seymour and McDowell.
Of our Generals and Division, General Pope says: "Brigadier-General John F. Reynolds, commanding the Pennsylvania Reserves, merits the highest commendation at my hands. Prompt, active, and energetic, he com- manded his division with distinguished ability through- out the operations, and performed his duties in all situa- tions with zeal and fidelity. Generals Seymour and Meade, of that division, in like manner, performed their duties with ability and gallantry and in all fidelity to the Government and to the army."
Early on the 31st, our division marched to Centreville and halted on the right of the road. It had been raining through the night and during the morning until ten o'clock, it was very heavy. The houses in the town were crowded with our wounded, and the road thronged with soldiers of every arm of the service, trying to find their respective commands. Wagons were moving to and fro, generals, aids, and orderlies were galloping about, and squads of prisoners sent to the rear, and long trains of ambulances were pushing towards Washington. Omnibusses, carriages and other vehicles lined the roads and covered the fields in every direction, the Government having impressed all they could find in Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria, and sent them out for the wounded. Large droves of horses, tied to long ropes were also sent from the Government corals at Washing- ton. Almost all the Government employees, and many citizens also came out, and emptied their pockets of all the tobacco and post stamps they had, as those articles were in great demand among the soldiers.
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About eleven o'clock the division was marched about two miles down the pike and halted, when coffee and crackers were issued, and we soon got our fires burning. This was a perfect god-send to us, every mouthful of coffee we drank seeming like so much life passing into us. We remained here a couple of hours, when we marched back to Centreville, and halted until near dark, and had salt beef served up to us, it being the second time we had meat during sixteen days. Just before dark our division was sent out to relieve General Reno, who occupied the position of Cub Run, our artillery shelling the woods as we advanced. Our position was on a range of high hills, covered with heavy woods and dense undergrowth, in which we rested on our arms all night, the enemy not disturbing us, excepting for a while when we were taking our position, when they sent their little bees humming around our ears. It was a long night of watching for our wearied men, through the rain, but at last the wel- comed morning came and we were relieved and marched back beyond Centreville. As we came in we passed hundreds of ambulances and army wagons going to the field after the wounded, a flag of truce being arranged for that purpose.
That morning, September the 1st, we were mustered for pay by Captain James N. Byrnes, upon whom the command of the regiment devolved, he being the senior officer ; all our field officers being wounded. The day before was the proper day, but it was impracticable.
It having been ascertained that the enemy were at- tempting to turn our right, and cut off our communica- tions with Washington, by moving a large force on the Little river or Aldie turnpike, towards Fairfax Court House, our army was stretched along the Warren- ton and Alexandria pike, from Centreville to beyond the Court House. At noon we moved off down the pike, marching on the fields along the sides of the road which was filled with continuous strings of wagons, moving both ways. A little before sunset, just as our division
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had passed in front of Chantilly, an attack was made by the enemy on the troops in our rear, and we were put in position in a large open field in reserve. The battle raged furiously for some time, the shot and shell falling among us, but doing little damage to our division. In the midst of it a terrific thunder storm occurred, and it appeared as if heaven and earth were contending for the mastery. But the darkness of night terminated the con- flict, the enemy was driven entirely back from our front, but the gallant Generals Kearney and Stevens fell. We then moved off, a short distance and bivouacked on the outskirts of Fairfax Court House, it continuing to rain all night.
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