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 4
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The night of our arrival, the regiment was reported to General Banks, commanding the Department of the Shenandoah, whose first inquiry was by whose authority we came there, and upon his ascertaining we had come upon our "own hook," he declined to have any thing to do with us, until he communicated with the War De- partment. The general, however, assigned us camping . grounds, and the next day before night, the colonel suc- ceeded in obtaining for the men a part of a ration, by
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indemnifying the commissary of subsistence from any loss.
Discontent among the men soon commenced showing itself, and was increased from the fact of our being en- camped next to the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania Volun- teers, of which De Korponay was Lieutenant-Colonel, and who received their full ration, and of a much better quality than our own. A rumor, that obtained much credence among the men, was put afloat, to the effect, that they being out of the State of Pennsylvania, and not mustered into the United States service, there was no power to hold them. It soon after coming to the knowledge of General Banks that an officer of another regiment was tampering with the men, and had offered to enlist them in his regiment if they would not be mus- tered in, an order was issued by him prohibiting the enlistment of any of the men, under penalty of cashiering the officer who did so, and directing the drumming out of camp of any of them found enlisted. This discontent, there is not the slightest doubt, was countenanced and encouraged by a field officer of our own regiment, whose object was to bring Colonel Mann into bad repute, and wear the eagles upon his own shoulders. Secret meet- ings were held by the men, and the ringleaders were led to suppose that if the regiment was broken up, they would be sent to Philadelphia, and that the would-be- colonel would obtain permission to reorganize them, and they would be made officers.
This discontent continued until the 1st of August, when it reached its climax. That afternoon Lieutenant- colonel Fitz John Porter, U. S. A., "the extreme West Pointer," was sent by General Banks to muster the regi. ment in. Commencing on the right, he discovered muti- nous intentions among a portion of the men, which ex- tended to every company in the regiment. This was increased by his very injudicious remarks, he apparently caring very little whether the men were mustered in or not. When they were ordered to hold up their right
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SENT HOME.
hand and take the oath of allegiance to their Govern- ment, about one-fourth refused to do so. The reasons assigned by them was, that they were armed with smooth-bored muskets, (the only ones the Government at that time could give them,) their crowded tents, (five in each,) bad rations, (better than some of them got at home,) not having overcoats, (in the middle of Summer,) their unwillingness to serve under Colonel Mann, (their own choice,) they, in fact, like all other men who were doing wrong, using every subterfuge to justify their con- duct. They were marched to their quarters, and the names of all who had taken the oath, forwarded to head- quarters.
The next morning the regiment was again called out to have the oath administered, and to the surprise of all, those who had taken the oath the day before, were re- quired to take it again, they being informed that those who refused would be sent home in disgrace. The con- sequence of such injudicious proceedings was what might have been expected, and instead of one-fourth, nearly one-third, or three hundred and twenty refused. They were then marched to General Thomas' headquar- ters, ordered to stack arms, divest themselves of their accoutrements, and strip off their blouses and blue pants, retaining only their linen pants and shirts. An order was then issued detailing eleven officers, leaving tive companies without any officers, to conduct them to Phila- delphia, it stating, "this order is peremptory, and must not be disobeyed." Late that afternoon they left Sandy Hook in a special train, the men giving Lieutenant- colonel Magilton three cheers at their departure. They conducted themselves very orderly, and at Broad and Prime streets were dismissed to their homes, but how they were received we know not.
The officers having learned Governor Curtin was in the city, proceeded to the Continental Hotel to call upon him, but he at first declined having an interview with them. Having granted one, however, what was their
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surprise and indignation at being shown a telegram he had just received from General Banks' Assistant Adju- . tant-general, stating that they, and over three hundred of the men, having refused to take the oath of allegiance, had been sent home in disgrace. A few moments' con- versation, however, satisfied His Excellency that a gross and dishonorable deception had been practiced by some officer of the regiment upon General Banks, and he ex- pressed his willingness to issue an order to have the officers mustered in immediately, and furnish them with transportation back to their regiment. But as the offi- cers had been mustered in, the order was unnecessary.
Upon their arrival back at Sandy Hook, they were met with another unaccountable surprise, in finding that the men whom they had left in camp, and who had been sworn into the service twice before, had been called upon that day to take the oath for the third time. "It is necessary," said the men, "for a good soldier to carry a Bible with him to be sworn in on, or he will find himself discharged before he knows anything about it." In fact, many of the men, finding it easier to get out of the ser- vice than to stay in it, concluded to go home and enter some other regiment, and .out of one thousand and one men who marched through Baltimore two weeks before, but a little over four hundred remained. The men whose officers had been sent home with the deserters, being told they would not return, and that they would be transferred to other companies, left almost in a body.
Who was responsible for such unaccountable and criminally mismanaged proceedings, the reader must judge for himself. It is just to those men to state, though they deserted the flag when almost within sight of the enemy, that, with few exceptions, they entered the ser- vice again, and their blood has been poured out upon almost every battle-field of the Army of the Potomac.
On Sunday morning the 11th, the Independent Ran- gers, of Philadelphia, Captain Wm. McMullin, who were encamped near by, started home, being escorted to the
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cars by Company D. The next morning, The First City Troop of Philadelphia Light Cavalry, Captain James, broke camp and marched homeward, via Hagerstown and Baltimore, being escorted a distance on their way by the Twenty-Eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volun- teers, Colonel Geary. These two companies at the re- quest of the general, had consented to remain some time after their term of service expired, for which they re- ceived his thanks.
On the 13th, Colonel Geary received orders to march to the Point of Rocks, twelve miles down the Potomac, and after dark they got into motion, a guide being em- ployed to pilot them by a back road, to prevent the movement being discovered by the enemy. The night was exceedingly dark, and the pilot having intentionally or unintentionally lost the way, and not having any desire to become a stockholder in the colonel's lead mine, thought it prudent to decamp; so the colonel, after hunting around for him for some time, with pistol in hand, turned into a narrow road which proved to be a private lane. As the baggage wagons were passing through the barn yard one of them upset, which was fol- lowed by considerable noise, occasioned by the braying of mules, and the shouting and cursing of the teamsters. The colonel went to the house to procure a lantern, but all his pounding, shouting and throwing stones at the windows, produced no effect. At last he heard meek, tremulous voices issuing from the cellar, and discovered the old folks and children in their night clothes, down there praying for deliverance from the battle they sup- posed was raging around their house.
On the 14th, orders were received to reduce our bag- gage as much as possible, and to pack up and send to Harrisburg the extra. articles left by the deserters. About one A. M., while in the midst of the work, the drums beat the "long roll," and the men dropping every thing, were soon in line with their muskets and cartridge boxes. When Dr. Reed went to the Hospital to get his
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instruments, he found his patients hurrying on their clothes, against which he remonstrated without avail, and before he could get a guard to enforce his orders, the sick were in the ranks and could not be got out. Leaving the camp "topsy turvy," in charge of the cooks . and teamsters, we started off, and hurrying across the canal at. Knoxville, proceeded down the towpath to Berlin, about four miles below, where a party of rebs had been firing upon the pickets of the Nineteenth New York, but with no other effect than the knocking over of some camp kettles and the scattering of their contents. Here we stacked arms and stretched ourselves upon the grass watching an old rascal on horseback waving a white flag, and who doubtlessly was calculating our strength.
On the 8th of June, the rebels burnt the long and sub- stantial bridge that spanned the river at this point, and the only wagon communication between the two shores, are the fords above and below the piers. About two weeks back, the rebels brought an old iron twelve- pounder cannon that had its muzzle knocked off, and was fastened with chains to the front wheels of an old wagon, which they posted on the opposite hills to com- mand the village. They thought it prudent to withdraw the same night, and hiding their cannon, they left, in- tending to return the next night and get it. The Ber- linites, however, found it out, and slipping over brought it away, and at night it was stationed on the pier of the bridge, behind a bulwark of hay bales. Being minus of grape shot, they cut the iron braces of the bridge into slugs, which were about as good as anything else to fire out of it. After remaining here until it was ascertained that the rebels had decamped, we about face, and retraced our steps to camp, but all the spirit of the boys was gone, and our march was a quiet one. We arrived about dark, and had a late, but welcome supper.
At this time the Army of the Shenandoah picketed the Potomac for the distance of fifty miles, from Wil.
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THE MOVE TOWARDS WASHINGTON.
liamsport about twenty miles above the Ferry, until the line joined that of the Army of the Potomac, some thirty miles below. The enemy picketed on the south bank for an equal distance, we having abandoned Virginia, except in the immediate neighborhood of Harper's Ferry.
The greater portion of the rebel army under General Johnson, having joined Beauregard at Manassas, and left the valley of the Shenandoah and the upper Potomac comparatively bare of troops, which relieved all anxiety for the safety of Maryland and Pennsylvania, it was de- termined to make a corresponding movement of our forces towards Washington, which was not yet consi- dered safe. Therefore, orders were issued on the night of the 16th, to be prepared to march early the next morning with three days cooked rations in haversacks. Fortunately the paymaster, Major Maxwell, arrived that day and paid the regiment off for the twenty-one days owed by the State of Pennsylvania, we having been transferred to the United States service on the 21st of July. This money was very acceptable to the empty pockets of the men, and was duly appreciated by the citizens of Maryland on our march through their State.
CHAPTER VI.
MARCH THROUGH MARYLAND. MUTINY IN THE NINETEENTH NEW FORK MILITIA. GUARDS AFTER WHISKY. DISBANDING OF COM- PANIES.
ONE of the most exciting scenes in a soldier's life is the breaking up of camp when they have been lying inactive for some time, and particularly so when it is for the first time in active field service. Although the order to move was not issued until 10 o'clock at night, and rain was falling at the time, the camp fires were soon brightly
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burning and the men busily engaged in preparing their rations for the march. Early the next morning, before "reveille," the men were all up and stirring, and soon cooked their breakfasts and had everything ready to move. And what a scene of animation it was! The striking of tents, the packing of baggage, the loading of wagons, the falling in of the men, their cheers and songs, inter- mingled with the strains of martial music, the shouts and curses of the drivers, the braying of mules, the galloping to and fro of orderlies and aids, the rattling drums and hoarse commands-oh, how animated and exciting. "Frank, help me on with my knapsack," "Ben, fix my cartridge box," "Charley, hold my musket while I go for water," "Take my canteen along," shouts a dozen voices, " Who'se got a piece of string," "Give me a cork for my canteen," " Who wants a good blouse," and a thousand other similar expressions are heard through the camps. "Fall in, fall in," is heard, and the noise ceases as the men take their places.
A cold drizzly rain was falling, as the wagons moved from the encampment, and stretched in a long line in a neighboring field, followed by the regiment, clad in heavy blue overcoats. Colonel Thomas, with his staff and the Second U. S. Cavalry dashed past, followed by a battery of the Fourth U. S. Artillery, and one of the Ninth New York. The Twenty-ninth Penna. Vols., Col- onel Murphy, passed next, then came the Second Reserve, Colonel Mann, followed by the First Reserve Rifles-the "Bucktails," Colonel Biddle. Next came the Fifth Con- necticut, Colonel Ferry, and the Nineteenth New York Volunteers, and a long line of other troops, but the smoke from the burning rubbish of the camp hung heavily upon the earth, partially obscuring the masses of men, pre- senting a scene at once grand and interesting. "For- ward," passed down the line, and to the soul-stirring music of our bands, we took up our march, striking the banks of the Potomac, which we followed for a short distance, when turning to the left, in a northeasterly
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MARCH THROUGH MARYLAND.
direction, we halted at intervals to rest the men and let the wagons come up. We passed through Petersville, a small village where a secession flag had lately been flying; but the old flag of our hearts now floated in its stead. In the afternoon we passed through Jefferson, as pretty a village as Maryland can boast of. Our bands struck up lively marches, and smiling faces from Union hearts, and waving handkerchiefs greeted us, as we passed along. We turned to the right toward the Point of Rocks, then to the left towards Frederick, moving over a narrow road through the woods, to the left of which was presented a magnificent scene of rolling hills and wooded valleys, broken in the far distance by the lofty peaks of the Blue Ridge. At dusk we halted to select a bivouacking ground, and then moving off entered a thick woods, where our blazing camp fires were soon surrounded by the wearied soldiers. The flakes rose high in the air; the flames casting their lurid light through the arching branches of the majestic trees; and wrapped in our blankets, with our feet to the fire, we slept peacefully until "reveille." Our march that day was fifteen miles.
The next day we started early, it being cloudy, drizzly and oppressively close, and by noon crossed a branch of the Monocacy, and encamped on its banks in a wheat stubble, having made but six miles. Here we were met by Dr. Hoyt, our quartermaster, who had gone ahead to procure provisions and wood for us.
The next morning, the 19th, we moved at eight o'clock, through a drizzling rain and deep mud, passing through Buckeystown whose inhabitants are of strong secession proclivity. Not a flag was seen or a handkerchief waved to welcome us. The darkies and children were highly delighted with the music and novel sight, the men stayed in the houses and peeped through cracks, but the women's curiosity overcoming them, stood at the doors and windows looking pictures of woful sorrow. About a mile from here we crossed the Monocacy and encamped
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on its banks, having marched eight miles. Here we found concentrated a large number of other troops. As we did not move the next day, the men had a good time bathing, several thousands of them enjoying it at once, resembling as they sat on the innumerable rocks in the river, flocks of penguins. That night we sent off all our sick to the general hospital at Frederick.
The next morning we struck tents and got into motion early, passing through Urbana, and encamping about noon near Hyattstown, we having marched six miles. There the next day, August 22d, a mutiny broke out in the Nineteenth New York State Militia. This regiment had been sworn into the State service for two years, and transferred to the United States under the President's second call. The term of three months having expired, the men claimed that they were released from further service, and that the Government had no right to con- tinue them in the service for the balance of the two years. In fact, they tried the same game on, that had been so successfully played by the mutineers of our reg. iment, but they had the wrong man to deal with. The regiment was formed, the wings doubled up, faced in- wards and arms stacked. The wings were then marched to the rear, leaving about sixty paces between them, a portion of the articles of war and the governor's orders read to them, and those who were willing to obey, ordered to step to the front. But one hundred and eighty did so. These were placed on guard over the rest, and the " Buck. tails" sent for. In the mean time a battery of artillery was unlimbered and placed in position about three hun. dred yards from them and soon after the "Bucktails" came down on double quick and were formed into two lines. The mutineers remained silent, quietly watching the proceedings, when Colonel Biddle rode up, and giv- ing the necessary orders marched them into the space - between his lines, and escorted them to an open field, where they enjoyed the luxury of a broiling sun for the remainder of the day, and a drenching rain all night,
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which cooled them off and refreshed them wonderfully. The next morning the patriots were so transmogrified, that all but a few returned to duty, and the balance were shipped to the Tortugas. This regiment afterwards proved itself one of the bravest and most gallant in the service, and this little freak of theirs proves that upon such occasions it only requires firmness and judgment to keep men in the right path and prevent them from dis- gracing themselves.
We remained in camp until noon of that day, when we marched to the southward about one mile, and en- camped on the skirt of a fine piece of wood, where the ground was high and dry. Here considerable labor was spent in fixing up our camp, digging sinks and cutting a broad path through the wood for the camp guard to move on. In obedience to orders the baggage was very. much reduced, officers being limited to eighty pounds, and the men to what they could carry on their backs. Two axes, one hatchet, five mess-pans, two camp kettles, were allowed to twenty men, and one tent to six. This, at that time was exceedingly limited, but we afterwards learned to look upon it as sufficient for a whole company. On the 24th, Company E, Captain J. Orr Finnie, was ordered to escort a train of one hundred wagons to Washington, which they did successfully, and rejoined us on the march back.
Considerable liquor having been introduced into camp, Colonel Mann ordered Captain with his company and part of K, to seize and destroy all he could find in the neighborhood. Sixteen barrels belonging to a storekeeper at Charlesburg were destroyed, for which the Government paid. But the hardest job was to find the liquor belonging to a man who had followed the regiment from Easton, Pennsylvania. He generally kept his liquor a mile or two off, and went to the huts and farm houses near the camp, and represented himself as a sutler waiting for his team. By the time he sold out his jug of whiskey, the guards would discover his where-
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abouts, and when they arrived be was gone to refill, and the next day would commence operations at some other cabin. At the railroad station near Buckeystown he played an exceedingly sharp trick on all concerned. A tavern keeper there was doing a lively business at five cents per glass. had but one keg, and wanted to make the most out of it possible, so he got some of the men drunk and succeeded in raising a fight, when he immediately reported it to one of the colonels, who shut the tavern up. Then - opened his keg in a bye- place, and sold out at ten cents per glass. But his time soon after came, they caught him, destroyed his liquor, and he was banished from our regiment forever after- wards. He was a fair sample of camp followers.
On the 27th, the First Brigade, Colonel George H. Thomas, consisting of the Second United States Cavalry, one battery Fourth United States Artillery, one battery Ninth New York, the First Rifles, P. R. V. C., " Buck- tails," Colonel Biddle; the Second Infantry, P. R. V. C., Colonel Mann; the Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania Volun- teers, Colonel Murphy; the Nineteenth New York State Militia, Colonel -, and the Fifth Connecticut, Colo- nel Ferry, were reviewed by Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks. The day unfortunately was drizzling, which in a measure spoiled the effect. However, as the cavalry, artillery and infantry wheeled into column, and passed in review, they presented a fine appearance. The bands of each regiment wheeled to the left out of the column in front of the general, and continued playing until the regiment passed, when it followed in the rear. The . colonels took their position by the side of the general until their command passed, the officers and colors saluting, and the men coming to a carry. The next afternoon, the Second Brigade was reviewed by the general, but it rained then also.
While lying here, an order was issued by General Banks, disbanding Companies B, F, G and I, on the ground of being "below the legal standard of accept-
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DISBANDING OF COMPANIES.
ance," the men being transferred to the other companies of the regiment, and the officers honorably discharged. There were some points in this order worthy of observa- tion. The companies could not be "accepted," although they had been regularly mustered into the United States service nearly a month before, and the officers had been in the exercise and discharge of their duties during that time, and were recognized as such, they subsequently drawing their pay. Again, the officers were " honor- ably discharged" from the United States service, which the order stated they could not be "accepted" into. But the most important point in regard to the order is, that it was illegal, there being no authority to discharge an officer from the army, except by order of the President of the United States. This is distinctly stated in the Army Regulations of 1861, and was subsequently ad mitted to the author, by the Honorable Simon Cameron, Secretary of War. General Banks, however, had but lately entered upon his military life, and doubtless was ignorant of the laws upon the subject, or else it is hardly to be supposed he would have assumed a power not vested in him, and that too, when he had received orders to send all the Pennsylvania Reserves to General McCall. General McCall entertained the same opinion of the ille- gality of the order, and protested against it, but Fitz John Porter was indirectly connected with the arrange- ment, and he, with General Banks, were favorites of Mr. Cameron, and their friends were pushing them for posi- tions, so the Secretary would not revoke an order he acknowledged to be illegal.
This was a gross act of injustice, as the officers were no more responsible for the loss of the men, than if they had been killed in battle, but the colonel finding his ranks greatly reduced, was unwilling to await the slow process of recruiting, and supposing the governor would immediately order four full companies to fill up the regi- ment, he sanctioned the act. But His Excellency could not be induced to assign companies in their place, and
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so far from acknowledging the legality of the act, he soon after issued commissions to the officers. The offi- cers discharged were Captains P. McDonough, T. Bring- hurst, E. M. Woodward and William Knox. First Lieu- tenants John D. Schock, George W. Kite, John K. Brown and Thomas Weir. Second Lieutenants John Gill, William Edwards and John II. Jack. One lieu- tenant of the companies was not discharged, another dis- charged who had resigned a month before, and had not been mustered into the United States service, and another transferred to a company in which there was no vacancy. Captain McDonough raised another company, joined the regiment at Camp Pierpont, and was subsequently pro- moted lieutenant-colonel. Captain Woodward entered the ranks along with his men who remained true, was appointed sergeant-major of the regiment and at the battle of Antietam, promoted adjutant. Captain Knox was appointed sutler, and continued with the regiment until May, 1862. Of the lieutenants, John H. Jack returned with Captain McDonough, was wounded at the battle of Bull Run, and promoted captain for gallant conduct. John K. Brown for a year was connected with the brigade commissary. Wm. Edwards entered the Curtin Light Guard as orderly sergeant, and George W. Kite the Ninety-first Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. About this time First Lieutenant Isaac J. Harvey, Com- pany K, was detailed to the Signal Corps.
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