USA > Rhode Island > History of the Fifth Regiment of Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, during three years and a half of service in North Carolina. January 1862-June 1865 > Part 5
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We quote from Bartlett's Memoirs of Rhode Island Officers :
"Lieut. Henry Reuben Pierce, son of Warren Pierce, was born in Cov- entry. Vt., Jan. 20, 1828. From early life he was passionately fond of books. and spent a great part of his time in reading. He purchased the last three years of his minority, in order to concentrate his efforts and secure a good education. He found employment in Northampton, Mass., devoting his leisure hours to study: and entered Williston Seminary, at East Hampton, N. H., in 1946. In 1849, he left that institution, and im- niediately entered Amherst College, where he graduated in 1853. He soon commenced teaching school, but after two years entered the law office of Hon. Charles R. Train. of Framingham, Mass. But he seemed to have been fitted by nature for the office of the teacher, and he soon took charge of a high school in Uxbridge. While fulfilling his engage- ment there he was married August. 1856. to Miss Ann Frances Tilling- hast, of Hopkinton. Mass. Two children were the fruit of this mar- riage, one passing away in infancy, the other still surviving. In 1857, a more lucrative situation was offered him and he became principal of the high school at Woonsocket. R. I. Here he was winning golden opinions in his profession, and by his genial spirit in social life. But when the war cloud burst upon the country. his heart was stirred to its utmost depths, and he soon began to feel that he must offer his life upon its altar. He said he could not bear to think that. in his old age, his son should ask what his father did when the liberty of his country was im- perilled, and that he must be obliged to confess he shunned the path of danger."
A private soldier gives his account of the battle :
" While crossing the brick-yard several of our men were hit. I had a blanket strappel across my shoulders which I valued quite
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highly as I had captured it on Roanoke Island. We were going at the double-quick, and in some way it became unfastened and fell off. I did not stop to pick it up just then, as the rebel sharpshooters were peppering us quite lively. We came to a piece of woods where we formed line of battle. We subsequently moved to a position on a hill. where we caught sight of the enemy in our front, and were then ordered to commence firing.
"We were armed with the Enfield rifle and sabre bayonet, in my opinion one of the most unserviceable weapons ever put into a soldier's hands. We were compelled to stack arms with the ram- mers, and unless great care was exercised the stack would fall down. Besides, while on the double-quick the ungainly sabre bayonet would get tangled up with our legs and trip us oftentimes. They looked very fine on dress parade, but were not of much account anywhere else, unless to stick a pig or chicken. We were glad to exchange them a few months later for the Enfield rifle musket with the ordinary bayonet.
.. When we began firing we found our rifles covered with rust. in consequence of the hard rains of the previous day and night. and in some instances it was impossible to draw the rammers from the pipes.
"One of our sergeants thought he was wounded, and he quickly placed his hand where he supposed he was hit. but he soon discov- ered that the bullet had simply gone through the crackers in his hay- ersack.
" The youngest soldier in my company was a mere lad of' fifteen. whom it was thought might not be able to endure the test of battle, but it was observed that he stood up and fired his piece with the steadiness of a veteran.
" But the saddest incident to me in this fight, was the death of my first lieutenant, Henry R. Pierce. Only a few moments before his death, he had been encouraging the men near him, and said to them, 'Boys, if you love your country, now is your time to show it ! ' Hardly had these words been uttered, when the fatal bullet struck him. and he fell to the ground saying, . Oh ! dear !' and immediately expired."
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An incident which occurred during the battle is thus related by a non-commissioned officer in Company A :
"At one time it happened that Sergeant Brownell and myself went up on the hill together, I fired, and am not sure whether he had done so or not. when, as I turned to step back to the hollow, I saw him suddenly fall to the ground. For a moment I did not think of his being wounded. supposing he had tripped over the vines, which were somewhat thick on the ground. but he groaned and said, ' They've hit me,' and I then saw that the blood was commencing to stain the leg of his blue trousers. Dropping my riffe, I knelt down and with my pocket knife cut open his trousers and saw that the blood was flowing freely from a wound in the fleshy part of the thigh. I knew that the thing most needed was to stop the copious flow of blood as soon as possible. so tying my handkerchief loosely around the wounded limb. I picked up a small stick of sufficient strength. and, passing it under the handkerchief. proceeded to ' take a twist'in it, as we used to do at home, on a larger scale, upon a binding rope of our hay wagons. Continuing to twist, I found that the bleeding was checked. so I made fast one end of the stick. and by this time two of the drum corps appeared, and by them he was carried to the surgeon. who had established himself some distance in the rear."
The following order was issued to the army on the day following the battle :
HDQRS. DEPT. OF NORTH CAROLINA, NEW BERNE, March 15. 1562.
General Orders. No. 17.
The general commanding congratulates his troops on their brilliant and hard-won victory of the 14th. Their courage, their patience, their endurance of fatigue. exposure. and toil. cannot be too highly praised. After a tedious march, dragging their howitzers by hand through swamps and thicket>: after a sleepless night. passed in a drenching rain. they met the enemy in his chosen position, found him protected by strong earthworks, mounting many and heavy guns. and although in an open field themselves, they conquered. With such solliers advance is victory.
The general commanding directs with peculiar pride that, as a well deserved tribute to valor in this second victory of the expedition, each
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regiment engaged shall inscribe on its banner the memorable name " New Berne."
By command of Brig .- Gen. A. E. BURNSIDE,
LEWIS RICHMOND. Assistant Adjutant-General.
In his report to the Secretary of War, General Burnside pays this tribute to the dead :
"Among these names are some of our most valuable officers and men. They are sad losses to us and to their relatives and friends. They nobly gave up their lives in defence of their country, and a debt of gratitude is due from every American citizen to the wives, mothers and fathers who have laid such sacrifices on the altar of their country. The memories of these brave dead will ever be green in the hearts of their countrymen, and the scars of the wounded will be honorable passports to them through life."
The battalion camp was named Camp Pierce in his honor. Of the wounded men Surgeon Potter, under the date of March 18th, writes : " Two have since died, and two more probably will die of their wounds." All of the medical reports speak of the unusually severe nature of the wounds received in this battle.
In his official report General Burnside says : " Some of the re- sults of this battle may be enumerated as follows : "The capture of nine forts, with forty-one heavy guns ; two miles of intrenchments, with nineteen field pieces ; six thirty-two pounders not in position ; over 300 prisoners ; over 1,000 stand of small arms ; tents and bar- racks for 10,000 troops ; a large amount of ammunition and army supplies ; an immense amount of naval stores ; the second commercial city in North Carolina, and the entire command of the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds." And to show that there was no vaunting in thus noticing the great results of this victory, and as an evidence of the widespread alarm General Burnside's progress caused all grades of Confederates in authority, we give the following dispatch, sent by the rebel secretary of war to the governor of North Carolina :
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RICHMOND, VA., March 15, 1862.
GOVERNOR HENRY T. CLARK, RALEIGH:
Large reinforcements are immediately requisite for the defense of your State. Call on your people to arm in the defense of their homes. Send all the men you can to Weldon as rapidly as possible. I will find means to arm them all. I pray you to allow no time to be lost.
J. P. BENJAMIN,
Secretary of War. We also quote from General Parke's official report :
" During the hard and fatiguing march of the 13th and the try- ing bivouac of that night, not a murmur was heard. On the morn- ing of the 14th all seemed as fresh and as ready as if they had just left the most comfortable encampment. All were under fire, and the officers seemed proud of the men they were leading, and the men showed they had full confidence in their officers."
Such was the battle of New Berne, and such is a brief narrative of the share borne by our battalion in achieving it. It must be borne in mind all the time, that a regiment is the real unit in the military organization of any force as large or larger than a brigade, and therefore a battalion composed of a few companies has not even the right to carry the national colors into action ; that it is always .. hitched on " to some other regiment in all movements of the regi- ment, brigade or division to which it is attached ; that in a military sense it has no being. Hence, in the general course of events, it marches and fights almost unnoticed, unless by some fortunate cir- cumstance, some chance independent action, it gains the special mention and commendation of the general officers in command. By this time every member of the battalion was aware of the heavy handicap it carried in this race where thousands of the most am- bitious and courageous men were entered. In this connection an au- tograph letter of a little later date, written by Governor Sprague to Major Wright must be its own excuse for quoting it here :
FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 49
CAMP BEFORE YORKTOWN, VA., April 28th, 1862.
MAJOR:
Yours of the 7th inst. is just at hand. I have just written a letter to Lieutenant Chapman in reply to a request in your behalf to increase your battalion to a regiment.
I read with much interest your account of the part taken by your com- mand in the battle of New Berne. In behalf of the State permit me to express to you and to your officers and men my thanks for the courage and activity displayed by them in that battle. Rhode Island appreciates the sacrifices made by her soldiers in battling for the institutions of our fathers. A grateful and admiring people will do ample justice to every act of courage displayed by you and your command.
Respectfully yours, WILLIAM SPRAGUE.
To Major JOHN WRIGHT,
Fifth R. I. V. Burnside Corps.
The day after the battle was spent in rest and quiet, excepting that a detail from the battalion visited the battlefield and buried our dead with suitable services. The usual parting volleys were fired over their graves, and we sadly returned to camp, reflecting on the loss of brave comrades, who, but a short time before, were among us full of health and vigor.
The body of Lieutenant Pierce was afterwards sent home to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where it was buried with military honors on the 29th of April. 1862.
It may be well to state here that the bravery, excellent drill and good discipline shown by the battalion on all occasions had attracted deserved attention at home. The ladies of Doctor Hall's church, the First Congregational, decided that the Fifth should have a full stand of colors. Major Joseph Balch, always one of the best and firmest of friends to the battalion whose infancy he had watched over, gave efficient aid to the project, and in a short time a beautiful and costly set of colors was forwarded to the battalion. They arrived in North Carolina while we were actively engaged in the events which will be narrated in the following chapter.
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CHAPTER V.
1
FROM NEW BERNE TO FORT MACON.
SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF THAT FORT.
G ENERAL FOSTER was appointed Military Governor of New Berne on the 15th of March, and at once entered upou the duty of restoring order and insuring safety in that city. The same order further directed him to see that " the churches be opened at a suitable hour to-morrow (Sunday) in order that the chaplains of the different regiments may hold Divine service in them. The bells will be rung as usual." A later order assigned to Gen- erals Foster and Reno the duty of guarding all the land approaches to the town, and at once the necessary steps were taken to construct a line of defensive works that subsequently made the town impregna- ble to any attack within the power of the Confederates to make. As soon as the proper steps had been taken to secure the safety of New Berne, the commanding general set about obeying the general order directing the successive steps of his campaign. The first thing now to be done was the occupation of Morehead City and Beaufort, and the reduction of Fort Macon, which guarded the entrance to the lat- ter port. The reduction of Fort Macon would open a safe harbor to vessels of greater tonnage than could enter the sound by Hatteras Inlet. From New Berne to Beaufort by rail and by county road was about forty miles, and no opposition was expected except from the garrison of Fort Macon, as the capture of New Berne had cut off the rebel forces at these places from their base of supplies, and compelled their instant retreat by country roads to the southwest, in order to avoid destruction or capture.
The Third brigade, General Parke, was selected to occupy these places and invest and capture the fort.
The following sketch of our brigade commander, General Parke is taken from Woodbury's Burnsile and the Ninth Army Corps :
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FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY.
"JOHN G. PARKE was born in Pennsylvania, in 1827, and graduated. second in bis class of forty-three members, at the Military Academy at West Point, in 1849. He was appointed brevet second-lieutenant, July 1, 1840, in the corps of topographical engineers. As a member of this corps, he had performed, previous to the rebellion, distinguished services in different parts of the country, particularly in the west and southwest. He had acted as secretary of the light house board and of the river and harbor improvement board. He had also been active in the operations upon the plains of the west, in New Mexico, in the Boundary Commis- sion, and the surveys of the routes of the Pacific Railroad. In 1851, he prepared a map of New Mexico, which is declared to have been " a care- ful compilation of all the available and reliable information in relation to New Mexico which could be obtained at that date from trappers and hunters. as well as from actual survey. It was prepared by Lieutenant Parke, while in that country, by order of brevet Colonel John Munroe, United States Army, commanding Ninth Military Department. Dur- ing the same year he accompanied Captain Sitgreaves on an exploring expedition from Santa Fe to San Diego. In 1853. he assisted Lieutenant R. S. Williamson in a survey through the passes of the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range. The expedition occupied three months' time, and in the course of it, Lieutenant Parke conducted an independent expedition to Los Angeles, the San Gabriel and Santa Anna valleys.
" In 1854, Lieutenant Parke made a successful reconnoissance for a rail- road route between Punas village and El Paso. He left San Diego on the 24th of January. with a party of twenty-three men and an escort of twenty-eight dragoons. under Lieutenant Stoneman, and made a careful examination of the country, from the Gila River to the Rio Grande, trav- eling by way of Tucson. San Xavier, Rio San Pedro. Chiricahui Moun- tains, and Fort Fillmore. The report of the expedition is published in the second volume of the Pacific Railroad Reports. and is a very valuable statement respecting the characteristics of the country through which the journey was made, and its facilities for the construction of the pro- posed road. Advanced to his next grade July 1, 1856, Lieutenant Parke became, in 1857, the astronomer of the Northwest Boundary Commission for establishing the line between the United States and British America. In all these positions. he was distinguished for the patient fidelity, mod- est, yet manly bearing and firmness in the discharge of duty which have characterized him in later years. In his early professional life he laid the foundations of a solid, substantial reputation, which has never been weakened, but has continually strengthened in his subsequent career.
"Lieutenant Parke's maps, contained in the eleventh volume of the Pacific Railroad reports, are models of accuracy and clearness of delinea- tion. He had richly deserved his promotion to a captainey in his corps, which he received on his arrival at Washington, his commission dating September 9, 1861."
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General Parke was promoted-to brigadier-general of volunteers Nov. 23, 1861 : major-general, July 8, 1862 ; brevet major-gen- eral, United States Army, March 13, 1865 ; lieutenant-colonel of engineers, March 4, 1879 ; colonel, March 17, 18$4. He has also been superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was placed on the retired list, July 2, 1889.
Our brigade was to move by water to Slocum's Creek landing and march thence by land. This movement commenced on the 19th and comprised all of the brigade, except that the Fifth Rhode Island Battalion was ordered to march along the railroad, which it did, reaching Havelock Station, some twelve miles out, one and a half miles from Slocum's landing, and there bivouacking for the night. The march proved excessively fatiguing to the men, as they had to step from tie to tie on the road bed, and also run the hand-cars con- taining their supplies. The rest of the brigade resumed its march on the morning of the 21st.
While at Havelock James McIntyre. a musician of Company B, met with a singular accident. It happened in this wise : Comrade Mcintyre was lying under a tree, when a neighbor- ing tree which was being felled by one of our soldiers, suddenly came to the ground, and in some unaccountable manner a ragged limb of the tree struck Comrade MeIntyre in the arm near the shoul- der, completely pinning him to the ground, and the limb had to be sawed off before he could be extricated from his perilous position. Surgeon Potter attended to him and alleviated his sufferings, but he eventually obtained his discharge from the army in consequence of this injury.
On the 22d, three companies of the battalion, A. B. and C, pro- ceeded to Newport City, leaving Companies D and E at Havelock as a guard. Company D remained at this place several days, and then marched to Newport City and joined the battalion.
Captain Arnold's company (E) was stationed at Havelock, near an abandoned grist-mill, the machinery of which the rebels had at- tempted to destroy when they left that neighborhood. The mechan- ies of the Fifth, under the direction of Captain Arnold, soon put it in running order again, and it was found very serviceable to the comfort and subsistence of the men.
1
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FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY.
During the halt of the battalion at Havelock Station the advance of the brigade had occupied Morehead City and Beaufort, and had already commenced preparations for investing Fort Macon, General
Capt. Charles H. Chapman, Formerly Adjutant Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers. (From a recent picture.)
Parke having established his headquarters at Carolina City. On the night of the 23d the brigade had closed up, and the three com- panies of the Fifth Battalion were established in an abandoned camp at Newport City. The railroad bridge over the Newport River at this place had been completely burned by a detachment sent up from
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HISTORY OF THE
Fort Macon, on the 18th, and the Fifth Battalion had received or- ders to remain there and rebuild it. Every locality in that country which contained as much as a blacksmith shop and a store, the prin- cipal staple in trade of which was always chain-lightning whiskey, was dubbed a city and looked upon as a future metropolis. Such is Morehead City, Carolina City, and Newport City, all within a dis- tance of scarcely a dozen miles.
The barracks at Newport City, which the Fifth Battalion had in- herited from the enemy, were the most comfortable the men had ever seen. The first day of their stay was devoted to policing their new quarters, and the next day, March 24th, the work of rebuilding the bridge commenced in earnest. And here began one of those opera- tions which deserves more than a passing mention. Later in the war they were common enough, because regiments and battalions of se- lected mechanics had been organized and thoroughly equipped for this kind of work, and practice soon made these " engineers and mechanics " adepts in using every device to accomplish their purpose ; and in no instance is there any record of a failure of the structure to do the work designed. But in this case the circumstances were far different. Everything to work with had to be secured where it could be found. With that faith in the ability of any regiment of New England men to do anything they were set to do, the general in command ordered Major Wright to march his battalion to New- port City and rebuild a railway bridge 180 feet long over a deep tidal river. Up to this time it was a feat without a parallel in the history of the war. Until it was completed neither rations, guns, ammuni- nition, nor material could be supplied to the troops or used in the reduction of Fort Macon, for General Burnside had not yet been supplied with land transportation of any kind. And this .' building of the bridge," matter of fact subject though it was, when one thinks most of sieges and battles. is worthy of notice at some length. One officer tells of it briefly enongh : "On the 24th the tools were collected, the men set energetically to work, and they had the bridge completed so that the first loaded car passed over it on the 20th." "It was a very commendable job," he modestly adds, " considering the difficulties we had to encounter, and the lack of suitable appli- ances. While doing this we also engaged in regular guard and
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FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY.
picket duty. Once or twice the long roll was beaten in camp at night, and once we had to fight a forest fire that seriously threatened the destruction of our barracks. It came very close on two sides, and the sight of the tall pines, with turpentine covering their scraped sides, forming a column of fire as tall as themselves, was very im- pressive when seen in the stillness of a gloomy night on the low coast of North Carolina by those who had never seen anything of the kind before." Evidently that camp afforded enough to keep the mind busy, if nothing else. " General Burnside gladdened us all by his presence the other day, and expressed his pleasure at the progress we had made."
Work of this kind does not receive the mention it deserves, and yet it is just as essential to the success of a campaign as a charge on the enemy, and the fact that a battalion, organized with no thought of its performing work of this special nature, had the men with the brain and skill to do it speedily and successfully, as well as march,. and fight, and charge with the sturdiest and boldest in the army, is even a greater honor than to lead a forlorn hope. To show how this feat of mechanical skill was regarded outside of the battalion and brigade, and also to give a picture of camp life in North Carolina, another account is here given, written from New Berne, April 2d : ยท
"The Fifth Rhode Island Battalion, Major Wright commanding. is at Newport City, engaged in building an important railroad bridge at that place, which was burned by the enemy four days after the battle and one day before our troops reached it. The bridge was 180 feet long, and was completely destroyed. The Major set to work upon it with his accustomed energy. as it was essential to the investment of Fort Macon that siege artillery and supplies should be transported over the road. The officers and men worked night and day to accomplish this, and their labors are appreciated by their superior officers.
"As I am a Rhode Islander myself, of course I feel considerable inter- est in the Rhode Island boys. During the last week it has been my good fortune to spend two nights with the battalion at their post, Camp Gra- ham, and it was almost like getting home to find myself surrounded by old friends, and greeted with a Rhode Island welcome. The battalion is in a very good condition, and they are comfortably located in log huts. a large number of which were kindly left by the rebels, who had erected and previously occupied them.
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