USA > Rhode Island > Memoirs of Rhode Island officers who were engaged in the service of their country during the great rebellion of the South. Illustrated with thirty-four portraits > Part 18
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In the month of September following, Colonel Shaw obtained permission to appear before the board for the examination of officers to command United States colored troops, then in session at Washington, of which Major-General Silas Casey was president. He passed as colonel, being the fifth officer of that grade who had passed out of seven hundred examined.
In November, 1863, Colonel Shaw received his commission from the President of the United States, as colonel of the seventh regiment United States colored troops, to rank from October 27th, 1863, and the same month joined his men, who were stationed at Camp Stanton, Benedict, Indiana. He found his command to consist of the very best material. It was mostly com- posed of slaves, recruited in Maryland and Virginia. They were of fine physique, and had few bad habits. A strong though uneducated religious feeling was a prominent trait in their characters. Their officers had all seen active service, and had passed the board of examination. They were men who had the interests of the country at heart, and had come forward at a time when it had not become creditable to belong to a colored regiment, and when the enemy had threatened to murder all their officers and men. The first part of the year 1864, was spent by the seventh regiment in recruiting and perfecting themselves in drill. Colonel Shaw was eminently qualified for the task, and he entered into the duty of disciplining his men with an enthusiasm which rendered his success complete.
On the 4th of March, 1864, the regiment embarked on the steamer Daniel Webster for Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was obliged to stop at Fortress Monroe for water, and here Colonel Shaw received orders from General Butler to disembark at Portsmouth and march towards Suffolk, to repel the rebels, said to be advancing in that direction. Ile found no
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enemy, however, and reembarking arrived at Hilton Head on the 10th of March. Staying here but three days, they again embarked for Jackson- ville, Florida, arriving on the 16th instant. Here the regiment went into camp, and Colonel Shaw took advantage of every spare moment to ren- der still more perfect, the discipline and drill of the troops. The inspector- general of the department of the south, Colonel Morgan, in his report of June, 1864, after enumerating instances of the lack of system and neglect of duty, as shown by most of the regiments in the department, proceeds to state: " There are, however, brilliant exceptions. The seventeenth regiment Con- necticut volunteers and the seventh United States colored troops are an example of the unflagging energy and steady perseverance of their officers in the discharge of their various duties. Strict and impartial in the enforce- ment of all orders, a perfect state of discipline prevails, and harmony reigns throughout the respective commands." General George II. Gordon, command- ing the district, said of the seventh regiment, at the same time: " It is the best colored regiment in the service."
In the early part of May, Colonel Shaw was placed in command of all the troops stationed at Jacksonville, consisting of four regiments of infantry, two detachments of cavalry, one light battery, and one regiment of infantry acting as heavy artillery, and, in addition, he was made commandant of the post. This was a heavy responsibility for so young an officer, and he felt its weight, though, in regard to its duties, he wrote : "I find them easy and pleasant to bear with such a commander over me as General Gordon."
With the exception of a reconnoissance in force to ascertain the number and position of the enemy at the front, nothing of interest occurred until the first of June, when a movement was organized to destroy the works of the rebels at Camp Milton, some ten miles distant from Jacksonville. Colonel Noble, of the seventeenth Connecticut, was sent with a brigade of infantry up the Saint John's river to land at MeGert's creek, and move towards their rear, while a few hours later, Colonel Shaw was ordered to move directly on their front with a brigade of infantry, battery A, third Rhode Island, and two hundred cavalry, under Major Fox. The movement was carried out with success ; the enemy was flanked, and a line of four miles of well-built fortifi- cations fell into the hands of the Union troops. These were destroyed and the expedition returned.
Soon after this, General Gordon was sent to other fields, where his talents could be of more use. His officers and men parted from him with regret, for
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he had won the regard and admiration of all during his command. After the departure of General Gordon, Colonel Shaw resumed the command of his regiment, the new district commander acting as commandant of the post.
On the 28th of June, an expedition was formed at Hilton Head, in which Colonel Shaw, with his regiment, was ordered to take part. Embarking on the steamer Canonieus, he was detained by storms and gales, so that he did not reach Hilton Head till the 1st of July. The brigade to which the seventh regiment was attached, proceeded up the North Edisto river, under the command of General William Birney, and, on the evening of July 2d, landed near White Point. The next morning our forces advanced towards the works at that place. After ascertaining the position of the enemy, under a heavy fire and exposed to the terrible heat of the sun, the troops were withdrawn, and reembarked. The officers and men suffered very much from the extreme heat, Colonel Shaw being so much exhausted as scarcely to be able to reach the boat. A few days after this affair, the seventh regiment returned to Jacksonville.
Soon after returning to his old post, Colonel Shaw sailed up the Saint John's river to Black Creek, for the purpose of destroying the Cedar Creek railroad. After accomplishing this object, he proceeded to cut the Tallahassee railroad at the Saint Mary's trestle. On marching to Baldwin, they found that the enemy had fled, finding his communications entirely cut off. The seventh regiment remained in camp at Baldwin until August 4th, when Colonel Shaw received orders to report to General Butler at Fortress Monroe. On the 12th of August, the regiment disembarked at Bermuda Hundred, and a place was assigned it in the tenth army corps.
On the 13th, they were shelled by the Howlet House battery. Colonel Shaw wrote that it was the most uncomfortable day he ever passed under fire. The men were very much exposed, being destitute of any cover, and could do nothing in retaliation. That night the men were ordered to march against the enemy, and Colonel Shaw was ordered to take command of the colored brigade, consisting of the seventh, eighth and ninth United States colored troops, and the twenty-ninth Connecticut colored volunteers. For the next four days the brigade was under fire, and on all occasions the officers and men acquitted themselves with the greatest credit. The following com- pliment paid the colored brigade by Major-General Birney, is sufficient to prove that they were not found wanting:
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" HEAD-QUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS, " FUZZEL'S MILLS, VIRGINIA, August 19th, 1864. S
" GENERAL ORDERS.
" The major-general commanding congratulates the tenth army corps upon its success. It has on each occasion when ordered, broken the enemy's strong lines. It has captured, during this short campaign, four siege guns, protected by formidable works, six colors, and many prisoners. It has proved itself worthy of its old Wagner and Fort Sumter renown. Much fatigue, patience and heroism may still be demanded of it, but the major-general commanding is confident of the response.
" To the colored troops, recently added to us and fighting with us, the major-general tenders his thanks for their uniform good conduct and soldierly bearing. They have set a good example to our veterans by the entire absence of straggling from their ranks on the march.
" By order of Major-General D. B. Birney, " E. W. SMITH, " Lieutenant-Colonel and A. A. General."
On the 20th of August, the Union forces recrossed the James river, and took up a position on the Bermuda Hundred front. Four days later, they crossed the Appomattox, and took their position opposite Petersburg, near the Hare House battery. One-half of Colonel Shaw's command was con- stantly in the trenches, and the other half, when out, but a short distance in the rear. The Union lines were not more than fifty yards from those of the enemy, and the men were constantly exposed to the fatal accuracy of the firing of the sharpshooters. Here, on the 5th of September, Colonel Shaw lost one of his finest officers, and a noble, true-hearted man, Captain A. R. Walker. The artillery on both sides seldom allowed a day to pass, without opening all along the line. A single shot would often provoke an answer from two hundred pieces of artillery, from the fifteen-inch "Petersburg Express," to the cohorn mortar. Strange as it may seem, while fully twenty tons of iron fell within Colonel Shaw's lines during the bombardment, but seven men were wounded, and none killed by the shells, while not a day passed but some fatal casualty occurred from the more deadly rifle.
On the 24th of September, after a month in the trenches, the division was broken up by the withdrawal of all the regiments of the second brigade, and Colonel Shaw resumed the command of his regiment. After four days of rest, they were again on the move, recrossing the Appomattox and James
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rivers at Deep Bottom, and advancing, with the eighteenth army corps, on the defences of Richmond. The first lines of the enemy were carried at Fort Harrison. In this attack, the brigade, of which the seventh colored regiment formed a part, was not actively engaged, but was held in the reserve. On the afternoon of the same day, the 28th, the brigade was ordered to move on to the "Mill Road," and Colonel Shaw received orders to form on the right into line, under a heavy fire of artillery, and then to charge the work in their front, Fort Gihnar. Before the order could be executed, it was countermanded by another to send four companies deployed as skirmishers, to attack and take one of the works. Four companies were deployed under Captain Weiss, and advanced in fine order for nearly a mile, under a most terrific fire. From the right, left and front, the shot and shell were poured into that line, yet not a man wavered or turned his back, save when struck by a fatal bullet. They moved in as good order as if on drill, until they neared the fort, when, with a common impulse they charged into the ditch, from which they could neither advance nor retreat. Deeds of heroism were performed here, which showed that the negro, even under the most trying circumstances, was no coward. They raised each other upon their shoulders, only to be shot when their heads appeared above the parapet. In this posi- tion Colonel Shaw was obliged to deploy the remainder of the regiment. The afternoon closed, and nothing had been accomplished, and when the darkness permitted, the army was obliged to gather the wounded and retire to the line captured in the morning. The work had been attempted in detail, when a charge of the brigade would undoubtedly have proved more successful. The rebel General Lee, in speaking of the fight, paid the follow- ing compliment to the valor of the men composing the seventh regiment : " The charge on Fort Gilmar, the other day, proved that negroes would fight. They raised each other on the parapet, to be shot as they appeared above." This was published in a Richmond paper in an argument in favor of arming southern slaves.
The 8th of December arrived, and the army still occupied very nearly the same ground. Our line of works had been strengthened, and several engagements taken place, but without any result. The seventh colored regiment at all times manifested its characteristic steadiness and coolness under fire. In December, the twenty-fifth army corps was formed, composed of colored troops. Colonel Shaw was placed in command of the first brigade, second division, which position he held to the close of the war, excepting
25
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the time that he was in command of the division. Until the opening of the spring campaign of 1865, all was quiet in the twenty-fifth army corps, with the exception of the 25th day of January, when the iron-clad fleet of the rebels attempted to come down the James river and cut off the army of the James from that of the Potomac, while Lee massed his forces on the right of the Union forces. The attempt failed, and the attack was not made, but at one o'clock, P. M., the rebels opened their artillery on Fort Burnham, formerly known as Fort Harrison, which Colonel Shaw had garrisoned with the seventh regiment. In one hour they had exploded at least one hundred shells in the fort, with but little loss to our side.
On the 25th of March, 1865, the Union forces having previously sent their baggage to the rear, moved back from their fine winter quarters and were reviewed by the President. Monday, the 27th, they moved, in the evening, across the James at Varina, and the Appomattox at Broadway land- ings, and the next morning passed the sixth army corps, and were then near the extreme left of the army of the Potomac; the second and fifth army corps and Shearman's cavalry, being still further to the left, and pressing the enemy heavily in that direction. On the 31st, the lines were advanced nearer the rebel works, under a sharp fire of artillery and infantry. Colonel Shaw was directed by General Birney to form his brigade for a charge, but, before it could be made, notice was received that General Gibbon was in command, and that the movement could not be executed without his orders. General Grant's plans having ripened on the 2d of April, the army was formed for an attack. Sheridan's cavalry, with the second and fifth army corps, had turned the enemy's right, the sixth and ninth were pushing vigorously forward, and Colonel Shaw's brigade on the left, advanced in line of battle and swept the enemy's works, which were being rapidly deserted. "On to Petersburg" was now the order, and for that place the army started. Soon came the report that the city was evacuated, and a cloud of dense smoke in that direc- tion seemed to give color to the rumor; but the heavy booming of the artillery, and the shrill whistling of the screeching shells, soon gave the lie to the story, and every preparation was made for immediate action. Colonel Shaw, in a letter to a friend written at the time, thus speaks of the scene: "It was a splendid sight; column after colum appeared in view, line after line was formed, and the great army of the Potomac, and three divisions of the army of the James, coiled itself around the doomed city. Each height in our front was surmounted by an earthwork, and the shell came thick and fast; in our
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rear the burning of camps, and in the city the burning tobacco warehouses, adding to the grandeur of the scene. Forster's division, twenty-fourth army corps, charged and took Fort Gregg after a desperate struggle; and here ended the fighting for the day. Our lines were extended and closed, and embraced the city in one continuous circle, within rifle shot of its inner defences. In this position we rested for the night, but at three the next morning, a rumor reached us that the enemy were evacuating, and we were at once under arms. Deploying the seventh in front of my own brigade, I connected with the lines of the second brigade, and moved up to the works. The eighth struck first a salient, which was much nearer them than the line in my front was to me, and cheer after cheer announced the line was ours. Now, I had the advantage, for the city was more to my right, and I drove forward, passing prisoners to the rear as I went, and was the first to enter the city ; but we could not get the credit except from one newspaper. Petersburg was onrs."
An hour or two after entering Petersburg, the army received orders to start in pursuit of Lee. When about seventeen miles from the city, Colonel Shaw was directed to take his brigade back to Sunderlands, and hold that point until relieved by General Willcox, then to push on and join his division as soon as possible. By the time that he was relieved by General Willcox, Colonel Shaw found his brigade two days behind the advance, which was more than thirty miles ahead, and on the move. By adopting a particular plan for marching, the brigade made ninety-six miles in four days, including a stop at Berksville for rations and orders, and had no stragglers. As they neared the front, the news reached the tired and foot-sore men that Lee had surrendered, and lay surrounded by the victorious armies of the Union. We make another extract from one of Colonel Shaw's letters: " A finer place for this closing act in the drama could not have been selected. In the eve- ning I went out to the hill to gaze at the scene. The rebel army is situated on a hill in the centre of a large valley. All around them and on another range of hills is stationed our glorious and victorious army. The lights of thousands of camp-fires light up the scene and reveal our lines, enclosing, like a serpent, the crushed and conquered foe. To have helped, in ever so slight a degree, to produce this glorious result ; to have aided in conquering this rebellion and restoring our old glorious Union, is a source of joy and pride to me that money could not purchase."
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After remaining a few weeks in camp, first near Petersburg, and then at City Point, Colonel Shaw's brigade was ordered to Indianola, Texas, leaving Virginia, May 26th.
A few words may not be inappropriate in regard to the character and conduet of the men under Colonel Shaw. A drunken man or a fighting scene were things unknown in the regiment, and but one man was ever tried by general court-martial. When the regiment was first organized, not fifty men among them knew their letters; but, through the exertions of their com- manding officer, and the liberality of his friends at home in sending books, they all knew their alphabets at the close of the war, while many had learned to read, and some to write. In drill and discipline, the colored troops of the seventh regiment were excelled by none; and they elicited, on all occasions, the highest commendations for their soldierly bearing. Since their pay was raised to equal that of the white troops, they have deposited thirty thousand dollars in different savings banks.
On the 22d of July, 1865, Colonel Shaw received an appointment from the President as brigadier-general by brevet, to rank as such from the 13th day of March, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services.
JAMES M. PENDLETON.
HE subject of this sketch was born in Botetourt county, Virginia, August Sth, 1843. Ile was the son of William F. and Sarah A. Pendleton. At the age of eleven, he left Virginia, and came to Westerly, Rhode Island, to reside with his uncle. He attended school in this town for about five years, when he entered the store of J. L. Moss & Co., in the spring of 1859.
Ile was always much interested in military matters, and read with deep interest the history of all wars that he could obtain. When the rebellion first broke out, James manifested great anxiety to enroll his name among the members of the first regiment, but his friends thought him too young. When the ninth regiment was called for, however, his entreaties could not be resisted, and he was allowed to enter the ranks. He served faithfully as a private for three months. Soon after his return, the twelfth regiment was raised, and he reentered the service as a member of this regiment. Without his knowledge or expectation, a commission was obtained for him as second-lieutenant. He was the youngest commissioned officer in the regiment, being only nineteen years of age. He was very popular with his men, and a favorite with all who knew him. At the battle of Fredericksburg, he went into the fight with about one-half of his company.
Lieutenant Pendleton was at once promoted to be first-lieutenant, for gallant conduct on the battle-field, and very soon after was called to the staff of General Nagle. He had been in this position but a short time, when he was seized with a severe attack of camp or typhoid fever, and died while on a furlough at his uncle's residence in Westerly, March 11th, 1863.
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Lieutenant Pendleton was a trustworthy young man in civil life, and loved by all who knew him. The following letter from Colonel Browne, the commander of the twelfth regiment, will show that his short career in the army, proved him to be an invaluable officer:
" HEAD-QUARTERS TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND VOLUNTEERS, NEWPORT NEWS, VA., March 20, 1863.
" DEAR SIR :- Your favor of the 17th instant is received. The sad intelli- gence of the death of your nephew, Lieutenant Pendleton, had reached us through General Nagle. It cast a gloom over the whole camp. His urbanity, his soldierly acquirements, and his bravery, had won the love, respect and admiration of the whole regiment. When, after the battle of Fredericksburg, General Nagle requested me to send him an aide-de-camp, I selected your nephew for his energy, activity and excellent conduct, both in camp and in battle. He soon became as great a favorite at head-quarters as he was with the regiment. I have seen no one's loss more sincerely mourned than his seems to be by the general and his staff. The position was an honorable one, and, in his case, General Nagle assured me, it should be a permanent one. I was very reluctant to spare him from my command; but, as I thought he richly merited the advancement, I cheerfully deprived myself of his aid to promote his interest. His lamented fate adds another illustration to the truth, that " the paths of glory lead but to the grave." We tender you our sincere sympathy under your great bereavement. But we also feel that, when time shall have done its gentle, healing work on the now bleeding hearts of his many friends, they will recall with pride his noble, manly career.
" Your obedient servant,
" Honorable J. M. PENDLETON, Westerly, R. I."
" GEORGE H. BROWNE.
WILLIAM H. P. STEERE.
ILLIAM H. P. STEERE, son of Enoch Steere, was born in Providence, on the 5th of May, 1817. He received his education chiefly at private schools in his native city. Previous to the war, he was an officer in the employ of the Boston and Providence Railroad Company, which office he filled to the entire satisfaction of the company, for fifteen years.
Immediately after the departure of the first regiment of Rhode Island volunteers, under Colonel Burnside, for the seat of war, in April, 1861, Gov- ernor Sprague issued an order for the organization of the second regiment. Mr. Steere was commissioned as one of the captains, and at once opened the armory of the National Cadets, in Arnold's Block, in Providence, for recruits. A week previous to this time, he had enlisted one hundred selected men for his company, whose names he had forwarded to the adjutant-general. Captain Steere, from the day of the opening of the armory, was constantly engaged in drilling from five hundred to one thousand men, embracing a squad com- posed of prominent men of the city, including several clergymen, who had voluntarily come forward to make themselves familiar with the military art, in case their services should be required.
On the 5th day of June, 1861, the regiment was mustered into the service of the United States, under the command of Colonel Slocum. The company commanders drew for their post in line, when Captain Steere drew company D, or fourth in rank.
On the 19th of June, the regiment took its departure for Washington, and, on its arrival, encamped near the first regiment. A month had scarcely passed when it took part in the memorable battle of Bull Run, and was the
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first infantry regiment engaged in that severe conflict. The particulars of that memorable battle have already been given elsewhere, and need not be repeated here. The losses in killed and wounded were severe, among the former being Colonel Slocum, Major Ballou, and Captains Tower and Samuel J. Smith. The skill and bravery shown by Captain Steere in this conflict, led to his immediate promotion to the office of lieutenant-colonel.
After the battle of Bull Run, the regiment returned to Washington and took up its former quarters at Camp Sprague. In September following, Colonel Steere was prostrated by a severe attack of chronic diarrhoea, which, for weeks, baffled the skill of the medical staff in and around the city, and, at their last consultation, gave him but twenty minutes to live. But the Colonel rallied, and, in an enfeebled state, was taken back to Providence, where he was borne on a hand-bier to his father's residence, in an almost hopeless condition. The change of air, however, had a most beneficial effect in restoring his strength, so that he was enabled to return to his regiment in the following January. In March, 1862, Colonel Steere accompanied the remains of Colonel Slocum, Major Ballou and Captain Tower to Rhode Island, where they were buried with military honors.
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