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 19
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In March, 1862, the regiment moved with the army of the Potomac, to enter upon the campaign of the Peninsula, and, on arriving there, it was stationed near Warwick Court House, chiefly engaged in picket and other important duty. The regiment remained here until the evacuation of York- town, when it was ordered to the front at double-quick, as it was reported that our forces were meeting a repulse. No men were lost in this engage- ment. The regiment here formed a part of the advance guard of Stoneman's brigade, and participated in the capture of Fort Magruder, at Williamsburg, saving a regiment that had been badly cut up by unwisely drawing upon it the fire of the fort at eight hundred yards distance. "The hardships of this march," says an officer who took part in it, "were among the most severe the regiment had ever experienced ; for days and nights neither men or horses had rest; they were often without food, and the constant skirmishing with the enemy told severely on them." The regiment continued with the advance of General Stoneman during its operations on the Pamunky and Chickahominy rivers, was the first to take possession of the White House, took part in the battles of Mechanicsville and Seven Pines, and, at Turkey Bend, was detached, with the seventh Massachusetts, to guard Turkey Bend bridge, where it remained until Porter's corps crossed.
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WILLIAM H. P. STEERE.
On the 12th of June, Lieutenant-Colonel Steere was promoted to the colonelcy of the fourth regiment Rhode Island volunteers. His commission reached him on the 18th, when he left, joined the fourth at Newport News, Virginia, and assumed the command. The regiment was now in the second brigade, comprising itself, and the eighth and eleventh Connectient, all under the command of Colonel Harland. General Parke commanded the division, which was the third, to which the brigade was attached.
But a brief period elapsed, ere the regiment was moved with its corps to Falmouth, near Fredericksburg, Virginia, which place it evacuated after General Pope's defeat at the second battle of Bull Run, when it moved to Washington, and became a portion of the grand army of General MeClellan.
The great struggle for the ascendancy in Maryland followed, in which Colonel Steere and his regiment took part. It shared in the spontaneous ovation bestowed by the citizens of Frederick, upon the Union forces as they entered that city, and in the battle of South Mountain, fought on the 14th of September, they sustained the honor already gained in North Carolina. The memorable battle of Antietam took place on the 17th of September, in which the regiment fought with a valor second to no other on the field, and closed the sanguinary day with a severe loss in killed and wounded.
The part taken by the fourth Rhode Island regiment in this battle of Antietam, is thus related by a member who took part in it, in a letter to the Providence Journal :
"Wednesday, the 17th of September, will be ever a memorable day to us; memorable not only on account of the dangers through which we passed, and the previous situation in which we were placed, but still more, because it was the first time since the organization of the regiment, that it had been known to retreat. But on that day it did retreat, and the reasons for its doing so are set forth, I trust satisfactorily, in the following lines. The very beginning of the day was inauspicious. The night before the engagement, we had been drawn up near the enemy in line of battle. We slept on our arms, and on awaking in the morning, found ourselves targets for the enemy's artillerymen.
"We had taken our position unknown to the enemy, on the previous evening. But in the early gray of the morning, discovering our whereabouts, he commenced shelling us, with the evident intention of doing us all the harm in his power. We were soon withdrawn, not, however, before several casual- ties occurred in our own, as well as in other regiments stationed near us. 26
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Soon after our withdrawal, we were ordered to support a battery that was playing upon the enemy. But we had not remained long in this position, comparatively a place of safety, when we were directed to ford Antietam Creek. Our passage of the stream was slightly opposed by the enemy's skirmishers, who, falling back, gave notice to the main body, of an arrival across the river. Hardly had we been drawn up in line of battle, sheltered by a stone wall, when we were again opened upon by the enemy's batteries. Instead of flanking the enemy, we were ourselves flanked, and were, of course, forced to abandon the position we had taken. All the rest of the day, up to our entrance into the thick of the fight, we were more or less exposed to the fire of the enemy's guns.
" About four o'clock in the afternoon, the order came for us, in company with other regiments, to advance upon the enemy. Unconscious of the overwhelming numbers with which the enemy was prepared to meet us, we advanced. The sixteenth Connecticut, on our left, finding itself flanked, broke and fled before it had fired a round. Owing to this disaster, our left was exposed to a flanking fire from the enemy. Thus deserted, we were compelled either to retreat or surrender ourselves prisoners. Finding our- selves flanked by an entire brigade, with an opposing force in front, while batteries were playing upon our right ; and knowing that, against such over- whelming odds, it was madness to think even of holding our position, we retreated. But, to our credit be it said, not a man turned back upon the deadly volleys poured upon us, before the order was given to do so.
" And now commenced the work of destruction. In our retreat we were forced to pass over a space where nothing shielded us from the showers of shot and shell hurled upon us with such deadly effect. One-third of our entire number were either killed or wounded, and of those who came out unscathed, there were none but had marvellous escapes to narrate.
" The fight was the occasion for the display of numerous deeds of valor and heroism. Before the retreat, it was affirmed by some, that the flag in . front of us was our own. In order to learn whether it was a friendly regi- ment,-we not being able to see the troops themselves, surrounded, as we were, on every side, by standing corn,-James Tanner, one of the color cor- porals, seizing the banner of the regiment, rushed forward, waving it aloft, expecting to see it answered, if the flag in front was a friendly one. The task was a perilous one. It was almost certain that the rebels were in front of us, and that they had employed the flag of the Union only to deceive us.
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If they were, to advance was certain death. Notwithstanding the uneer- tainty, he rushed forward, and fell dead, pierced with a dozen bullets. Lieu- tenant Curtis, who accompanied him, seeing him fall, grasped the colors and bore them safely from the reach of the enemy."
Colonel Steere, who had shown the most undaunted bravery throughout the battle, after receiving a severe wound, attempted again to lead his men to the attack, but, fainting from the loss of blood, was carried to the division hospital, when the command devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel J. B. Curtis. After the regiment had been withdrawn from the field, the lieutenant-colonel, finding it in a state of disorganization, seized a musket, and, accompanied by a few who rallied around him, returned a second time into the thick of the battle. All through the fight, he animated the soldiers by his undaunted courage, and urged them on, in the face of the enemy's hottest fire, by his coolness and disregard of danger. But this heroic act put the climax to his deeds of heroism, and his name became the theme for the praises and admiration of the soldiers.
The whole strength of the regiment, before going into the action of the 14th, (South Mountain,) was four hundred and forty. The killed and wounded amounted to one hundred and six. At Antietam, one-third the force that went into battle were killed or wounded. Captain Bowen was taken prisoner and paroled. Lieutenants George H. Watts and George P. Clark were severely, and acting Lieutenant George R. Buffum mortally, wounded. Rhode Island sustained other severe losses in this battle. Briga- dier-General Rodman, the former commander of the regiment, and his aide- de-camp, Lieutenant Robert H. Ives, Jr., being among the victims.
Colonel Steere was removed to Philadelphia, where he was taken to the residence of Colonel Peter Fritz, and where he remained until his wound would permit a further removal. Seventy-four days after the battle, the ball was extracted by Doctor Paul B. Goddard, and proved to have been one of the explosive ones used by the enemy; but, happily, it failed to do its intended work.
The regiment remained in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Curtis, and being with the army of the Potomac at Fredericksburg, took a prominent part in the battle of the 13th of December, 1862, when General Burnside crossed the river, and attacked the enemy's works. In this action, Lieutenant-Colonel Curtis was killed by a shrapnell shell, while forming the regimental line. Ilis remains were taken to Providence, where they were received with military
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honors, and after laying in state, with those of Colonel Sayles, were buried on the 20th of December. Colonel Steere being still confined by his wound, the command of the regiment was assumed by Major Buffum, who was soon after commissioned as lieutenant-colonel. Captain James T. P. Bucklin was promoted major.
On the 9th of April, 1863, at the earnest request of Colonel Steere, and against the advice of Doctor Goddard, his medical attendant, permission was granted him to return to his regiment, which he found at Suffolk, and, as usual, at the front. A severe storm coming on at this time, and the accom- modations in camp being poor for a man in feeble health, Colonel Steere, by the advice of the medical staff, returned to Norfolk, where he remained three weeks, when he returned to camp.
Early in July, Colonel Steere reported for duty, when, being the senior officer of the brigade, by order of Brigadier-General Getty, he assumed com- mand of the third brigade, ninth army corps, leaving Lieutenant-Colonel Buffum in command of the regiment. From that time until March, 1864, Colonel Steere remained near Portsmouth, Virginia, part of the time in com- mand of the department, comprising that part of the country from James river to the Albemarle Sound. Frequent raids were made by the enemy on our front, which was a long one; and, as there was but a small force, the brigade was kept constantly on the move. With all this duty, a line of works was constructed by our force, from the east to the west branch of the Elizabeth river, (some seven miles,) a work highly commended.
In February, 1864, the fourth regiment was taken from the brigade, but, by special orders of General Butler, Colonel Steere was retained as its commander, and another regiment sent him. This was paying a very high compliment to the colonel, and shows how highly he was appreciated by his superior officers. Advancement often goes by favor; but it is gratifying to the friends of this gallant officer, to state that Colonel Steere had not at this time ever exchanged a word with General Butler; hence his advancement to the responsible position of a brigadier, was wholly owing to his military skill and gallantry.
About the 1st of March, an attack was made on our outpost at Bernard's Mills, near Suffolk, Virginia, by a force of the enemy, consisting of some eight thousand infantry and twenty pieces of artillery. Colonel Steere received a telegram from Colonel Cole, commanding the above outpost, stating that two squadrons of his cavalry had been entirely cut off, and that the enemy were
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shelling their camp, and doing some damage. Colonel Steere immediately ordered all the available forces forward to the relief of the outpost, but the enemy retreated on finding our troops in such a good position, and so well distributed. Subsequently, Colonel Cole with his two squadrons of cavalry appeared, they having cut their way through the rebels, with great courage and some hard fighting. The intention of the enemy was evidently to enter Norfolk. This same force had been manœuvering back and forth, for some ten days previous to this final attack.
Near the close of March, Colonel Steere received orders to move his command to Yorktown, Virginia, reporting to General Smith, who was then organizing the James river expedition, and who relieved him from his command of the brigade. The colonel was now placed in command of the department of Yorktown, which, according to the instructions from General Butler, comprised all the troops from York to James river, including Williams- burg. Here we have another instance of a colonel being taken from his regi- ment, and given a higher command.
During the first part of April, an expedition was planned against the enemy, and the command assigned to Colonel Steere,-General Ileekman being sick at the time. After several days of fatiguing marches and counter- marches, what appeared to be a good opportunity for a fight resulted in nothing but a few skirmishes. Part of the object of the movement was, to discover the torpedo-boat, which ran into the Minnesota a few nights pre- vious, and which was supposed to be secreted in some one of the numerous creeks.
About the 1st of July, orders were received to dismantle Yorktown, and forward all the troops to the front, except four companies as a guard or picket line. At the same time, Colonel Steere was ordered to return to his regiment, which was then in front of Petersburg, Virginia. Reporting for duty, he was ordered to take command of the second brigade, seventh division of the ninth army corps. He took part in the battle of the 30th of July, but soon after, being attacked so severely by his old complaint, (chronic diarrhoea,) as to cause alarm to his medical attendants, he was compelled to leave his command and return home. He protested strongly against the decision of his doctors, and was on duty when the ambulance came to take him to the hospital. This was the close of Colonel Steere's military career. He returned to Providence in August, and before he had sufficiently recovered to return to his command,
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his term of service expired; and, on the 15th of October, 1864, he was mus- tered out of the service.
Of no offieer sent by Rhode Island to the field, has she reason to be more proud, than of Colonel Steere. Through the entire three years of service, during which he filled the various positions of captain, lieutenant- colonel, colonel, brigadier-general and department commander, he made the record of a brave and efficient officer.
WILLIAM WARE HALL.
IEUTENANT WILLIAM WARE HALL, son of the Reverend Edward B. Hall, D. D., was born in Providence, Rhode Island, October 27th, 1834. Passing through the public schools of that city, he was prepared for college at the high school, and entered Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1853. After teaching two years, he fixed upon the ministry as his profession, and pursued the regular course of study in the Cambridge Divinity School, for three years. To this preparation, he added the advan- tage of foreign travel and study-passing two years abroad, visiting scenes and localities of interest in most of the countries of Europe. He was in Rome in the midst of the commotions of 1860, and narrowly escaped serious injury from the rude assault of the French soldiery, of which he wrote home a graphic account.
Returning to the United States in 1860, he entered with an earnest spirit upon the work for which he had fitted himself, and preached with acceptance in various places, but without fixing upon a specific settlement. In the midst of plans for the future, the rebellion broke out, and, moved by the patriotism that then inflamed the entire north, he offered himself for service in a Rhode Island battalion, subsequently known as the fifth regiment Rhode Island volunteers. He was commissioned first-lieutenant of company B, and at Annapolis joined the expedition against North Carolina, under General Burnside. At Roanoke and Fort Macon he was subjected to expos- ures and trials which, together with subsequent hard service, gave a shock to his constitution from which it never successfully rallied. His letters home, however, were uniformly cheerful, and awakened in his friends no apprehen- sion of declining health.
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In the summer of 1862, he resigned, and returned home for a short time. Anxious to serve his country in any way compatible with debilitated strength, his services were accepted as a teacher of freedmen on Saint Helena Island, Port Royal. Here, for a year and a half, he did an important work, and by his unwearied faithfulness, as well as by his kindness of heart, won alike the esteem of his associates, and the affection of the numerous pupils under his charge, who, said the chief conductor of the enterprise, "will remember him till they are gray." His health failed under the pressure of this work, which he continued till he could scarcely stand or talk audibly ; and he returned home, arriving the first day of July, 1864, and living only to the 9th of August. Through these six weeks of rapid decline, which he fully under- stood, he talked cheerfully of the approaching end, showed a grateful thought- fulness of all his friends, and expressed no regret except that he had not done more for his country and for man. His remains repose in the cemetery at Swan Point, near those of two brothers, in the "Pastors' Rest."
Trustfulness, humility, tenderness, conscientiousness, with persistent devotion to the right, were the chief traits of Mr. Hall. His repugnance to oppression, and his sympathies with the oppressed, were of the most positive character. The crowning labor of his brief life, if it had not the glare and excitement of arms, was second in importance to no other to which patriot hands have been given. In that work, his name is registered with a noble company, who, in coming ages, will be honored as human benefactors.
We add the portrait which a fellow student has drawn of him, from long and intimate knowledge. "The frankness, simplicity, and delicate kindness of his character, and the gentleness and refinement of his nature, always drew me to himn. He had very good knowledge of books and literature. His scholarship, though not pretending to depth, was very accurate. He had, it seems to me, an exceeding love of truth; an innate love of it, which showed itself in the smallest matters, as well as in great-his daily habits and per- sonal manners, and constant speech. This, with a natural gentleness and delicacy of moral feeling, seems to me to have been his characteristic traits. Now, as I write, his form appears to rise before me, and I hear again his gentle voice. His character impresses itself very vividly on my mind. No, not 'lost,' but in going away, he comes to us. Death disrobes our friends of mortality, and takes them from us for a season, that it may give them to us forever, glorified."
Con Liffe
ALFRED N. DUFFIE.
RIGADIER-GENERAL ALFRED N. DUFFIE was born in Paris, France, on the 1st of May, 1835. At the early age of fifteen years, after more than usual hard study, his taste for a military profession led him to request per- mission of his parents, who were persons of wealth, to make a study of military science, and thus prepare himself for the service. Having obtained their consent, he was, in the year 1850, sent to the military school at Saint Cyr, where he was graduated in 1853, in the sixth dragoons; in which, two years after he enlisted, he was successively promoted to corporal, maréchal des logis, and maréchal des logis chef. On the 30th of August, 1857, he was appointed and commissioned sub-lieutenant in the third hussars, and soon after a lieutenant.
On the 21st of April, 1854, his regiment, which was under the command of Colonel de Plat, was ordered to the Crimea, to which field of operations it proceeded without delay. Without entering into particulars, it is sufficient to state, that this regiment was engaged in the severe battles of Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, Chemaïa and Koungit, in which young Duffie received three wounds. For his bravery shown in the last named battle, our young officer received from the Sultan, the title and cross of the Chevalier of the Medjidie, and not long after, the English medal. In addition, his name was sent to the War Department at Paris, for the French medal. At the close of the war, in 1856, Mr. Duffie returned to France, when he received his commission as lieutenant in the third hussars.
In 1859, Lieutenant Duffie was sent to Austria, to participate in the struggle then going on between France and Austria; and was engaged in the
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sanguinary battles of Palestro, Magenta and Solferino, in which he was twice wounded.
Towards the close of the year 1860, Lieutenant Duffie left France for the United States, previous to the breaking out of the rebellion. On arriving at New York, to his surprise, he found the people in a great state of exeite- ment; but not understanding a word of English, he did not readily compre- hend the cause of the commotion. Anxious to learn what was going on, he walked down Broadway, where he fell in with a young Frenchman, who was a fellow passenger with him in the Europa. Upon questioning his friend as to the cause of the excitement, he was informed that "some troubles were brewing between the northern and southern states." Returning to his board- ing house, in Bleeker street, he pondered over the news he had heard, which greatly interested him, and induced him to make further inquiries into the matter.
The following morning, he waited upon Mr. de Montholon, the French consul, in order to learn from him some further particulars of the American troubles, and, at the same time, made known to him his earnest desire to enter into the service of the United States. In reply, Mr. de Montholon said that he had just received a proclamation from the French Emperor, prohibiting any French officers from taking service in the United States army. Finally, after a long talk with the consul, "whose remarks," he observed to the writer, " puzzled him much," Mr. Duffie returned to his boarding house, with his mind deeply absorbed in the stirring news he had heard. He thought of La Fayette, and the sacrifices he had made in our revolutionary contest. With such an example before him, he believed he would not be blamed for entering the service of the United States; and was willing to risk the consequences of incurring the displeasure of the Emperor of France in not obeying his proclamation.
"While meditating on these matters," writes General Duffie to a friend, "I was aroused by the martial music of a band, then passing my door. I hastened out to see and hear it, when I saw a splendid regiment marching along, bearing the flag of the United States. I was deeply touched by this patriotie demonstration, and at once made up my mind to risk my life and fortunes under the same beautiful flag, and to fight the south, who had, in so cowardly and treacherous a manner, abandoned the flag which I loved as my own. I determined then to enlist in the army of the United States, and, if necessary, sacrifice my blood and my life for the glorious cause of the Union.
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With these feelings, and, after deep and earnest reflection, I embarked in the contest. God has inspired me, and I thank him."
But serious difficulties now surrounded our patriotic young officer. He was unable to speak the English language, and, having no friend to aid him, determined to rely upon his own firm will and perseverance to accomplish the task of acquiring it. He resolved to commit to memory one hundred words each day, by doing which, he was enabled, at the end of a month, to make himself understood. With this brief study, he was ready to enter upon his military career in the United States.
In June, 1861, Mr. Duffie received a commission as captain in the Harris light cavalry, or second regiment of New York cavalry, under Colonel Davies, and was sent to Scarsdale, Westchester county, near the city of New York, to organize the regiment, which duty he accomplished. Soon after this, he was ordered to Washington, and placed in General Baker's command. He accompanied the lamented Baker to Poolesville, with his squadron, and was with it in the terrible slaughter at Ball's Bluff, on the 21st of October, 1861. From thence he was recalled and joined his regiment on Arlington Heights, on which occasion he was promoted to the grade of major in the same regi- ment, which then formed a part of Major-General MeDowell's command. While so connected, Major Duffie was in many skirmishes, and when General McDowell moved towards Fredericksburg, had a more serious engagement with the enemy. Some time later, when McDowell's division had arrived at Falmouth, Major Duffie was ordered to cross the Rappahannock and capture a detachment of the enemy. In his reconnoissance he found the enemy moving upon General McDowell's position, when he determined to make an effort to stop them. The result of this gallant affair is thus alluded to in the despatch of General McDowell to the Secretary of War: "The enemy advanced upon my position by way of the Bowling Green road, but retreated after having been engaged by the gallant Major Duffie, of the Harris light cavalry, who captured their rear guard."
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