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 32
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The regiment took part in the second battle at Bull Run, Chantilly, Antietam, and other places of less note, and, on the 10th of December, took up a position opposite Fredericksburg. On the next day, the duty was assigned them of charging across some bridges that had been thrown across during the night. Colonel Viall having command of the regiment at this point, after crossing the bridges, deployed his men as skirmishers, and the gal- lant second was soon fighting the rebels and pushing them before its steady advance. The movement was watched by the whole division, which was stationed on the heights on the other side of the river, and, as the picket line of the rebels gave way, our troops sent up the most deafening cheers. For fourteen hours, Colonel Viall was obliged to keep his men at their posts, without fires to guard them from the piercing cold. He himself narrowly escaped with his life, while reconnoitering at the front to ascertain the posi- tion of the rebel forces. A volley from a number of muskets suddenly greeted him from one of the ditches bordering the road, but with no other result than to reveal their place of concealment. This advance of the second Rhode Island, proved to be almost the only pleasant feature in the attack, the two following days being disastrous ones to the Union cause. On this field, Colonel Viall received a commission as colonel of the second regiment, bearing date December 16th, 1862.
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In February, following, Colonel Viall resigned his position as commander of the regiment, owing to troubles arising from the appointment of the chap- lain to the rank of major, an appointment which was the cause of much dissatisfaction. On returning to Rhode Island he resumed his trade. By the requirements of the law, he joined the militia, and was elected Colonel of the fourth regiment Rhode Island militia.
Upon the advance of the rebels into Pennsylvania, Governor Smith decided to raise three six months' regiments, and offered to Colonel Viall the command of the first which should be raised. He at once opened recruiting offices, and began the formation of the thirteenth regiment of Rhode Island volunteers, as it was to be called. The small bounties then offered, made recruiting very slow, and one company was raised with great exertion. About this time the draft took place, accompanied by the riots in New York and Boston. Rhode Island was not wholly free from bitter expressions in regard to the draft, and the governor having reason to believe that a system of patrol would be necessary, placed the charge of the state property in Colonel Viall's hands. The thirteenth regiment was moved each night from its camp, to perform guard duty with the militia. Meanwhile orders were received from the department at Washington, to discharge all six months' men and recruit only for three years. The thirteenth regiment was accord- ingly disbanded, many of its members enlisting in the third cavalry.
When the colored regiment of heavy artillery was organized in Septem- ber, 1863, Colonel Viall was assigned the duty of preparing it for the field.
On the 19th of December, the first battalion left Providence for New Orleans, and proceeded thence to Passo Cavallo, Texas, where it arrived on the Sth of January, and was assigned to garrison duty in Fort Esperanza. Here it was visited by Major-General Dana, commanding the Union forces in Texas, who expressed himself gratified with its appearance. In a letter to Governor Smith, he says: "I took them entirely by surprise, by going over in a small boat, but they were ready. The soldierly conduct of the sentinels on post and of the main guard at the gate, challenged my admiration. The 'assembly' was sounded, and, in five minutes, the whole battalion, four hun- dred strong, was in line ; and I have never found a regiment, even on a Sun- day morning inspection, in more perfect condition. Excellence is the proper term to apply to its condition and soldierly bearing. The drill was also most creditable. Such discipline and order, reflect great credit on the company officers, and especially on the major in command."
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The second battalion followed on the 22d of January, under Captain Nelson Kenyon. Soon after it arrived it was sent to Plaquemine, one hun- dred and sixty miles above New Orleans, where Major Shaw became post commander and Captain Kenyon assumed the command of the battalion. Here it was engaged in putting the fort in a state of defence, and in guarding the town. The third battalion was detained until April, when Colonel Viall accompanied it. On reaching New Orleans, it was ordered to Camp Parapet, when Colonel Viall assumed command of the post. On the 19th of May, Major Comstock received orders to evacuate Fort Esperanza and return to New Orleans. On reaching Fort Parapet he reported to Colonel Viall, when the first and third battalions were consolidated. Here Colonel Viall estab- lished a school for his men, who showed a great desire to learn. On the 30th of June, the Colonel was placed in immediate command of the fortifications on both sides of the river. The line of one of these was over two miles in length, and required constant labor to keep it in repair. Aside from the drill and fatigue duty, a rigid system of guard duty was required of Colonel Viall.
For much of the time while the fourteenth regiment was in Louisiana, Colonel Viall was engaged on a general court-martial at New Orleans. The regiment remained there until the 2d of October, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service. On the 7th, it embarked for the north, and arrived at Portsmouth Grove, Rhode Island, on the 18th, where it was received with a national salute. A few days after, it visited Providence, where it was met by an immense concourse of spectators. A bountiful collation was provided at City Hall, where the men received the thanks of the state for the valuable services they had rendered the country in the hour of need.
With the mustering out of this regiment, Colonel Viall ended his mili- tary service in the great rebellion. Up to this time, he had not received a commission from the United States as colonel, although he had held a state commission of that grade. Soon after the close of the war, he received a colonel's commission from Washington, together with the promotion to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet. The promotion was well deserved, for few officers had rendered the state or the government more laborious service than Colonel Viall. His personal bravery in battle was never doubted. The troops under his command were always in a state of high discipline, and, by long and faithful services, he proved himself among the worthiest of Rhode Island's sons who represented the national honor during the fieree contest of the great rebellion.
ERASMUS SHERMAN BARTHOLOMEW.
RASMUS SHERMAN BARTHOLOMEW was born in Denmark, Lewis County, New York, on the 31st of July, 1830, and was within a few weeks of thirty- two years of age when he died, on the 17th of June, 1862. His father was Erasmus Darwin Bartholomew, a physician, and also the son of a physician, a surgeon in the army of 1812, who died at an early age of disease contracted while in the service of his country. His mother was Mary Seline Brewster, a descendant, in direct line, of Elder William Brewster, of May Flower memory.
In accordance with the wishes of his friends, he acquired a trade, at which he wrought until he was two or three years past his majority. But his heart never was in it. Ile aspired to something nobler. Not that he despised labor, but that he desired something which would call his mental powers into greater exercise than any handicraft possibly could. He longed for an education. He longed for it for its own sake, and because other impulses now stirred his soul. Surrounded by pious friends, he had been the subject of many and deep religious impressions, until, in the winter of 1848-9, he became a decided Christian, and at once connected himself with the Bap- tist Church in DeRuyter, New York, where he was then residing. He soon determined to put forth an effort to obtain an education, in order that he might preach the gospel ; and, to this end, left his trade, and spent some two years or more in Wyoming and Rochester, New York. At the expiration of this time, from ill-health and other considerations, he felt compelled to aban- don the attempt and to give up the long-cherished desire of his heart. He then came to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where, under the instruction of his
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brother, Dr. Samuel Brewster Bartholomew, he acquired the dentist's art, and where he continued to reside, in the practice of that profession, until the ontbreak of the rebellion in 1861. During his residence in Woonsocket, he greatly endeared himself to a large circle of friends, and firmly secured the respect of the entire community.
Sumter fell on the 14th of April, 1861. On the 15th, President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand volunteers, was telegraphed throughout the country. Lieutenant Bartholomew enlisted at once, and, on the 20th, sailed from Providence with the first regiment Rhode Island volunteers, as first corporal, company K. Said he: "I go from a sense of duty. I have neither wife nor children, and there is no reason why I should not go." And again, just as he was leaving, he remarked to a brother, in his quiet manner: "1 am in for the war, be it longer or shorter." Thus early was his determination formed, and thus entire was his consecration to the canse of his country. During his connection with the first regiment, he suffered much from ill- health. For several days, at one period, he was laid aside by an attack of incipient pneumonia. Rallying from this, he was detailed for a while on hospital duty, in which his peculiar kindness, gentleness and Christian sym- pathy and faithfulness shone forth. It was at this time that he was sent home as escort to the remains of a dead comrade, when he looked more fit for the occupancy of an invalid's chamber, than for the hardships of a soldier. But nothing could dampen his ardor, and the expiration of his furlough found him again on duty. He participated in the first battle of Bull Run with unflinching bravery, and was among the last of his regiment to leave that ill-starred field. On that terrible retreat, a little incident occurred illustrative of his coolness amid general panic. He had just waded a stream, and, finding marching difficult on account of the condition of his feet, he calmly sat down by a tree ; and, with the bullets flying thick and fast about him, removed his shoes and stockings, wrung the latter dry, replaced them, and, picking up his musket, with which he never parted, resumed his march. This battle closed the service of the first regiment, and the following Sunday found him at home again-most thoroughly worn and exhausted-under the nursing care of his loved ones.
He had now had experience in a soldier's life. It was no longer a novelty to him. He had tried its romance; he had tested its reality. He had seen war in its horrid details; he had heard the shrieks of the wounded and the groans of the dying. As soon as he had sufficiently rallied, he gave all his energies 44
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to the work of raising a company in Woonsocket for the third regiment, in which he was successful. It was expected that he would receive a commission as lieutenant in connection with this company, and a promise was made to him to that effect,-a position to which his services in the first regiment, and also in the raising of this company, fairly entitled him. But such was his unselfish patriotism and the purity of his motives, that, without waiting for the fulfill- ment of this promise, he allowed himself to be mustered into the service as a sergeant. While the regiment was at Fort Hamilton, however, where it spent a little time in drilling for artillery service, his personal worth and military qualifications becoming apparent to its colonel, on his urgent solicitation, he accepted the post of sergeant-major. This appointment was accompanied by the colonel's earnest recommendation of him to the lieutenancy; but this recommendation, as well as the previous promise, was forgotten for many months.
The third regiment formed part of General Sherman's expedition to Hilton Head, where in due time the sergeant-major arrived, and there wit- nessed that most brilliant achievement, which reflected such world-wide credit upon our navy, and by which the rebel forts Walker and Beauregard were reduced. After this, there was a long period of comparative inactivity, with no opportunity of exhibiting the soldierly qualities of coolness and bravery, but a period which tested the man and the Christian. Most nobly did he abide the test, and many were the testimonials that his friends received dur- ing that period, of his Christian faithfulness and integrity. The duties of his position were such as to bring him into frequent contact with both officers and men, and he secured the esteem, affection and respect of all. Frequent were the visits which he made to the hospital, where he cheered and comforted the sick by his genial smile and gentle words. The prayer meeting often heard his voice, now tremulous with emotion as he lifted it in supplication, and anon clear and exultant as he sent it forth in songs of praise. And once and again, in the absence of the chaplain, did he, chosen from all the regiment for this purpose, stand by the open grave and pronounce the burial service over some fallen comrade. So did he live, that he was pointed out as a model Chris- tian. On one occasion, a visitor in the regiment was inquiring concerning its religious interests of an officer, who made no profession of personal piety him- self, and was replied to somewhat thus: "If you wish to know about these things and to see a man who lives his religion, go to the sergeant-major." Such was his reputation ; and the fragrance of his memory and example still
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abides with those men. Go to one of them now, mention his name, and at once, unconsciously, the eye assumes a milder light and the voice drops to a gentler tone. That reminds us, that " the memory of the just is blessed."
But this period of inaction draws to a close. A movement towards Charleston from James Island is determined on, and a part of the regiment is sent forward to participate, while a part remains behind to guard the post. The duty of the sergeant-major requires him to remain with the latter, much to his regret, for he is tired of inaction. He longs to be doing something. But after the battalion has departed, to his joy, the long-promised, long-looked- for commission arrives. At his earnest request, he is at once assigned to a company. It is company E. And, borrowing equipments, for he has not time to procure them for himself, he hastens forward to join his men. A few days pass, days of weary marching through the storm, days of anxious watch- ing and threatened attack. At length the 16th of June arrives. The battle of James Island takes place. The writer has not the skill to describe that battle, nor is it necessary. Suffice it to say that, at a certain point, the third New Hampshire is in imminent peril, and the third Rhode Island is ordered to charge bayonets across an open field, and drive the rebels from a piece of wood. The charge is made under the lead of Major Metcalf, and is success- ful. The third New Hampshire is saved, and the battalion is ordered to return. It does so, but Captain Rogers, as he is crossing, sees an officer lying on the ground, and, to his dismay, beholds in him his most intimate companion, Lieutenant Bartholomew. In that charge across the open field, at the head of his men, cheering them on, he had received a mortal wound in the abdomen, and now lies helpless. The captain attempts to raise him, but, unselfish to the last, he expostulates : " You are in danger-leave me-I cannot live- save yourself; but here, take my sword-it is borrowed-let it not fall into the hands of the rebels." With the assistance of two others, he is carried to where the battalion is drawn up in line, and thence is borne off the field on the shoulders of officers; "too precious a burden," in the words of a fellow officer, "to be entrusted to the hands of privates." He is taken at once to the hospital, where everything that skill and kindness can do, is done for him. And now, while he is lying in mortal anguish, and his comrades are vieing with one another in affectionate attentions to him, let us look into his letters and see what is his preparation for this hour. Of course, as a man of reflec- tion and a soldier, he had often thought of death. While he was in the first regiment, and when it was supposed that in a few days they would move upon
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the enemy, he wrote: "May God go with us and give us success, though we fall by the way. * I am grateful that I live in this age, that I have a life to offer to my country, and that I am able to do it with so much heartiness. I have no fear, for if there is more work for me to do, I shall return to you all again. If not, (and it seems as though it were enough for one to do to aid in restoring our beloved country, * * ) I shall only the sooner greet my Saviour, with the veil removed which now intervenes, and occupy the mansion prepared for me. So, in either case, it is a joyous anticipation." On the day he started for Bull Run, he wrote: "I do not go down-hearted, however I may feel when we come to fight. I know in whom I trust." On another occasion we find him rejoicing that "one of our boys has found the the Saviour, and that two or three are very thoughtful," and telling how great a pleasure it is to direct such. When lying off Fortress Monroe, he wrote : " Whatever may be our destination or the work before us, I go gladly, and only pray that the expedition may be a success. Every christian heart should be very earnest, that the God of battles go with us and nerve us with determination and courage in the hour of conflict. I trust I shall be protected through it all; but God's will, not mine, be done." And again, when near the fatal field : "I have had many thoughts of home since I started on this expedition, and have wished so earnestly that the struggle was over and we all at our homes. It seems so cruel and wicked, yet I have no desire to go home while there is anything to be done for our good cause. My heart sick- ens at the horrid detail of war, yet is nerved with strength for the duties of the hour. Of what worth now is my faith in the power of my Heavenly Father and in the atoning blood of Christ, the one to protect and the other to save me. At the worst-I should say best-I shall but enter upon my heavenly inheritance."
These extracts show the spirit of the man, his unselfish patriotism, his firm and abiding Christian hope. In a very brief time after peneilling the last he lay in the agonies of death, and eyes unused to tears wept as they listened to his tender and touching appeals. Nor did his hope desert him then. Once he said to those about him: "I shall soon know what those mansions are in our Father's house." At another time, he told them : " All is peace, peace, peace with me." And, at still another, he said: "Tell my sister that death has no terrors for me." He lingered for about forty hours after receiving his wound, and then passed gently away, as one falling asleep.
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No sketch would do justice to the memory of the departed, that did not include the following testimonials from two who knew him well in life. The first is from a letter of Major Metcalf, his commanding officer, to his brother, S. B. Bartholomew ; and the second, from an article of Captain Rogers, his bosom friend, published in the Providence Journal.
" It is a gratification to me, I trust it will be to his family also, that whatever is said in his praise may be said with sincerity. For many months we have, most of us, known him well. His position brought him into familiar intercourse with the officers of his regiment, and none knew or heard ought of him that was not to his honor. We have long looked forward to his attaining the place which he reached at last, amid general and sincere con- gratulations, only to make it a stepping stone to another, and to him, I think, a happier change of position. The beauty and strength of his character and his life, lay in his perfect faith in the religion which he practiced as well as professed. I confess that this perfect conviction of his readiness to go when- ever God called, makes the sense of his loss seem much less oppressive than is natural on the sudden death of one I so warmly esteemed, and whose services were so valuable as his were to me. May the same conviction bring consolation to hearts that loved him with more than a stranger's love."
Captain Rogers writes : "He early gained the confidence of his superi- ors, for he was always ready to perform his duty; he never shrank from responsibility, and whatever he attempted, was sure to be done well. His death has left a void that cannot easily be filled, for he was beloved and respected by the whole regiment, and his influence was of the purest and holiest nature. If any were sick, or in trouble, or affliction, the unintrusive presence and kindly word of Lieutenant Bartholomew, ever strove to soothe and to comfort. He was a Christian indeed, for his gentle and refined dispo- sition and his perfect self-control made his daily life a beautiful example; and, after receiving the most agonizing of wounds, a ball through the bowels, his ealm, Christian bearing and patient endurance of pain, won the admiration of all."
ROBERT H. IVES, JR.
HIS volume, which commemorates the services of Rhode Island officers during the rebellion, records no career so brief and no fall so premature as that of Lieutenant ROBERT HALE IVES, JR. The period of his active service did not exceed ten days, and a single month did not elapse from the date of his commission to the day on which he received the wound that terminated his life.
He was born in Providence, April 3d, 1837, and was the only son of Robert Hale and Harriet Bowen (Amory) Ives. His early education was attended with every advantage which parental wisdom and care could supply, and his domestic training was conducted under influences the most favorable for inspiring generous sentiments and developing high qualities of character. His school and college days were passed in his native city, at whose univer- sity he graduated with credit, in 1857, at the age of twenty years. After completing his collegiate education, he twice visited Europe, where he spent two years in improving travel and study, for the purpose of extending and diversifying the intellectual culture he had received. On his final return, in the summer of 1860, he engaged in active business as a partner in the house of his cousins, Messrs. Goddard Brothers, of Providence. IFis opening man- hood was bright with every promise of usefulness and honor which culture and position could afford. His character was marked by generous and manly traits, and adorned with social graces that made him the delight of the circle with which he was connected. Christian piety had also blended itself with his personal virtues, and the aspiration of his heart was not only to be an accomplished merchant and a worthy citizen, but also a disciple and servant of Jesus Christ.
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ROBERT H. IVES, JR.
In the midst of the occupations imposed by his new position, the civil war suddenly burst upon the country and immediately began to apply its searching tests to the patriotism of every member of the community. When the first call was made by the President for troops, had he followed his incli- nations, he would eagerly have taken his place, with so many of his kinsmen and fellow citizens, in the first regiment which the state sent forth for the defence of the government. He was, however, prevented from doing so by considera- tions which he could not overrule, and he remained at home in accordance with the same sense of duty which, in other circumstances, would have car- ried him to the field and attached him permanently to the service. But he still cherished a patriot's sympathy for the country ; he was actively engaged in promoting the charities which the war so constantly demanded, and did all that became a liberal and public-spirited citizen, to strengthen and sustain those who were defending the union and the constitution.
The disastrous summer of 1862, the second summer of the civil war, will always be memorable in the annals of the American people. The principal army of the Union had been engaged for several months in its campaign on the peninsula of Yorktown, in Virginia, and the highest hopes had been raised that the campaign was about to close with the fall of the rebel capital. None now among the living, will ever forget how cruelly those hopes were disappointed, or the agony of dismay with which the country saw that army on its retreat from the peninsula, and at length driven before the enemy towards the defences of Washington, as its only refuge from destruction. The forces of the rebellion were again threatening the national capital, and preparing to cross the Potomac for the invasion of Maryland. It was in this gloomiest season of the war, that Mr. Ives, in common with so many other young men in every loyal state, came to the decision that nothing ought longer to detain him from the field, where the fate of the republic was to be speedily decided. Some of his friends attempted to persuade him that he could do as much, or even more for his country in other ways; and that, as the only son of his parents, he ought not to leave them. Views like these received the consideration to which they were entitled, but his own feelings led him to a different conclu- sion. He thought of his perilled country, and of her need of defenders in that hour of alarm and dismay, and he could not satisfy his sense either of citizenship or of manhood, but by offering himself for her service. The enthu- siasm of the first rush to arms had died away, and the war had now become a grim reality, that haunted, like a spectre, the homes of the people. ITis deci-
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