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 5
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the town. By this time the night had come, and our troops, after establish- ing their picket lines well out towards the enemy, bivouacked in the streets and gardens of Fredericksburg.
The 12th was passed in crossing the remainder of the troops, with the exception of General Hooker's grand division, which was held in reserve on the hither side of the river. The residue of General Franklin's grand divis- ion, consisting of the balance of General Smith's corps, the whole of General Reynolds's corps, and General Bayard's brigade of cavalry, began the crossing at daylight and completed it at ten o'clock, P. M. The troops were put in position : two divisions of Smith's corps in line of battle and one in reserve, near the old Richmond road; Reynolds's corps at nearly right angles with Smith's,-as it were en potence,-his right resting on Smith's, and his left on the river. These dispositions were made in the face of a spiteful but nearly harmless fire from the enemy's skirmishers and artillery. The road was bordered by an earthen parapet and a ditch, but the ground was generally level. In front of General Reynolds's right was a considerable tract of forest land, traversed by the railroad, and bordered nearer the hills by the old Rich- mond road. General Sumner, on his part, had added to General Howard's division in the town, one brigade of the Ninth Corps, during the night of the 11th. On the 12th, the remaining part of his command, consisting of the balance of the second corps, under General Couch, and the Ninth Corps, under General Willcox, was sent across the river, and put in position-the second corps holding the town, and the Ninth connecting with General Franklin's right. These movements were made under an occasional fire from the enemy's batteries on the heights, but without any material loss. General Hooker moved General Butterfield's corps and General Whipple's division of General Stoneman's corps, to the support of General Sumner's movement, and the remainder of General Stoneman's corps, to the support of General Franklin. Another day was thus consumed. General Lee, on his part, made the neces- sary dispositions for defence. He moved General Jackson up from Port Royal and massed his troops upon the right of his line.
At an early hour on the 13th, written orders were issued to the several grand division commanders, in accordance with the plan of battle adopted by General Burnside, and after full verbal instructions. General Franklin was ordered to keep his "whole command in position for a rapid movement down the old Richmond road," and he was to "send out at once a division at least, to pass below Smithfield, to seize, if possible, the heights near Captain Ham-
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ilton's house, taking care to keep it well supported, and its line of retreat open." He was informed that two of General Hooker's divisions were in his rear at the bridges, so that he might not have any concern about his supports or his own line of retreat. General Summer was directed to extend his left to General Franklin's right, and to send "a column of a division or more along the plank and telegraph roads, with a view to seizing the heights in the rear of the town." This column was to "be in readiness to move," but not actually "to move till the general commanding" should order. General Burnside made this reservation for the purpose of moving this column when General Franklin's attack should have been successfully delivered. General Hooker was ordered to distribute his command in such a way as to move promptly to the support of either of his brother officers. The orders were dispatched between six and seven o'clock, on the morning of the 13th. The artillery of the army, under the direction of General Hunt, was to operate in connection with the respective corps to which it belonged. The watch- word for the day, given in order to prevent collision in the fog, was "Scott."
General Franklin's head-quarters were fixed near the Bernard house, or, as it is sometimes called, "Mansfield"; General Sumner's were at the Lacy house; Generals Hooker's and Burnside's were at the Phillips house. The troops were put in readiness, and all parties anxiously waited for the fog to lift. The instructions seemed to be ample and clear. General Franklin's task was to seize the heights near Captain Hamilton's house, preparatory to a movement by the entire left-wing along the old Richmond road. As soon as that could be accomplished and the heights occupied, General Sumner, first demonstrating in support of Franklin with a division or more, was to advance his whole command, drive the enemy along the plank and telegraph roads, and seize the heights on the enemy's left. The main battle then was to be on our own left. General Franklin was an experienced officer, cool, brave, and determined. He had the largest and the best portion of the army. Two divisions of General Hooker's command were immediately in his rear, holding his bridges and securing his lines of retreat. But General Frank- lin's temperament, as is well known, is somewhat sluggish. He either could not or would not comprehend General Burnside's plan of battle. He thought-or professed to think -that he was making a reconnoissance. He had been averse to the movement from the first. He could not be enthusi- astic now in promoting its success. He was not the man to disobey an order from his superior officer. But he obeyed without any apparent desire to
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make his obedience effectual. He sent "a division at least," to seize the heights near Captain Ilamilton's house. But it was one of the smallest divisions in the army. It was under the command of General George G. Meade.
At nine o'clock, A. M., General Meade moved out on the old Richmond road. General Doubleday supported him with a division. But, on advancing, General Doubleday moved to the left to protect the left flank of the army against a demonstration made by General Stuart, with cavalry and artillery. General Gibbon's division took the place vacated by General Doubleday. General Meade's skirmishers were soon engaged with those of the enemy, and the division became exposed to an artillery fire in front. General Meade's advance was very slow. At eleven o'clock, he had gained but half a mile, without, however, any loss of great importance. General Reynolds, soon after this, developed his whole line, placing General Doubleday on the left, General Meade in the centre, and General Gibbon on the right, General Meade being in advance, and General Gibbon in the rear, his left overlapping General Meade's right. General Franklin supposed that he was greatly out- numbered, and feared an attack from the enemy's forees on his extreme left. Instead of boldly attacking, as General Burnside designed, he was thus far acting on the defensive, and seemed to be more concerned about holding his position than advancing. IIe ordered General Stoneman to cross one divis- ion,-General Birney's,-to support his left, and General Franklin's line was formed as follows, from left to right: Doubleday, Meade, Gibbon, Birney, Newton, and Brooks. By twelve o'clock, Birney was fairly in position, and Meade began to advance. Meanwhile, the divisions of Generals Sickles and Howe, of General Stoneman's corps, crossed the river and took position in General Reynolds's line. General Meade's division consisted of three brigades, of which the third was on the left, the first on the right, followed closely by the second. General Gibbon's division was ordered forward as a support. The troops advanced with great spirit and resolution. They charged up the road in handsome style, crossed the railroad, broke through the enemy's line, penetrated very nearly to the enemy's reserve, under General Taliaferro, and gained a position near Captain Hamilton's house, capturing and sending back three hundred prisoners and more. Nothing could be better than this gallant charge. It was made in face of a hot fire of musketry, and in spite of a severe enfilading fire of artillery, and, for a time, it carried every thing before it. For an hour and a half did the gallant little division push forward, victo-
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rious everywhere. But it was bearing the brunt of a contest with the entire, corps of General "Stonewall" Jackson, and it could not maintain itself with- out support. General Doubleday was not engaged on the left. There was no attack from the enemy in that quarter. Two corps were resting quietly near the river, engaged in keeping the line of retreat open. General Meade desired support. General Reynolds ordered General Gibbon in, and that officer hastened to the aid of the imperilled division of General Meade. But it was too late. All the enemy's right-wing was now concentrated upon two small divisions of our army, and, after an unavailing struggle of another hour, General Meade was forced back. General Gibbon was slightly wounded, and the two divisions were badly eut up. General Newton's division of General Smith's corps was sent forward to enable the engaging forces to extricate themselves from the position. The remainder of our troops on that wing were not actively in contact with the enemy. General Burnside, at 2.25 P. M., sent a written order to General Franklin, to advance with all his available force, and carry the heights. But the favorable opportunity had passed. The enemy had now massed in front of General Franklin, and, instead of awaiting an attack, threatened to deliver one upon our left, and had also detached a force to hold the divisions of Generals Howe and Brooks in check. Growing more bold, as he perceived the hesitation of our forces, he actually made an assault upon General Franklin's batteries in front, but was speedily repulsed with the loss of prisoners. The short winter's day was fast drawing to a close, and nothing further could be done by General Franklin. At half- past four o'clock, General Franklin reported that it was "too late to advance either to the left or front," and so far as the left grand division was concerned, the battle of Fredericksburg was over.
The centre of our line was formed of the Ninth Corps, consisting of the three divisions of Generals Sturgis, Getty and Burns, under General Willcox. General Sturgis's division was pushed across Hazel Run, and gallantly engaged the enemy in that quarter. General Getty's division confronted the enemy's batteries upon the crest to the left of the telegraph road. General Burns's division was moved farther to the left and rear, under General Franklin's command, engaged in guarding the bridges. General Franklin most faith- fully obeyed the order to keep his line of retreat open. With the exception of Burns's division, the Ninth Corps was actively engaged, and shared with the rest of the army in the perils and disappointments of the day. Generals Sturgis and Getty handled their divisions with great skill, but the nature of
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the ground which they occupied, and the obstinate resistance of the enemy, rendered their efforts unavailing, and they were beaten back from the enemy's impregnable position with severe loss. The troops showed all their accustomed valor, but success was not now to be their reward.
On the right of our line the battle was indeed sanguinary. The stone wall that lined the telegraph road was like the wall of a fortification. The ground in front sloped away from it with such an inclination as to enable the enemy's artillery to make it a field of carnage and death. But to the task of storming this position, the troops marched with alacrity and daring. The army of the Potomac proved that it could attack, and though the attack was unsuccessful, it yet exhibited the elements of the highest heroism. General Sumner's grand division consisted of the two corps of Generals Willcox and Couch. Willcox's corps, as has already been stated, occupied the centre of our line. Couch's corps moved gallantly out of the city, up the plank road, and deploying in front of the stone wall, bravely undertook to carry it by assault. In consequence of the partial failure on the left, the demonstration on the right became an attack. Never was a more fearless charge. But, as our line approached the enemy's position, he poured in an infernal fire of musketry and artillery. The plain was a sheet of flame. Our men replied with spirit. Our guns were taken to within one hundred and fifty yards of the enemy, and battered and breached the wall before them. It was to no purpose. No troops in the world could stand in the midst of such destruction. Our line wavered, stopped, fell back. It again reformed and advanced, only to meet with the same terrible resistance. It was three hours past noon. The morning had passed away with only the result of General Franklin's partial success, which was lost because not followed up. General Sumner, who had been on this side of the river at the Lacy house, longed to cross and lead his troops in person. To have died on that field of fire, would have satisfied the brave old soldier's ambition. General Burnside would not allow such need- less exposure. But the time had come to relieve General Couch, and Gen- eral Hooker, crossing the river, ordered General Butterfield to advance his corps. General Couch's command was composed of the divisions of Generals Howard, Hancock and French, formed from right to left in the order named. General Griffin's division relieved General Howard's; General Humphreys's relieved General Hancock's; General Sykes's relieved General French's. General Whipple's division of General Stoneman's corps, crossed the river early, and remained through the day in the city to guard the bridges. The
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fresh troops attempted the assault with equal bravery, but with no better success than their predecessors. The sun was sinking in the west. The day was closing, and as the twilight fell, a few scattered shots proclaimed that the battle was drawing to a close. The shadows gathered, and the deadly strug- gle ceased. All was still, except the groans of the wounded and dying, and the sharp report of the picket-firing as the extreme outposts came in contact with each other. General Burnside retired to his tent, disappointed by the result, but firmly resolved to renew the battle on the following day.
In this battle, the Rhode Island troops belonging to the army of the Potomac played a conspicuous part. The second regiment was held among the reserves and was not actively engaged. The fourth was under fire, and lost its commanding officer, a most gallant and good soldier, Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph B. Curtis. The seventh was severely cut up, losing its Lieutenant- Colonel, Welcome B. Sayles, and its Major, Jacob Babbitt. The twelfth received its baptism of fire and blood, and its Colonel, George H. Browne, signalized his bravery and skill. Nearly all our light batteries were in the hottest of the action. Batteries A, Captain W. A. Arnold; B, Captain John G. Hazard; C, Captain Richard Waterman; D, Captain W. W. Buckley, were across the river with the right attack, and E, Captain George E. Randolph, was in the left attack. They were admirably handled, and received a compli- mentary notice in General Hunt's report of the engagement. Captain Ran- dolph was chief of artillery of the first division of General Stoneman's corps. Captain (afterwards Brevet Brigadier-General) Hazard's battery was at one time within one hundred and fifty yards of the enemy's lines at the stone wall, and suffered severely in the loss of men and animals-all the officers having their horses shot under them. This battery was "so much disabled," says General Hunt, in his report, "that one gun had to be brought off by hand, and its limber, left temporarily on the field, was then brought off by Sergeant (afterwards Lieutenant) Anthony B. Horton, who volunteered for the pur- pose." Battery G, Captain Owen, was posted on this side of the river, upon the right of our line. The first cavalry was not actively engaged. The signal corps, under Lieutenant Cushing's directions, served with distinguished fidelity and courage. The signal stations were frequently the objects of the enemy's artillery, and the officers and men narrowly escaped. Telegraph wires were laid from the head-quarters, at the Phillips house, to the field, and the operators, while under fire, transmitted their messages with remarkable coolness and accuracy.
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When General Burnside left his tent on the morning of the 14th, he had fully decided upon renewing the battle, with the hope that a persistent attack would yet carry the heights. He had selected the Ninth Corps as the storming party, and intended to lead the troops in person to the assault. A column of eighteen regiments was formed, and every thing was ready for the attack, when his grand division commanders, with one voice, earnestly appealed to him to abandon the attempt. He could not refuse to listen to their persuasions and arguments. General Sumner was a most brave and experienced soldier. General Hooker was unsurpassed for daring. General Franklin was cool and steady. After mature deliberation, General Burnside suffered himself to be dissuaded from making the attack. The orders were countermanded, and the day passed without incident. The next day passed in a similar manner. Under a flag of truce, the dead were buried. Night came on, dark and stormy; and, under cover of the darkness, General Burnside silently withdrew his army, without material loss, across the Rappahannock. The bridges were taken up, and on the morning of the 16th, the weary sol- diers found rest in their old camps. The casualties in this battle were not so large as they were reported at the time, and were not more disproportionate to the number of men engaged and exposed to fire, than in other battles of the war. During the three days, one thousand three hundred and thirty-nine were killed, nine thousand and sixty were wounded, and one thousand five hundred and thirty were reported as missing and prisoners. Most of the wounds were slight, and many "missing" men came into camp in the course of a few days. The loss of the enemy was, in the aggregate, five thousand three hundred and nine, killed, wounded and missing.
It is hardly necessary to discuss the causes of General Burnside's defeat at this unfortunate battle. It is evident, however, that had General Franklin's attack upon the left been made and supported more vigorously, the result would have been more creditable to our arms. General Meade actually reached a point within the enemy's lines, and held it for some time, awaiting support. But that support did not come, and General Meade was forced to The heights near Captain Hamilton's house were unquestionably the key to the position. Had they been occupied successfully, the rebel army would have been handsomely routed, and the road to Richmond would have been opened. It was an additional illustration to those, in which the war has been fruitful, of the loss of great advantages through a want of cooperation, or a misappreciation of the importance of the occasion, on the part of subor-
retreat.
7
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dinate officers. General Franklin had one of the finest opportunities ever offered to a man for gaining a world-wide distinction-and he neglected to improve it. He was not equal to it. Such an opportunity comes but seldom in a life-time. It never came again to General Franklin, and since that day, he has quietly settled into obseurity. General Burnside, however, wished to spare his subordinate commanders, and was unwilling to adopt the cheap expedient of throwing upon them the blame of the defeat. In a letter addressed by him to General Halleek, December 17th, he says: "To my brave officers and soldiers I owe everything. For the failure in attack I am responsible, as the extreme gallantry, courage and endurance shown by them was never exceeded, and would have carried the points had it been possible."
After the battle of Fredericksburg, General Burnside still believed that the rebel position could be carried. Ile could not bear the thought of going into winter quarters while the weather continued so favorable as then it was for military operations. Ile soon made preparations for a demonstration across the river, in connection with an extensive cavalry raid, which General Averill suggested. Several cavalry regiments of picked men were designated for this expedition. The plan contemplated a raid entirely around the rebel army. The troops were to cross the Rappahannock at Kelly's ford, and the Rapidan at Raccoon ford ; thence to make a complete detour around the rebel position, to strike the James above Richmond, and destroy a portion of the canal and railroad in the vicinity, and to join our forces, either at Suffolk or in North Carolina. The time was favorable. The roads were in splendid condition. A portion of the enemy's cavalry was engaged in making unsue- cessful attempts against our own posts on the Potomae, and everything prom- ised an excellent result. Orders were issued to the army to hold itself in readiness to march, and on the 30th of December, early in the morning, Gen- eral Averill started on his expedition. But some meddlesome and insubordi- nate officers had, meanwhile, repaired to Washington, obtained an interview with the President, and had persuaded him that a movement of the army should not be made. On the afternoon of the day upon which General Averill had marched, General Burnside received a dispatch from the Presi- dent, forbidding him to make any movement without previous consultation with the authorities at Washington. The plans of Generals Burnside and Averill were thus disconcerted. General Averill was recalled and the orders to the troops were countermanded.
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Still, General Burnside was not discouraged. He determined to make a still further effort to accomplish some favorable result. His new plan was, to cross the army at Banks's and United States fords, and, drawing the army of General Lee out of its intrenchments, fight a battle under better auspices than had accompanied the last. With this view, he made demonstrations upon the right of the enemy, drawing his forces down the river towards Port Royal. Then he hoped, by a rapid movement, to cross the river above Fred- ericksburg, and take the batteries on the heights in reverse. He succeeded in deceiving the enemy, and, with an advantage of forty-eight hours, he moved his troops to the upper fords. The army marched out of its encampments on the morning of January 20, 1863. For the first day, all proceeded well. The troops arrived at their respective rendezvous, and preparations were made for crossing. But, at night, a furious storm broke upon the scene, and rendered further movements impossible. The rain fell in torrents. The
roads became a mass of mud and mire. The artillery, the wagons, horses and mules, and men were stopped as effectually as though a hundred armies blocked the way. Winter, which, with extraordinary kindliness, had held off until that moment, now came on with relentless rigor. It was impossible to fight the elements, and General Burnside, on the morning of the 22nd, finding further efforts useless, ordered the army to return to its former position. It immediately went into winter quarters. General Burnside was relieved from command on the 25th. General Hooker was appointed in his place. General Sumner at once applied to be relieved, and his request was complied with. General Franklin was relieved by order of the Secretary of War. General Burnside immediately proceeded to Providence, where he arrived on the 31st, and was received by his fellow-citizens with every demonstration of welcome and joy.
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V.
THE DEPARTMENT OF THE OHIO.
After an interval of a few weeks of rest at Providence, General Burnside was appointed to the command of the Department of the Ohio. He assimned the duties of his new position on the 25th of March. Affairs were not in a very favorable condition. Rebel raids were devastating a portion of Ken- tucky. Secession sympathizers were endeavoring to corrupt the public sen- timent of the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and were ready to afford aid and comfort to the rebel prisoners confined on Johnson's Island and in the neighborhood of Chicago. Martial law existed only in Kentucky, and freedom of speech and the press, in the communities north of the Ohio, had become license. The northwest was in great danger, and the situation required great tact and skill on the part of the commander of the depart- ment. Beyond that, it was expected that the opening of the spring cam- paign would witness a movement for the liberation of East Tennessee. General Burnside saw the necessity of a larger military force than was then present in the department, and he accordingly requested and obtained two divisions of the Ninth Corps, which were hurried westward without much delay, arriving within the limits of the department in the early part of April. General Burnside's first care, upon the assumption of his command, was to elear Kentucky of the raiders there under the command of the rebel General Pegram. A few troops were in Kentucky to repel the bold partisan. They were acting mostly on the defensive. General Burnside proceeded to Louis- ville and ordered Generals Gillmore and Boyle to attack the foe at Danville. The command was gallantly executed on the 28th and 30th, and, in a smart engagement at Somerset, on the last-named day, Pegram was completely routed, with a loss of five hundred killed, wounded and prisoners. Much of his plunder was recovered, and his troops were driven across the Cumberland river in confusion. The Ninth Corps was now arriving, and, in May, the organization of a new corps, the twenty-third, was commenced, with a view to the future protection of Kentucky against the incursions of the enemy.
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