USA > Virginia > Henrico County > Henrico County > Richmond howitzers in the war. Four years campaigning with the Army of northern Virginia > Part 4
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He fought Banks with a double num- ber of troops at Kernstown, and, after being checked, but far from de- feated there, slowly retired up the Valley, defeated Milroy at McDowell, and, then being reinforced, again fought Banks, this time at Winchester, and drove him across the Potomac; meanwhile, Shields and Fremont, each with a separate army under com- mand, were despatched for the pur- pose of forming a junction and cap- turing Jackson, bag and baggage, but the latter general, by rapid and skilful strategy, managed to pounce upon them before they could unite, defeated Fremont at Cross-Keys and Shields at Port Republic, and there- upon swiftly marched to Richmond and joined General Lee in the attack on Mcclellan. After the battles around Richmond, Jackson, with a powerful corps, was ordered to repel the advance of Pope, which he did by routing him in battle at Cedar Run, about six miles from Culpeper C. H. The movement was so quickly exe-
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cuted that Jackson had got possession of Manassas, with its accumulated supplies, while Pope was confidently fronting Lee many miles away in the rear. Pope hastily turned, at last, and vigorously attacked his daring adversary, who bore the brunt of the tremendous odds against him with characteristic tenacity until Lee, fol- lowing in his tracks, joined him, when both together routed Pope on the same plain fought over in the preced- ing year. Now unopposed, Lee in- vaded Maryland, and sent Jackson to take Harper's Ferry, which he be- sieged and bombarded so hotly that the garrison, amounting to 11,000 men, with an immense quantity of arms and supplies, surrendered un- conditionally. Two days after its capture, Jackson resumed his place in Lee's army to stubbornly oppose Mc- Clellan at Sharpsburg. In this cam- paign the Howitzer battery served in his corps.
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CHAPTER XVI.
AFTER Chancellorsville, the battery remained some time in camp near Fredericksburg before starting out on the Pennsylvania campaign. Marching northward, it crossed the Potomac at a point opposite Hagers- town and went to Chambersburg, whence it was ordered to Gettysburg, and on the 1st of July camped within a few miles of the town. On the evening of the 2nd, it took its place in the line of battle and went into ac- tion immediately; on the 3rd and 4th it was also engaged, and the ar- tillery, from the confronting heights, exchanged a heavy bombardment from the muzzles of three hundred field pieces. A resume of the fight, made on the spot by a member of the battery, is the following :- " This was the most important battle, in which was done everything that skill and
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undaunted heroism could do. Ceme- tery Hill was the key of the enemy's position, and General Lee decided to carry it by assault. Pickett's Divi- sion, of our corps, Longstreet's, was selected to make the charge. This division had just returned from North Carolina and was in fine condition, its morale high, as its ranks had been freshly recruited. It was a magnifi- cent charge. I was not far off from General Armistead, as that noble old hero, in front of his line, with hat in hand and uplifted sword, gave the word to advance, and stepped for- ward with a gallantry that drew the admiration of all who saw him, alas ! to be instantly killed on entering the enemy's works on the opposite height. The heroic soldiers charged with him up to the works, but, un- supported, were compelled to fall back with heavy losses; they had done their best, but, through some strange fatality, the issue went against them. Upon the miscarrying of this grand charge, the result of
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the battle turned. The army entered Pennsylvania with bright hopes; it returned to Virginia with heavy hearts, though with undaunted spir- its, ready at any time to meet its opponent and try the gauge of battle. Upon leaving the field, the battery crossed the Potomac, at Falling Wa- ters, and took a short rest on getting back upon Virginia soil."
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CHAPTER XVII.
AFTER Gettysburg, many amusing incidents attended camp life during the homeward march. At camp "Poison Field," a mock duel between two members of the battery came off, an affair that may best be narrated in the language of one of the princi- pals and one of the seconds. Here is the principal's account of its origin :-
"The duel occurred in this way. Bill was a fellow who had a knack of finding out, in about a quarter of an hour after the battery went into camp, any house in the neighbor- hood where there were pretty girls. Near by "Poison Field " he found a house and soon became acquainted with the ladies. Two of the boys and I happened to go there on a 'whacking' expedition, and, on en- tering the parlor, we saw Bill uncere- moniously run out into the kitchen
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where he fretted the moments away while we talked with the young la- dies. On the return to camp, I sent Bill a challenge, alleging that his failure to introduce us was an insult, his conduct at the house unbecoming a Howitzer, and demanded the satis- faction due from one gentleman to another under the circumstances. The challenge was promptly accepted."
His second gives the details as fol- lows :-
"Bill was in dead earnest in accept- ing the challenge of Tom, who had agreed to act as a pretended oppo- nent on the occasion, and lent him- self admirably to the adaptation of the part. Bill was of a kind to be- come readily saturated with any idea, and, when so possessed, would swal- low anything. His second convinced him that the matter was no child's play, and told him that his opponent was exceedingly wrathy, and that his second had been a Kansas Jayhawker and could cut the hoops off a barrel rolling down a steep .hill. I drew up
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the programme. Three shots were to be exchanged, at the end of which, if both were alive, they were to draw sabres, advance, and fight to a finish. The preparations were made. My principal was extremely anxious to discover if the balls loading the pistols, were genuine dough, black- ened, as had been agreed upon be- tween the seconds, and, the better to assure himself, struck a pin through them, to find out if the dough was soft enough to spread on coming out of the muzzle, 'for,' he remarked, 'it might sting.' Satisfied on this point, a horse was bled to fur- nish coloring for his shirt front in- stantly after the firing should cease, the two men were placed in position, and the weapons handed to each. Ostensibly the duel was to be private, but, when it came off, the Howitzer company and the whole of. Barks- dale's brigade were on the hill to see it. At the third shot, according to previous arrangement, Tom clapped his hand to his breast, and, com-
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pletely saturating his shirt with blood, fell. Bill's second said to him : ' You have made a line shot!' I re- marked to my principal: 'Steady yourself; die like a man!' The fight thus ended, Tom was taken off the field on a stretcher, when Bill was prevailed upon, without the least difficulty, to witness the dying mo- ments of his unfortunate comrade and opponent. Entering the tent, he extended his hand and said: 'How are you, Tom, old fellow ?' Where- upon Tom vigorously shook the prof- fered hand, and, in his peculiar voice and noted way, replied : 'Very well, I thank you, Wil-liam, how are you ?' Bill at last grasped the joke, but it required some diplomatic tact all around to pacify his offended dig- nity."
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CHAPTER XVIII.
THE battery slowly returned Rich- mondward, for the fourth time, by easy marches, to Gordonsville, where it spent some weeks, and then went into camp near Orange C. H. At the beginning of cold weather, just after Meade's futile movement along Mine Run, the winter quarters of the battery were established at Mor- ton's Ford, on the Rapidan river, about eight miles below Orange C. H. Winter quarters at this point lasted five months, or until the open- ing of Grant's campaign, and were thoroughly enjoyed. The ground was admirably selected in the edge of the forest, between which and the enemy's encampment on the opposite side intervened a broad expanse of open field, through its midst running the little Rapidan river, picketed by both armies. About a couple of hun-
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dred yards off from camp, on the most elevated ground of the line of earthworks, the four guns were kept night and day in position ready to sweep the plain at a moment's notice, and the cannoneers stood guard con- stantly over them. This was their chief military duty, and, discipline being unusually relaxed, life in the camp was free and easy, spent in the endeavor to extract from the situa- tion all the comfort and amusement possible for whiling the idle moments away. A soldier's life, despite its fair share of ennui, had grown to be almost second nature with the How- itzers by this time, and was made the most of. Every legitimate expedient was availed of for getting over that portion of wearysomeness unavoida- bly attached to it. Furloughs were granted by General Lee, and many were thus enabled to pass short mo- ments at home. Christmas eve saw even a few adventurers, without leave or license slip off from camp and run at a break-down gait to the train at
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Orange C. H., solely for the pleasure of passing the holiday at home. Their roll call absences were excused in view of the irresistible attractions of the holiday times. The winter structures were varied, as usual, some half-tent, some logs, but all with chimneys, and furnished with deftly made "beds," tables and chairs, the outcome of that same ingenuity and industry which was so keenly taxed in civil life, in the homes of the cities and towns. Perhaps the most origi- nal military product was "sassafras tea"; the Howitzers managed to have their native dish of bacon and greens by substituting "dandelions" for the greens. Pipes were curiously carved out of hard wood and roots, clothing and spreads were remodeled, the forest was called upon to supply food in the way of game, the fields "stray vegetables" which, when found, were accepted as unadulter- ated delicacies. "Hay detail," or re- quisitioning the neighboring farms for horse feed, being a necessary labor,
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could not be dispensed with, and, though a little irksome at times, par- ticularly when inflicted as a punish- ment, was viewed as a pretty sure chance for getting a house dinner somewhere or raw material for the camp mess. A detail of two men and a driver with a four horse team were sentout on these excursions, or rather intrusions, generally over wretchedly cut up roads, and many were the amusing accidents and incidents con- nected with them. Some fun was to be had out of most any occurrence, the ready soldiers being never at a loss, and none the less tickled when the hay was spilt by the way and the unburdened team and bespattered, weary "detail," tramped back to camp, minus all save a few remnants to show. The hay was taken, or "impressed " on official i. o. u. tickets issued by the quartermasters, and this impressment was a heavy drain on the farmers ; nevertheless the How. itzers managed to keep in their good graces, to secure the best fare in their
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dwellings, and to make themselves thoroughly entertaining to the house- hold family before quitting it. The farmers would help to load the wagon with the hay, while the family got up a good dinner for the "detail." In spite of such frequent ravages, the "details" were invited to call again and again, till no more hay was left. The exceptional powers exhibited by the cannoneers in entertaining their hosts, under the vexing run of military operations, were ever amply repaid. The "calls" required occa- sionally no little tact to be successful ; now and then, a farmer was stumbled across who seemed at first to be of impossible appeasement. On one special occasion, a farmer, whose na- tive generosity had been soured by bad treatment, was called upon by a "hay detail" of the keenest kitchen- trail. Nothing would do in the way of ordinary politeness. He pro- nounced all soldiers to be vandals, devils incarnate, and the "detail" chimed in with each and every partic-
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ular one of his utterances. The A. N. V. was about the worst for destruc- tion that ever bore arms. These trivial objections were finally flanked and utterly routed by the united as- saults of the "detail." Was the gen- tleman in need of having the wood on his wood pile cut, or of water from the spring? Yes, well then, here be good turns indeed to be done, and, without any ado, the "detail" grace- fully and zealously did them for him, and words and acts combined worked wonders on the larder, brought out its very best. This special "detail" often afterwards alluded to this occa- sion as having set a model of perfect deportment under difficulties, and, whenever these were met at the thresh- old, this discourse was pronounced : "Well, -, we will have to do to-day as we did at 'Count Feeaskie's.' I cut a cord of wood that day, and you brought a barrel of water from the spring, which was a mile off, before the old man got pleased and invited us to dinner in his house, where we
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found a Georgian with his gun in the kitchen. We got as fine a dinner as we ever got anywhere, and we may get another to-day, if we just set right to work about it."
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CHAPTER XIX.
TOWARDS the close of January, 1864, the enemy crossed the Rapidan, at Morton's Ford, for the sole purpose, as he gave out after being driven back, of making another of his noted "reconnaissances in force." The Howitzers were not caught napping, for their own trusty sentinel at the guns, with sharp eyes and ears, sen- sitive to any operatic rataplan-plan- plan sound, gave the alarm at once, in the early morning dawn, as soon as he spied the enemy's columns de- scending to cross the ford. The can- noneers rushed to their respective posts of duty, the guns were pointed and steadily fired on the approaching masses, regardless of the artillery fir- ing from the opposite slope. The line of earthworks was manned by Gene- ral Ewell's corps, which repulsed the attacking infantry, after a sharp ac-
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tion around an old barn .and dwell- ings, where the invaders sought some shelter, near the river.
The Howitzers were frequently visited by members of other encamp- ments; but, as a rule, they themselves, owing to the abundance of their own resources, had little inclination to visit, except in the civil walks of life, mostly wherever stood a country- house with good prospects. Here they were strong. The reason of this was due both to a love of variety, and of something to eat. And every- body was hungry all the time in camp. Soldiers had nothing extra to spare or give, and besides it became worse than a mockery to intrude on a fellow soldier's mess, and put him to the pain of exercising a Chester- fieldian hospitality over a few bacon- rinds and lumps of cornmeal. The good things were away over the hills, out of camp, far from the madding crowd of "Lee's Miserables." For young ladies' society, or any manner of good cheer and table fare, a decided
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weakness was shown. It was no rare achievement for the Howitzer, whether on the march, or merely for- aging from a fixed camp, to secure first class sleeping accommodations, a real bed, spread with real, not im- aginary sheets, and this without any hesitancy or begrudging on the part of a country house owner and his family. Pay, when proper, was offered, but no pay was expected in return for these short sojourns. Money was of very little use, at any time, as no way of spending it was found, and, moreover, paper money having undergone an enormous de- crease in value, the paymaster was well nigh invisible.
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CHAPTER XX.
IT was while the company was en- camped at Morton's Ford that a no- torious burlesque organization was formed in its ranks, namely, the "In- dependent Battalion of Fusileers." The Fusileers became well known, and furnished an amusing theme. The Battalion consisted on paper of three companies, their officers and men recruited from the four detach- ments. In the language of its founder, "the qualification necessary for ad- mission was a love of elegant, luxuri- ous ease, an indomitable energy in resisting everything that pertained to bodily or mental exertion, and the Battalion, therefore, constituted a noble band of warriors who could not be induced to exert themselves in any kind of work. On one occasion, a member of the Battalion was on
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guard over four bales of hay; the sparks from his pipe set the hay on fire, and the exertion of putting out the sparks was too much for this val- iant Fusileer, and the whole lot of hay was burnt up, whereupon private was promoted to a lieutenancy for meritorious conduct displayed in burning up four bales of hay, while on guard, to warm his intellect." In the spring campaign of 1864, the ma- jor of the Battalion issued the follow- ing special order :
"Special Order. Morton's Ford, April 20, 1864. The commanding officer of the Independent Battalion of Fusileers reviews with pride and pleasure the past conduct of the gal- lant band of veterans he has the honor to command, and wishes to urge upon all commissioned and non- commissioned officers the importance of perfecting themselves in the man- ual of whacking, so as to prepare themselves for the ensuing campaign which promises to be one of unusual . activity and hardship. Signed by the
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major commanding, senior and junior captains and the adjutant."
"Lambert's Cavalry" was organ- ized during the encampment at Mor- ton's Ford, and was an enthusiastic corps. Ben Lambert, as its successful organizer, was elected a "major gen- eral" to command the corps, and Wat Dibbrell, Bill Hardy, Frank Arents, Bob McCandlish and Grundy were "colonels " in command of the various regiments. Thecavalry was mounted on imaginary horses, or sticks, and its prancing about camp drew crowds; the rearing up of Grundy's horse always elicited unbounded admira- tion, laughter and cheers. Whenever the camp was tranquil, in moments of the most perfect quiet, the cavalry saw a fit opportunity for turning out to make a terrorizing raid: with frightful yells, and wild cavortings, whip and spur, it would ride rough- shod over the silent tents, charging all in its path. Now and then the more peaceful occupants of tents voted the cavalry a nuisance, and, im-
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provised as infantry, resisted so vig- orously that the cavalry was com- pelled to fall back, after narrowly escaping destruction. Upon such un- looked for checking, the cavalry, ever ready, would metamorphose itself, temporarily, into a musical band. Then, playing upon fictitious trom- bones, cornets, drums, it paraded up and down, with diverse sounds and screeches intended to convey the airs of the day, "Bonnie Blue Flag," "Dixie's Land," "Maryland, my Maryland." The leader of the band also diversified the entertainment by executing several solo morsels from grand opera by the old masters, and, owing to this circumstance, his more musically uncouth associates had a way of calling the band "the horse- opera troupe." This particular cav- alry corps was not a plagiarism on Stuart's or Wade Hampton's, in fact it was not due to any tendency for caricaturing a different arm of the service, but to an inbred, overflowing, youthful playfulness that needed some
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manner of outlet-yes, even through "playing soldier" in front of Mars himself.
Cooking, though so essential to the soldiers' well being, was by no means a pleasant indulgence for the Howit- zers when emergencies compelled it. Generally they had hired negro cooks, but, in times of battle, the cooks rarely ventured from the rear to the front, and the cannoneers in the course of several consecutive days of fighting had to depend largely on their own chances for cooking. At times like these, details from each de- tachment were made to work the frying pan and skillet, and the out- come of their cooking was comical, often disastrous, always unsatisfac- tory, even in the teeth of a soldier's appetite. Not a member of the com- pany rose to any culinary proficiency. During the battle of Sharpsburg, a member of the third detachment, pro- verbially bad off in point of cooks and other comforts, was detailed to bake a little corn bread, apparently
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a simple operation which should not have heavily taxed his powers: he put the meal in a pan unbeknownly perforated, and the more he watered and stirred the meal, the lower it went until, to his great astonishment, it reached the neighborhood of zero, the ration having leaked out under the board. He was excused from cooking after that. When in camp on the Rapidan, the fourth detach- ment decided to have a Christmas cake. So, as a philosopher said he' had seen cakes made and would un- dertake the job, the sugar and flour of the mess were turned over to him to handle, and he proudly set to work over it. All his messmates looked on with envy. Theflour and sugar were mixed, the dough scientifically worked up, and then dumped in a big skillet expressly borrowed from the "Swell First." Finally the cooking com- menced. Two hours passed and the cake began to brown. The day came to a close, and the cake was not done yet. The night wore on, and the
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cake became brown at bottom as well as on top, and next morning the cake- maker, declaring it to be a success, said: "Now, boys, to prove that the cake is all right, I'll run a stick through it and you can see the in- side!" But the stick would not go through. Then a nail was tried : the nail broke. The cake was taken out of the skillet and fell on the ground like a big rock. The cook, with all his knowledge of the fine arts, whether through forgetfulness or lack of adequate ingredients, had simply produced, after twenty hours' cookery, a Christmas cake that ap- peared to require a pound of dynam- ite to break it up. "What became of that cake?" "I think it was fired at the Yankees !" . The fourth detach- ment, graded as a school of philoso- phy, was of course cut up on disputed points and theories, the cake maker just mentioned being its champion disputer and argue-er. This particu- lar mess discussed all subjects during the day, and they were further han-
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dled and disputed over in tent at night: General Lee's campaigns were mapped out for him in advance-all previous mistakes of the generals cor- rected. Music and art were talked over, any mooted difficulties solved unhesitatingly, and the decisions of the more profound among the dog- matics were regarded as final arbitra- ments, during the hours of sleep, or until morning renewed the general argumentation before the High Court.
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CHAPTER XXI.
THE Howitzers broke camp and set out on their last campaign in Vir- ginia on May 1st, 1864. The enemy's forces, now placed under the daring Grant, after having been exercised in grand "sham fights" around Cul- peper C. H., suddenly swooped across the Rapidan and delivered battle on the famous field of the Wilderness. The battery marched, by Vediersville and Salem Church, to the line of the fighting at the Wilderness, but, owing to the dense undergrowth there, artil- lery was out of place, and it could not be used in the action, though standing all the while in ready array. Some of the prisoners, who were made to come out of the bushes and file by the battery, looked like band- box curiosities, so neat and fresh were their uniforms. From the Wil- derness, the march was taken up, along a route strewn with the dead
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horses of Sheridan's cavalry, to Spot- sylvania C. H. After some moving about there to points specially threatened by the enemy's "flank" advances, it went into permanent position on the line that the circum- stances hastily necessitated, and earthworks went up like magic under the bayonet and spade of the infant- ry, affording in a few hours a very substantial defence. At this point the battery was engaged several days exposed to the fire of artillery and the improved weapons and marks- manship of the sharpshooters, West- erners. Several charges were made on the earthworks, and were readily repulsed, as the short range enabled the battery to inflict heavy damages on the attacking parties. During an all night attack, the enemy got in the works for a moment, but was driven out quickly by Texas troops, musket butts and frying pans being skilfully handled in the medley, and the fourth gun, under corporal E. G. Steane, enfiladed the over-climb-
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ers. A good deal of wild firing was done by the enemy's artillery during the several days passed here ; their wildest projectiles ranged con- siderably above the earthworks and fell with loud thud and shower of dust in the ravine beyond. During the enormous racket on the 12th of May, when the "horse-shoe" loop was surprised and captured, firing was kept up by the enemy's artillery in front of the Howitzers' position. Perceiving, at nightfall, that all his efforts were fruitless, Grant, with an obstinacy not exhibited in the pre- vious chiefs of his army, evacuated Spotsylvania C. H., and renewed his flanking towards Richmond. Many novel mementoes of the fight were gathered on the field by the Howit- zers, who discovered that their fire had been very effective in strewing the field with blue coated corpses. General Lee decided to withdraw to Hanover Junction, and doubtless this was the only course open to him, for the two armies had grown quite
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