USA > Virginia > Under the stars and bars ; a history of the Surry Light Artillery > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
243
Under the Stars and Bars
and torn, though ragged and hungry and despondent, had defied Grant's bullets, but it was won by his clemency.
One more letter that succeeded in winding its way around Grant's army, and in reaching finally the folks at home, is all that now remains to me in finishing out this narrative. After that I must resort to memory and a few notes that I made shortly after the close of - the contest. ]
244
Under the Stars and Bars
LETTER FORTY-SEVENTH.
A circuitous mail route-But one line open-Richmond un- tenable-What then ?- Note.
CAMP HENRICO, VA., March 20, 1865.
My Dear Friend :- Grant having pushed his lines across the Southern rail, and on into Dinwiddie, the mail route between Richmond and the lower counties of the Southside, even if a route can be kept open at all, is rendered still more circuitous and extended than before. Another way through Amelia, Nottoway and Brunswick, and on to Hick's Ford, as before, will, I suppose, be selected, and may be, in the course of an age or two, a letter from home may reach us, and an answer be returned. This will be very annoying to the men of the S. L. A. One great enjoyment to them, all along through their life in camp, has been the re- ceipt of letters from home, messages from their friends and kindred, and if this pleasure is now to be denied, it will be a hard blow to them. Any mail route is far better than none at all. And if Grant's forces should be advanced so far south and west as to destroy the present line-and if it should still be the fortune of the S. L. A. to remain here on this side of the James- I would suggest a private line via the Chickahominy and Jamestown, and across into Surry, and so on into
245
Under the Stars and Bars
Isle of Wight and the other counties. The plan would be feasible by making the crosses on the James at night in a small boat. One man with a pair of oars might work his way across in calm weather with per- fect safety, despite the gunboats and other craft. But I trust that this letter, at least, will reach you before Grant's men get everywhere.
And so, there is but one line of railway communica- tion open from Richmond to the South-the Danville. Of course, the Federals will aim to seize and destroy that, if possible. But they will not be likely to keep it cut permanently. Grant will hardly depart so far from his base of supplies on the James as the Danville. Unless he should invest Richmond on the south and west, which he might do by abandoning his present line, or a part of it.
,
In that case, Richmond becomes untenable, and doubtless will have to be given up. It could not be held very long. Famine is a foe that no army can conquer, and there would be no way open for supplies to reach us.
With Richmond abandoned, what then ? Who knows ? God only does. But the thought is too ap- palling to contemplate. I trust it may never have to be evacuated. But the outlook is gloomy enough now. The men feel it. It is in the air. A mist, a semi- darkness hangs over the land. It seems to pervade the atmosphere. Thus it is that our feelings and our fears give color and form to surrounding objects. I will
246
Under the Stars and Bars
cease. I would not appall you with evil forebodings, which, after all, happily may never come to pass. God grant that they never may. My faith in the justice of our cause was never stronger. And, ultimately-in some way, at some time, if not now-the South will prevail.
Your friend, B.
[In some way, by some route, this letter reached home, and I found it among the rest, when I, too, ar- rived, about the close of April following. But what shall I here append, by way of note ? Nothing, except this: that in two weeks more the misfortune came; Richmond was abandoned; the retrograde began !
For the remainder of the story, therefore, I will as- sume the narrative form, and cull from memory, and a few notes made soon after the close of the war, the material to finish up these Recollections to the end of the struggle.
Of course, the account must take its coloring, in great measure, from my own personal observation and feelings at the time. Many of my comrades will have other impressions and recollections. We all did not see alike. My notes, made so soon after the return home, reflect the views of the soldier, and I have not sought to give them another cast. Statements that may not be strictly true, I am ready to modify and correct. But my views are my own, and I will abide by them to the end.]
247
Under the Stars and Bars
THE SAD FINALE.
The battle of Five Oaks-Lee's flank turned-Richmond aban- doned-The city an ocean of flame-Slowly retiring-Without rations-A weary march-Our last fight-Sabbath morning, April 9th-A sound of battle-At Red Oak church-Dis- banding-Tears and farewells-Crossing the James.
I come now to the sad finale of the great and bloody drama of war in Virginia. On the 26th of March, Grant's army before Petersburg, having been increased to more than 200,000 men by the arrival of Sheridan with a large cavalry force from the Shenandoah Valley, began to assume the offensive, and, on April 1st, Grant, with this immense and well-equipped army, succeeded in turning General Lee's right flank on the south of Petersburg. A battle ensued, but on the 2d inst., Gen- eral Lee found it necessary to abandon Petersburg and retire westward, thus leaving that city and Richmond to the mercy of the enemy. With his sadly depleted army, and having no hope of reinforcements from any quarter, it was impossible for Lee any longer to hold his lines and keep the enemy in check. All of General Lee's cavalry forces combined were no match now against the larger and far better equipped cavalry com- mand of Sheridan, and with this strong force at his service, Grant was placed at a great advantage over Lee. Lee's army was far inferior to Grant's in both
248
Under the Stars and Bars
number and equipments, and Lee could do nothing more than slowly to retire before the immense host that confronted him.
On Sunday, April 2d, orders reached our Battalion, in its camp on the Nine-mile road, east of Richmond, to withdraw toward the city early on the following morn- ing. The news that Richmond was to be abandoned, though not unexpected, came like a death-knell to us all. The day was a sad Sabbath to the men. We had come to love the city almost as if it had been our home. We passed the day in constant expectation of an attack from the enemy. But no enemy came, and we heard no sound of battle. All remained quiet-the lull be- fore the storm.
Very early on the morning of the 3d of April, our . Company, and all other commands near us, hastily packed the wagons with the few essential things that we possessed, and sometime before the dawn of day, we abandoned our last winter quarters, leaving behind such things as were not absolutely essential to take along.
We moved away slowly and quietly, without noise or sound of bugle, expecting an enemy to dash in upon us at any moment, and standing by our guns, ready to give him a warm reception.
Frequent halts were made for other commands to come up or pass by us, or, also to await orders, and our progress was very slow. Thus we had good opportunity to observe all that was taking place around us.
249
Under the Stars and Bars
As the different commands left their barracks, or the officers their quarters, fires began to break out on every side, the glare of which cast around a weird, unearthly glamour, like the pall of some impending catastrophe.
As stated in letter forty-fourth, many of the higher officers on this side of the river had obtained quarters in the homes or residences of the citizens-and, in many cases on this memorable occasion, it was private residences, good and comforable homes, that were being consumed. What cause or reason there was for this sacrifice, I never could make out. Nor were there any need that the soldiers' barracks should be destroyed. But such is the temper of man : burn and destroy, lest others possess.
Now and anon, in quick succession, other fires, both right and left of us, would burst forth, until the lurid light of scores of burning camps, or homes, or stores, eclipsed the light of the rising day. All this before we reached the city.
As we approached the environs of the town, great columns of black smoke were seen ascending upward, here and there, all over the city. The Government shops and works everywhere had been fired, and the flames were extending from these to other buildings. It was the ruling order of the hour, to burn everything that had any relation to the Government.
But flames do not pause at Government lines, and soon the angry, hissing fires were raging all along the city, from Rocketts up into the very heart of the town.
250
Under the Stars and Bars
Fires were spreading with irresistible fury through the doomed Capital, right and left, for no effort was made to check their advance. On the contrary, more fires were bursting out in other quarters, as if it were the purpose of some fiend to leave the place one pile of ashes and blackened ruins.
Presently, on Union hill, a vivid flash of light shot out and upward, and a great cloud of white smoke burst forth, and spread outward on all sides, followed by a tremendous report that shook the earth around us; and the Confederate Powder Mills had ceased to exist. That, too, had been fired and blown up.
Next, a deafening explosion down at the dock on the James is heard, telling that an iron-clad, upon which so much labor and material had been expended, all to no purpose, had been torn into a thousand shapeless fragments, and hurled hither and thither over the water. And then a second, a third, and a fourth similar explosion indicated that other intended war-craft of the nascent Confederate navy had been rendered non est, without venturing a single fight. What, if some daring Paul Jones could have been found, on that same woeful morning, who would have taken those boats down the river and made a sudden and desperate dash upon the noisy Federal fleet lying there, and so let them have won some renown, before they went down into ruin ? The attempt might have furnished a bril- liant and interesting chapter in naval warfare.
Explosion after explosion were now succeeding each other rapidly, all along the huge line of flame and
251
Under the Stars and Bars
smoke that skirted the river from the Dock to the Basin and beyond. Rapidly upward from Cary to Main the flames were sweeping on, leaping rapidly from tenement to tenement, like hungry fiends from the in- fernal regions.
All was noise, confusion, excitement, apprehension, fear. Pandemonium reigned supreme within the doomed Capital of the Southern Confederacy, the land of the STARS and BARS. How our hearts sank within us, as we looked upon the appalling scene, the mighty conflagration, the needless sacrifice !
All this time our Company stands idle, irresolute, uncertain, on the hill at the eastern environs-awaiting the tardy orders, that, it seemed, were never coming. Other commands were filing by us without stopping, until at last we are left alone-the rear guard of the retrograde. Still no foe appeared in sight, to push the departing columns faster on. Every man looked on with bleeding heart and bated breath, as the victim lay helpless in the constantly extending fires-but no advancement is made, and the sun is speeding on its course.
At last a courier arrives, and we dash forward, on through Rocketts, where the wildest confusion pre- vails-on along Main street, where numberless women, reckless of personal danger, are tugging and pulling at parcels and goods thrown out from the depots where supplies had been stored-on by the Government shoe factory, just in time to secure a supply of new shoes-
253
Under the Stars and Bars
on toward the Capitol, winding in and out from street to street, to avoid the fast encroaching fires. It is diffi- cult to make our way at all, through the crowds of ex- cited humanity that throng the streets, and hinder travel with their burdens and loads of goods. An officer has to get in front of the Battery with drawn sword to make way for us to pass along.
By this time, an ocean of flame is dashing, as a tidal wave of destruction, from side to side, and roaring, raging, hissing about us, and leaping on from house to house, and from street to street, in very wantonness of wrath. Like a wild, mad steed, without any restrain- ing hand to impede it, the flame bounds along, seeming to gloat in its great power to destroy. As the fire spreads, buildings are deserted, the helpless occupants dragging with them whatever they could of clothes or household goods.
Consternation and confusion prevailed on all sides. No one seemed capable of sober reasoning or calm re- flection. The whole city seemed doomed to go down before the onrushing element that roared and raged like fiends and furies. The Government officials, and all in authority, civil or military, seemed to be absent.
Presently we are moved onward toward Mayo's bridge. But, behold! the short bridge spanning the canal before Mayo's is reached, is wrapped in flames, and nothing could pass there. Fortunately, a way is open through the yard of the Danville depot, and over it we dash to the bridge, eager to escape the wilderness
253
Under the Stars and Bars
of flame. Just as we were entering the Danville yard, a tobacco factory near by is emptied of its contents of plug tobacco, and the boys got a liberal supply of the weed that served them for a long time after. It was their last gift !
Once safely over Mayo's, we paused awhile, to look upon the scene of danger and dread from which we had just escaped-looked back upon the vast col- umns of black smoke, rising mountain high, obscuring the sky, and hiding half the town from view. But, even in Manchester, the insatiate flame is busy, and the cotton mills and other works, are rapidly going down before the heartless destroyer. Even here, private resi- dences were on fire, and dismay marked the countenances of men. If a smile lighted the face of any being in Richmond that day, it must have been that of some Stanton or Garrison, gloating over the fall of the Southern Metropolis. No one with a heart could smile with such a spectable of horror before him.
Ah! that was a picture and a time to be remembered forever, and none of the S. L. A. who witnessed it can ever forget the dreadful sight. Miles on miles of fire ; mountain piled on mountain of black smoke; mil- lion on million of flying sparks, of hot ashes, of angry cinders; one ceaseless babel of human voices, crying, shouting, cursing; one mighty pandemonium of woe, darker than death itself, more to be feared than the angry rush of battle, or the leaden hail and glittering steel of charging columns! Great God ! what a deluge
254
Under the Stars and Bars
of misery was it. To my last hour, the horrid picture will remain indelibly stamped on memory's tablet. The burning of Richmond on that woeful 3d of April, 1865, was heart-crushing enough to force tears from the most callous eye that ever felt a pang for human sorrow.
And was it necessary ? Let the future historian pass upon that. I do not know. But to a private soldier, giving his sober recollections of what he saw and heard, it seemed a cruel and wicked waste-an almost heart- less destruction of valuable material and human homes, that might have been avoided.
As we gain the turnpike leading out toward Amelia, and pass beyond the confines of the town, we pause to cast back one farewell gaze upon the tragedy we had passed-turned to look our last upon the once queenly Capital of the Confederate States-now Capital no longer, but a fallen, helpless victim! With almost breaking hearts, we turned away, and began our weary tramp hither or thither, as fate might lead.
"He turned and left the scene- O, do not deem him weak-
Tho' dauntless was the soldier's heart, A tear was on his cheek."
So far as we could see and learn, the S. L. A. was the very last organized body of soldiers that left Rich- mond on that 3d of April, 1865. We came out alone, no other command in sight, either to the front or in the rear of us. We were the fag end of the retiring army
255
Under the Stars and Bars
that was slowly, reluctantly wending its way from the place made sacred to the soldier's heart, by the struggles and sufferings of four trying, tragicful years.
Our march was continued all that day, in a slow and orderly manner-on by Coalfield and thence to Tomahawk church, where we paused and rested that night. The next day the march was continued, the several commands proceeding, as yet, upon the same road, and following a general southwesterly direction across a part of Powhatan county, and on into Amelia. Here the forces from Richmond joined in with those from Petersburg, and it was learned that the Federal - cavalry were hovering upon our flanks right and left, seeking to fall upon and cut off any part of the retiring column that might become detached from the main body.
. But the army was now almost without rations of any description, and, worst misfortune of all, the trains that had been ordered to meet General Lee's army in Amelia with supplies, never came! The order had miscarried or been misunderstood, and the supplies were not at hand! Thus the whole army was practically without food for the remainder of the march, for the section through which we moved had little to give. In addition to the failure of supplies to reach us, as expected, the Federals, on the third day, cut out and burned a large section of the wagon trains that contained some sup- plies, thereby still further curtailing our means of subsistence.
256
Under the Stars and Bars
I think it was at the close of the third day that it became necessary to relieve the battery horses of some of their burden, for they, as well as the men, were suffering from the lack of food, and were jaded from the constant marching. Accordingly, one or two of the cannon of each Battery were dismounted and buried, the wheels of the limbers and caissons were cut down, and so much of the ammunition as could not be carried along was destroyed. Thus lightened of part of their labor, the horses were enabled to hold out to the end. Though foodless, footsore, and sleepy were the men, the march was continued through the fourth day, with no event or incident of importance to relate ..
By this time, and before, the army was retiring by several roads leading in a westerly direction, and all the divisions were closely followed by the Federals, and frequent skirmishing occurred between the two armies. An engagement of some magnitude took place at Sailor's Creek, in which the 10th Battalion of Virginia Heavy Artillery, composed largely of men from Surry county, was engaged.
The road travelled by the S. L. A. on this weary march of six days, led us on by Stony Point Mills and Willis Mountain, and thence across a part of Cumberland into Appomattox county. We passed Ap- pomattox Court House about noon on the 8th of April, and proceeding one and a half or two miles further on, paused in a small field to rest; and here we were told, rations would be distributed to the men. The
-
257
Under the Stars and Bars
men of the S. L. A., and I suppose all the other com- mands from Richmond, had made the march on what- ever food they had at the start, and whatever they could pick up from the people along the route. Many of the men kept up in the march two or three days without anything to eat. The army, and especially the S. L. A., was practically foodless for several days, three or four days certainly. Footsore, weary, without sleep, and without food, the boys dragged on, kept up with the guns, and still had the courage and strength left them to hope on and believe that a brighter day would soon come to them. We were approaching near to Lynch- burg, and there we expected to find food and rest, and defensive works to fight behind. Up to Saturday after- noon, April Sth, the Artillery of Lee's army, then under command of General Alexander, had not en- countered the enemy at any point. Lightfoot's Bat- talion, and other commands, numbering about 100 pieces in all, were moving together along the same road, and this division of the Artillery was commanded by General Walker, of Southwest Virginia.
Calling to his aid the best local guides of the section, General Walker had led us by obscure roads and by- paths, and across farms, and often by no road at all, either to shorten the way or to avoid the enemy, who was ever hovering upon our flanks, and watchful to strike us unawares. Our progress, however, was neces- sarily slow all the time. Both men and horses were
258
Under the Stars and Bars
thoroughly jaded; halts for rest were frequently made; the roads were hilly and rough; and guides had often to be changed.
It may well be conceived that our six days' tramp was a weary procession. It was akin to a funeral march, a journey to the dead! Indeed, it was a funeral march. We were tramping on to the death-hour of the Confederacy, and every footstep we made was but sounding out the drum-beat to the grave of Southern independence. The men walked on almost in silence. There was no loud or boisterous talk, no songs, no mer- riment. All hearts were sad, many faces despondent ; few hopeful words were spoken. The tattered rem- nants of General Lee's noble army, that had made for itself a record equal to the best in the history of the world, was under a cloud, and the cloud had no sign of a rainbow promise of deliverance.
It was a hard test of the physical man. Without rest, or food, or sleep, how could men move on con- tinually, and keep their places by the guns ? Men slept while walking along. The drivers slept upon their horses. Men would drop down by the wayside and be asleep in a second. Only the strongest and most reso- lute could keep their places and continue the march.
On Saturday afternoon, after passing the village of Appomattox Court House, we paused for rest in a small clearing, where the artillery and infantry crowded together without order, no one appearing to surmise that any Federals were near us. We had been resting
259
Under the Stars and Bars
an hour or more, when suddenly a horseman dashes down, yelling out that the Federals were charging!
For a moment some confusion prevailed. But we stood our ground. The infantry fell into line, our guns were quickly shotted, and just as the Blue Coats burst from the cover of the wood before us, we opened on them, loading and firing as rapidly as we could. The enemy charged up almost to our guns, calling out : "Surrender! surrender!" But we gave them canister and the infantry saluted them so warmly, that they soon retired, with the loss of several of their men.
Fortunately, none of the S. L. A. had received a shot. Perhaps it was because there were so few of us engaged. There was plenty of room for the enemy's missiles to pass without striking a man. The only men whom the writer remembers as serving at the same gun with himself on this occasion, were Corporal T. T. Cockes, gunner, and George C. Holmes, W. Holt Ber- ryman, and, I think, Charles A. Price. Of course, there must have been two or three more men at this gun, and a like number at the other gun-for we had but two cannon then. Two had been left behind, buried somewhere in Amelia county. Altogether, I think there were not more than 20 or 25 men of the S. L. A. engaged in this fight. First Lieutenant W. R. Bar- ham commanded, Captain Hankins having been called to a consultation with some of the superior officers. Many of the men had fallen out of ranks the last day or two, broken down or sick and disabled.
260
Under the Stars and Bars
This was our last fight, our last exchange of shots with the foe. Our guns were never shotted again. We had fired our last shell.
During all of that night following this engagement, the artillery, in charge of General Walker, moved slowly and caustiously along in a northerly or northwesterly direction, as if it were his intention to cross over to the northern side of the James river, and so reach Lynchburg that way.
The next day-a Sabbath-dawned bright and beau- tiful-but it brought nothing beautiful to us. Pres- ently the boom of cannon, in the direction of the army, told us that another battle was about to take place. But the firing soon ceased. We heard afterwards that it proceeded from a part of General Gordon's com- mand, making their last stand for battle.
By this time our Battalion had reached Red Oak church, in Appomattox county, several miles from the place of our engagement of the previous evening. And at noon, a courier arrived, conveying the sad news that General Lee had capitulated, and that the men were to be paroled, and permitted to return to their homes ! We were told to park the guns, which was done in the fine grove about the church, and then the men were dis- banded-either to surrender to the enemy and get paroles, or to work their way home as best they might. The horses were turned loose that they might graze, and every man who would, took a horse for his own, to help
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.