USA > Vermont > Chittenden County > History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 44
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This regiment was designated after it was raised for duty as a part of the expedition under General Butler, with New Orleans and vicinity for its field of action ; but many of the regiment would have preferred to join the Army of the Potomac, with other Vermont regiments. Through efforts of General But- ler, as believed, the regiment was placed under his command, much to its fu- ture sorrow. The regiment left for New York March 10, and after a long and uncomfortable voyage reached Ship Island early in April. Here the un- just conduct of the commanding general soon began with the arrest of the quartermaster upon a mere technicality. Little of importance occurred until May 1, when the Union forces occupied New Orleans and the regiment was soon afterwards ordered there. On the 16th of May the regiment reached Carrollton, eight miles from the city, where they were placed under command of Brigadier-General J. W. Phelps, the former colonel of the First Vermont Regiment ; many of his old command were in the Seventh, and the reunion was a welcome one.1
On the 6th of June the regiment was ordered to Baton Rouge, but did not reach there until the 15th. On the 19th orders were received to embark on transports and take part in a campaign against Vicksburg under General Will- iams. The force with which the capture of the city was expected to be ac- complished, numbered only about 3,500 men. Vicksburg was reached on the 25th, and there Colonel Roberts rejoined the regiment and took command. Much sickness followed, and the regiment set to work on the famous " cut off," which resulted in a failure. In his history of the Seventh Regiment, Colonel William C. Holbrook refers to this period as follows : " After a majority of our entire command had been brought down with malarial diseases, from inhaling the fumes and vapors which arose from the soil as it was excavated and ex- posed to the air and sun, a large auxiliary force of negroes, gathered from the surrounding country, was set to work. But notwithstanding, the expedition was a failure. The river persisted in falling, and we were not able to dig fast enough to keep pace with it, and so, much to our relief, we were ordered to abandon the enterprise."
Sickness in the regiment increased until, after the first fortnight, there were seldom one hundred men fit for duty, while almost every day one or two died.
1 General Phelps was finally forced to resign, chiefly on account of the persecution of General But- ler ; a long controversy followed, which was ended by a court of inquiry. The officers of the regiment werc fully exonerated.
361
IN THE REBELLION.
The main body of the expedition left Vicksburg on the evening of the 24th, the Seventh Regiment forming the rear guard. This organization, which had started out thirty-six days previous nearly eight hundred strong, had now less than one hundred fit for duty, and at a review that occurred a few days before the battle of Baton Rouge, two or three of the companies were not represented at all, their services being needed in burying the dead.
The battle of Baton Rouge was fought on the 5th of August. The action opened with firing from rebel skirmishers immediately in front of the Seventh, before light in the early morning. This was followed by a general attack, and the Union forces being outnumbered, they were driven from stand to stand and finally forced to fall back on the main body, when the action became gen- eral. At this stage of the engagemeat there seems to have been no good understanding of the character of the attack; the Seventh Regiment was drawn up in line of battle in front of its camp, and while awaiting further orders the firing on the left became very heavy. Colonel Roberts moved the regiment in that direction through the prevailing fog and smoke. Here the men were subjected to the somewhat indiscriminate firing of artillery in the rear, and to prevent casualties from this cause, Colonel Roberts moved his regiment back to its former position. It was during this movement that the brave colonel fell. When the regiment reached its former position the battle was raging furiously in its front and that of the Twenty-first Indiana. The fog and smoke were almost impenetrable to sight. Colonel Roberts had hesi- tated to order his men to begin firing lest the Indiana men should be hit, and at this juncture General Williams rode up in a somewhat excited manner and peremptorily ordered firing to open ; the colonel promptly gave the order. Only a few volleys had been fired when it was learned that the Indiana regi- ment was suffering from it, as Colonel Roberts had feared would be the result; he therefore did not hesitate to give the order to cease firing. This was his last command, as he immediately fell with a severe wound in his neck ; he died on the 7th, two days after the battle. The consensus of all authentic reports in- dicates that the Seventh Regiment performed its part in this engagement with honor to itself and to the State.
Baton Rouge was evacuated on the 20th of August, and the Seventh Regi- ment returned to Carrollton. This was another most unhealthy locality, and soon acquired the title of "the camp of death." On the 26th Lieutenant- Colonel Fullam resigned and William C. Holbrook was made colonel. Cap- tains Peck and Porter were promoted, the former to lieutenant-colonel and the latter to major of the regiment. Sickness prevailed in the regiment so as to practically unfit it for duty ; but they were forced to remain in the Car- rollton camp until September 30, when a movement was made to Camp Kear- ney, a slightly more wholesome locality a short distance below. On the 4th of November the regiment was transferred to New Orleans, and on the 13th
362
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
of that month embarked for Pensacola, Fla. Here the climate and salubrious air soon improved the condition of the men. In Colonel Holbrook's history of the regiment is given the following tabular statement of deaths in the regi- ment from 1862 to 1866 inclusive, showing how great a mortality from sick- ness was reached in the first year, as compared with the casualties of subsequent years :
1862.
1863.
1864.
1865.
1866. Total.
Commissioned Officers
4
2
1
- -
..
7
Non-Commissioned Officers
1
1
2
Company A.
26
1
3
1
33
Company B.
32
2
9
2
45
Company C.
14
5
4
23
Company D.
20
3
1
3
27
Company E.
36
1
4
7
48
Company F
24
3
3
30
Company G.
31
6
5
3
45
Company H
44
5
4
4
57
Company I.
37
3
3
4
47
Company K
26
3
6
8
43
Total
295
31
39
41
1 407
The active service of the regiment until spring consisted principally of scouting and armed reconnoissances, in which there was more or less skirmish- ing. On the 20th of February the regiment proceeded to Fort Pickens, on Santa Rosa Island, and on the 28th of March companies A, D and G were de- tailed for duty as artillerists in this fort. In June Colonel Holbrook was placed in command of the troops of Western Florida, and the regiment, excepting the three companies named, was transferred to Barrancas, where a pleasant camp was established and named "Camp Roberts," in honor of the dead colonel.
On the 10th of September an accident of a serious nature occurred at the fort. The picket line had been repeatedly fired upon in front of the fort and the gunners were in training to get the range of the woods whence the firing came, when an eight-inch howitzer exploded while being served by a detach- ment of Company I; Private Robert Ripley of Company I had his right arm blown off and died within a few days, and Private James B. Royce was blown into the air and picked up for dead ; to every one's surprise, however, he sur- vived, with a badly shattered left arm, and other injuries. During the month of September yellow fever was developed in that region and on the 5th of November Corporal Lucius O. Wilkins, of Company B, died of the disease, and on the 17th Lieutenant Rollin M. Green, one of the best officers in the regiment, was stricken down.
The winter passed without occurrence of especial moment. On the 13th of February, 1864, 110 recruits were added to the regiment and during the same month all of the enlisted men of the regiment remaining from those orig- inally mustered in, excepting fifty-eight, re-enlisted for three years or during the war; this action entitled them to a thirty days' furlough, which was en- joyed in a trip to their homes, occupying the period between August 10th and September 30th. Returning, New Orleans was reached by the regiment for the second time, on the 13th of October. While stationed here they were em- ployed principally in guard duty. On the 19th of February, 1865, the regi-
363
IN THE REBELLION.
ment were ordered to Mobile Point, to take part in the operations against that city. The regiment was assigned to Brigadier-General Benton's division of the Thirteenth Corps, and on the 17th of March began a march to flank the defenses of Mobile on the western shore and operate against those on the east- ern shore. This march, which was one of almost unparalleled difficulties in the way of mud, rain and exposure, continued until the 23d, when the regiment went into camp on the north fork of Fish River. On the 25th another forward movement was made, which continued through the 26th, involving considera- ble skirmishing with the enemy. On the 27th preparations were made to attack the "Spanish Fort." Benton's Division, embracing the Seventh, moved for- ward in the morning, each regiment in line of battle, directly towards the fort, with other corps on the right and left. The brigade to which the Seventh was attached was not halted until within six hundred yards of the rebel earth- works, and midway between the old Spanish Fort and Red Fort, the guns of which commanded the position through a long ravine. Here the regiment lay all day long, exposed to a heavy fire of musketry and artillery. The men lay on the ground most of the time. Soon after the first halt in the morning Cap- tain Salmon Dutton was ordered with his company (G) to relieve a portion of the skirmish line. He remained out until after nightfall, several of his men being wounded, when he was relieved by Captain George E. Croft, with Com- pany D. They were in turn relieved by Companies I and H, both of which were exposed to heavy firing during the day. During the 28th the regiment was exposed to heavy shelling at a point a little in rear, where it had camped after being relieved by the Ninety-first Illinois. On the evening of the 28th Companies F (Captain Edgar M. Bullard) and C (Captain Henry Stowell) were ordered on the skirmish line, with instructions to advance as far as possi- ble, entrenching as they proceeded. This duty was thoroughly performed. From this time to April 12 the siege of the fort progressed with the utmost vigor and determination, and every day the Seventh Regiment was engaged in dangerous picket duty, labor in trenches or repelling sorties by the enemy. We' cannot here enter into the details of all of these operations, which are graphically described in Colonel Holbrook's history of the regiment. The chief occurrence in the Seventh was the capture of Captain R. B. Stearns with twenty men on the skirmish line on the night of the 31st, where he had with great bravery maintained a most dangerous position. Captain Stearns was pa- roled and sent to the parole camp, Vicksburg. After thirteen days of active operations the fort was abandoned and the works occupied by the Union forces. on the 8th of April.
Early in the morning of the 9th the regiment was ordered to Blakely, which had been, since April 2, besieged by General Steele and his force from Pensacola. As the regiment drew near Steele's line heavy firing was heard, and the rebel works were subsequently assaulted and carried ; but the Seventh
364
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
was not permitted to share directly in it. On the morning of the 11th the regiment marched to Stark's Landing, where they embarked on transports. During this movement news of the fall of Richmond reached the troops. On the 12th they proceeded to Mobile city, where arrangements were already com- pleted to turn the city over to the Union forces. The following morning the Seventh formed part of a force sent in pursuit of the fleeing rebel troops. They marched rapidly to a place on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad called Whist- ler, the Seventh being in advance of the Fiftieth Indiana. They were soon under a heavy fire, the enemy occupying a slight eminence beyond a marsh across which was a bridge ; this bridge had been fired and the Ninety-first Illinois in attempting to pass the marsh became fairly stalled. Colonel Hol- brook attempted, but unsuccessfully, to re-form the Indiana regiment, and then brought forward the Seventh, which rushed ahead under a heavy fire and were soon at the bridge. Here they were changed into column and hurried across the still burning bridge. Line of battle was again formed and firing began ; but the enemy was soon forced to precipitate retreat.
The regiment remained at Whistler until the 19th, when they were marched to a point on the Tombigbee River about forty miles from Mobile, where they went into camp. Here news of the assassination of the president reached them. Although Lee surrendered on the 9th and Johnson on the 27th, opera- tions in the southwest continued. On the 2d of May the division to which the Seventh was attached returned to Mobile. Colonel Holbrook resigned on the 2d of June, and from that time until their return north the regiment was in service in Texas. The command under Lieutenant-Colonel Peck sailed for Brazos, where they arrived June 5, and went into camp, remaining until the 14th, when they moved to the Rio Grande. On the 14th of July the one-year recruits were mustered out. August 2 the regiment marched to Brownsville, about thirty miles up the river, and remained there in camp until mustered out in March, 1866, at Brownsville. The regiment proceeded to New Orleans, and thence to Brattleboro and home, where they were tendered an imposing recep- tion.
The Ninth Regiment .- This organization was mustered into the service the 9th of July, 1862, for three years, and did gallant service under command of Colonel George J. Stannard, of Burlington. Company F received large acces- sions from this county and there were scattering enlistments in other compa- nies and from nearly every town in the county, as shown in the foregoing table. Hinesburg furnished the largest number to the regiment. There were com- paratively few enlistments in the regiment from Burlington.
Of the officers in the regiment from this county were the following: Her- man Seligson, of Burlington, who went out as first lieutenant of Company C; promoted to captain January 1, 1863 ; commissioned lieutenant-colonel July 3, 1865.
365
IN THE REBELLION.
Henry D. Belden, of Burlington, private Company F ; made first sergeant July 9, 1862 ; sergeant-major March 13, 1863 ; wounded September 29, 1864 ; commissioned adjutant October 19, 1864.
Francis O. Sawyer, Burlington, quartermaster, and promoted captain and A. Q. M. August 15, 1864. .
B. Walter Carpenter, surgeon, from Burlington.
Elias L. Brownell, Essex, private Company F, rose to first sergeant and promoted second lieutenant December 22, 1863 ; first lieutenant March 13, 1865.
George A. Beebe, Burlington, captain of Company F, died August 10, 1862, of fever.
John T. Bascom, Milton, went as a private in Company C of the Second Regiment ; was made second lieutenant Company F, Ninth Regiment, June 25, 1862 ; first lieutenant December 22, 1863, and captain May 8, 1864.
Eugene Viele, Hinesburg, first lieutenant Company F June 25, 1862 ; captain December 22, 1863.
John W. Thomas, Burlington, a private of Company F, was promoted to sergeant July 9, 1862, and to sergeant-major January 1, 1865 ; second lieu- tenant March 13, 1865; transferred to Company B by consolidation of regi- ment and made first lieutenant July 3, 1865.
Theodore S. Peck, Burlington, regimental quartermaster-sergeant July 9, 1862; second lieutenant Company C January 8, 1863 ; first lieutenant June IO, 1864, and captain and A. Q. M. March 11, 1865.
James Henry Vancor, Jericho, a private in Company C, rose by successive promotion to first sergeant August 8, 1865, and was commissioned second lieu- tenant November 17, 1865.
The Ninth Regiment made its rendezvous at Brattleboro, whence they de- parted for the front on the 15th of July, 1862. Their first camp was in the vicinity of Fairfax Court-House, Va., but after about two weeks they removed to Winchester, where they remained six weeks. After the battle of Antietam was fought the regiment moved to Bolivar Heights, at Harper's Ferry, and was embraced in the large Union force that was captured by General Miles on the 15th of September, and on the 16th proceeded to Camp Parole, at Annapolis, Md. From there the regiment was sent to Chicago, arriving on the 28th ; they were camped at what was called Camp Tyler until the 10th of December, when they moved to Camp Douglas, remaining until January 9, 1863, when they were exchanged. From that date to April I the regiment was employed in guarding prisoners; on the latter date a large body of prisoners was taken by the regiment to City Point. They then moved to Camp Hamilton at Fort- ress Monroe, remaining, however, but a few days, when they marched to Suf- folk and participated in the siege at that point ; thence they moved to Bottom's Bridge and then to Yorktown, reaching there a little before the Ist of Novem- ber, 1863. 24
366
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
The regiment remained stationed at Yorktown until the 24th of October, suffering during that period very severely with malarial diseases, which were prevalent in that locality. Thus far in its career the regiment had seen little of actual battle in the field; but the unusual sickness which attacked the men at Yorktown was far more demoralizing than would have been an active cam- paign. At one time out of three hundred and fifty men present, but thirty-six privates were fit for duty.
On the 24th of October the regiment sailed for Newbern, arriving on the 29th, and were ordered into Newport barracks, at the junction of the coast mail route with the railroad, where they performed garrison and picket duty with ten detached companies of artillery and cavalry, Colenel E. H. Ripley, of the Ninth, in command of the post.
On the 12th of November a detachment of one hundred men went on a reconnoissance to Cedar Point, N. C., twenty miles distant, returning on the 15th. On the Ist of December the regiment met with a severe loss in the death of Major Charles Jarvis, who died of wounds received in a skirmish.
On the 3Ist of January the regiment formed part of a body of troops under Colonel Jourdan in an expedition into Onslow county, N. C., and re- turned after an arduous march of seventy-five miles in the mud, having cap- tured a lieutenant and twenty-seven privates.
On the 2d day of February the enemy made an advance upon Newport with about 2,000 infantry, 400 cavalry, and a dozen pieces of artillery. The outposts, then held by Companies H and B, were first attacked, followed by an attack upon the barracks. At the time of the first attack the new recruits which had joined the regiment were still unarmed, and the Ninth itself numbered less than 200 muskets. But arms were placed in the hands of the new recruits ; before they became engaged they were hurriedly instructed in loading, and with their pockets filled with cartridges, were taken on the skirmish line. A gallant re- sistance was made to the attack and the position held until dark, when the reg- iment was forced to fall back across the bridges, and burn them to escape cap- ture ; the command then retired to Morehead City by way of Beaufort. In this affair the regiment lost two lieutenants and sixty-four men in killed, wounded and missing. The official reports give the Ninth great credit for efficient service. On the 16th of March Major Amasa Bartlett died. He went out as captain of Company E, and had but a short time previous received his well-earned pro- motion. On the 26th of April Captain Kelley, Company B, with twenty men, captured a fishing party of six on Bogue Bank, sent out by the rebel commis- sary department, and on the 29th, with forty men, he made a dash into Swans- boro, capturing a lieutenant and sixteen men, with horses and stores. On the 20th of June a march of seventy-five miles was made into the interior with the object of cutting the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. On the 11th of July four companies under Major Brooks were ordered to Newbern and assigned to
367
IN THE REBELLION.
duty on the various outposts, and during the succeeding ten days the re- mainder of the regiment followed.
On the 3Ist of August the regiment was ordered to Bermuda Hundreds and they soon entered upon a more active campaign. They arrived on the 15th of September and were assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division of the Eighteenth Corps. On the 17th the regiment was joined by 170 recruits, bringing its effective strength up to nearly 875.
On the 29th of September the battle was fought at Chapin's Farm. The regiment broke camp at I o'clock A. M. and crossed the James River at Aiken's Landing at daybreak. The advance of four miles to Chapin's Farm was made where the brigade (comprising the Eighth Maine and the Ninth Vermont Reg- iments) was ordered to charge one of the rebel works at that point. The Maine Regiment became entangled in a swamp and the Ninth made the charge alone, over a half mile of rough, brush-covered ground, carried the work and captured two guns and about fifty prisoners. The regiment was under fire the entire day, and every man behaved with the utmost bravery. The casualties were seven killed and thirty-eight wounded.
The Ninth Regiment remained stationed in this vicinity, with some unim- portant changes, until the evacuation of Richmond. On the 27th of October they participated in the engagement on Williamsburgh road (Fair Oaks), fully sustaining the record for bravery already acquired by them. Early in Novem- ber the regiment was transferred to New York city, where they performed ex- cellent service during the troubled times of the election of that year, and on the 17th of November they returned to the brigade. During this time Colonel Ripley was in command of the brigade ; in December he resumed command of the regiment.
When the reorganization of army corps occurred in December, the Ninth was attached to the Second Brigade, Third Division, Twenty-fourth Corps. At the inspection of regiments under general orders of January 17, 1865, to de- termine which were the best regiments in brigades and divisions, the Ninth Vermont gained the post of honor in its division. On the 20th of February the regiment was first pronounced the best in the brigade, and under provisions of a general order was excused from all picket and outside detail for one week. On the 6th of March they were again pronounced the best in the brigade, and excused again from all picket and outside duty for a week, and on the 10th of March, after careful inspection at division headquarters, they were announced in orders to be the best regiment in the division-a division comprising twenty regiments and which was, in the opinion of the corps commander, " as completely fitted for the field as a command could well be," and the regiment was again excused from details for an additional week. The officers and men of the regiment were justly proud of the distinction thus obtained, not merely on their own account, but for the honor thereby conferred upon their State.
368
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
Before the period had terminated during which the regiment had been excused from details, the men of the regiment made application to be allowed to again go upon duty to relieve their comrades of the brigade whose duties were ren- dered exceedingly arduous by the excuse of this regiment. This act of gen- uine good-will called forth another complimentary order from division head- quarters.
The regiment was one of the first to enter Richmond after its evacuation and was stationed at that city until mustered out. On the 13th of June the original members of the regiment and the recruits whose terms of service were to expire before the Ist of October, were mustered out. The remaining members of the regiment were consolidated into a battalion of four companies, which was stationed at Richmond for a time, and then moved to Portsmouth, Va., and mustered out December 1, 1865.
The Tenth Regiment. - This regiment was recruited simultaneously with the Eleventh, and both were raised with unexampled rapidity. The foregoing table shows the enlistments in the regiment from Chittenden county, the ma- jority of Company D being from Burlington and Hinesburg, although almost all of the towns contributed to it. The regiment was mustered into service on the Ist day of September, 1862, with 1,016 officers and men under Colonel Al- bert B. Jewett, and left the State September 6.
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