(Jfarnell Uttioctaity Slibrarg 3ttiiata, New ^otU THE JAMES VERNER SCAIFE COLLECTION CIVIL WAR LITERATURE THE GIFT 5f JAMES VERNER SCAIFE CLASS OF teas 1919 Cornall University Library E513.8 10th .B59 TilirBliiMr olin 3 1924 030 907 160 Cornell University Library The original of this bool< is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030907160 THE HISTORY Tenth Massachusehs Battery OF LIGHT ARTILLERY AVAR OF THE REBELLION. rOBMSBLT OF TBB TBISD OOBPS, AITB AFTBRWARDS OF BAttCOCrS SBCOSD CORPS, ARMT OF TBB POTOMAC. 1862-1865. By JOHI^ D. BILLIKGS, A Uember of the Compant. BOSTON : HALL & WHITING, PUBLISHERS, 32 BROMFIELD STREET. 1881. 0^ A.Z'g'H'^, Copyrighted, 1881, By John D. Billings. Boston : Wnght & Potter Printing Company, 18 Post Office Square. PREFACE At the close of the war in 1865, John P. Apthorp, a mem- ber of the Company" whose story is herein narrated, prepared for publication a manuscript history which he had designed to print in the autumn of that year ; but when the work was complete, and his canvass of the members for subscriptions had been made, their response was so limited and inadequate to the outlay necessary for its issue that he abandoned the enterprise. That manuscript was made the basis of the present work. About thirteen years since it came into my hands by the courtesy of its author, Avith tjie object, on my part, of joining with one or two other members of the Com- pany in assuming the expense of its publication. But a careful reading of it led us to the unanimous conclusion that thorough revision was necessary before doing so, owing to the haste with which it had been prepared. As no one had the time to give to this purpose, the manuscript has been in my possession since. ■ But I had never given up the hope that, sooner or later, a history of the Battery would be published ; and at the first reunion of the Company, held in Boston, in January, 1879, a committee on history was appointed, consisting of "William E. Endicott and myself, to be joined by such others as we might designate. For obvious reasons most of the labor necessary in its preparation was devolved upon one individ- ual J that individual chanced to be myself, and I hereby vi PREFACE. absolve all others from responsibility for whatever imperfec- tions the narrative may be found to possess. It is simple plagiarism upon all authors of similar works to say that this volume makes no pretensions to literary merit. The desultory manner of its preparation forbids any such pretensions, for the greater part of the work has been done evenings, subject to the disadvantages of the fatigue and perplexities of my avocation during the day, — a condition by no means favorable to the best literary work. Then the difficulties of the situation have been further increased by the endeavor to incorporate portions of the old manuscript with the new, never an easy matter, involving as it must the merging of different styles of composition. But while its merits from a literary standpoint may not be . all that could be desired, I shall claim for it what ought to be the chief merit in all such histories, viz., that of telling the truth in a straightforward manner. Although the old manuscript has been of great assistance in my work, containing, as it does, many details that mio-ht otherwise have been lost to this narrative, there are few places in which its subject-matter has been exactly tran- scribed. Much of it was thrown aside as being now undesir- able, and new, and, it is believed, more valuable material introduced, so that the present volume is over one hundred per centum larger than that contemplated by Mr. Apthorp ; and its authenticity, outside of camp details, correspondingly enhanced by access to information not then available to him. In proper relation to the story of the Battery, I have thought it desirable to incorporate so much of the history of brigades, divisions, corps, or the army, as shall serve to in- dicate more plainly and accurately to members of the Com- PREFACE. vii pany causes and results of movements and catapaigns which, at the time of their occurrence, were little luiderstood. My information in relation to the detailed history of the Battery not derived from the above manuscript was taken in large measure from my personal diary, and an almost un- broken series of nearly three hundred . letters written home during our term of service, and preserved at my request ; not, however, in anticipation of their ever doing duty in the capacity of history-making. I am under obligations to Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock for ready access to his duplicate copies of official reports of operations of the Second Corps, as well as for the likeness of himself which adorns the volume; to Maj. Gen. A. A. Humphreys for duplicate copies of his official reports of operations of the Second Corps ; to the late Maj. Gen. "William H. French for official reports of campaigns of the Third Corps during our connection with it ; to the Hon. William Claflin for a complete set of government maps which have enabled me to trace with accuracy our lines of march in nearly all the movements in which we participated ; to Maj. J. Henry Sleeper for his many kind offices during the progress of the work; to my associates of the committee, Messrs. William E. Endicott, Charles E. Pierce, Willard Y. Gross, George M. Tfewnsend, and G. Fred. Gould, for the information and kindly criticism they have contributed ; and to many more whose assistance has been less important only in degree. In the prosecution of my researches, I have examined a large mass of war material, including Swinton's " Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac " (unquestionably the best his- tory of that army yet written, though not infallible) , Reports viii PEEFACE. of the Committee on the Conduct of the War, Reports of the Massachusetts Adjutant General, besides a large collection of regimental, brigade, and campaign histories, and nearly every worls known to the author written south of Mason and Dixon's line concerning the whole or part of Lee's army. In addition to these sources, I have sought information by cor- respondence, from commanders or eye-witnesses on both sides. I am also indebted to the past officers who have contributed their portraits, and thus enhanced the value of the volume ; and to my young friend Carl Lyon, for the excellent manner in which he has enlarged the camp scenes. In the Appendix will be found much that is interesting- It includes the experience of the men taken prisoners, notes on some of our old camps and battlefields as they appear to- day, the roster of the Company, and an index. "With respect to the roster, I have endeavored, by a careful scrutiny of the original muster rolls and the monthly reports, to make it accu- rate. If it shall prove that I have not wholly succeeded in doing so, it will not be wondered at when it is known that not all the rolls and reports are themselves accurate. It is hoped, however^ that but few errors will be found, and these of minor importance. With this somewhat lengthy introduction, I submit this volume to my surviving comrades and their friends, hopino- that they will fiad enough of interest and value in its pao-es to make them lenient towards its defects. If they fail to do this, no one will more sincerely regret it than their friend, THE AUTHOE. Cambhidgeport, Mass., July 19, 1881. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. August 23 to October 14, 1862. Origin of the Battery — Going into Camp — Incidents and Experiences of Camp Life, *1 CHAPTER II. October 14-17, 1862. The Journey to Washington — Incidents by the Way — Pliiladelphia Union Refreshment Saloon, 9 CHAPTER III. October 17 to December 26, 1862. Washington — Camp Barry — Organization — Drill — Incidents, . 16 CHAPTER IV. December 26, 1862, to June 24, 1863. On the March — Poolesville — Camp Life — Discontent — Drill — Incidents — Benson's Hill — Alarms — Retrospect, .... 26 CHAPTER V. June 24 to July 31, 1863. March to Maryland Heights — Join Trench's Command — March to Fred- erick — Guarding the Monocacy Bridge at Fredericlc Junction — Rumblings of Gettysburg — Hanging of a Spy — We Join the Third Corps of the Army of the Potomac — March to South Mountain — Williamsport — Escape of Lee — Cliagrin of the Army — Antietam Battlefield — Through Pleasant Valley into Loudon Valley — Four Men Prisoners — ^Wapping Heights — Warrenton — Camp at Sulphur Springs 52 X CONTENTS. CHAPTEK VI. July 31 to October 19, 1863. Sulphur Springs as it was — Camp Life — The Advance to Culpepper — Back to the Rappahannock- Auburn — Our Maiden Fight — Centre- ville — Fairfax Station — Ovation to Gen. Sickles — Shot for Deser- tion 80 CHAPTER VII. October 19 to Novembek 8, 1863. The Advance — Bristow Battle-Ground — Catletfs Station — The Fight at Kelly's Ford — Advance to Brandy Station, . . . .108 CHAPTER VIII. THE MINE RUN CAMPAIGN. November 8 to Deoembek 3, 1863. A Mud March — Delays — Across the Eapidan — Robertson's Tavern — In Line at Mine Run — A Cold Snap — Rumors — Tlie Expected Assault — The Return to Brandy Station — A Brief Synopsis of the Cam- paign 119 CHAPTER IX. December 3, 1863, to May 3, 1864. At Brandy Station — Winter-Quarters and Army Life in Them — Reorgan- ization of the Army — Dissolution of the Third Corps — We Join the Second Corps — Corps Review — Hanging Scene, . . . 139 CHAPTER X. May 3-20, 1864. Our Anticipations — Order of March — Grant's Plan — Almost a Stampede — General Hancock — Chancellorsville — Todd's Tavern — The Wil- derness and its Terrific Battle — By the Left Flank — Battle of the Po — Spottsylvania — The Ghastly Salient — Moving About — The Tenth a Four-Gun Battery — News From Home 148 CHAPTER XI. May 20 to June 1, 1864. By the Left Flank — " Fresh Fields and Pastures New ," — Bowling Green — North Anna — Chesterfield Bridge and That Invincible Rebel Bat- tery — By the Left Flank — Across the Pamunkey — At Tolopotomoy Creek, 182 CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER XII. COLD HARBOR. June 1-12, 1864. By the Left Flank to Cold Harbor — Three Positions — The Assault and Repulse — A Night Attack — Mortars and Bomb-Prooft — The " Saucy Battery " — An Armistice 196 CHAPTER XIII. Jdne 12-20, 1864. By the Left Flank — 'Wilcox's Landing — Across the James — On Towards Petersburg — Why Petersburg was not Taken — What Hancock Says — To the Front — We Fire the First Shells into the Co^ckade City — The Fortieth Massachusetts Infantry — Again Forward — Two Moves More to the Front Line — Relieved by Colored Troops of the Ninth Corps, 210 CHAPTER XIV. June 20-23, 1864. To the Rear — "Boot and Saddle" — The Corps Badly Used on the Jerus- alem Plank Road— A Dry Time — " Where We Dug the First Well " — The Sanitary Commission — By the Right Flank — Deep Bottom — Rain at Last — The Weldou Railroad, 225 CHAPTER XV. REAM'S STATION. August 23-25, 1864. By the Left Flank — Ream's Station — Destroying the Weldon Railroad — The Earthworks — Portentous Omens — Rebel Guns Silenced — The Day Grows Darker — Sharpshooters — Heroic Horses — The First Charge and Repulse — The Second Charge Repulsed — A Storm of Rebel Shells — The Final Charge — All is Lost but Honor — The Retreat — Hancock's Bravery — Our Losses — What Hancock Says — The Losses of the Corps and the Enemy 239 CHAPTER XVI. BATTERY XIV. August 26 to October 24, 1864. Our Parrotts — To the Front Once More — Battery XIV — Artillery as Sharpshooters — Warlike Pyrotechnics — A Six-Gun Battery Again — Marching Orders 268 xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVir. HATCHER'S RUN. October 25 to November 1, 1864. By the Left Flank — The Fight on Boydton Plank Koad — The Tenth Sent In — At It Hot and Heavy — We are Flanked — On to Libby— " Give 'Em Canister" — Fall of Lieut. Smith and Private Atkinson — Eun- ning the Gauntlet — Fall of Lieut. Granger — Withdrawal of the Corps — Synopsis of General Hancock's Report, . . • 277 CHAPTER XVIII. November 1, 1864, to March 25, 1855. Fort Stevenson — Fort Welch — Exit Hancock, Enter Humphreys — To the Left and Back — Forts Emory and Sieburt — Shingling a Stable — By the Left Flank — The Battle of Armstrong's Farm — The Fifth Corps Badly Used — The Second Corps Helps Them Out — " Battery E" — Resignation and Departure of Major Sleeper — "At it on the Right" — Fort Steadman — Advance and Captures of the Second Corps, . . ■ ... 297 CHAPTER XIX. LEE'S RETREAT AND SURRENDER. March 20 to April 9, 1865. The Last Left Flank — At Burgess' Tavern Again — Five Forks — Peters- burg Is Taken — Atkinson's Grave — Marching in the Rebel Rear — What They Left Behind — Sailor's Creek — Graves That Did Not Hold Defunct Rebels — High Bridge — Farmville — Fall of General Smythe — Our Last Stand and Last Shots — Rumors — Why Are We Going So Slowly? — Skeptics — General Meade to the Front — Sus- pense — General Meade Returns — "Lee Has Surrendered" — How the Army Felt, 312 CHAPTER XX. The Cruel War Over — " Limber to the Rear " — On Short Rations — How the Negroes Felt — BurkesviUe Junction — " On .to Richmond" — Richmond As We Saw It — To Fredericksburg and Bailey's Cross Roads — Washington — Homeward Bound — Palace Cars — Boston Cool Reception — Galloupe's Island — Mustered Out at Last — On to Brookline and Marblehead- Exit Tenth Massachusetts Battery, 329 Appendix, 345-388 POETEAITS. 1. J. Hbnky Sleeper, 2. J. Webb Adams, 3. W. S. Hancock, 4. H. H. Granger, 5. G. M. TowNSEND, 6. MiLBREY Green, 7. George H. Day, 8. John D. Bellings, Frontispiece. Page 96 15^ 244 280 297 301 340 ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. Winter Camp at Poolesville Page 28 2. Summer Camp at Poolesville, "37 3. Corps Badges "84 4. Map op Beam's Station Battlefield " 240 5. Map of Boydton Plank-Road, " 278 6. Inside View of Battery E., " 308 EEEATA. On page 17, 28th line, for Adolphus B. Parker read Lewis R. AUard. On page 224, 9th line, for New York read Pennsylvania. " GoTEKHOR's Island, New York Hakbok, ) " Feb. 25, 1880. > " . . .1 wish you success in your contemplated history of Sleeper's gallant Battery, — the Tenth Massachusetts. . . . " Very truly and respectfully yours, " WiNFiELD S. Hancock." " Angel Island, Cal., ) " Jan. 21, 1880. ? "... I have the most vivid and pleasant remembrances of the ser- vices performed by your Battery. . . . " Very sincerely your friend, " Wm. H. Fkbnch; " Col. 4th Artillery, Brevet Maj. Gen., "U. S. A." "New Orleans, Feb. 12, 1880. " I congratulate you upon your historical undertaking, and recollecting well the brilliant services of the Tenth Massachusetts Battery, I shall take great pleasure in seeing them revived and perpetuated in your work. "Very truly yours, "R. DB Teobriand, " Brevet Maj. Gen., U. S. A." THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEET. CHAPTEE I. August 23 to Octobek 14, 1862. OEIGIN OF THE BATTERY — GOING INTO CAMP — INCIDENTS AND EXPEKIENCES OF CAMP LIFE. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, \ Hbadquartbks, Boston, Aiig,'12, 1862. / Special Order No. 614. Henry H. Granger is hereby authorized to raise a Battery of Light Artillery under U. S. Order No. 75, Battery to be full by 16th inst. The Captain will be designated hereafter. By command of His Excellency John A. Andrew, Gov- ernor and Commander-in-Chief. (Signed) William Brown, Asst. Adjt. Gen'l. The above is a correct copy of the original order by which authority was given to recruit the Company afterwards known as the Tenth Massachusetts Bat- tery. In the "Boston Journal" of August 13, 1862, appeared the following notice : — " Henry H. Granger has been authorized to raise a battery of light artillery to be filled by the 16th inst. As this is a popular arm of the service, there is no doubt of his ability to raise a company by the time specified." 2 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. So far as can be ascertained, this is the first public notice of the Company. A recruiting oflSce was opened at the Old State House, and also at 16 How- ard Street, and but few days elapsed before the Com- pany was recruited to the required standard of one hundred and fifty-six men. The readiness with which men rallied was undoubtedly due in large meas- ure to the gentlemanly bearing and personal magnet- ism of the recruiting officer, Mr. Granger, whose many estimable qualities as a man won the affi^ction of all who came in contact with him ; and this regard, implanted thus early in the hearts of the men, continued unabated to the day of his death. About thirty members of the Battery came from Worcester County, the home of Mr. Granger, thirty more from Charlestown, and the same number from Marblehead. The remainder were furnished by Bos- ton and towns lying within a radius of twenty miles of it. August 23 was the day fixed upon for the Com- pany to go into camp. On the morning of that day, about a hundred men assembled at the Eastern Rail- way Station in Boston. At the command, " Fall in, Tenth ! " we formed line and went on board a train standing near to receive us, bound for Lynnfield, at that time one of the rendezvous established for the reception of regiments and companies prior to their departure for the seat of war. This assemblage of men constituted the first tangible evidence that there existed such an organization as the Tenth Massachu- setts Battery. While seated in the cars a,n opportunity was afibrded to get a general impression of the kind of THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEKY. 3 men composing the Company. There were some heads silvered with gray. There were middle-aged men, and faces upon which the first down of youth had scarcely appeared. There were men of all trades and men of no trade. Side by side sat farm- ers and seamen, blacksmiths and tailors, carpenters and teamsters, clerks fresh from the pen or yard- stick, teachers, hard-handed laborers, policemen and restaurant keepers. All these, with men of various other callings, combined to make up a motley collec- tion of tastes, interests and prejudices, such as war always summons together. But all these differences of calling and taste were to be sunk in a common unity of purpose and interest. Henceforth we should know each other as soldiers and soldiers only. But while we were getting acquainted the train moved on and hi due time arrived at Lynnfield. Here those whose duty it was to provide accommo- dations had nothing ready, thus giving us our first lesson in patient waiting, a lesson which soldiers have to learn early and practise long. There was the camp, it is true ; but it was surrounded by sentries, armed with rusty muskets, whose valor we did not care to test by trespassing on their beat. While waiting outside the lines, a heavy shower came up, and we concluded, while hugging the lee side of contiguous buildings and becoming drenched to the skin, that we were having a fair initiation into the experiences of a soldier's life. Sunshine again ap- pearing, our prospects brightened materially. A company of one of the regiments in camp, going away on furlough, vacated its quarters for us. These consisted of two rows of tents, known inter- 4 ■ THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. changeably by the names of Sibley and Bell Tents ; the former derived from the name of the inventor, and the latter given from their resemblance to huge bells. They were pitched in two rows of six each, with a park about four rods wide between, at the head of which stood two wall tents occupied by the officers. These tents, located by themselves near a pleasant piece of woods, formed a more inviting camp-ground than had been anticipated, and we were not long in accommodating ourselves to them. Those who had been familiar with the culinary art took possession of the cook-house that stood near by, and in due time were dealing out tin dippers of black coffee and slices of bread, thus introducing us to the simple fare of army life. Supper disposed of, we examined the interior of the tents. They were found to be supported by a central pole resting on an iron tripod. A plentiful supply of straw covered the ground. On this a dozen men stretched themselves, feet to the centre, and passed the first night, not in slumber, but in tell- ing stories and shivering in the chUl night air. The next day was the Sabbath, and camp life began in ear- nest. The guard, hemming us in on all sides, was at first rather chafing to free American citizens, but we accepted it as an annoyance inseparable from the service into which we had voluntarily entered. Some of us were detailed for guard around our own camp, while others went as supernumeraries to relieve the regular sentries at the central guard-house, and whiled away the hours in watching over certain wayward and drunken soldiers from the infantry THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 5 near us, whose ambitious propensities to beat the guard over the head with a club, bite off the fingers of the corporal who remonstrated, and divers other offences against law and decency, had consigned them to confinement in the stall of an old stable, now dignified by the name of guard-house. So, in one way and another, we were inducted to our new employment. During the week our uniforms arrived, and Avith many jokes on the good clothes furnished us, we Hoffed the garb of civil life, and donning the uniform of light artillerymen, became genuine sol- diers, so far as uniformity of dress could make us so. This pleasant camp, however, was not destined long to be our home. In a few days a portion of the troops encamped with us were ordered to the seat of war, and those remaining were to be removed to Boxford. So, packing up our effects and getting down to the station promptly at nine o'clock in the morning, according to orders, we were fairly seated in the cars by five o'clock in the afternoon, and under way at sundown. After several hours ride, during which the train had the singular faculty of going backwards as much as forwards, and standing still more than it did either, we were landed in Box- ford about ten o'clock at night, to find the ground soaked with rain, and the beans that had been stewed for our supper by an advance guard, sour as vine- gar. While some of the men were striving to make themselves comfortable for the remainder of the night in the cars, which had been left standing near the camp-ground, a voice came ringing through the train: "Any of Captain Garlic's men here?" * Again * A captain in the — th Massachusetts infantry. 6 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. and yet again was it repeated in anxious tones at every door, although greeted with the jeers and execrations of the would-be slumberers within j but the captain with the fragrant name seemed to think his reputation as a soldier depended on immediately gathering all his flock under his sheltering care, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings; for when some of us left the cars for fresh air without, before we had fairly touched the ground, the same ^inquiry concerning the whereabouts of Captain Garlic's flock assailed us. We sought boxes and boards on which ' to sleep raised from the wet ground, and were just dropping off into dreamland when a gentle touch on the shoulder drove us well-nigh frantic, followed as it was by the same disgusting inquiry, and we then and there wished the whole Garlic clan and all its satel- lites, present or prospective, were in the sunny South. Some even gave him and his party direct marching orders to the fervid heats of a less favored clime. At last the interrogatory ceased, and we passed what little remained of the night in comparative quiet; but whether the indefatigable captain ever succeeded in collecting his truant flock, or found any end to his restless search, we never knew. In the morning Camp Stanton was established at Boxford. Here we pitched our tents and remained about six weeks, changing our location once during our stay. On the 9th of September we were mus- tered into the service of the United States by Lieut. M. Elder of the regular army, and received one month's pay in advance. While encamped here, that disposition of the Com- pany to hang together, which afterwards became pro- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. 7 verbial, cropped out quite conspicuously; whether in rescuing a comrade from the Philistines of the Forty- first Regiment, among whom he was receiving a rough handling, or in taking one from the hands of the camp guard into whose power he had fallen for running in or out of camp without a pass, there was the same tendency displayed to stand by one another. Affairs finally came to such a pass that " Battery Boys " were allowed to go and come at will, with none to molest or make afraid. Passes to leave camp soon became an obsolete formality. It is true that trains could not always be taken with safety at the' camp-ground without them, owing to the presence of the provost guards; but there was another station about two milps away, and some of the more wary walked as far as Topsfield, a distance of six miles, in order not to be summarily cut off from their semi- weekly or tri-weekly visits to home and loved ones. Daily drill was inaugurated and carried on, all things considered, with a fair measure of success. One day we received the compliments of the ofS.cer of the day for proficiency, and the next, drew down upon our defenceless heads the wrath of Col. Jones, the unpopular post commander, for setting his authority at defiance. An interesting episode in our stay here was the marriage in camp of Mr. Tobias Beck, one of our comrades, to Miss Kilgore. The ceremony was per- formed by moonlight on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 11, a neighboring justice of the peace officiat- ing. The bride was saluted by the lieutenants and invited guests present, after which the happy couple were escorted by the Company to the house of the justice to pass the night. 8 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEET. Sept. 29, J. Henry Sleeper, the newly appointed Captain of the Company, arrived. He had been pro- moted to this position from a first lieutenancy in the Fu-st Massachusetts Battery. By his interference we were relieved from camp guard, — a change which we heartily appreciated, having never taken Mndly to it. The non-commissioned officers, with the exception of the second corporals, were now appointed; and our daily drill was carried on with two six-pounders, with, which we waked the echoes of the camp and neigh- borhood at sunrise every day. But this peaceful state of afikirs could not be expected to last forever, and, with the early days of October, there came rumors of orders to leave for the South. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. CHAPTBK II. October 14 to 17, 1862. THE JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON — INCIDENTS BY THE WAY— PHILADELPHIA UNION REFRESHMENT SALOON. The time spent in our own State may be considered the infancy of our organization. Song and sport prevailed, and from the appearance of the camp one would hardly have supposed it occupied by a body of men assembled with the serious purpose of devoting themselves to the deadly earnestness of battle. But when, at last, positive orders to depart for the seat of war came, the spirit of the scene changed. Men had run guard and taken furloughs for the last time, and aU felt that the play of the past few weeks must now give place to the stern work and discipline of active service. Several false alarms were at last followed by positive marching orders ; and October 14, 1862, saw us with well-stuflfed knapsacks fairly under way. Our march through Boston called forth quite enthu- siastic demonstrations from the citizens, which were continued until our arrival at the Old Colony Rail- way station, where we were to take the cars. The following notice of our departure appeared in the " Boston Journal " of that date : " Departure of the Tenth Massachusetts Battery. — The Tenth Massachusetts Battery, Capt. J. Henry Sleeper, arrived in the city at one o'clock this afternoon from Camp Stanton, Boxford, and marched up State and Washington 10 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEKY. streets, en route for the Old Colony and Fall Eiver Eailroad depot. The Company is Qomposed of fine-looking men, who are thoroughly uniformed and provided with all the equipments necessary until they arrive in Washington. The Company received a cheering reception and hearty God-speed from the citizens along the route." The following is a roster of the original officers of the Company: Commissioned. Captain, . . . . .J. Henry Sleeper. Henry H. Granger. J. Webb Adams. Asa Smith. Thomas E. Armitage. Senior First Lieutenant, Junior First Lieutenant, Senior Second Lieutenant, Junior Second Lieutenant, Non-commissioned . First Sergeant Otis N. Harrington. Quartermaster Sergeant, . . S. Augustus Alden. Chiefs of Pieces, with the rank of Sergeant. 1. George H. Putnam, 4. Samuel J. Bradlee, 2. Philip T. Woodfin, Jr., 5. Chandler Gould, 3. Charles E. Pierce, 6. George F. Gould. Gunners, with the rank of Corporal. Andrews. Shattuck, Jr., George M. Townsend, Charles W. Doe, Joseph H. Currant, John H. Stevens, Benjamin P. Parker. At the railway station occurred the final leave- takings from a few of the wives, parents, and friends who had succeeded in eluding the vigilance which would have denied them this last privilege. There were brave struggles made to appear calm, but the THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. H tears would come, and as the train moved away, the last view of a wife or mother to some, was a frantic gesture of the hand and streaming eyes that told how great the sacrifice to those who must stay at home and wait. We arrived at Fall Eiver about dark, and found the steamer " State of Maine " in readiness to receive us. After unloading our one hundred and ten horses from the forward cars, in which they had been shipped at Boston, and getting them unwillingly aboard and safely stored on deck, we took possession of the ample accommodations of the boat and made ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit. There was little sleep to be had that night, and many of us, though ordered to remain below, spent much time on deck, enjoying the brilliant starlight and weird phos- phorescence of the dark waters until morning broke, and the attractions of ]^ew York harbor, which we were then entering, charmed our gaze. It has been remembered of this voyage, by some of the comrades, that we drank water from a large ice- tank, in which, some, who professed to know whereof they spoke, declared that deceased soldiers had been packed and brought from Fortress Monroe early in the war. It is so much easier, removed from the event by a lapse of seventeen years, to vouch for the truthfulness of this statement than to prove its falsity that we shall pass it by unquestioned, leaving each comrade of the Battery whose eye meets the above to supplement the statement for himself with any facts in his possession. In passing up New York harbor we sailed near the steamer " Great Eastern," then anchored there, and 12 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. obtained a very good view of her gigantic propor- tions. We were not destined, however, to land at I^ew York, but were headed directly for the opposite shore, and disembarked at Jersey City, amidst a per- fect Babel of apple, peach, and pie women. Here, after stowing away the horses so closely they could do but little at kicking and biting, we again took cars, bound for Philadelphia. All day long we rolled on through JSTew Jersey, with its brick-red soil, its extensive level fields now mostly harvested, its noble orchards ripening in the October sun, and its patriotic inhabitants greeting us as we rode along with hearty tokens of good-will. Tired, hungry, and thirsty, we reached Camden late in the afternoon, and, crossing the ferry, entered Philadelphia, fittingly named the City of Brotherly Love. INowhere else on the route were such ample preparations made for our comfort as here. Ushered first to a long row of basins with an abundance of water to wash ofi" the grime of travel, we were then shown into a hall filled with tables laden, not with luxuries, but what was far niore to our taste, plenty of plain, wholesome food, and overflowing dippers of hot tea and cofiee. Waiters were on every hand as obliging and assid- uous in their attentions as at a hotel; and all this the Volunteer Belief Association, composed of citizens of Philadelphia, furnished from their own pockets to every regiment and battery that passed through their city during the entire war, whether they came at morning, evening, or the midnight hours. Warm were the praises on the tongue of many an old vet- eran at the front for the noble-souled people of Phila- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 13 delphia, as he called to mind the cheering spot in his experience at the Philadelphia Union Kefreshment Saloon.* When supper was ended, we began our march across the city, with such a hand-shaking with old and young of both sexes, and such a God-speed from all the population, as came from no other city or town through which we passed, and this was continued until our arrival at the Baltimore depot. Could the wives and sweethearts left behind have seen the affectionate leave-takings at this place, it might have aroused other than patriotic emotions in their breasts. We recall at this moment the slight figure of the Company Tailor as it appeared extended on the pave- ment full-length, the result of a misstep while making an ambitious attempt to salute a young lady standing near the procession; and the sad picture that he presented in camp for some weeks afterwards as he tenderly dressed his nose, which had been wounded by contact with an unfriendly paving-stone at the * The above institution was organized shortly after the " Cooper Shop " was opened. This movement of relieving the hunger and hard- ship of the soldiers originated with the women of Philadelphia, who, as early as the latter part of April, 1861, when the troops began to pass through that city, formed themselves into a committee and collected and distributed refreshments among them. They were aided in the work by the gentlemen, and as the troops increased in numbers the necessity of better accommodations was felt. It was then that William M. Cooper (firm of Cooper and Pearce) , whose wife was one of the pioneers in the movement, gave up first a part, then nearly all of his establishment, for Jour years to the purpose of assisting the soldiers. The " Union Saloon " was established later, but the two worked in perfect harmony to the end of the war. They were located near each other, and a committee from' each worked without friction in arranging for the reception of troops See History of the Cooper Shop Volunteer Kefreshment Saloon, by James Moore, M.D. 14 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. « Fall of Man," rendered him the mark for frequent jests from those conversant with the facts. By midnight we were under way, the cars contain- ing the horses having been drawn across the city without change. The dim gray of morning found us at Havre-de-Grace, where, in the black remnants of the old bridge burned while the mob held sway in Baltimore, and in the fires of the picket guards stationed along the road, we began to recognize the first indications of war. Near this place we saw our first persimmon tree loaded with its golden fruit, so beautiful to the eye, but so execrable to the taste at this season of the year. Later, when the fruit had become fully ripened by the frosts, we formed better opinions of it. Having arrived at Baltimore, we were greeted by waving handkerchiefs and other tokens of welcome, and could but contrast the peaceful and apparently loyal attitude of the city at this time with its state of wild tumult when the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment passed through a year and a half before. The ele- ments of rebellion here reduced to stich thorough subjection, we accepted as an augury of what would ultimately be accomplished throughout the entire South. Having breakfasted at a saloon something like that at Philadelphia, we waited till long past noon for the Washington train. When at last it was pro- vided, we no longer found luxurious passenger-cars, but common box-cars, ventilated by knocking out alternate boards in the sides, and furnished witji rude plank seats. An engine drew us a mile or two out of the city, and then left us to. our fate. Three or four hours afterwards, just as the sun was setting, a THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 15 nondescript object came puffing and wheezing along the tract and attached itself to our train. It was apparently a machine of three stories. The first of these consisted of four driving-wheels, about three feet in diameter,, upon which the whole rested. The second contained the boiler j and the third, directly over this, comprised the pilot-house and tender. The driving-wheels were moved by pistons which worked vertically, and the whole structure rattled as if in momentary danger of flying apart into its original atoms. It maintained its cohesion, however, and we began to move along. Dodging his way as best he might, and waiting at nearly every station for any trains likely to arrive within an hour, our engineer finally succeeded in rolling us into Washington about two o'clock Friday morning. Having disembarked in pitchy darkness and a pouring raiu, we were ushered into a commodious barn-like building, known as the " Soldiers' Rest," and throw- ing ourselves on the floor, were soon sound asleep. 16 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERT. CHAPTER in. OcTOBEK 17 TO Decembee 26, 1862. WASHINGTON — CAMP BAERY — ORGANIZATION — DRILL — INCIDENTS. " EvEETTHiNG is a hundred years behind the age here," was the general exclamation the next morning, AS daylight gave us our first view of the surroundings. The Capitol loomed up grandly with its massive proportions, a few hundred yards distant, but was so surrounded by wretched Southern hovels and dirty beer-shops, instead of the costly dwellings and clean streets which would have distinguished the locality in a I^orthern city, that it seemed like a precious jewel cast into a basket of rubbish. The noble struc- tures reared by the government, which in a city other- wise beautiful would be its highest adornment, now seemed by contrast like the ornaments of a belle dangling from the unsightly rags of a beggar. After getting fairly waked up, we made it our first business to look after the interests of the poor horses that had been boxed up in the cars for two days and nights without a mouthful to eat or drink during that time. They were sorry-looking creatures indeed, gaunt with hunger, bruised and bitten in their quar- rels, and evidently pretty well used up. A few days of feeding and fresh air, however, brought them back to good condition again. About nightfall we were ordered to our future THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. I7 quarters at Camp Barry, named for Gen. Barry, an artillery oflficer.* The camp was situated a mUe or so from the Capitol at the toll-gate of the Bladensburg pike. The Eleventh Massachusetts Battery, already here, greeted us with a cup of coffee all around, and furnished shelter for many of us, while the rest passed the night on the ground. Many of the Battery men will recall an incident which happened the next morn- ing while a few were still sleeping on the ground; but we will refer the general reader, for particulars concerning the warm bath innocently administered to the ear of our late comrade George L. Clark, to any one of the original members, who made the camp uproarious with laughter for days after, whenever the matter was mentioned. Upon the 17th of October we established our camp on an eminence of the field in which we had passed the night, having been provided with " A " tents (so called from their resemblance to that letter), which accommodated four men each. Having got fairly established in camp, the work of organization, begun in Boxford, was carried on to completion. The non- commissioned ofl3.cers, already alluded to as appointed at Camp Stanton, have been given in the roster. Six other corporals, called chiefs of caissons, were appointed on our arrival at Camp Barry. They were as follows: Adolphus B. Parker, William H. Starkweather, James S. Bailey, Jr., Tobias Beck, William B. Lemon, George A. Pease. The duties of the first sergeant were mainly ex- * Died July 18, 1879. 18 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. ecutive, consisting in taking charge of all general or special roll-calls, in exercising an oversight of stable duties, and in calling for details of men under the direction of the Oflacer of the Day or Commander of the Battery. The duties of the quartermaster sergeant consisted chiefly in supplying rations for the Company and subsistence for the horses, upon requisitions signed by the commander of the Battery. To each chief of piece was committed a body of men called a Detachment, in which were a first and second corporal, the former, known as gunner, sighting the gun in action and issuing the immediate orders to the gun's crew. The second corporal had charge of the caisson and its ammunition. These detachments were a distribution of the Company into six divisions as nearly equal as possible, and to each was assigned a gun and caisson. Two detachments with their pieces and caissons constituted a Section, which was commanded by a lieu- tenant. The men composing the detachments were classified as Cannoneers, Drivers, and Spare Men. To each driver was committed a pair of horses that it was his duty to care for and drive. There were three drivers to a piece and three to a caisson. A gun's crew included a sergeant, two corporals, and seven cannoneers. The duties of the corporals have already been stated. The duties of the cannoneers, who were designated by numbers, were as follows: number One sponged the gun and rammed home the charge; number Two inserted the charge; number Three thumbed vent, changed the direction of the piece by the trail handspike at the beck of the gun- ner, and pricked the cartridge; number Fmir in- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 19 ed the friction primer with the lanyard attached the vent, and at the command fired the gun; iher Five assisted the guiiner at the trail in lim- ng and unlimbering, and carried ammunition to iber Two; number Seven furnished ammunition umber Five, and number Six had charge of the )er, cutting fuses, fitting them to shells and deliv- g the ammunition, one round at a time, to number en. he spare men were to take the place of any who ht become disabled in battle or by disease, and had the care of spare horses, besides the six guns and caissons there were a able Forge and Battery Wagon, which constituted irt of the regular outfit of the Battery. Each was vn by six horses. The forge was in charge of a ksmith called an Artificer,* who had one assistant, ir duties consisted in doing all the shoeing and other repairs that came within their province, he battery wagon was in charge of a mechanic styled an artificer. It was filled with carpenter's s and extra equipments of various kinds likely to leeded in the ordinary wear and tear of service. 1 addition to the foregoing, three Army Wagons, I drawn by four horses, were supplied to carry forage, rations and camp equipage. Later in our jrience, when horse-flesh became scarcer, each of e was drawn by six mules, and Messrs. Slack, ison, and Abbott learned a new tongue, which, )ugh mastered with some dilEculty, eventually me, with the aid of a little of the " black snake," masa D. Bacon held this position throughout our term of service. 20 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERT. a powerful agent in toning down or spurring on the recalcitrant mule. An Ambulance, drawn by two horses, designed to carry the sick and wounded, completed the materiel of the Battery. Two Buglers, Joshua T. Keed and John E. Mugford, had been appointed to sound the calls for the various camp duties and for movements in drill, and William H. Fitzpatrick was selected as Oaidon. All other preliminaries having been properly ar- ranged, the horses were distributed to the drivers, and taken to the Washington Arsenal to be fitted with harnesses and to draw back guns and caissons. The former having been accomphshed, with no trifling amount of opposition on the part of some of the ani- mals, they were hitched to an old worn-out battery of small brass guns furnished us for drill. It may be added that two or three of the horses, acting as if conscripted, obstinately refused duty, and only yielded the contest with their lives, giving way in a few days to the rigors of a discipline to which they would not submit. The following Monday regular drills began. At first the movements were slow and executed at a walk; but as they became familiar, we manoeuvred with a promptness and precision that would have reflected credit on older batteries. These drills, with one or two exceptions, always took place either on Capitol Hill or near the Toll-house at Camp Barry. As time wore on, other batteries came and joined us, until a large brigade of artillery was assembled here. Among them was the Twelfth New York Battery, of which Lieut. Adams afterwards had THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 21 temporary command. The mild, clear autumn days, which we had improved by four or five hours drill a day, were beginning to give place to the alternate frosts and drenching rains of a Southern winter, when we exchanged our " A " tents for the Sibley pattern, now provided with conical stoves to set in the centre. This caused us to think we were to spend the winter here; but in a very few days there came rumors that we were to go to Texas. These were renewed at short intervals, until Texas became the veriest bug- bear, for we were bitterly opposed to going into any section of the Gulf Department. On the 17th of December we received orders to exchange the unser- viceable guns we had drilled with for a new battery complete in all its equipments. The new guns, known as the Rodman,* were of steel, had a three-inch rifled bore, and carried an elongated shell of about ten pounds weight. With this outfit for active service came fresh batches of rumors. The I^inth and Eleventh Massachusetts batteries had left Camp Bai'ry for parts unknown, and we should probably go next. This prospect of a change was not wholly displeasing to us, for, although we were not anxious to go to Texas, we were desir- ous of leaving the brigade, as it was under the charge of a — well — person, who had the faculty of accom- plishing the smallest amount of service with the greatest amount of inconvenience to the men undei- his control. In his discipline he was a most rigid martinet and exacted unflinching obedience to dis- gusting requirements. The neighborhood of his headquarters was disgraced daily by the presence of * In honor of Maj. Gen. Thos. J. Rodman, their inventor. 22 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. victims undergoing his varied and villanous torture! in short, his love of display, his absurd regulation an undue parade of his " brief authority," and his ou rageously severe punishments of trivial offence caused the name of Maj. Munroe to be execrated 1: all soldiers who were ever so unfortunate as to con under the dominion of this small-souled officer. We have not forgotten in this connection that tl constraints of military service were yet new to us, an that in consequence we bore the exactions it permi ted with less patience than afterwards. Neverth( less, looking back through our entire term of servic it is our calm, deliberate conviction, sustained by tl judgments of history, that the war was greatly pr( longed, the loss of life much increased, and the se vice in many other ways suffered material detrimer by the appointment of officers morally and intellec ually unfit for their positions, to whom love and ju tice, the very foundation principles of all lasting coi trol over men, seemed entirely unknown. But whatever drawbacks the discipline of Can Barry interposed to our happiness as individuals, must be admitted (not, however, as in any way di to the management of the Post Commander) that y became good soldiers here. The frequent and vij orous drills of our efficient Captain made us, on tl authority of a no less competent judge than Ge Barry himself, accomplished as artillerists, and of ti education we were reasonably proud. Leaves of absence were frequently granted to go i into the city, and even as far as Alexandria, wh( approved by Gen. Casey. In the earlier part of our sojourn here it was d THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 23 cided to build a stable large enough to accommodate eight hundred horses, and details of men for this purpose from the various batteries then in the brigade were ordered to report to David E, Stowell, our artificer, who was to have charge of its construction. A violent rain-storm and wind threw down the stables when only partly finished; but they were afterwards carried on to successful completion. As we were told there would be an extra allowance of forty cents per day made for our labor, we looked upon the enterprise as something desirable, especially as it exempted us from all camp duties; but as the wages expected never came to hand, the question of interest to the detail from the Battery afterwards was, why not? "With the arrival of Thanksgiving there came to many of the men boxes freighted with good things from home. Capt. Sleeper generously added to the occasion a contribution of six turkeys, which, with others already purchased, enabled us, so far as eat- ables affected the subject, to pass the day in a man- ner at least approximating its accustomed dignity and importance. December 13th the bloody battle of Fredericks- burg was fought, and we recall at this moment the sadness that pervaded our camp on the two succeed- ing days, when we saw over across on Capitol Hill the long line of ambulances passing slowly along, depositing their suffering loads of human freight, from that disastrous field, in the Lincoln hospitals just erected here, as if in anticipation of this very event. • At Camp Barry the practice of baking our beans 24 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. in the ground in a hole dug and thoroughly heated for the purpose was initiated, and this innovation on the previous custom of stewing them became so popu- lar that it was ever after adopted whenever our stay in a camp was long enough to permit it. Our situation was now daily becoming more vex- atious from continued innovations on former customs and the principles of common sense, when the long expected and now much desired order to move was received. It arrived Christmas day, which this year came on Thursday. The evening was spent in pack- ing up and making all necessary preparations for departure on the morrow.* At this place we took our first lesson in sundering tender ties that had grown np between ourselves and the little conveniences we had devised and arranged to make camp life more cosy and comfortable. The amount of baggage we could take was necessarily limited, and such a selection should be made as would result only in the " survival of the fittest." Many little knick-knacks sent from home must be left behind, or in some inconceivable way taken along; and this experience was repeated over and over again in oiir subsequent history, more especially when about to leave winter-quarters. 'No one not a sol- dier can appreciate the emotions of the soldiers when the time came for them to part with the little seven- by-nine huts they had made their homes for a few weeks, — structures rude enough at best, but to which they were none the less attached, — fitted up with , bunks, closets, shelves, fireplaces, and other such con- * The preparation for departure was temporarily enlivened by Capt. Sleeper's tent taking fire and burning down. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 25 Teniences; intimately associated, too, with social pas- times and dreams, and news of home and dear ones. These they must leave to go, whither? to return — in all probability never; for in the uncertainties attend- ing the duration of human life in active service, that very day might be their last on earth. Can it be wondered at, then, that like the Indians, as stated by Story, they should turn and take a last sad look at the roofless houses they were leaving behind? During our stay at Camp Barry we had not escaped the depredations of death and disease. Sam- uel Abell, one of our Company cooks, was discharged for disability just after our arrival. G6orge M. Dixon soon followed him to the hospital, though not dis- charged till January. Jonathan E. Child had died of fever in a hospital in Washington; and Franklin Ward, also smitten with disease, left us here to die at his home in IS'orth Bridgewater some months later. Jonas J. Woodward disgraced his flag, his Company and himself, by desertion. 26 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEBY. CHAPTEE lY. December 26, 1862, to June 54, 1863. ON THE MARCH — POOLESVILLE — CAMP LIFE — DISCONTENT — DRILL — INCIDENTS — BENSON'S HILL — ALARMS — RET- ROSPECT. Feidat morning, Dec. 26, about 10.30 o'clock, we turned our backs on >Cainp Barry with little reluc- tance, and passing up New Jersey Avenue by the Capitol into Pennsylvania Avenue, thence on through Georgetown, we entered the main road leading to the upper Potomac. The weather had been mild for several days, and the roads being dry and hard en- abled us to move along easily. The tempting persim- mon trees near the roadside, bending with their lus- cious fruit, now fully ripened by the frost, allured the cannoneers to frequent excursions from the main body. At noon we halted in a grove near a running stream and prepared and ate dinner. Thus far the journey seemed more like a holiday trip than the advance of a military detachment. At 3 F. M. we halted for the day and put our guns "In Battery." A stack of unthreshed oats near by, for which certificates of indebtedness were given to the owner, furnished supper for the horses and excellent beds for many of us, while others slept between the folds of the tarpaulins. These latter were large sheets of canvas used to cover the guns and caissons. They were afterwards frequently employed for a night's shelter when on the march, as they THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 27 afforded protection from storms, and could be folded and strapped upon the limbers at short notice. Passing on through Darnestown, Tenallytown, and Rockville, we bivouacked one more night, and the next day, Sunday, Dec. 28, about 11 o'clock A. m., arrived at Poolesville. This was a little settlement, of strong secession proclivities, on the upper Potomac, near Edwards Ferry, interesting as the scene of frequent guerrilla raids. In the most recent of these Maj. White and a party of his followers, who belonged in this neighborhood, had surprised and captured a body of fifty or seventy-five Union cavalry one evening while they were at church in the town, the officer in command having neglected to leave any one on guard. One of the assailing party fell. His grave is still to be seen (1879) in the little cemetery near the church. Partly through the influence of a Mr. Metzger, the postmaster, who, except one Dr. Brace, was the only Union man in the town, more troops were at once sent, and we found already encamped here the Fourteenth New Hampshire and Thirty-ninth Massachusetts regiments, commanded by Colonels Wilson and Davis, respectively. "How are you, Boxford? " was the greeting from the latter regiment as soon as we were recognized, and it seemed like meeting old friends to fall in with those who had been encamped with us on the soil of Massachusetts. We were now considered to be in the enemy's country, and great vigilance was thought necessary. On the second morning we were aroused at 4 o'clock, and turning out in the darkness, hastily harnessed, only to find, when everything was ready, that it 28 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. was a hoax to see how quickly we could be on hand in an emergency. Such artifices are frequently resorted to by officers when either they or their com- mands, or both, are " green." At first we pitched our tents on a level tract of land outside and near the town, but it being consid- ered by Dr. Brace too flat to be healthy, we moved soon afterwards to a rise of ground a few rods dis- tant. Here we laid out a plan for a permanent camp. From the quarters occupied by Gen. Stone's troops prior to Ball's Bluff disaster, and from the barn-yards and rail fences of the neighboring farmers, we obtained materials for building a stable; this was erected around three sides of a square and thatched with straw. The walls were constructed by setting up rails a foot apart and weaving among them huge ropes of straw twisted by hand. Thus comfortable quarters were made for the horses. This structure was finished towards the last of January, and occupied the centre of the camp. The tents were arranged as at Boxford, six on either side, removed from the wings of the stable by a street about two rods wide. "With- in the square stood the harness racks, while in front the Battery was " parked." The weather being pleasant for some days after our arrival, our drills were resumed with the cus- tomary vigor. In one of these a sham fight was had between the Battery and a body of " Scott's Mne Hundred " cavalry that had recently encamped near by. As the contest waxed warm and men became excited, Frank Loham, JSTo. Two man on the second piece, was quite seriously wounded in the face and breast by a premature discharge. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 29 Once in a while the whole or a part of the Battery was taken out for target practice. On one of these occasions a distant pig-pen was the object aimed at, and immediately after a well-directed shot, the occu- pant, who, it seemed, was at home, issued forth very promptly, attended by her family, unhanned, but amazingly astonished. On another occasion the colors were set up as a target, and the staff was cut in halves by a ball from a spherical case shot. The stormy season came at last, with its accompa- niment of mud, and drilling was at an end for a time. Through what " Sloughs of Despond " our teams wallowed in their quests for fuel! And what a seemingly bottomless bed of liquid mortar was the principal street of the desolate little town, where luckless pedestrians picked their uncertain way from stone to rail, knowing that a single misstep would be hazardous! But let us leave the mire of the town, and returning to our own well-drained camp, get a closer view of a soldier's life in winter-quar- ters. Passing by the officers' tents, which occupy an elevated spot slightly removed from the rest of the camp, among locust trees, thence, leaving the cook-house, the orderly's tent, the saddler's, which stand first on the left flank, we will enter one of the Sibley tents. In the centre is a circular hearth of stone or brick, on which is erected an oven-like structure a foot high. On this oven rests the conical stove, glowing with cheerful heat, while before it kneels one of the inmates, striving to bake a bannock of corn meal in an old cracked spider picked up somewhere. Around sit the other occupants of the tent, on their ticks of straw (a luxury which we left 30 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. at Poolesville) now rolled up and covered with the blankets, or upon camp-stools of home manufacture, engaged in mending, playing cards, checkers, or chess; while yet others are writing home, or reading newspapers not three days old. Suddenly the can- vas flap is pushed aside, and the broad face, broad lips, broad body, and broad feet of an aged negro appear. His jet-black face is set off by scanty clusters of snow-white hair. His loosely hung frame totters somewhat on his misshapen legs, whose strength is eked out by a stout cane. His features express that odd mixture, so common to his class, of profound ignorance, fatherly benevolence, and patron- izing interest, which old age seems to confer. On one arm he bears with difficulty a large basket. " Good morning, uncle Walter! How do you do? " is the kindly greeting on all sides, showing him to be no stranger; and a half-dozen hands are stretched out to relieve him of his load, and lead him to the best stool in the tent. "What have you to sell this morning, uncle? " " Wal, I brought you ober a few biscuits, gem- lum." He removes the clean white napkin, and reveals his really tempting supply, still fresh and warm from the oven. They are evidently the work of a skilful hand. " Why, uncle, how is it you always have so much better biscuits than any one else? " " Wal, I reckon de ole woman knows how to make 'em good, and I tells her not to cheat de boys, but to gib 'em good measure; dey're hungry and need it." THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 31 After buying a plentiful supply of the biscuits we allow him to go and peddle his wares through the camp, knowing that in every tent he will receive a warm welcome, and finally depart with an empty basket and heavier purse. As February advanced the weather became still more inclement, confining us quite closely to the tents, and enforcing an amount of leisure that gave opportunity for an abundance of grumbling — that time-honored prerogative of the soldier. February 22d, we turned put in a driving snow- storm, that would have done 'New England credit, to fire a national salute of thirty-four guns, in honor of the Father of his Country. The long continued absence of the paymaster, whom we had not seen since our departure from home, was the theme of frequent speculation and the source of much of the grumbling. Our food, too, was not always of the most appetizing kind, and when, on being supplied with fiour, we, in the simplic- ity of our hearts, traded it at the bakery in the town for bread, judge of our dismay on being informed that we had committed a crime of whose enormity we could be little aware. We might cook the flour our- selves (an easy task without stoves or ovens!), or we might hire it cooked (another easy task with our pay nearly six months in arrears!), or we might leave it undrawn and allow its value to accumulate in that mysterious investment known as the Company Fund, — a bourne from whence no 'profits ever returned, certainly not to the members of the Tenth Massa- chusetts Battery, and whose unwritten history would make entertaining reading, — but to swap it off fpr 32 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. bread was a heinous offence indeed; and in the interest of the Fund, whose amount was to be divided at the end of the war, so much per capita coming as a kind of endowment, the swapping should cease. The scarcity of tobacco, through the absence of its purchasing power, acted on the nerves of some; and the slow progress of the war spread a gloom over others, who were ready to make common cause with the copperheads in their discussions. There was probably more downright grumbling in our camps at Poolesville than during our entire subsequent ex- perience, when greater hardships had begotten a spirit of greater patience, and when we had become more accustomed to the constraints that military service entails. But this winter of our discontent was by no means devoid of enlivening scenes. Sometimes, when the beef known as " salt horse," served out to us for din- ner, was extremely unsavory, straightway a bier was improvised from a hard-tack box, the remains of the poor horse laid thereon in state, and a worn-out curry- comb or a dilapidated bridle placed beside it as appro- priate insignia of rank. The whole was then borne off in solemn procession to the mournful music of a jews-harp and two cracked bugles. The cortege in its passage through the camp received numerous ac- cessions from those anxious to do honor to the fallen hero, and the remains, having been carried to a fitting spot of iurial, were consigned to their last resting- place and a volley of pistols fired over the grave. Then there were other scenes enacted under the cover of darkness which the impartial historian must not fail to notice. The inhabitants of this neighbor- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 33 hood had done their part to bring on the war, and now it was simply just that they should help feed the soldiers who must carry it on. So reasoned the men who took the trouble to reason at all, and the following specimen extracts from a private diary show that the premises of many a farmer were laid under contribution for the benefit of the soldiers of the Union: "Friday night, Jan. 9, a sheep came into camp." "On the night of Jan. 26, the army was reinforced by a carcass of veal." "Night of Feb. 3, a hen-house contributes five fowls and two rousing turkeys to our happiness." On one of these midnight forays, which a reckless sergeant of the guard led in person, he having com- municated the general countersign to his entire party, quite a commotion was excited. One of his select body was the Guidon, whose tendency to embon- point showed conclusively to those who knew him most intimately, that nothing but an intense love of good living had enlisted his interest; for although an m'bane gentleman, an accomplished knight of the quill, and an expert at cribbage and euchre, his com- rades always expected him to do the ornamental part when any detail was made for fatigue duty. On this particular occasion it seems a flock of sheep was the object of the expedition. As soon as the raiders came upon them in the darkness, naturally enough they cantered away, and equally natural was it that their adversaries should pursue. This they at once did, and foremost in the van was the Guidon, who led off with an impetuosity rarely equalled and truly surprising; but the sheep were more accustomed to 34 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. this kind of business than he was and seemed to be gaining on him. This was too much for the equanim- ity of the gallant color-bearer. In his mind's eye he had already made a savory repast off one of them, — had scented the delicious odors from broiling chops, — had buried his knife deep in a hind-quarter roasted and done to a turn by " Black Mary," — and now to be cheated out of his prey was too much to expect of human nature. He draws his revolver and dashes forward with renewed determination. His blood is fully up, and as he nears the flock he empties at least three barrels among them, which appears to result in no bodily injury to the sheep, but calls down the maledictions of the sergeant on his head for his indiscretion. This in a few moments becomes ap- parent, for the fire of the pickets is drawn, the Long Roll is sounded, and the infantry turned out to repel an expected attack, the shots by the Guidon having been supposed to be from the enemy. The marauders skulked back to camp by the quickest route, bring- ing with them three sheep that had been quietly cap- tured by the other members of the party; but no one, outside of a small interested number in the Battery, ever knew the cause of all the tumult in camp that night, and, so far as can be ascertained, it was the final appearance of the Guidon in the role of a raider. One of the men, an expert in the business, took poultry from the premises of Dr. Brace near by, in open dayhght. He was defected, however, and by order of the Captain taken under guard to the house to return the fowls, now ready for the pot, and make a suitable apology for his offence, which he did. He remarked to the. Captain in extenuation of his guilt THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 35 that people ought to know better than to padlock a door hung with, leather hinges. Here, too, three or four swine belonging to Tom. Gott, a neighboring farmer, were sacrificed; but these were all paid for by those who indulged in the luxury, their offence being too public to let pass unnoticed. A minstrel troupe comprising nearly a dozen members of the Company was organized, and fre- quently played in the Captain's mess tent. During the winter and spring several concerts were given in the Town Hall near by to quite large audiences, composed mainly of the officers of the brigade and their friends from in and around the town. At one time it devolved upon Capt. Sleeper to inspect the detachment of " Scott's Nine Hundred " cavalry, to which reference has already been made. As might have been expected by any one who knew anything about this body, he reported them to be in a poor state of discipline and generally in an un- soldierly condition. This was mild in the light of the actual facts; but it so enraged the German cap- tain in command of them, that, stimulated by com- missary whiskey, he afterwards rode up to Capt. Sleeper's tent, revolver in hand, bent on his destruc- tion. Fortunately, however, the Captain was away, or the recklessness of the frenzied Teuton might have cost one or the other his life; and although it is said to be sweet and pleasant to die for one's country, it certainly would be no gain to the country or glory to posterity to fall a victim to the rage of a drunken idiot. Spring at last appeared, bringing clearer skies and the advent of the long expected paymaster. The 36 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. mud gradually dried up, drills and target practice were resumed, and grumbling and despondency ceased. Eumors of enemies hovering near, suspect- ed plans of the citizens to capture our camp by a sudden night attack, and the large number of prisoners brought in by the cavalry pickets, caused increased watchfulness and excitement. The bread question was still unsettled and seemed as perverse as Banquo's ghost. In some mysterious manner the flour still disappeared daily, and the men continued to have bread fresh from the bakery. At last a compromise was effected, a large oven drawn from the commissary department, and thenceforward' our bread was baked in camp. By the middle of April the Thirty-ninth Massachu- setts and Fourteenth iN^ew Hampshire regiments were ordered away, and our prospects became a mat- ter of interest. The Twenty-third Maine and Tenth Vermont regiments, which had been distributed along the river at the fords, and the squadron of cavalry, constituted, besides our own Company, the entire force remaining; seemingly just weak enough, as we thought, to tempt a surprise from Mosby and his gang the first favorable opportunity. However, he did not appear to think so, and everything remained quiet until the 18th of April, when, we struck our tents, packed up, bade adieu to Camp Davis, as it was called in honor of the Colonel of the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, and moved out of town nearly a mile to spend an indefinite season. Our new camp (called Heintzelman, in honor of the commander of the defences of Washington under whom we then were) was located on the premises of one Henry Young. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. 37 An airy awning was built over the picket to shelter the horses; trees, both pine and cedar, were cut and set about our tents; arbors were built in front of some; and, on the whole, we seemed likely to have quite a desirable summer residence. Having got fully established once more, the usual routine camp duties were resumed. These were the halcyon days of the Battery, when it had reached its highest state of proficiency in drill. As an index of our expertness, an observer might have seen the Battery drawn up on the drill-ground on Benson's farm, adjoining the camp, some morning, unlimbered for action, the cannoneers standing about the guns. At a given command they spring at them. Bach man has his own special part to perform, and this he strictly attends to or confusion would ensue. The handspikes, sponge buckets, and other implements are stripped off with the utmost dispatch; the trail is raised in air, the gun at once tipped and poised on its muzzle, freed from the carriage, and dropped on the ground. The wheels are next removed and laid beside the axle, and the battery lies in pieces on the turf. The cannoneers then resume their stations. Again, at the command, they spring to the work; the uheels instantly slip to their places; by a strong pull altogether four men raise the gun with handspikes till it is again poised on the muzzle; meanwhile, the carriage has been pushed up with elevated trail, and the heavy piece falls back promptly with its trunnions in their appointed sockets. A few nimble leaps re- store the implements to their respective places, and the Battery is ready for action. When all is com- pleted, if the observer has noted the time, he will find 38 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. that the carriages have been taken to pieces, put together again, and the motions of loading and firing gone through with, in less than a minute. This manoeuvre was once accomplished by the Fourth Detachment in forty-nine seconds. In this camp, as in Camp Davis, occasional incidents occurred to enliven the monotony of drill. At one time we were inspected by a lieutenant from the Tenth Yermont Infantry, who evidently knew but little of artillery matters, and being quite well advanced in that state of exaltation which is sometimes styled " How came you so," ventured criticisms on no point except our dishes, taking the opportunity to recom- mend to us a new improvement, sold by a Capt. Dil- lingham of his regiment, consisting of a dipper . furnished with a wire bail. He returned in trans- ports at our appearance, and, having seen double, reported Capt. Sleeper's Battery of twelve gims and three hundred men as in splendid condition. We, on the other hand, took the hint about the dippers, and from that day forward a tin vessel fitted with a wire bail was known among us as a " Dillingham." The weather becoming quite warm, nearly every man appeared under a straw hat, purchased in the town at the store of Jesse T. Higgins, one of two grocers then located there. During the first week in May the battle of Chan- cellorsville was fought and lost. Soon afterwards the Rebel movement northward began, and our days of quiet were broken in upon by frequent rumors of a move. The centre section, commanded by Lieut. Asa Smith, was sent to Edwards Ferry the 9th of May, and its guns put in position to command the THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 39 crossing of the Potomac and the mouth of Groose Creek opposite. It was supported by a squadron of cavalry under command of Capt. Closson. During its stay there Capt. Sleeper concluded to try an experiment, which was, to see how long it would require, should any emergency arise demanding it, to hitch in the rest of the Battery and join this sec- tion at the Ferry. The " Boot and Saddle " call was sounded, the horses taken from the picket, harnessed, hitched in, the cannoneers mounted, and the two sec- tions driven at rapid speed over the more than two miles that intervened, reaching their destination in just forty-four minutes after the bugle call. Satis- factory as the result was in the testing of this par- ticular question, it nevertheless came near resulting disastrously; for the centre section, unapprised of the experiment, made up of fearless men, and commanded by one of the same kind, when they saw the contin- uous cloud of dust raised by the approaching column, very naturally surmising it to be a squadron of Rebel cavalry dashing down upon them, manned the guns, and in another instant would have sent their deadly compliments among their own brethren; but provi- dentially they at that moment caught a glimpse of the colors, and the disaster was averted. Another incident in which this detached section played an interesting part has , been the subject of much pleasantry inside and outside the Company. It happened that one Sunday afternoon the cannoneers on lookout at the guns reported a party issuing from the woods into an opening some distance across the river. The suspected body was at once carefully scrutinized through field-glasses, and declared by 40 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. some to be Eebel cavalry, but this was doubted by others. At all events, a field officer of the Tenth Yermont Infantry, who was present, gave orders to fire upon the intruders, which was done, and they scattered with dispatch. Shortly after the occurrence, perhaps a day or two, the story was reported in camp that the shells had been directed at a negro funeral ; that the mourners were just about to consign the deceased to his final resting-place when thus rudely interrupted. "Whether this was or was not true still remains a mooted question, but, true or false, the author has thought it too good a story to be lost to the Company, and therefore has reproduced it in brief. One incident more and we leave the Ferry. One day, in the absence of Lieut. Smith at the main camp, a cavalry picket came galloping at full speed to Capt. Closson's tent, informing him that a column of Eebel cavalry was approaching. He at once went to Serg. Fred. Gould, in command of the guns, and ordered him to fire upon the advancing column. This the sergeant declined to do, not feeling quite so sure that it was a hostile party. Thereat the valiant Captain waxed quite irate, and, laying his hand on his sabre, contemplated some deed of violence; but the sergeant's delay had warded ofi" disaster, for just then the advance of the so-called enemy, which was no other than the Second Massachusetts Cavalry, ap- peared above the banks of the road which wound around up the hill into camp. How much life was wasted during the war on both sides by just such blundering as this might have been, will never be known. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 41 One day a long, lank negro, full six feet six inches in height, whom we had seen a few times before, made his appearance in camp. He was one of those individuals whose legs and arms are of such unconscionable extent, that it is impossible to find pantaloons and sleeves long enough to cover more than two-thirds their length. As he took a seat on a camp-stool, his legs, coming up grasshopper-like to a level with his ebony face, recalled to one's mind, in all except color, the quaint portraiture of Ichabod Crane, the schoolmaster of Sleepy Hollow. He passed by the name of William Walker. He pro- fessed to be a spy, employed by Gen. Hooker on very secret service, frequenting the Rebel camps to pick up information, and claimed to have saved our camp from a surprise, early in the spring, by giving timely notice at headquarters. We enter into con- versation with him, and derive the usual slight amount of satisfaction from his answers to our in- quiries. Every sentence is mysterious and indefinite, and winds up with a round guifaw. He talks with great volubility, telling us he has just come from the enemy's camp, and that we must get out of here, as the " Rebs " are coming with men enough to eat u%,a,ll up. After this exhibition of wit, he rolls up his eyes with intense delight, and watbhes the effect of his remark on his auditors. He was a good-natured genius, and was never permitted to leave camp until he had danced and patted "Juba," which he did in true plantation style, himself furnishing the music with his voice. The picture his ungainly figure presented on these occasions was ludicrous in the extreme. We could learn nothing definite from the man this 42 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. time, which was the last we ever saw of him. Whether he really was a Union spy, or, on the other hand, a Eehel or an impostor, we never could determine. But whatever his testimony was worth, it tended, with other vague rumors which came to our ears, to show that some important movement was at hand. ]^o papers had come from Washington for some days, and we were left to the mercy of Dame Eumor for all the news we obtained, which was usually scarce worth repeating. At last there came something def- inite. On the morning of June 11, before sunrise, three or four cavalrymen, hatless, coatless, and covered with dust, came galloping into camp with their horses in a reeking sweat. It seems that a band of Mosby's cavalry surprised their little camp of forty men — located at Seneca, some six miles down the river — before they were up, killed four, took seven- teen prisoners, and fell to plundering the tents. The remainder of the detachment fought desperately a few moments, but being overpowered, took to flight, hav- ing killed one and wounded several of their assail- ants. The;, belonged to the Sixth Michigan. As soon as the story of the terrified fugitives could be learned, " Boot and Saddle " was sounded, every- thing was hastily packed tip, and our little force marched breakfastless to higher ground in rear of the camp, towards Poolesville, and took position in line of battle, our guns being in front, the Tenth Vermont and Twenty-third Maine infantry support- ing us, and the cavalry on both flanks. In rear of all was a stone wall, which was to serve as a " last ditch " if worst came to worst. In the excitement of the THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERT. 43 scene how we strained our eyes up the road and longed for the enemy's line to appear! Ever and anon the dust rose in clouds, but revealed only gal- loping orderlies, and excited officers riding to and fro with' no inconsiderable amount of the pomp and circumstance of war. Col. Jewett, of the Tenth Vermont, was in command of this formidable array. While we were thus boldly awaiting the onset of the Kebels, their band was doubtless trotting leisurely back across the river with their booty, chuckling over the success of their morning's adventure. Could they have seen our martial array, six miles in their rear, their enjoyment would have been sensi- bly increased. Some of our force, with vision preter- naturally acute, saw an enemy in every bush, and one or two averred that a whole troop had passed through the woods a quarter of a mile distant and turned our flank. Others there were thirsting for glory. One Heutenant of infantry saw a stirring among the bushes in a ravine in front. At once his purpose was formed. With a look of pale determination and lofty courage, he unsheathed his sword, and alone charged fiercely down the glen. "Bright gleamed his blade and terribly flashed his eye ! " Tearing apart the shrubbery that held the foe in concealment, he dragged him to the light, and beheld — an aston- ished hospital nurse in quest of water. Thus ended the ever memorable event known in our company as the battle of Benson's Hill, so called, from the name of the man on whose farm it was fought; on which occasion we seemed in all but numbers like the King of France, as sung by Mother 44 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. Goose, who with forty thousand men inarched up a hill and then marched down again. We returned to camp at noon; but our troubles did not end here. Gen. Lee was now fairly launched on his great invasion of the ISTorth, and our isolated position seemed one fraught with much danger. l^ow and then the sound of distant cannonading told of cavalry contests between opposing armies as both were pressing northward, but we could hear nothing definite about what was actually taking place. Four days after the raid at Muddy Branch, or Seneca, the centre section was summoned from the Ferry. "We threw up rifle-pits on Benson's Hill (our first expe- rience in this kind of engineering, which paled before our later efibrts), and kept everything packed ready to move at a moment's notice. Some of us packed up superfluous clothing and conveniences, and expressed them home by way of Adamstown. Night after night the harnesses were placed on the horses, and at 3 o'clock in the morning we were turned out, sleepy and cross, to hitch them to the pieces in anticipation of an early attack. At daybreak the harnesses were taken off". One night, about one o'clock, an oflSicer rode into camp with the tidings that Rebel pickets were in possession of our rifle-pits. "Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro" in the darkness, and silent mustering and mutterings of warriors. " All communication with Washington is cut ofi"! " was whispered round. " We are to fight desperately if attacked, and fall back on Harper's Ferry." A truly agreeable prospect, that historic place being more than thirty miles distant! One section of the Battery was sent out with a reconnoi- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 45 tring party, which returned in a half hour reporting a false alarm. It arose, as we ascertained in the morn- ing, from three or four cavalrymen who had strayed from a detachment of Hooker's army and lain down by the wall to sleep. We treated them to a good breakfast, and from them received our first reliable news of the great invasion. Soon after, men from Edwards Ferry rejported the Army of the Potomac as crossing there. An army telegraph was being stretched by our camp, said to connect with Gen. Hooker's headquarters; and we now felt safe from attack, but seemed likely to be swept into the current and borne on to the great battle which all felt must soon be fought. The scattered companies of the in- fantry regiments that had been out at various points on picket were called in, and our brigade re- ceived orders to be ready to march. All our tents and superfluous camp equipage were turned over to the quartermaster to be sent to the rear, our personal baggage was reduced to the smallest possible limit, then stowed in our knapsacks, now not quite as dis- tended as when we left Massachusetts. These were then strapped upon the pieces and caissons, and hav- ing at last received marching orders, at 6 o'clock in the afternoon of June 24, 1863, we bade adieu, most of us forever, to our old camp and the village of Poolesville. As we turn in retrospect upon our sojourn here, removed from the occurrence by a lapse of eighteen years, there are thoughts which present themselves perhaps not unworthy of noting down in passing. And first, with regard to our bodily comfort. Those of us who were fortunate enough to keep off the 46 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. sick-list underwent no privations worthy of mention, save absence from our families, which was of course inseparable from the nature of the case ; and those who were seriously sick were at once removed to Washington, where good nursing and medical attend- ance were always to be had. Dr. ChUd, of the Tenth Vermont, was the brigade surgeon, and, so far as we know, was competent in his calling. Our living was, in the main, good enough. It was not what we were accustomed to at home, and very properly should not have been. On the other hand, many of the men who grumbled loudest and were the daintiest, in all proba- bility lived no better before their enlistment, and per- haps have not since their discharge, than they Hved during their six months' stay here. We are making no apology for the animated hard-tack, or stale ieef that was too frequently served out to us; but taking a broad and dispassionate survey of the whole field, it is our candid conviction that the Company was not badly served in the matter of rations, on the whole. We did believe, however, and with good reason, as we still think, that inasmuch as the Battery did not use all its allowances, a large surplus had or ought to have accumulated in the Company Fund, already mentioned; and this should have been properly ac- counted for, and ultimately inured in some manner to the benefit of the Company. This being the case, we do not know how much better we might have been served under proper management, and hence a foot- hold is made for the complaint of unjust adminis- tration in the department of subsistence. The disposition to improve our bill of fare at the expense of neighboring farm-yards seemed to have THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. 47 died out with our departure from Camp Davis. A more extended familiarity with the adjacent territory, and, as a consequence, a better acquaintance with the people, who, although secessionists, appeared more like human beings than we had believed it possible for Rebels to do, had made us somewhat more mer- ciful to their effects. And again, whether we con- demn or approve the character of the government rations furnished us, there was certainly a very per- ceptible increase in the pounds avoirdupois of a large portion of the Company, whose daily routine may be fairly stated as follows: breakfast, sleep, drill; dinner, sleep, drill; supper, sleep; — the result of which was a condition of body and mind positively antagonistic to tiresome raids over fences, fields, and ditches in the darkness, and in the uncertain and sometimes dangerous pursuit of special rations. Our living was at times obtained quite indepen- dently of the government, by means of the boxes from home, that were received with greater or less fre- quency. These were always inspected at headquar- ters before they came into our possession, and all contraband articles, in the line of liquors, confiscated. This seemed one of the singular anomalies of the war, that intoxicants were regarded a dangerous indul- gence for the private soldier, who, in a sense, had no responsibility, but the correct thing for the commis- sioned officer, upon whom devolved every responsi- bility. Could this state of affairs have been exactly reversed, or, better still, could all liquors, save for hospital uses, have been proscribed in the army, we believe the war would have been ended long before it was, and many a hearthstone, now desolate, would be 48 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. gladdened by the presence of the unfortunate ones ■whO; in various ways, fell innocent victims to this great curse. To see the eager crowd gather round the recipient of a box and watch the unpacking and unwrapping of every article, and each commend as approvingly as if the contents were his own, would have rejoiced the hearts of the kind friends at home. It was down- right enjoyment to them. If they belonged to the same tent's crew with the owner of the treasure they were siire of a closer interview than a simple obser- vation gave them; for the war, with its community of interest, developed sympathy and large-hearted generosity among the rank and file, and they shared liberally, especially with those who had no one at home to remember them in this pleasant manner. With our departure from Poolesville more than nine months of our term of service had expired. If we had not made our mark in active service the fault was not our own. We obeyed orders, we did not originate them. It was not unusual for troops to be out of action several months after their muster. It will be remembered, too, that there was little ^ activity in the main army after our arrival at Washington. The Army of the Potomac lay inactive nearly five months subsequent to the disastrous battle of Fredericksburg. But there is no doubt whatever about our having been serviceable here, and that the presence of our brigade at the upper fords of the Potomac did pre- vent frequent incursions of Eebel raiders into this section. But there are other reasons for claiming that these were valuable months for the Company and the gov- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 49 ernment. First, then, there is of necessity a broad chasm to be spanned between the citizen and the full- fledged soldier. The citizen possesses certain rights in whose exercise he is restricted when he becomes a soldier. . As a citizen he has a voice in deciding who shall be his rulers; as a soldier, usually none: as a citizen he is justly bound to obey all laws intended to promote the general welfare, since he had a voice in making them; as a soldier he is held rigidly accountable for the infringement of all military laws, in whose making he had no voice. It matters not if they are the mandates of the veriest tyrant in the army, or if they violate every principle of reason, common-sense, or justice ; the laws of the service are inexorable, and its exigencies require an unflinching and exact obedience. The existence of a conscience in the person of the ofiender is not for a moment to be considered. As a citizen his time is wholly his own; as a soldier there is not a second to which he can surely lay claim. The citizen calls no man master; the soldier may be compelled to bow before a man infinitely his inferior in every respect, — illustrations of which were very frequent during the war. In view of these and other considerations that might be cited, time was a very desirable . and potent agency in bringing about the adaptation of the citizen to the new order of things. Again, the fact of our proficiency in light artillery tactics has already been alluded to, and we only refer to it here as a second advantage derived in these early months. Instances were not wanting, during the RebelHon, of batteries being sent to the front, under a pressing demand for troops, as soon as they 50 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. received their guns, without this thorough prepara- tion. They had the implements of warfare, it is true, but were the merest apprentices with them, and con- sequently, when involved in an action, had no confi- dence in themselves and felt comparatively- helpless. There can be but one result under such circum- stances, — that of confusion and disaster to this particular organization, and, perhaps, through it to others. Hence, whenever we reflect upon our record at Camp Barry and at Poolesville in this respect, it arouses our pride, and we feel that these were valu- able, months in the school of the soldier. If the Tenth Massachusetts Battery was a unit during its nearly three years of service, — and it certainly was ; if the men were subordinate to their superiors, — and the residents of Poolesville say they left a good impression there in this respect j if the Battery did its full duty whenever its services were called for, — and the official reports do it ample justice on this head; if its members ever stood up manfully to their work, confident in their own strength, fearlessly dealing out death and destruction among the enemy, silencing battery after battery, under adversity defi- antly contesting every inch of ground, — and we challenge any company in the service, engaged the same number of times, to show a better record; if the history of this organization in its entirety is one of which its members, its friends, and the Common- wealth may justly be proud, — and this fact has received recognition on many public occasions ; — the pages of that history were heightened in their glory and brilliancy by sharp general and individual dis- cipline in the schools of Camp Barry and Poolesville. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 51 Before taking our leave of this camp, it is proper to note the gaps made in our ranks since leaving Camp Barry. Reuben Wendall, John Norton, Wil- liam H. Martin, Samuel Hanson, John W. French, Joseph Brooks, and Edwin T. Atwood, had been discharged for disability. Frederick F. Brown and Moses G. Critchett had added their names to the list of deserters, the former decamping before the Com- pany's arrival at Poolesville, and the latter from Camp Heintzelman. To the credit of our organization it may here be stated that these were the last of the original members to desert their flag and the cause in which they had volunteered. 52 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEBY. CHAPTEK V June 24 to July 31, 1863. MAECH TO MARYLAND HEIGHTS — JOIN FRENCH'S COMMAND — MARCH TO FREDERICK — GUARDING THE MONOCACY BRIDGE AT FREDERICK JUNCTION — RUMBLINGS OF GET- TYSBURG—HANGING OF A SPY — WE JOIN THE THIRD CORPS OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC — MARCH TO SOUTH MOUNTAIN — WILLIAMSPORT — ESCAPE OF LEE — CHAGRIN OF THE ARMY — ANTIETAM BATTLEFIELD — THROUGH PLEASANT VALLEY INTO LOUDON VALLEY — FOUR MEN PRISONERS — WAPPING HEIGHTS— WAREENTON — CAMP AT SULPHUR SPRINGS. Ai'TER leaving Poolesville we marched until 10 o'clock p. M., when, having travelled about six miles, we halted for the night, going into park on a little knoll near the roadside. This spot will be remem- bered by comrades of the Company for the sickening stench, filling the night air, from some animal carcasses rotting near by. We unharnessed and stretched the picket-rope across the caissons, a plan usually adopted in temporary camps. To this the horses were hitched, soon to be fed and groomed; then, spreading the tarpaulins on the ground, and arranging our blankets upon them, we " turned in," and slept soundly till the shrill bugle notes broke our slumbers at half-past two in the morning. About 4 o'clock the infantry filed off into the road. We soon followed, and when the sun rose hot and scorch- ing, and we saw them toiling along under their load of musket, knapsack, cartridge-box, haversack, and canteen, we considered ourselves — required to bear THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 53 only the two latter articles — especially fortunate in belonging to artillery. At 8 o'clock we stopped for breakfast, munching our hard-tack and drinking our coffee with the relish which a march is wont to confer. During the day we crossed the Monocacy River, passing through Licks- ville, a small settlement on its left bank. In the afternoon some one blundered and sent the brigade off two miles on the wrong road. In attempting to make up for this loss the troops became scattered for miles along the road, and two or three of our horses dropped in their traces. At night, however, all came together again, and, thoi'oughly weary, we went into camp at a place called Petersville. As a drizzling rain had set in we pitched our tarpaulins for the first time with the aid of rails. This day we marched little, if any, less than twenty miles. We recall the fact that our spirits were not a little cheered by the abundance o:^ cherries along the line of march, to which we helped ourselves with our accustomed lib- erality, and this, too, with little compunction, as they generally grew by the roadside and seemed to be county property. Morning of Friday, June 26, broke wet and drip- ping, but we early resumed our march, and toiling on over a rocky road traversed by gullies rushing with water, at 9 o'clock entered the mountain region and the magnificent scenery of Harper's Ferry. Passing on through the dirty, desolate little settlements of Knoxville, Weverton, and Sandy Hook, and following the narrow road in its winding, with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal on one side and the perpendicular rocks of Maryland Heights on 54 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. the Other, we came at last opposite the historic town itself. Set as it is in one of the angles formed by the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, and nestling at the foot of grand old mountains, its houses rising one above another on the bank of the former river, in time of peace it must have seemed a gem of beauty; but now, with the once splendid bridge of the Baltimore and Ohio Koad, which crosses the river at this place, half destroyed, the long armory buildings a row of black- ened ruins by the river side, and the whole place deserted and desolate, it seemed singled out as a victim for the blighting hand of War. But we moved on. A long, winding ascent, often rugged and in places quite steep, finally brought us to the high ground known as Maryland Heights, situated opposite the Ferry. Here we found about eight thousand troops, representing eleven diiferent States, encamped, under the command of Maj. Gen. William H. French, a native of Maryland, who served with distinction in the Mexican War.* A part of the troops were located in our immediate neighbor- hood, a part on commanding ground to the north, while yet others occupied the lofty ridge of the Heights that rose above us several hundred feet toward the south, which, though often enveloped in clouds, was strongly fortified and well provided with troops. Along the crest of these mountains, which are the continuation of the Blue Kidge into Maryland, Ker- * Since writing the above, General French has deceased, dying in Wash- ington, in May, 1881, of apoplexy. He had but recently been placed on the retired list. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 55 ehaw's and Barksdale's brigades, of Stonewall Jack- son's command, marched the year before and captured the place, havhig forced their way through what was thought to be an impassable forest. The bones of the Rebels slain in the attack on the outer work were plainly visible, protruding from the shallow graves in which they had been hastily buried by friend or foe. The "morning after we reached the Heights, the clouds, which had been discharging their watery con- tents upon us with unpleasant constancy since our arrival, broke away, and promised fair weather and a burning sun. We could see along the lofty ridge huge guns pointing off over the plains, and the white army wagons slowly toiling up its rugged sides; in the afternoon, however, dense clouds rolled over the mountain and drenched everybody and everything with showers of tropical intensity. So, for every one of five days spent in that locality, we were alternately cheered by transient sunshine in the morning, and saturated by copious showers in the afternoon. On the 29th, the Twenty-third Maine, whose term of service had expired, went home rejoicing. It had not seen any fighting. It was made up of stalwart men, and was quite well drilled, better, perhaps, than any other at Poolesville. On the same date, one of " Scott's Nine Hundred," shot while picketing on Bolivar Heights, was brought into camp, and a Dutch lieutenant and nineteen men were captured. This, of course, was a sensation for us. It made war seem more of a reality than hitherto. Thirty Rebel prison- ers were also brought in this day. One forenoon * • June 26th. 56 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. Gen. Hooker came riding up the Heights on his white horse* This was our first and last sight of that * " All doubt as to the enemy's purposes being now dispelled. Gen. Hooker crossed the Potomac near Edwards Ferry, and advanced to Frederick, himself visiting by the way Harper's Ferry. He found there, or rather on Maryland Heights, Gen. French with 11,000 men, whom he very naturally desired to add to his army in the momentous battle now pending. . . . Hooker had already drawn from the garrison at Washing- ton all that Halleck would spare — leaving but 11,000 eflfectives under Heiutzelman, which was none too much. But having crossed the Poto- mac, he had very properly inquired by telegraph of Halleck, ' Is there any reason why Maryland Heights should not be abandoned after the public stores and property are removed ? ' and been answered : ' Maryland Heights have always been regarded as an important point to be held by us, and much expense and labor incurred in fortifying them. I cannot approve of their abandonment except in case of absolute neces- sity.' Hooker at once rejoined : ' I have received your telegram m regard to Harper's Ferry. I find 10,000 men here in condition to take the field. Here, they are of no earthly account. They cannot defend a ford of the river ; and so far as Harper's Ferry is concerned, there is nothing of it. As for the fortifica- tions, the work of the troops, they remain when the troops are with- drawn. No enemy will ever take possession of them /or them. This is my opinion. All the public property could have been secured to-nitrht, and the troops marched to where they could have been of some service. Now they are but a bait for the rebels should they return. I beg that this may be presented to the Secretary of War and his Excellency the Piesident. Joseph Rook^er, Major-GeneraP " In regard to this grave matter of difference. Hooker was clearly in the right ; not clearly so in sending this despatch immediately after- ward : ' Sandy Hook, June 27, 1863. ' Maj. Gen. H. W. Halleck, General-in-Chief ' My original instructions require me to cover Harper's Ferry and Washington. I have now imposed upon me, in addition, an enemy in my front of more than my numbers. I beg to be understood, respectfully but firmly, that I am unable to comply with this condition with the means at my disposal, and earnestly request that I may at once be relieved from the position I occupy. ' Joseph Hookek, Major-GeneraV " The next day brought Col. Hardie to Hooker's headquarters at Frederick, with instructions relieving Hooker, and devolving the com- mand on Gen. Meade, who was therewith advised that he might do as he pleased with the Harper's Ferry men. . . . Such a change of THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 57 gallant soldier while the war lasted, as he was relieved on the 28th, and saw his next active service in com- mand of the Eleventh and Twelfth corps, when they were sent to Sherman's army. Rumors now began to prevail that the Heights and Harper's Ferry were to be evacuated, and soon the order came to be ready to move, June 30, at six in the morning. We were ready at the time appointed, but vainly waited hour after honr for further orders. The heavy artillerymen were busily employed in re- moving siege guns down the mountain to the canal, where they were loaded on canal boats to be sent to Washington; also in removing quartermasters' stores, preparing to destroy ammunition, etc.; so that we knew the evacuation was certainly determined upon. During our wait the usuaUshowers visited us at short intervals, and we huddled as best we could under the tarpaulins hastily stretched over the guns and cais- sons. In the height of one of these, several explosions occurring in rapid succession led us to suppose the work of destruction had begun. We afterwards learned that they were the result of carelessness. Some one with more zeal than discretion struck a percussion shell with an axe, intending to destroy it. He accomplished his object, but not in accordance with his expectations. The shell exploded, commu- nicating fire to a small magazine near by, and this in commanders, for no more urgent reasons, on the very brink of a great battle, has few parallels in history Whatever his faults. Hooker was loyed and trusted by his soldiers, who knew less of Meade, and had less faith in him. Had that army been polled, it would have voted to fight the impending battle under Hooker without the aid of French's 11,000 men, rather than under Meade wjY/t that reinforcement." — American Conflict, Vol. n. 58 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. turn exploded, all of which resulted in killing eleven and wounding sixteen men. They were members of the Fourteenth Massachusetts and One Hundred and Fifty-first ]^ew York heavy artillery. Shortly after 3 o'clock orders finally came to start, and down we went over rocks and through streams of water, retracing our course hither, until, having traversed some six or seven miles, we went into camp for the night, about a mile distant from our former stop- ping-place, near Petersville. It was with no feelings of regret that we turned our backs on Maryland Heights, for it rained when we approached them, it rained as we ascended them, rained every day we remained, rained a second deluge when we left; and had not the writer satisfied himself to the contrary during a visit to the place in July, 1869, when he spent a' delightfully clear and cool night upon the summit, he would be ready to affirm that it has rained there ever since. The night of June 30th was one of the dreariest in our whole career. We were new to the rousrh ex- perience of campaigning in all weathers, and various circumstances conspired to cast a gloom over our prospects. With the arrival of darkness, the rain commenced to fall again with fresh violence, and our tarpaulins, pitched on the wet ground of a side hill, proved a poor protection. Although themselves tolerably impenetrable to water, they did not prevent the rain from driving in at the open ends, or miniature mill-streams from coursing down the slope beneath us. In the midst of this discomfort we were called into line to learn that we were to join the Army of the Potomac, that Gen. Hooker had been relieved and THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEBT. 59 Gen. Meade appointed in his stead. "We knew that the Rebel army in unknown numbers was sweeping through Maryland, and that, as a fierce battle was more or less imminent, a change of leaders at this important juncture might dampen the ardor of the Union army and make it a less confident opponent of its old-time antagonist. In this dark period of its history we were to join that army and cast in our lot with it for victory or defeat, for life or death.* When at last we were at liberty to return to our quarters we lay down, and, all things considered, slept well till morning, at which time we turned out steam- ing, to continue our march. As we moved out of the charmed circle of Maryland Heights, the clouds broke away and the sun came forth intensely hot and scorch- ing. Many of the infantry gave way under it. Some were sunstruck, and we now longed for the clouds as anxiously as before we had looked for the sun. Passing through a settlement called Middle Creek, and the pretty little village of Jefferson, at which we tarried awhile at noon, we arrived about sundown at the city of Frederick, since made famous * Had Hooker been permitted to take French's troops from Maryland Heights, there is good reason for believing that we should have become a permanent part and parcel of the Twelfth Corps, as the following extract from Swinton's " Ai"my of the Potomac " will show. After speaking of the moves open to Hooker from Frederick, where he had concentrated, he says : " There is yet evidence that he purposed making at least a strong demonstration on Lee's line of communications. With this view he threw out Iiis left well westward to Middletown, and ordered the Twelfth Corps, under General Slocum, to march to Harper's Ferry. Here Slo- cum was to be joined by the garrison of that post, eleven thousand strong, under General French, and the united force was to menace the Confederate rear by a movement towards Chambersburg." 60 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. by Whittier's " Barbara Frietchie." The city lay in a section of country whose beauty was truly charming; and, indeed, the whole of Pleasant Valley, — that being the name of the stretch of territory over which we had just passed, —with its fresh green fields, and dwellings betokening an air of unusual thrift and comfort, having the Blue Kidge as a back- ground, presented a picture of rural loveliness still distinct on the tablets of memory. On every side waved fields of grain and other crops just yielding to the reaper. The people seemed kind and loyal, and the general appearance of industry reminded us vividly of our own New England. July 2d was a general drying-day, for the frequent rains of the preceding days had not only completely soaked the clothing we wore, but had also penetrated the contents of our shoddy knapsacks, so that shirts, blouses, jackets, and blankets were to be seen stretched upon every available fence or carriage to dry. We learned here that the Army of the Potomac had been passing through Frederick for two days, but instead of pressing on to overtake it, we were sent at 3 o'clock p. M., with the Tenth Vermont Regiment and a company of cavalry, three miles from the city to Frederick Junction, a station on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, from which a short branch extended to the city. Our business here was to guard the railroad bridge across the Monocacy.* A block house erected for •"NorisMoadejustlyblamablo for not pushing forward at once on the heels of his beaten foes His real and grave error dated several days back of this. He had, on assuming command, been authorized to do as he judged best with French's force on Maryland THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 61 the same purpose stood near by. The spot was rather attractive as a whole, and the prospect of ample opportunity to wash and bathe in the river was quite gratifying. On the morning of July 3d, before we had turned out, a faint rumbling of cannon was perceptible to the ear. It was the incipient muttering of the third day's battle at Gettysburg. Often during the day did we kneel to the ground, and the q^^ick throbbing sounds heard at irregular intervals told us the two great armies had indeed met, forty miles away, and were engaged in deadly struggle for the mastery. This day the rest of Gen. Morris's brigade, to which we were at- tached, came to the Junction and camped near us. The morning of the Fourth dawned, with the contest still nndecided. Our anxiety for the result, however, as the day wore on, was in part overcome by an in- tense desire for food. Our hard-tack was crawling with weevils, and the meat cooked some days before had become equally animated with maggots. Our next resort was to the pork-barrel, and a slice of raw pork, sandwiched between hard-tack from which the tenants had been expelled by fire, formed our Fourth of July dinner. This day news came that Lee was Heights, and Couch's in Central Pennsylvania. Had he, on deciding to fight Lee as soon as oircumsLances favored, ordered both these to join him at the earliest moment, he would now have been consciously master of the situation, and might have blocked Lee's return to Virginia. But he gave no such order to Couch ; and having at Butterfield's urgent suggestion withdrayvn French's 11,000 men from Maryland Heights, he left 7,000 of them^standing idle at Frederick, sending the residue as train guards to Washington, and actually apologized to Halleck, on meeting him, for having moved them at all ! Had Gettysburg been lost for want of these 11,000 men, his would have been a fearful responsi- bility." — American Conflict, Vol, II. 62 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. retreating, and at ,6 o'clock in the afternoon we re- ceived orders to march; but before we had gone over half the distance to Frederick, the order was counter- manded, and we returned to the Junction about 9 o'clock. The next day was the Sabbath, and the wild- est of "reports were brought by engineers on passing trains. We believed only what we pleased of these, but the great fact that the Rebel army had been de- feated and was in full retreat could no longer be doubted. liTumerous trains came along from Wash- ington, laden with fresh troops, and with horses, forage, and rations for the army, and we felt that the most energetic efforts were making to crush the enemy before he could recross the Potomac. In the midst of this excitement came news of Vicksburg's surrender, and it seemed as if the war was about to close. It was but the temporary lifting of the clouds before they again shut down under another dark night of bloodshed and disaster in which we were destined to be swept to the front of the tempest. Several trains, loaded with Rebel prisoners taken in the battle, passed along at intervals. Many of these men were quite talkative and discussed the situation very freely and pleasantly; while others, who evidently took matters less philosophically, were sullen, and either said nothing when addressed or growled in monosyllables. We gave them none but kind words, however. On the morning of the 5th, Gen. French caused a spy, bearing the name of Richardson, to be hung at Frederick, and for example's sake allowed his body to remain hanging to the tree all day. The Eighth, Forty-eighth and Fifty-first Massachu- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 63 setts, and the Seventh 'New York regiments arrived at the Junction on the 6th, and two sections of the Battery (the right and centre) were sent up to the city to do provost duty, with strict orders for all ragged and patched pantaloons to be doffed, and nothing but the best woni. Scales and boots were to be brightly polished and kept so. All of which was done. But when the old soldiers of Potomac's army passed the men as they stood on duty, and such expressions as " Bandbox Battery " and other de- rogatory remarks on their gay appearance reached the ear, the blood of would-be veterans was roused, and scales, which had always played a conspicuous part on parade occasions, vanished, nevermore to appear again. Just one pair in the whole Company is known to have survived this indignant uprising, and any comrade wishing to renew his acquaintance with that article of ornament is referred to our respected past artificer.* On the 8th of July marching orders came, and the left section, having been relieved by the Twelfth New York Battery, which had just arrived from Camp Barry, rejoined the rest of th& Company in Frederick at 2 p. m. Here we found the Army of the Potomac still passing. The troops from Har- per's Ferry were to join the Third Corps, — the celebrated fighting troops of Gen. Sickles, who, having lost a leg at Gettysburg, had left his com- mand and was succeeded by Gen. French. We soon found ourselves in the midst of the great army, cheek by jowl with the men who had fought under McDowell, and McClellan, and Pope, and * Willard Y. Gross. 64 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. Burnside, and Hooker, as principals, and under the more immediate direction of such leaders as Sumner and Franklin, Keyes and Kearny, Heint- zelman and McCall, Sedgwick, Eeno, and Banks in the earlier days of the war, and now were fresh from the gory field of Gettysburg, where Key- nolds, of precious memory, and Buford, and Han- cock, and Sickles had immortalized themselves j and we rejoiced at our good-fortune in being thus asso- ciated. "When we left Frederick, Capt. Sleeper was placed in charge of the entire supply train of the Third Corps. The long lines of ammunition and forage wagons stretching with their white cover- ings as far as the eye could reach on every road, pressing noisily on in seeming confusion, yet really moving harmoniously under a definite system with- out any collision; the long, dark-blue columns of infantry, their bayonets glistening in the sun, wind- ing down across Middletown Valley and up the oppo- site slope in advance of the trains; and the bodies of troops temporarily bivouacking by the roadside waiting to take their proper place in column, or perhaps lunching upon hard-tack and cofiee after a forced march, — combined to give us our first dis- tinct impressions of a large army in motion. We were rapidly moving towards the South Mountain range, and continually met ambulances loaded with the wounded from recent cavalry skir- mishes in the mountain passes. As we moved up out of the valley towards the mountains, and cast our eyes back over the course we had traversed, a charming scene was presented to the view. The THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 65 whole expanse of Middletown Valley lay before us, its fields ripe for the harvest, mottled with dark groves of fruit and shade trees from which peeped white buildings belonging to large - estates. In the midst stood the modest little hamlet of Middle- town and the glittering city of Frederick ; while over all was poiired a flood of mellow light from the sun just sinking behind the mountains. Among many of the older troops we found the love of McClellan still strong and deep. How was it that, after successive failure and defeat, after having lost the confidence both of the government and the people, this man succeeded in implanting such imperishable sentiments of love and devotion in his soldiers? They declared he had never been whipped, that they had driven the Rebels in every fight on the Peninsula, and if the General could have had his own way, Richmond would have been ours long since. !N^or could we make the absurdity of their views, as they appeared to us, at all plain to them by any argument or appeal to facts. Their devotion seemed something inexplicable, and we attributed it to the tact of the man and the favor- ing circumstances attaching to him as their first commander. We camped for the night on the slope of the mountain, near a brick house occupied as headquar- ters by Brig. Gen. Morris, on apportion of South Mountain battlefield. Here we lay quietly until 9 p. M. of the next day (Thursday, July 9), while the Sixth Corps and a numerous body of cavalry filed by. Having freighted our haversacks with three days' 66 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. rations, at the above time, we, too, moved on as part and parcel of the Army of the Potomac, considering ourselves now fully identified with it, and justly proud, too, of our connection. The fear of being sent into the Department of the Gulf was no longer a bugbear to us. Our fondest hopes were realized. The future was yet to show whether we should reflect credit or disgrace upon our distinguished associates. It was quite dark when we entered Turner's Gap. The road was terribly rough and rugged, which made our night march toilsome in the extreme; but we labored on until after midnight, when, having got through the Gap, we turned into a field on the right of the road, and bivouacked for the rest of the night. With the first streak of dawn the shrill bugle sum- moned us again into readiness for moving. Shortly after there came sounds of cannonading in our front, which made our pulses beat quick with expectation of battle, but we remained quiet; and when, about 10 o'clock, the column finally moved on, the firing had died away. The road was encumbered with wagon trains belonging to troops in the advance, and the weather was quite warm, so that we marched no more than five or six miles during the day. We passed through the little village of Kediesville about 6 o'clock, and camped just beyond, on a portion of the Antietam battlefield. But the harnesses were hardly off the horses before orders were received to be ready to march at once. Hungry and tired as we were, it was hard to think of moving on before taking the expected rest and refreshment on the fresh green knoll where we were in position. Nevertheless THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 67 we were soon ready and awaiting ordfere, which did not come. About midnight, as we lay scattered upon the ground asleep, orders came to unharness, and we passed the rest of the night in comparative quiet, disturbed only by the columns of passing infantry that went on and camped near Boonesboro', where we joined them the next morning (July 11). Boones- boro' bore marks of a cavalry brush that occurred there the day before. Here we fell in with the Ninth Massachusetts Battery, — our first interview with it since it left Camp Barry. It had been severely handled at Gettysburg, its first fight, losing twenty- nine men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. This day we remember as the one on which we were weaned from the Company cooks, and received our rations uncooked, for each man to prepare to his own taste. Continuing our march leisurely from Boonesboro', crossing Beaver and Antietam creeks, we arrived, at midnight, at Sampsonville, or Roxbury Mills, in or near Williamsport. The next day was the Sabbath, but all was bustle and excitement. A great battle seemed imminent. Orderlies were galloping rapidly from point to point, and everything was in readiness to move at a moment's notice. The army was in excellent spirits, and the greatest enthusiasm prevailed. The soldiers felt that they had Lee where he could not escape. His army was beaten, demoralized, panic-stricken. " Our forces," it was said, " had it surrounded in a horse-shoe, and across the opening stretched the swollen, impassable Potomac." We never afterwards 68- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. saw men so eager to be led to battle* They would have fought with the utmost zeal, for they felt that one more decisive blow would end the war, at least in Virginia; but matters lingered mysteriously. About noon, we, with other batteries, were ordered into position a mile beyond Antietam Bridge. Rumors of fighting at Hagerstown reached us, but still no sound of battle. The afternoon passed with several hard showers, and at night we unharnessed. Monday came and went with no active operations, and Tuesday morning brought no change. But soon it began to be rumored that Lee had escaped across the river. The report sounded painfully ominous. "We would not believe it. Again, and yet again, it came with greater definiteness and a persistence which marked it true. Disheartened and indignant, we advanced at noon, passing several lines of rude breastworks thrown up during the past forty-eight hours, and camped for the night near St. James Col- lege, a Catholic institution, which we found deserted and ravaged, having evidently been occupied by the Rebel army. Wednesday morning the army took up its retro- grade line of march. "We now knew definitely that Lee had been permitted to escape across the river, and it was proposed to intercept his return to Rich- mond by keeping continually on his flank, and head- ing him off at every pass. But how changed the spirits of the army ! Hope and enthusiasm, so con- * " Question. What was the condition of our army after the fightwas oyer ? " Answer. I have never seen the army so confident of success, in moat admirable spirits, and so anxious for a &ght."— Testimony of Maj. Qen. David B. Birney before the Committee on the Conduct of the War. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 69 spicuously prevalent during the past thi'ee days, had entirely disappeared. IN'othing but disgust and in- diiference was apparent in its movements. The men had been robbed of their prey, as it seemed to them, and now, instead of enjoying the laurels they had been confidently expecting as victors, they were to retnrn into Virginia, to renew their weary marches over its dusty plains and through its miry roads, to combat the foe anew in his chosen strongholds. It could not be expected that they would be otherwise than dissatisfied; but they had been so thoroughly schooled in disappointment that they did not carry their disgust beyond the point of giving it very fre- quent and emphatic expression: nor was this feeling limited to the rank and file, but was shared also by the oflB.cers. It is not within the province of this unpretentious work to discuss the wisdom or mis- takes of the movements immediately subsequent to Gettysburg, nor is it necessary. The seal of dis- approval has been set upon them by the verdict of history. It is an easy matter after an act is per- formed to show wherein it might have been bettered ; but an ounce of such philosophy before a battle is worth a ton afterwards. We shall always believe, however, that Gen. Meade did what seemed best to him at the time and under the circumstances.* • " But neither Lee's army nor his troubles were yet over. The heavy rains following the battle had swelled the Potomac to an unfordable state ; while Gen. French, who with 7,000 veterans had been left idle at Frederick during the great events in" Pennsylvania, had, without orders, sent a cavalry force to Falling Waters and Williamsport, which captured the weak guard left by Lee to hold his bridge, which they forthwith destroyed. Lee's hold on the Maryland bank was therefore compulsory, while he collected material, and repaired or renewed his bridge. Ere this was accomplished, Meade's army was before him. 70 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. It may be permitted the writer to make, as his con- tribution to the fund of post prceUum wisdom, a state- ment made to him by an ex-Confederate* connected with Lee's supply train, that the Kebel army was all but destitute of ammunition at Williamsport, and had sent its train back to Staunton for a supply, which did not reach them on its return until after they had recTOSsed the Potomac. The same authority further stated that his army was utterly demoralized and without organization, and that the Rebels supposed our army refrained from attacking because in sub- stantially the same condition. Our line of march takes us through a place called Wilmington and across a part of Antietam battle- field. On our left, a narrow strip of green extending back over the hill, a half a mile in length, marks the limits of a trench in which it is said there are three thousand bodies buried. Other patches of green, less in extent, indicate still further the resting-places of the strengthened by French's diTision and by part of Couch's militia, which had reported at Gettysburg and joined the army at Boonesboro'. The 12th having been spent in getting our troops into position, Gen. Meade called a council of his corps commanders to consider the expediency of attacking next morning. The council sat long and debated earnestly. Gens. Howard, Pleasanton, and Wadsworth (in place of Reynolds, killed), urged and voted to attack; but Gens. Sedgwick, Slocum, Sykes, French, and Hays (in place of Hancock, wounded at Gettysburg), op- posed it. Gen. Meade having heard all, stated that his judgment favored an attack — that he came there to fight, and could see no good reason for not fighting. Still, he could not take the responsibility of ordering an assault against the advice of a majority of his corps commanders — four of them ranking oflScers of the army next himself. ... At all events, he did not take it ; so our army stood idle throughout the follow- ing day, and in the night Lee withdrew across the Potomac." — Amer- ican Conflict, Vol. II. • In April, 1879. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 7I slain in this great battle.* On the hill at our right stands the " Chapel," f whose battered walls, together with the many scarred trees near it, attest the se- verity of the conflict, and the efficacy of the shooting done, we are told, by the First Massachusetts and other batteries, to dislodge the enemy from this position. The scattered bones of horses that still lay bleach- ing were the only other witnesses left by the farmers to bear testimony to the indecisive contest of ten months previous. We make these observations while pass- ing, for the army does not halt, but moves on, arriving soon after at the town of Sharpsburg, through which we pass and camp for the night about three miles beyond. This town, by whose name the Kebels designate the battle of Antietam, because their line was established near or in it, also gave evi- dence of warlike treatment. It was a low, filthy set- tlement, showing need of the healing arts of Peace, rather than the destroying tendencies of War. Eesuraing our march Thursday morning by way of Pleasant Yalley, we passed through the villages of Rohrersville and Brownsville, camping near the lat- ter until 5 o'clock p. m. the next day. Here, for some reason we never understood, but for which we were afterwards more or less grateful, we were ordered to turn in our knapsacks and do up our effects in rolls or " bundles." Although but about six miles from Harper's Ferry, we did not reach its vicinity until midnight. It was raining there still, just as when we left. We lay along the railroad, passing * All these have since been exhumed and buried in the National Cemetery. • t Known in history as the " Dunker Church." 72 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. the dreary hours as comfortably as we could, and at 5 o'clock in the gray of morning crossed the turbid waters of the Potomac by pontoon, and entered the Ferry. The town was entirely deserted by its in- habitants, and the empty houses and glaring sign- boards seemed to stare at us as the ghosts of departed happiness and business prosperity. No faces peered from the lonely windows; no smoke curled from the cold chimneys; the shelves of the stores dis- played no piles of tempting goods; no vehicles save those of the army waked the echoes of its quiet sti-eets : everything stood as it had been left, as if the life of the place had been suddenly paralyzed by the touch of some monster — the monster War. Passing on by another bridge which spanned the Shenandoah, and winding round by a narrow road under the cliffs of Bolivar Heights, we entered Lou- don Valley and began our experience in war-swept Virginia. It was a beautiful country we had en- tered.- The route lay through forests of oak, against which the woodman's axe appeared never to have been lifted, and then emerged in the midst of fertile fields waving with wheat and other grains. On our right stretched the Blue Kidge, like a sheltering wall against the rude blasts of winter, and the country seemed fitted to be a garden of plenty. The inhabi- tanfs were evidently not in harmony with the natural beauty around them. The poor in their miserable hovels, and with scanty gardens, were contented if they "could maintain a bare existence and keep star- vation from the door. The estates of the wealthier, •while having some show of comfort and plenty, wore a neglected and decaying appearance, partly THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERT. 73 because war had stifled all thrift and enterprise, and partly owing to the natural condition of things at the Soxith on account of slavery. Daring our first day in Virginia we marched aboiit eleven miles, and the next day seven more, camping near an insignificant settlement, known as Woods- grove, amidst a profusion of blackberries. From this place Sergt. AUard and privates Alden, Ab- bott, and F. A. Chase were sent, mounted, back to Berlin on the Maryland side of the Potomac, with requisitions for a supply of mules to take the place of the horses on our baggage wagons. While on their return they were captured by guerrillas and taken to Belle Isle, Virginia. A detailed account of their experience will be found in the Appendix. Monday morning, the 20th, we continued our line of march, passing through Snickersville, near Snick- er's Gap, Bloomfield, and Paris, all small villages, and camped at Upperville near Ashby's Gap, where we remained until the afternoon of the 22d, lea\#ng at 5 o'clock; the right and centre sections advancing about six miles and camping at Piedmont. The left section having been detailed as rear guard to the sup- ply train, was on the road all night in that capacity, and the next morning made a rapid march of twelve miles to rejoin the Battery. We overtook it at mid- day pushing on into Manassas Gap. We met a body of cavalry and flying artillery coming out of the gap. They had been holding it until the army arrived. We were directly ordered into positidti on one of a series of eminences known as Wapping Heights, commanding the road through the Pass. It was thought Lee intended to get possession of 74 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERT. these, and a battle was momentarily expected* But no sooner were our guns in position than, wearied with the march of the last twenty hours, many of the men fell down beside them and slept soundly. At sundown we began to cast about for something to eat, rations being in arrears as well as forage. A neiffhborino: cornfield furnished a meal of green stalks for the horses, and from the remains of a cow that had been slaughtered by some of the infantry who had preceded us, several of the Company gleaned meat enough for supper. Others, making a raid on a neighboring barn-yard, secured a calf and a sheep, which were promptly ofiered up as victims to the needs of the present hour. * " Gen. Meade crossed the Potomac ... on the 18th, . . . moving to Warrenton. This movement being in advance of Lee, who halted for some days near Bunker Hill and made a feint of recrossing the Poto- mac, Meade was enabled to seize all the passes through the Blue Ridge north of the Rappahannock, barring the enemy's egress from the Shen- andoah save by a tedious flank march. " MeiSe, misled by his scouts, had expected to fight a battle in Manassas Gap — or rather on the west side of it — where our cavalry under Buford found the enemy in force ; when the 3d Corps was sent in haste from Ashby's Gap to Buford's support, and its 1st division, Gen. Hobart Ward, pushed through the Gap, and the Excelsior brigade. Gen. F. B. Spinola, made three heroic charges up as many steep and difficult ridges, dislodging and driving the enemy with mutual loss, — Gen. Spinola being twice wounded. . . . " Next morning, our soldiers pushed forward to Front Royal, but encountered no enemy. Unknown to us, the Excelsiors had been fight- ing a brigade of Ewell's men who were holding the Gap, whUe Rhodes' division, forming the rear guard of Lee's army, marched past up the valley, and had, of course, followed on its footsteps during the night. No enemy remained to fight ; but two days were lost by Meade getting into and out of the Gap ; during which Lee moved rapidly southward, passing around our right flank, and appearing in our front when our army again looked across the Rappahannock." — ^mencaw Conflict, Vol n. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 75 In the morning several rapid volleys of musketry were heard, and we expected soon to be engaged, but the sounds at length died away. The dark masses of infantry that were encamped on the hills around began to file down into the road and retrace their steps by the way they had come. Then we knew that the Rebels had gone. Of course the sanguine circulated rumors that there was but one gap left by which they could escape to Richmond, and that, our forces could reach first; but we put little confidence in them, and, as it proved, these were the last sounds of battle heard in this campaign. We soon followed the infantry, and having arrived at Piedmont, where we encamped for the night, found the welcome sup- ply trains awaiting us. Another day's march took us through the settle- ments of Oak Hill and Salem. The latter stood on the flattest piece of territory we had yet seen in Virginia. It had been quite a flourishing village in its day, but now, left in charge of its old men ,and a few faithful blacks, it was fast going to decay. We bivouacked for the night nearly three miles beyond the town, and on the morrow (Sunday) completed the remaining distance of six miles to Warrenton, arriving there about 11 o'clock A. m., parking just outside the town. Our halt here was brief, however, for soon an order came for us to go on picket at a post three miles beyond the town, which we did, having a support of four or five thousand infantry accompany us. Warrenton is the capital town of Fauquier County, and in 1860 was recorded as having a free popula- tion of 605. As we were marched around instead 76 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. of through the town, much to the disgust of our Yankee curiosity, we could tate no note of its interior. What we could see of its suburbs, how- ever, was in its favor. A visit to the place the •current year (1879), under more favorable circum- stances, enables us to give some description of it- It is a " city set on a hill," and, therefore, can be seen for a long distance. Its present population is said to number 2,000. It has but one business street, perhaps one-fourth of a mile in length, which was innocent of all attempts at grading, being lowest in the centre and the receptacle of more or less rubbish. There are wretched attempts at sidewalks in spots, and horse-blocks, or their equivalent, are found in front of many of the stores and dwellings. Most of the build- ings on this street are unpretentious structures, many of them the typical Southern store, one story high, with pitched roof, and a piazza in front seemingly for the shelter of the loungers that are always to be found under it. Three or four churches, a court-house, and a small jail behind the latter, of a somewhat rickety appearance, seeming hardly strong enough to hold securely the highly civilized type of criminal found in the Middle and Eastern States, comprise the pub- lic buildings. The court-house has been called " handsome " in its day, but on what ground it would be somewhat difficult, at present, to tell. Although a two-storied building, it is quite low-studded, and a part of its outer wall finished in plaster presents evidence that the " scaling down " process, of late so popular in some parts of the quondam Confederacy, is becoming general in its application. The Circuit Court was in session while we were here, engaged in THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 77 trying a negro for the murder of a white man at Manassas Junction some weeks before. A larg^e crowd, composed of both colors, was assembled in and about the court-house, but as good-natured and free from excitement as could be found anywhere in the INorth under similar conditions. The prisoner certainly seemed to be having a fair trial. The suburbs are by far the most attractive and creditable part of the town. There are a number of very fine residences on the four or five roads that centre in this place. Many of them have been built since the war. Spacious and ornamental grounds surround them, showing the existence of a refined taste and the means of gratifying it, and proving rather conclusively that not every Rebel exhausted his resources in the interests of the Confederacy, — for Warrenton was a stanch Rebel stronghold dur- ing the war, and, as we were informed, still deserves that reputation. A private conversation with some of the colored men, however, assured us that Ihey exercise their suffrages entirely untrammelled. As we journeyed on beyond the town we met horsemen at short inter- vals, — isolated or in pairs, — Virginia gentlemen of the old school going t,o " Circuit." This is one of the " field days " of the county, when almost every man within a radius of twenty miles may be found at county headquarters ; and from the number of saddled horses picketed along the streets and in vacant lots, one might easily imagine either Kil- patrick's or Stuart's troopers in possession, were it a time of war. Approaching the town later in the day, on our homeward journey, we met several of these 78 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. same gentry, also wending their way homeward, many of whom maintained a very unstable equilib- rium in the saddle. In brief, during Circuit, liquors flow with the utmost freedom, each gentleman of the F. F. Y.'s drinking with every one of his acquaint- ance whom he meets, if his capacity is equal to it. But we must not linger longer in this representative and interesting town of the Old Dominion. One feature of our march through Virginia thus far was the untold abundance of blackberries with which we were almost constantly regaled. In some sections they literally lined the roads and overran the fields. It was possible for a soldier to seat him- self in their midst, and without once changing his location, to fill his stomach, or his Dillingham, or both. It is to be further noted that the fruit was unusually sweet and delicious, putting our northern products into the shade in this particular. To what extent it was instrumental in toning up the health and spirits of the army cannot be estimated, but that it was eminently beneficial, and warded off a vast amount of summer disease, is beyond all question. ■ "We remained at our post on picket for five days. From this camp, first sergeant Otis iN". Harring- ton, who had been ailing for some time with chronic diarrhoea, was sent to Washington, the 29th, but did not live to reach there, dying on the journey July 30th. He left his saddle when the army crossed into Yirginia, saying at the time that the last hope of recovery had left him. The rigors of the campaign to this point had so aggravated his disease that his corn-age had deserted him, and his strength nearly so, when we crossed at Harper's Ferry. From this time ■ THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. 79 the hardships he underwent multiplied, so that when at last it was permitted to send him to the hospital he had not sufficient vitality left' to reach there. He was an efficient officer and a good soldier, and was much respected by the entire Company, which deeply lamented his death. Sergt. George H. Putnam was promoted to fill the vacancy on the 8th of August. John 0. Frost also left us the same date, and was discharged from the service for disability the follow- ing September. Before we left this camp, a large mail, which had been accumulating at Washington for three weeks, arrived, and opened to us once more the outer world from which we had been so completely excluded. July 31, we moved forward and took post at Sul- phur Springs. 80 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. CHAPTEK YI. July 31 to October 19, 1863. SULPHUR SPRINGS AS IT WAS — CAMP LIFE — THE ADVANCE TO CULPEPPER — BACK TO THE RAPPAHANNOCK — AUBURN — OUR MAIDEN FIGHT — CENTREVILLE— FAIRFAX STATION — OVATION TO GEN. SICKLES — SHOT FOR DESERTION. Sulphur Spkings — orWarrenton Sulphur Springs, as they are usually termed to distinguish them from the more famous White Sulphur Springs in "West Yirginia — the spot selected for the encampment of the Third Corps, is situated some six miles from Warrenton, on the north bank of the Kappahannock Kiver. Before the war it had been a fashionable watering-place for wealthy planters and their families, who frequented it in large numbers from the States farther south. The buildings originally consisted of two large hotels, one on either side of the road, with a capacity of eight hundred guests. Both of these were in ruins, having been set on fire by shells thrown, we were told, by Union troops the summer previous, to dislodge sharpshooters. It seems that they were actually thrown by the Rebel army, — perhaps the 24th of August, when Sigel's detachment of Pope's army occupied the place, as he was heavily shelled by the enemy at that time, from the ridge of land across the river.* * I have received a letter from a personal friend who was with Lee's army until just before the surrender, and in answer to the mooted ques- tion « Who set the buildings on fire P" he gives the following reply, which, THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. gj The spacious stable, too, that stood near by, was completely destroyed. The walls of the larger hotel and a part of its roof were in tolerably good condition. It was a four and one-half storied struc- ture. A slat bedstead, minus the slats, still remained in nearly every chamber, and a hundred bells hung voiceless in the office. Running back in eclielon from either flank of the building were two rows of cottages for the accommodation of families. These were in a fair state of preservation, as was also the bath-house with its twenty tubs, and a central fountain, supplied with water from the springs by means of a hydraulic ram. A small upright engine of about five horse- power, evidently used for pumping water and for car- rying the shafting to what appeared to have been a small wheelwright's shop, was still standing. In rear of this hotel was a beautiful grove of large trees, which formed what must have been a most charming auxiliary to the other natural and artificial attractions of the spot. In the early history of the watering- place this was a deer park. We were informed by a most veracious gentleman who at one time lived there, that he himself has counted forty-two deer in this enclosure at a time, besides monkeys, numerous beautiful birds, and other imported objects of animated coming through him from another gentleman whose interests were identified with the Confederacy, I unhesitatingly consider the truth : — " And now the most difficult of all to answer, * the destruction of the buildings and by whom.' They were burned in August, 1862. Capt. Ewing, of the U. S. army, was encamped near my informant's residence, and he (Capt. E.) saw the buildings on fire and told my friend that a shell from the C. S. (Confederate States) army set fire to the buildings ; which statement I believe to be correct, though some say the U. S. forces, not being able to hold the position, fired the buildings. Capt. Ewing says difierently, however, and was an eye-witness to the destruction." 82 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. nature. This feature, however, had disappeared before the war broke out. From the rear of the hotel the ground fell away in an easy descent to the springs, a distance of perhaps twenty or twenty-five rods. Over one of these stood, with uncertain stability, a wooden canopy, while encircling it, at a distance of eight or ten feet, was erected a wooden bulwark three or four feet high, banked outside with earth to keep out all surface water. On the seat which surrounded this enclosure hundreds of well-to-do Southern plant- ers and farmers had sat and sipped sulphur water, to many a healing beverage, but to our unschooled taste a very unpalatable one. Beyond the springs the ground rises again, and again falls away to the Rappahannock. A few rods below stood the piers to a bridge then destroyed. The road crossing the river at this point leads to Culpepper Court House. Fuller particulars concerning this interesting locality and its present appearance may be found in the Ap- pendix. It seemed a truly picturesque and favored spot, and we looked forward to our stay near it with pleasurable anticipations. The grounds in the immediate vicinity of the hotels were appropriated for the headquarters of Maj. Gen. Birney, he having command of the First Division, to which we were then attached. Passing on by the hotels up the road which leads to Fredericksburg, some four hundred yards, we turn into an apple orchard on our left, overrun with blackberry vines, and on this rise of land locate our camp. There was no fruit on the trees, but an abundance on the vines, and we almost literally rolled in berries for some time. Having cleared up the ground, pitched the officers' THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 83 quarters and the tarpaulins, and put up a brush shel- ter over the horses, but little remained for us to do, and a reaction set in. Scarcely a man in the Com- pany felt strong and vigorous, although there were but few cases of serious and protracted illness. Lying and sitting on the ground to the extent we had done were not conducive to a healthful bodily condition, and the systems of many became so relaxed that the slightest exertion was most distasteful. On the 17th of August shelter tents were furnished us, and just, one week afterwards we pitched them, each man selecting a chum (or " chicken," as the Marble- headmen called them), to share his quarters. Six streets were laid out, one to a detachment, and the camp presented a neat and orderly appearance. The tents were supported in most cases on ridge-poles aver- aging five feet from the ground, which gave oppor- tunity to build rough cots within. This change produced an improved healthfulness throughout the Company. Then there were bowers of branches built over the tents and some of the streets, thus adding very materially to our bodily comfort; so that we always looked back upon our camp life at Sulphur Springs as being, on the whole, rather delightful. The eminence now occupied by us had at some period or periods in 1862 been the theatre of active operations, as numerous unexploded shells and fragments of shells that lay scattered about bore ample testimony. Oue of these was accidentally the cause of quite a commotion in camp for a few moments. It seemed that the brigade on our right had "policed" their camp, and swept the rubbish, composed mostly of dry grass and twigs, into a hole, 84 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. excavated for the purpose of getting at the red clayey loam for chimney-bnilding. Amongst this rubbish was a loaded shell. Some time after, the mass was innocently fired, when the shell exploded, startling the whole camp, but injuring no one. Several times in the previous year, during the movements prior and immediately subsequent to the Second Bull Kun battle, the river below us had been crossed and recrossed by divisions of either army, • and on some of these occasions, perhaps the one already alluded to,* our present position, being occu- pied by one party, had been subjected to a heavy artillery fire from the other. The position was also a good one from which to deal blows, and some quar- ter, perhaps the high land across the river, may have received an equivalent number of iron compliments from it. During our stay here we were ordered to adopt the badge of the Artillery Brigade, Third Corps. It was the lozenge worn by the corps, but subdivided into four smaller lozenges, two of which were blue, one red, and one white, to be worn on the side of the cap. So little is known in relation to the origin of the corps badges, that the author has thought a para- graph on that subject would be of value introduced in this connection. The idea of a corps badge originated, as far as can be ascertained, with Gen. Kearny. During the seven dayb* battle on the Peninsula he saw the necessity of having some distinctive mark by which the officers and men of his division could be recognized. He therefore directed his officers to wear a red patch of I 80. BADGE WORN BY THE COMPANY IN THE THIRD CORPS. BADGE WORN BY THE ARTfLLERY BRIGADE, SECOND CORPS. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 85 diamond shape as a distinguishing mark, for the making of which he gave up his own red blanket. Not long afterwards the men, of their own accord, cut pieces out of their overcoat linings to make patches for themselves. At the same time Kearny adopted a plain red flag to denote his division headquarters, and Hooker adopted a blue one for his headquar- ters.* At Harrison's Landing, July 4, 1862, Kearny issued a general order, directing officers to wear a red patch of the diamond or lozenge shape either on the crown or left side of their cap, while the men were to wear theirs in front. From this apparently insig- nificant beginning the idea of division and corps badges was developed by Maj. Gen. Butterfield when he was made Chief-of-Staff of the Army of the Poto- mac in 1863. Hooker then took up the matter, and, having done away with the Grand Divisions, divided the army into seven corps, and designated a badge to be worn by each. To the First Corps he gave the circle; Second Corps, trefoil ; Third Corps, diamond; Fifth Corps, Maltese cross; Sixth Corps, Grecian cross; Eleventh Corps, crescent; Twelfth Corps, star. Each corps was constituted of three divisions. The patch worn by the first division was red, the second white, and the third blue. General Orders [NTo. 53, issued by Hooker in May, 1863, and before me as I write, order provost marshals to arrest as stragglers all troops (except certain specified bodies) found without badges, and return them to their commands under guard. This scheme of badges, originated by Kearny * See De Peyster's " Personal and Military History of Philip Kearny," from which many of these facts were taken. 86 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. and perfected by Hooker, continued, substantially unaltered, to the close of the war. The system of headquarters' flags, inaugurated by McClellan, was also much simplified and improved by Hooker. Our camp duties at Sulphur Springs were by no means onerous, especially during August. Once established, there was very little drill or fatigue duty required of us. On the 6th a national Thanksgiving was proclaimed by President Lincoln, in recognition of the victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and our gratitude took on a deeper tinge on account of the appearance of the paymaster with two months' pay. On the 15th, the gentlemanly soldier^ Capt. Randolph, Chief of Artillery of the Third Corps, and commander of Battery E, First Regiment Rhode Island Artillery, inspected the Company. His bear- ing on this occasion, and afterwards whenever we came in contact with him, made a favorable impres- sion upon us that only strengthened with time, for he certainly seemed to us a thorough gentleman and sol- dier. While in the latter capacity he may not have excelled either his predecessor in command over us, or his successor, as a gentleman in the administration of his functions as Chief of Artillery he was unques- tionably their superior, and we deplored the change which afterwards deprived us of his leadership. September 7th the corps was reviewed near Beale- ton by Gen. Meade, and made a fine appearance. A corps review was a new experience to us, but one that became commonplace enough, later. September 9th was the anniversary of our muster, and Capt. Sleeper gave us the day to celebrate as rach should choose, consistently with the require- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTEEY. 87 ments of the service. Several received passes to visit friends in other regiments, but the greater part re- mained in camp. On the 12th the paymaster again made us happy by the disbursement of an additional two months' pay, and by paying balances to such as had not drawn the full amount of clothing annually allowed by govern- ment, — forty-two dollars' worth. Those who suf- fered deductions from their wages for over-draft of their clothing allowance, however, far exceeded the number having a balance. . On the 13th Maj. Gen. Birney reviewed the First Division, which was the last parade of this kind in which we participated at Sulphur Springs, for now heavy movements of cavalry betokened a speedy breaking-up of the peace and quietness that had reigned so long a time in both armies. On the 15th of September marching orders came, — suddenly, as such orders usually came. At half-past two in the afternoon the orderly delivered his charge, and at 5 o'clock we were on the move, leaving, according to instructions, our tents standing and four or five sick men in them. A part of these came on in the baggage wagons the next day. The others, after various refusals, succeeded in getting passage in some division ambulances, well filled without them. Two hours after they left, Eebel guerrillas were roaming through the camp. The cavalry that we had seen crossing were part of a large force destined on a reconnoissance under Gen. Pleasanton.* Supported by Gen. Warren with the Second Corps, they met and pressed back Stu- * September 13. 88 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. art's cavalry across the Kapidan * The infantry, however, were at no time engaged. This movement revealed the fact that Lee had depleted his army to reinforce Bragg in Tennessee, having sent away Longstreet's corps for that purpose, which decided Gen. Meade to assume the offensive at once, and was the cause of our sudden departure. We marched not more than three miles, probably less, before camping for the night in a field of tall weeds on the left of the road. We were astir at 4 o'clock, and in the advance of the corps, supported by the Third Division (?), made a march of at least twenty miles, camping about 8 o'clock p. m., on "Bloom- ingdale farm," which was owned, or had been, so said report, by Gen. A. P. Hill, of the Rebel army. It was a very warm day, and quite a large number of the infantry fell out of the ranks, a few dying from being overheated. We crossed the Rappahannock and Hazel rivers this day, the former at Free- man's Ford. At the latter crossing, the battery wagon, not following the course indicated for it, struck a rock and capsized in the river. At 5 o'clock on the morning of the 17th we har- nessed and hitched in, but did not move out of park until 2 p. M., and then to advance only a mile or so, when we went into position amid a low, scattering * " Some time after this, about the middle of September, I received information which induced me to believe, or which satisfied me, that Longstreet's corps, or a portion of it, from Gen. Lee's army, had been detached to the southwest. Immediately upon receiving this informa- tion, and without waiting for instructions, I sent my cavalry across the Rappahannoclj, drove the enemy aci'oss the Rapidan, and subsequently followed with my whole army, occupying Culpepper and the position between the Rappahannock and the Rapidan." — Gen. Meade : Testimony bfore Committee on (he Conduct of the War, Vol I., 1865. THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 89 growth of trees and bushes, with Clark's New Jer- sey Battery on our right, and the whole of the Third Division in the woods on our left. The roofs and spires of the town of Culpepper * were visible some- thing more than a mile away. It was Army Head- quarters, and a visit to this old-fashioned but sub- stantial and interesting town took one through an almost continuous sheet of canvas comprising the thousands of tents and army wagons environing it. Its appearance, aside from that occasioned by the presence of military intruders, wore such an atmos- phere of antiquity, that we readily conjured up the shades of its lordly namesake and his associates with whom to people it, although it is probable that this section of country never came under their observa- tion. We remained on picket here a few days, with little to disturb us worthy of mention., A part of the time was occupied in the erection of board cabins for our better protection from the cold, — which by night was quite intense for the season and latitude, — and from rains that had been unusually copious. Dur- ing this period, too, our three teamsters were ordered to turn in their horses, and received in return three complete teams of six mules each. To see these untrained drivers attempt to establish control over them was rare sport indeed. A mule is an animal which has the peculiar faculty of doing just the op- posite of what is wanted of him. If he ought to move in a straight line he is certain to describe a * The actual name of the town is Fairfax. It is the capital of Cul- pepper County. But the name of the county has well-nigh usurped the name of the town. Both are named in honor of English lords. 90 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. circle, and vice versa; and to nin wheels into pitfalls and against stumps seems his special delight. The management of the mule is a very simple matter when he is once trained. With the six mules hitched to the pole of their own wagon when in camp, on duty, with their mischief-loving propensities, sundry entanglements ensue, and a confused pile of mule apparently involved inextricably is a common sight at such times; but the appearance of the driver with his " black-snake," or whip, changes the scene amaz- ingly. Only one or two cracks of it are necessary for them to become disentangled, unaided, and stand, as it were, at a "present "to their master. In the mule-driver's code the whip is the panacea for all the ills mule disposition is heir to. Yet there have been cases where the law of kindness has worked its gen- tle way even through his thick hide and skull. A team becomes manageable as soon as there is estab- lished a community of feeling and mutual under- standing between the mules and their driver. By certain jerks of the single rein which he holds, that is attached to the bit of the near lead mule, and by outlandish sounds unintelligible to outsiders, he makes known his commands, and they obey with alacrity. Our drivers, after various ludicrous mis- haps, attained a skill in the control of their teams equal to the best " professors " in the wagon trains, and to the uninitiated whose eyes may see these pages, it remains to be said that a six-mule team in the hands of an experienced driver, with his single rein can be handled more promptly than a six-horse team by far, and, except under fire, is more reliable THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 91 in other respects. They were of immense service to both armies in the Rebellion. Early in October orders were received at Company headquarters to keep eight days' rations on hknd. The significance of this we did not at the time under- stand fully, but the fact was developed later that Gen. Meade was on the point of pushing his offensive operations still further by making a flank movement on Lee's position across the Rapidan, as it seemed too strong to be carried by a direct assault, when he was suddenly brought to a halt in its execution by being required to send the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps (Howard's and Slocum's), under the command of Gen. Jos. Hooker, to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland. This put Gen. Meade, in turn, on the defensive; but, by the amval of recruits and the return of troops sent to keep the peace in New York during the draft, towards the middle of October, he felt sufficiently strong to again assume the aggres- sive. On the 10th he sent Gen. Buford with his cav- alry division across the Kapidan to uncover the upper fords preparatory to advancing Newton's First and Sedgwick's Sixth corps. Lee meanwhile, having heard of the reduction of our army, was preparing for an of- fensive movement at the same time. He felt perfectly competent to cope with our force; and it is stated, on no less reliable authority than Gen. Longstreet, who may be presumed to know, that Lee proposed the audacious measure of a direct mai-ch on Wash- ington with his entire army, being willing, if neces- sary, to leave Richmond exposed and exchange capi- tals. This, as might be expected, Jeff. Davis would not permit, and the Rebel commander was forced to 92 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. content himself with an attempt to turn the right flank of our army, and by crippling it, as he hoped to do, keep it near Washington, so that more reinforce- ments might be sent to Bragg. Thus it happened, that, whereas Buford crossed the river on the 10th, Lee had anticipated him, having crossed to the north side on the preceding day, .and by unfrequented and circuitous routes gained the right of our army before the movement was suspected. Of these facts we, of course, knew nothing until later, so that when, about 11 o'clock in the forenoon of Saturday, October 10th, we received orders to " harness and hitch in as quickly as possible," it gave us something of a sur- prise, which was by no means lessened by our being immediately ordered into line of battle a few rods from camp. The beating of the " Long KoU " had already assembled the infantry. The report was that the enemy were flanking us, and an attack was immi- nent on any part of the line ; but as no enemy appeared immediately, the infantry were permitted to return to camp, one company at a time, and pack their effects. We did the same by detachments, and lay, there all that day and the decidedly cool night which suc- ceeded it, shivering and dozing alternately around the fires, until morning of the next day, the Sabbath, when, at 8 o'clock, the column was put in motion. The trains had all been sent on with the utmost dis- patch, and now began the memorable race between the two armies. Our caissons were put in the lead, and our guns to the rear, where the danger was sup- posed to lie. The Hazel River was again crossed, this time by a pontoon, to facilitate the retreat and prevent the recurrence of such accidents as befell our THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 93 battery wagon on the advance. The Rappahannock was reached after dark, and crossed by fording at Fox's Mill Ford,* kicky artillerymen riding over, dry shod, on their carriages, whilst the infantry were obliged to wade, and their shouts and halloos at one another's mishaps in crossing were heard far into the night. We were among the first to cross, going im- mediately into park on a low flat of Jand next the river, where we passed the coolest night of the season thus far.f The frost could be scraped from onr blankets by handfuls the next morning. At 6 o'clock we were again under way, but proceeded no more than three miles before making a halt near Bealeton on Bell Plain, our old review ground. Here we passed the rest of the day and succeeding night, up to about 3 A. M. of the 13th j then we were again turned out and on the move at 6, travelling at a ♦ This ford is less than two miles below Sulphur Springs. t " My division brought up the rear and left, and we crossed the Rap- pahannock expecting to occupy our old position at Sulphur Springs. . ... I was met, however, by an aid to Gen. French, with orders to mass my troops at Freeman's Ford, and not take my old position at Sulphur Springs. " About two o'clock in the afternoon of that day an order reached me, stating that the whole army would be prepared to advance ; that it would recross the Rappahannock. I held my division in readiness until night. I was then upon the right of our army, and little before dark the cavalry under Gen Gregg, who was stationed at the fords formerly held by me, reported that the enemy was there. That was beyond the line assigned to me, and I sent a staff officer, . . asking instructions. I received orders to be on the alert and ready to receive an attack, and bold my command in readiness to move. I remained there all night. The enemy crossed within two miles and a half of my command, and I did not interrupt them at all. The next morning I received an order to fall back with the rest of the corps, which we did, and upon the extreme left of the retreating army marched to Greenwich, and then bivouacked." — Maj. Oen. Birney: Testimony before the Commiltee on the Conduct of the War, Vol. I., 1865. ' 94 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. moderate speed until we arrived at what is known as " Three Mile Station," on the Warrenton Branch Rail- road. We there heard that the Rebels had driven our cavalry out of Warrenton that forenoon. From this cause, or on account of other information in posses- sion of the corps commander, line of battle was at once formed and skirmishers thrown out. Meanwhile the Battery had been placed on a very commanding hill; but after waiting fully half an hour, with no demon- strations from the enemy, we moved down into the road again and resumed our advance. Shortly after this Capt. Sleeper was ordered to send a section of his Battery to the front. In obedience to this order, the right section moved to the head of the column at a trot. The order of the troops in march was now as follows: first, a small body of cavalry as advance guard, followed at a few rods distance by Gen. French and stafi"; then came a small regiment of infantry; and after it our right section, followed by the First Brigade of the First Division, Col. CoUis commanding; and this, in turn, succeeded in column by the rest of the Battery; then came the remaindei" of the First Division. In this order the column had just crossed Turkey Run, and was marching along less than half a mile south of where the road, sloping gently down, de- bouches suddenly on Cedar Run and the little settle- ment of Auburn on its north bank. A continuous piece of woods stretched along on our right, but on the left was an opening, beyond which also extended another tract of woods. Scarcely had the right sec- tion reached the position in column assigned it, before Capt. Clark, assistant chief of artillery, came gallop- THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. 95 ing back to say to Lieut. Granger, " Gen. French wants your guns immediately at the front." The caissons were at once halted, the order to " gallop " given, and on dashed the pieces, soon meeting " Old Winkey " (as the General was often called on account of the emphasis and frequency with which he shut his eyes) cantering to the rear, who at once ordered them to "go into battery and load with canister." But ere this the Rebels, who were posted for the most part in the woods beyond the opening, were sending their whizzing compliments at the column in unpleas- ant profusion. The road here was not wide, and was somewhat sunken, and to get the two pieces from column " In Battery " was a task which under less exciting circumstances might have been attended with some difficulty, and, possibly, confusion. It will be readily judged, then, that under fire, and that, too, for the first time, the difficulties would be greatly enhanced. Nevertheless, the guns were unlimbered and put into position with commendable promptness and coolness,* with barely room enough left between them for the cannoneers to execute their duties, and a double discharge of canister at once sent hurtling down the road. " Sock it to them, boys ! " said the General, who sat on his horse near by, winking with unusual vehemence, watching operations. But the " boys " needed no second bidding, and vigorously plied the woods with their canister and case shot. Meanwhile, where was the rest of the Battery? The first intimation they had of trouble ahead was the general skurry of staff officers to the rear, hurrying on * The colonel of the regiment supporting this section afterwards said he thought they were old troops, so coolly did they take the matter. 96 THE TENTH MASSACHUSETTS BATTERY. the men and issuing orders to various commanding officers. Our caissons were immediately halted, cannoneers, as many as were at hand and alert enough, mounted the pieces, the infantry opened ranks before us, and away we went at a lively gallop towards the scene of the fray, making a break through the rail fence, which skirted the road, into the open field. Tokens of conflict had ere this become mani- fest to the ear in the familiar boom of our own guns, already mentioned, and the hostile hiss of musket- balls about our heads, producing a new and decidedly unpleasant sensation upon us. The centre section went into battery next the road, and the left section still farther to the left, thus bringing all six guns into line; but no sooner did these latter sections enter the field than the fire of the enemy was concentrated upon them, having them within shorter range and plain view, especially the left section, which was less screened by the scattering undergrowth. Before its guns are fairly unhmbered, Sergt. Philip T. Woodfin, chief of the left piece, falls from his horse severely wounded by a bullet, which enters his upper jaw, knocking in two teeth and lodging in his neck. Private Joseph Hooper, Number Three man on the same piece, receives a shot through his arm shortly after, while another grazes him on the hip. Private Alexander Holbrook is struck in the breast by a bullet which has passed through the lid of the open limber of the fifth piece, doing him no serious injury. Two more spend themselves, one on the gun, the other on the limber chest of the fourth piece; and Lieut. Adams's horse plunges wildly with a wound in the leg. But all this has happened in less time than it ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^p ^H 1 ^ ^H ^31 jH ^^^^HHp. .M0lM3r^^" ^^^^^^^^^^ ''s^H ^^^Kf' ' i|p^ ' ^X> ^^n^^ m hII .f * ' ^^^^^^^S^L ^^^K'^ ^H >--|l:i^%- .-. 'i.w