•V .* ,-" ^^" •^^. '% ^"'^ v>':; x^" "o 0^ "^-•. A^ \.. .^ ,lV .* ^#' - '^^ "-l"^ ^ * -5='/. <*• ^^ V x^ •^^'-'J^ os ^^ ■V A^^' ^* ;)^- ._ (^ * ^ v^ - :n-:..: ' ■^o 0^ kO ^^. ■s^ / -^. ^ . ,^>'% .■/.^>v. MAJOR-C.EXERAL PHILIP KEARNY, The Brigade's First Commander. HISTORY OF The First Brigade, New Jersey Volunteers FROM 1 861 TO iS65 COMPILED UNDER THE AUTHORIZATION OF KEARNY'S FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE SOCIETY CAMILLE BAQUET ( ■ SECOND LIEUTENANT, COMPANY A, FIRST REGIMENT, NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS PUBLISHED BY THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY J9I0 TRENTON, N. J. MacCrellish & Quigley, State Printers, Opposite Post Office. igio .T ^ ' \h X / ] CONTENTS. BRIGADE HISTORY. PAGE. First Year, S-iQ Under Kearny: Formation — Instruction— Finished Organization- Little River Turnpike — Sangster's Station — First Battle of Manassas — Advance on Manassas. Second Year, 20-72 Under Taylor: Peninsular Campaign — West Point — Gaines' Mills — Charles City Cross Roads — Second Battle of Manassas. Under Torberf: Crampton's Pass — Antietam — First Fredericks- burg — Mud March. Third Year, 73-175 Under Torbert: Salem Heights (Second Fredericksburg) — Gettys- burg — Fairfield — Rappahannock Station — Mine Run — Reconnais- sance to Culpepper Court House. Under Penrose: Wilderness — Spottsylvania Court House — Cold Harbor — Shenandoah Valley Campaign — Opequon — Fisher's Hill — Cedar Creek — Returned to the Army of the Potomac. Fourth Year, 1 76-195 Under Penrose: Petersburg — Five Forks- — Appomattox Court House — Review in Washington — Home. REGIMENTAL SKETCHES. The Tenth Regiment, 196-202 History Peculiar to Itself — "Olden Legion" — Defective Organi- zation — Effective Appeal to Governor Olden — Mustered out and reorganized — Provost Duty — Corcoran's Brigade — Active Ser- vice — Skirmish at Edenton Road — Carsville — Discipline Com- mended — Riots in Pennsylvania — Attached to First New Jersey Brigade — Conspicuous Gallantry — Winchester- — Of 600 men only 80 left for duty — Discharged. The Fifteenth Regiment, 203-221 Organized at Flemington — Mustered In at Bakersville — Stafford Heights — Deep Run Creek — Chancellorsville— Salem Church — Fairfax Station — Gettysburg — Hagerstown — Warrenton — Rappa- hannock Station — Winter Quarters — The "Chapel" and Religious Interest — Breaking Camp — The Wilderness — Spottsylvania Court House — Cold Harbor — Petersburg — Strashurg — Winchester — Boli- var Heights^Only "a Handful"' left — Petersburg — Danville, Washington, Trenton. ii COXTHNTS. PACE. The Twenty-third Regiment, 222-236 Muster-in and Organization — Joined Sixth Corps — Captain Grubb Commissioned as Major — At Fredericksburg — White OaV Church — "Mud March" — Lieutenant-Colonel Grubb — Furloughs — Harrisburg — Dissolution. The Battle of Salem Church, -V^7-255 Its Importance — Disposition of Troops — "After Cadmus" — Eighth Alabama — "A Weighty Doctrine" — General D. D. Wheeler's Account of Salem Heights — Report of Colonel E. Burd Grubb. Unveiling of Monument .at S.-\lem Church 256-277 Prayer — Address by R. W. Hunter — .\ddress by Representative of Governor of New Jersey — Address by Captain E. H. Kirk- bride — Legislative Action by State of New Jersey — Resolutions of Camps of United Confederate Veterans — Tribute to the Boys in Gray— Salutation from Captain Featherston, Ninth Alabama. The Twenty-third Regiment at H.\rrisburg, 1863 27S-281 The Fortieth Regiment — Sketcli 282-283 Battery A, First New Jeirsey Artillery, 284-293 Muster-in — Fairfax Seminary — Battle of West Point — Mechanics- ville — Gaines' Mill — Chantilly — Crampton's Pass — Antietam — Hexamer's Accurate Aim — Bakersville — Fredericksburg — "Mud Campaign"— White Oak Church — Marye's Heights — Fairfax Court House — Gettysburg — Culpepper — Mine Run— River Po — Petersburg — Heroism L'nsurpassed. Movements at Battle of Crampton's Pass — .« Report of Colonel A. T. A. Torbert. First New Jersey Infantry, . . 294 Report of Lieutenant-Colonel Mark W. Collet, Third New Jersey Infantry, 296 Report of Colonel Samuel L. Buck, Second New Jersey Infantry.. . 297 Report of Colonel Henry Brown, Third New Jersey Infantry, .... 298 Report of Colonel William B. Hatch, Fourth New Jersey In- fantry -501 Report of Brigadier-General Howell Cobb, C. S. A., 302 Report of Brigadier-General Paul J. Semmes. C. S. A., 305 Report of Colonel Thomas T. Munford. Second A^'irginia Cavalry, 307 The Seven Days' B'attle on the Peninsula, as seen In a Lieutenant on the Staff 310-340 CONTENTS. iii APPENDICES. PAGE- Appendix .1 — Sketch. Brigadier-(k-neral George William Taylor, fatally wounded on the Plains of Manassas, 343 Appendix B — Sketch of the First Regiment, by Lieutenant Thomas T. Tillou, 345 Account of C. A. Pettie's Experience at Crampton's Pass, 348 Account of Charge at Cold Harbor, by C. A. Pettie, Color-Sergeant, 349 Rescue of Sergeant Pierson M. Walton from a Raft in the Potomac, Wounded and Escaped Prisoner, 350 Appendix C — The First, Second and Third Regiments; Three-Year Men at Camp Olden, 353 Appendix D — i\ccount of Movements of Third Regiment During Ad- vance to Manassas, 355 Report of Colonel Henry W. Brow^n, Third New Jersey Infantry, Commanding First Brigade, 357 Death of John Ellis, of Company H, Third Regiment, . . . : 359 Brief Account of the part taken by the Third Regiment in the W^ilderness Campaign, 360 Appendix E — Extracts frcfm the Diary of John P. Beach, Fourth New Jersey Volunteers 361-386 Organization of the Fourth Regiment Infantry, of New Jersey, . . . 387 Some Historical Data and Reminiscences by Frank W. Gaul, of the Fourth Regiment, 388-406 Appendix F — Charge and Death of Lieutenant Harry B. Hidden, First New York Cavalry, 407 Appendix G — C. A. Pettie's Account of Kearny's Charge on the Con- federate Picket, 409 Appendix H — Account of the Surrender of Petersburg, by James Gal- lagher, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers, 410 Appendix I — Notes from the Life of Major David Hatfield, 411-436 Appendix J — List of Killed and Wounded, 437-455 Appendix K — Sketch of General Lewis Perrine, Quartermaster-General of New Jersey, 1855-1889 456-458 MusTEK-iN Rolls, 459-5^5 CAMILLE BAQUET, Second Lieutenant, Company A, First Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers. HE WORK here presented is intended to fill a space in the history of N^w Jersey's soldier sons, heretofore neglected. That so long- a time has elapsed since the deeds recorded were performed before any record of them was at- tempted, must be attributed to the modesty of the men who made that record on the battlefields of Virgfinia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. This unfortunate display of modesty has lost to the readers of this work many incidents of personal bravery and sacrifice that would have given both interest and charm to it. New Jersey sent forty regiments to the field of battle, in Virginia, North Carolina and the West, and out of the great number of men who' volunteered, but a handful are now living. Many of these have forgotten the incidents or have but an in- distinct recollection of them. For this reason the work is a review of its marches and battles only, and the standard works on the War of the Rebellion have been used to- compile it. Grant's and Sheridan's memoirs, Generals Michie, Palfrey, But- terfield, Humphrey, Due de Chartres, Foster, Williams, Stein, and others have been freely consulted. The official "Records of the War of Rebellion," published by the United States gov- ernment, supplied the framework upon which the work rests, and orders and correspondence have been quoted as well as re- ports. The First New Jersey Brigade, composed originally of the first three regiments that were mustered into the United States service of three years, was without a brigade general until the ideal soldier, Kearny, took command. The Fourth New Jersey Volunteers was afterwards added, and when the Brigade had lost through death in the field, wounds and sickness, more than 4 PREFACE. half its number, the Fifteenth and 'l\venty-third Regiments were added to it. It was a matter of pride \\ ith the State authorities to keep the Brigade a distinctly Jersey organization, and later when its ranks were again so reduced that five regiments were not much stronger than a single full regiment, the Tenth and, again, the Fortieth Regiments were added to it. That the Brigade was eminently worthy of distinction can be readily seen by studying the table of losses sustained b\' it in the forty-odd battles in which it participated. The rank and file of the Brigade was taken from the very best of New Jersey's sons, and the greater number exhibited the finest patriotism. If this history does no more than recall to the remembrance of the people of New Jersey the sacrifices made by the members of the New Jersey Brigade, it will fulfill the intentions of the com- mittee who had the matter in charge. But it is beleived that those who sent fathers, sons and brothers to serve in the ranks of the famous Brigade will want to keep a record of their noble devotion and achievements. In the compiling of this history I was greatly assisted in the work by contributions from General E. Burd Grubb, Captain J. D. P. Mount (since deceased), Captain Thomas C. Cunning- ham, Lieutenant Thomas I. Tillou, Sergeant John P. Beach, Sergeant Charles A. Pettie, John W. Bodine, Samuel McCloud and Sergeant P. M. Walton, and I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to them. C. BAQUET. Assassinated April 14th, 1865. cepting the Twenty-third Regiment, including Hexamer s Battery. First New Jersey Brigade. First Year. Under Kearny. T'ORMATION INSTRUCTION FINISHED ORGANIZATION LITTI^E RIVER TURNPIKE SANGSTEr's STATION EIRST BATTEE OE MANASSAS ADVANCE ON MANASSAS. PRESIDENT Lincoln's proclamation of April 15th, 1861, offi- cially announcing the existence of armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and calling for seventy-five thousand men to enforce the laws and protect the property of the United States, was immediately followed by the requisition from the War Department for the quota allotted to New Jersey. The requisition was received in Trenton on April 17th, 1 861. On the same day Governor Olden issued his procla- mation calling for four regiments of militia. The response to the Governor's call was prompt and in excess of the quota. l^oster, in his "New Jersey in the Rebellion," says that one hundred companies of one hundred men each, volunteered, besides many detachments of a smaller number of men. On April 30th, 1 86 1, the Governor notified the authorities that the New Jersey troops were ready for service, and that the four regiments, would be forwarded on May ist, 2d and 3d. This Brigade was the first organized body to arrive in Washington. The second proclamation of President Lincoln, calling for five hundred thousand men to serve for three years or during the war, issued May 3d, 1861. found as ready response as the first. Companies and parts of companies that were unable to answer the first call on account of the limitation to four regiments, now o FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. came fcjrward and solicited the (jpixjrtunit)- to serve. Recruit- ing had not stopped, for men whO' were not discouraged nor deceived by the "picnic'" idea of short-sighted writers and speakers, had been busy raising companies all over the State. Immediately upon ilie ])ublication of the Governor's proclama- tion, companies and detachments began to arrive in Trenton. As soon as they reported the>- were ordered to Camp Olden, which was south of Trenton, near the Delaware and Raritan canal, and opposite the State prison. Here were organized the First, Second and Third Regiments of Xew Jersey Volunteers. Each regiment was composed of ten companies, and each com- pany of ninety-eight enlisted men and three commissioned ofificers. The First Regiment was commanded by Colonel William R. Montgomery and was mustered into the service of the United States on Alav 21st, 1861. The Second Regiment was com- manded by Colonel George W. McLean and was mustered into the service of the United States on ]\Iay 26th, 1861. The Third Regiment was commanded by Colonel George W. Taylor and was mustered into the service of the United States June 4th. 1 86 1. The mustering officer was Major Theodore T. S. Laidly. of the U. S. Regular Army. The three regiments were fully equipped by the State and armed by the U. S. government, and liad l^een read}- for several weeks to begin a forward movement. The summons came on June 27th, and on the 28th they were en route for ^^'ashington. Arriving in Philadelphia at about 8 o'clock in the morning, they were served with breakfast at the Cooper Shop on Washington street, by the citizens of Phila- delphia, who gave them a hearty welcome. The journey to Baltimore was tedious in the extreme, but the uncertainty as to the kind of reception they would meet, although prepared and readv for any emergency, tilled each member with suppressed excitement. During the trip forty rounds of ball cartridges were issued to each man, and an order was published giving instruc- tions as to conduct, and how and when to use the fixed am- munition. After numerous slowings-up and stops, the Brigade arrived in lUdtimore after dark. It was found that it would be FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 7 impossible to get trains throug-h the city. The Brigade was then marched through Baltimore to the South Side, where they again took cars for Washington. The Brigade arrived in Washington on June 29th and went into camp on Capitol Hill. While in camp here, the companies were drilled in movement and manual of arms and attained con- siderable proficiency. All shortcomings in these necessary adjuncts oi the soldier were either unnoticed or passed over, the government officers and citizens being only too pleased to have the well-organized and equipped Jersey Brigade at hand. While here the camp was visited informally by the President and Secre- tary of State. As no announcement of the intended visit had been made, no military reception was accorded. In fact, the officers in command were unaware of the presence of the distinguished visitors until the cheering- of the men who had gathered around them attracted their attention. After speaking a few w'ords and shaking hands with as many as could reach them, the President and Secretary withdrew as quietly as they had come. While in camp here the Brigade was reviewed by the Presi- dent, the regiments marching through the White House grounds, the President's reviewing stand being the north portico. The men were kept busy with drill, guard duty and battalion exercise until July 12th, when orders were received to move over into Virginia. The Brigade crossed over the Potomac River by the Long Bridge and took up the line of march to Alexandria, six miles below Washington. Here the Brigade went into camp at Roadie's Mills, naming the camp Camp Trenton. The Brigade was assigned tO' General Theodore Runyon's command, and with the four regiments of New Jersey Militia (three-months men) became the Fourth Division of the Army of Northeast Virginia, Major-General Irwin McDowell commanding. From this time till July 21st the Brigade was occupied in picket duty along the Alexandria, Low^den and Hampshire Railroad, at Arlington Mills, Bailey's Crossroads, Upton's Hill, Falls Church and Vienna Station, and in perfecting themselves in manual, company and battalion drill. On July 21st. 1861, memorable for the first battle of any importance since the firing S FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. on Fort Sumter, orders were received to move to the front to cover the retreat of the forces that had been engaged in the battle of Bull Run. Two companies each of the First and Second Regi- ments had been detached for special duty, while the Third Regi- ment had been detached temporarily from the Brigade and with the Fourth New Jersey Militia and Colonel J. H. McCunn's New York regiment formed a provisional brigade under the com- mand of Colonel McCunn, were posted at Fairfax Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, as a reserve, the Third Regiment advancing to Burke's Station to guard ammunition and stores. (Records Union and Confederate Armies, series i, vol. 2, page 753.) By order of General Runyon, Colonel Montgomery, of the First New Jersey Volunteers, took seven companies of the First Regiment, leaving one company to guard camp, and eight com- panies of the Second Regiment, and marched to Centreville. On the march the retreating army was encountered. Every effort was made by officers and men to arrest the retreat, but to no pur- pose. Arrived at Centreville, Colonel Montgomery at once re- ported to General McDowell, who directed him to select the best position to repel the enemy, and hold it. On Colonel Mont- gomery's return from headquarters, he found only the seven com- panies of the First Regiment, the Second having retired. At 2 A. M. of the 22d of July, finding that all the other troops had left, the First Regiment was brought off the field, leaving Sur- geon Taylor, of the First Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers, at his own request, in charge of the wounded. A drenching rain had set in. and the march back to camp was accomplished through Virginia mud, which has the reputation of being the most ex- asperating material to deal with in the world. Tired, wet, hun- gry and greatly disheartened, the Brigade escorted Hunt's Bat- tery to Fort Albany, the men disposing of themselves as best thev could, without shelter. Here the companies on detached service rejoined their regiments. The Third Regiment also joined the Brigade here. On the next day the Brigade returned to its old camp. By this time the men had learned something of the work and vicis- situdes of military life. This, however, was but a preliminary, I'lRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 9 for the real work of training down and perfecting was to come, and the one who was to show it how, and make a smooth work- ing machine of the 2,800 men in the Brigade, was soon to take command. The usual routine of camp was restored, and the men's time was taken up with patrol duty, scouting, picket duty and drill. On August 4th, on dress parade, General Order No. 4 was read. This order formed the First New Jersey Brigade, consisting of the First, Second and Third New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, Battery G, Second. U. S. Artillery, and Company G, Second U. S. Cavalry, and assigning Brigadier-General Philip Kearny to the command, who had been appointed to the com- mand of the Brigade on July 25th, his commission dating from May 1 2th previous. On August 7th, the Brigade was moved to a new camp, at Fairfax Seminary. It was on this march that the men made the acquaintance of their new commander, and the General saw his "pets." The men straggled along any way, some on one side of the road, some on the other, singly and in squads, muskets car- ried as most convenient, some of them decorated with various delicacies — pretzels, sausages and other things dear to a soldier's heart. A peach orchard in full bearing surrounding' the General's headquarters was a source of enthusiastic delight and an earnest endeavor to gather the whole crop. It was in this condition when General Kearn\' appeared on the piazza, saw a portion of the Brigade for the first time up in the peach trees, and it was the occasion of one of those ^•ehement and picturesque outbursts from the General which the men often recalled with delight. The men did not know who he was, for he was dressed \'ery much like an old farmer, with nothing about him, that the men could see, to indicate his rank and authority. He said things to them and they answered in the same strain. He told them what he thought of them and they quizzed him in return. This, to a man of excitable temperament, who was at the same time a stern disciplinarian, was the one drop that caused the overflow. See- ing a junior officer walking along with his sheathed sword grasped bv the point of the scabbard. General Kearny fairly glared at him and demanded. "Who the are you?" The answer, given in innocent deliberation and coolness. "I am Lieu- 10 FIRST XEIV JERSEY' BRIGADE. tenant of the Rej^^iment. and mav I ask who vou are?" was hke oil on a fire, and the return answer, in tones indi- cating ahnost desperate fury, as if shot out of a gun. ''I am General Kearn)'. commanding this Brigade of .'" The lieutenant, not the least disturbed, said; "General Kearny. I am glad to make your acquaintance and wish to introduce to you th.e commissioned officers of the First Xew Jersey Regiment." The General looked at the lieutenant and commissioned officers as if his eyes would pierce them through. He said in a very loud tone. "Lieutenant, you and these commissioned offtcers go to }'our c|uarters and consider yourselves und'cr arrest." This the officers took as an insult, and when they got to their quarters, called a meeting of all the officers belonging to this regiment. A note was sent to General Kearny demanding a hearing at once. This was granted, and they proceeded in a body to the Brigade headquarters. Tliev were courteously received by the General, who acknowledged his error, and wishing to make amends in- vited tliem all to dine with him, which they did, and before they were through a thoroug-h understanding was established between them. Reaching the new camping grounds, the Brigade found metliods and formula prepared for their instruction in camp- making. The regiments were separated by short intervals. The company tents were placed in straight rows, leaving spaces be- tween for company streets. Another space was left between the ends of the rows of the tents and the line officers' quarters, and still another beyond for the field and staff officers. A different daiK- routine of work also was imposed. Guard mounting in regulation form, policing camp, drill both in manual and mo\ement. skeleton drill and such duties fully occupied the time of officers and men. On Sunday the great function was inspection. The regiments, fully ef|uipi)ed. were formed in column of division, while the Brigade Inspector went from rank to rank and examined the condition of arms, belts, knapsacks, cartridges, boxes, clothing, and even the persons of the men. These inspections revealed the fact that \ermin were almost universal in the Brigade, and caused the issue of Kearny's order on cleanliness. In this order he gave directions for the care of FIRST \'EJV JERSEY BRIGADE. H clothes and person, and promised severe punishment for any neglect of the provisions of the order. On the next inspection, General Kearnv himself inspected the Brigade, and passing along the line of officers stopped in front of one and said sharply. ^'Lieutenant, there's a louse ou the breast of your coat." The lieutenant saluted and said, "General, there's one on your collar.'^ Passing do\Vn the lines of rank and file he found a man who had potished the front of his shoes and neglected the heels. He said, "What do vou mean by coming on inspection with your toes' polished and heels muddy?" The man replied, "General, you told us a good soldier never looks behind." The clothes must be well brushed and free from stains, brasses and buttons polished, belts and cross-pieces thoroughly cleaned, shoes polished, and weapons so free from dust and dirt as not to sod the white gloves that each man was obliged to wear * General Kearnv himself saw that the uniforms issued fitted the wearers, and' if he found any man with ill-fitting coat or trousers, had the regimental tailors at work at once to correct the fault and contributed from his own purse to defray the expense. The men soon learned the peculiarities of their commander, and no o-eneral in the whole armv had a more devoted following than General Kearny. Generous to a fault with his personal belong- ings, he was as kind and thoughtful of the men in the ranks as of those of higher positions. Those in the hospital seemed to have a o-reater claim to his care and bounty, and many tedious hours of sickness were relieved bv the gift of delicacies from his own store. Foster, in his "New Jersey in the Civil War" says (page 807) : "His talents as an organizer, his fervid enthusiasm for his profession, his close study of the art of war, his intuitive perception of character, his strategic genius, his generosity and lavish expenditure of his large wealth in order to promote the efficiency of his command, all these qualities, from the outset, distingiiished his career. In a little while his brigade was con- fessedly the best disciplined in the army." To such a commander the men of the First New Jersey Brio-ade were committed, and they bore the impress of Kearny s discipline and teaching to the end. The improvement in drill of all kinds, m bearing and appearance, was rapid, and Kearny .s 12 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. insistence upon the strict obsen-ance of his orders m re-ard to - cleanhness and attention to appearance earned for the Brjcrade the title of the "Jersey Regulars." ^ _ From this time the routine of camp life was varied only by picket duty, patrol, scouting, guarding lines of communication, and drill. On the 14th of August the First Regiment lost its Colonel, William R. Montgomery, who was made Brigadier-General and Military GoA-ernor of Alexandria and vicinity, the command of the regiment devolving on Lieutenant-Colonel Robert McAllister. On the 2ist of August, the Fourth New Jersey Volunteers, Colonel J. H. Simpson com.manding, arrived at camp and were added to the First New Jersey Brigade. Battery A. First New Jersey Artillery, Captain Hexamer. also arrived and was attached to the First New Jersey Brigade. On the 25th of August the army was reorganized under their ^e^^• commander. General George B. ^IcClellan. w!io had been in command in W^est Virginia and had achieved some important successes. McClellan was transferred to the Amiy ni the Po- tomac on July 25th by order from the Assistant Adjutant- General's office. General Order No. 15 made him Major- General, and his command was called the Department of the Potomac. The First New Jersey Brigade was continued in Gen- eral \A illiam B. Franklin's division, which was composed of the iMrst New Jersey Brigade, General Kearny. General Slocum's brigade and General Newton's brigade of infantry. Batteries D and G, the Second U. S. Artillery, Hexamer's battery, and the First New York (Lincoln) Cavalry. Colonel McReynolds. The first actual contact the Brigade had with the rebels was on August 31st. Colonel Taylor, of the Third New Jersey Volun- teers, determined to stop the annoyance caused bv the rebel pickets and shari)shooters. He took forty men, who \(^lunteered for the service, from two companies of his regiment, and pro- ceeded along the Little River turnpike under cover of the woods until he arrived at a point where he could strike the road in the rear of the rebel ])ickets, and cut them off. He was obliged to pass through a small cornfield, and while there was fired upon. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL WINFIELD S. SCOTT. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 13 His men promptlv returned the fire, but the Colonel found that three of his men had been wounded. He ordered his men to retire to the cover of the woods, about thirty yards distant, keeping- enou-h men to bring in the wounded, one of whom. Corporal Hand, of Company I, was mortally hurt. In all, four men were wounded in this skirmish at Munson's Hill. (Note^ Foster mentions another skirmish on the same day, as does Rev. J. M. Morris in his ''Leaves from a Soldier's Diary," but the official records make no mention of it.) Captain A. T. A. Tor- bert, of the U. S. Army, took command of the First Regiment on September ist. The next break in the monotony of camp life occurred on Uc- tober 15th, when our pickets were attacked on the Little River turnpike. Lieutenant-Colo.nel Isaac M. Tucker, of the Secorid New Jersey Volunteers, being Brigade officer of the day, made the following report : C-vMP Seminary, New Jersey Brigade, Wednesday, Oct. i6th, 1861. S:k-I reported at orderly hours, yesterday, at your headquarters as B^ae o^^L o. the day, and -^d^te, th^a.er ^0^^^ ^rr-n4Xrr r-L^;:^^::^;^. -: .{a. m a^^ha dragoon fad been discovered on the turnpike talkmg w.th a workman m M nor's cornfield, about half a mile beyond our picket statjon. Upon -ce v ^g this information, I took the picket and went through the cornfield. Two .rown white boys and one negro man were at work m the field, one of whom Admitted to me that the dragoon had inquired of h-^concermng our P^cket^^^ pretending, however, that he gave them no mforma ion. I thought propei to arrest Lm all, and accordingly sent them into headquarters about 5 P- M^ Six men from the station were on the turnpike ^bout a quar er of a mde beyond the station when a detachment of about 20 rebel cavalry su pr sed and fired on them. They promptly returned the fire, -^reatmg as bes they could towards the station where the men had been extended by Lieutenant "^S::^^^;" r exchanged during the retrea. the "-Is piir^ung <^ packets until nearly within musket range of the skirmishers at he ^t^tion when they turned and passed rapidly up the turnpike. Private Jo dan Sd ers Co A ist Regiment, was killed in the affair, but not until with a deSera^e aim he had killed a rebel officer. Privates James ^onndb. a..d Alfonso Nichols, of the same company, are ^^^^^^"^- L-J^tenant Tillou re ports to me that 4 or 5 of the rebels were seen to fall from their horses, which statement was confirmed by all the men. c^„^ Pec,; A scout of ten men sent out by Capt. Young from Co. F, Second Regi ment, was returning when the firing was heard, but did not reach the ground I 2 I-' B 14 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. in time to assist our men. They found a dead horse belonging to the rebels, a sword considerably marked with blood, a new Springfield rifled musket and a blanket, and brought the sword, musket and blanket. They also brought in the body of Jordan Silvers. This party went out as far as the tavern and were there when the rebels to the number of loo were this side of them. The proprietor of the tavern endeavored to get them into his house by strong importunity, evidently intending to detain them for capture, but to no pur- pose. During the night I made the grand rounds, and found everything quiet, and the pickets unusually vigilant. Respectfully submitted, ISAAC M. TUCKER. Eiciitenant-Coloncl Second Regf. N. J. Vols.. Brigade OMccr of the Dav. Bkig.\dier-Gener.\l Kearny, Commanding A^eu' Jersey Brigade. (Series i, Vol. 5, Oificial Record, Union & Confederate Armies.) An incident that cast a g-loom over the Fourth Regiment and stn-red the other commands of the Brigade occurred on October i8th. Sergeant-Ma j or Thomas S. Bonney, of the Fourth Regi- ment, while proceeding along- the picket line, some little distance in advance, was challenged by the picket. Either he did not hear the order to halt or he paid no attention to it, for the picket fired and Bonney fell, mortally wounded. The Brigade had become somewhat accustomed to the constant alarms given by the pickets, which were often causeless. Still the rebel pickets often indulged in picking off our pickets. As the rebel authorities were evidently supplied with information about our lines, defenses, and those surrounding Washington, it was thought the firing, on the picket line was intended to divert atten- tion from the movements of spies. A strict watch resulted in the capture of a member of the First New York (Lincoln) Cavalry, named Johnson, by Colonel Taylor and a squad of men from the Third New Jersey Regiment. Johnson was tried by court- martial, convicted and sentenced to be shot. He was executed on December 13th, 1861, in the presence of the whole division, forming three sides of a hollow square. This was the first mili- tary execution of the Avar. The winter closing in made campaigning impossible, and the men were ordered to build huts and make themselves as com- fortable as possible. The huts were made of boards when thev FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 15 could be had, logs or anything that could be used for the pur- pose. The roofs were made of the shelter tents and the chimneys of stone for foundation and fireplace, the tops being made of two barrels with the bottoms out and daubed inside with mud. The dreary winter was passed, in drill when the weather permitted, at other' times in such occupation and amusement as the limited opportunities offered. About the 2d or 3d of March, 1862, rumors were rife that the rebels were making a movement of some kind, and on the 6th information obtained from the natives and negroes corroborated the rumors. On this information General Kearny with character- istic promptness moved out of camp early on the 7th of March for Burke's Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, about fourteen miles from camp. Scouts were sent out and very soon reported that the rebel trains were moving continuously. The Brigade moved off the camp ground by the Little River turnpike and marched to Burke's Station. The march was very tiresome, the greater part being made after dark, and arrived at Burke's Station at about one o'clock on the morning of March 8th The Fourth Regiment arrived soon after daylight, having acted as guard for the baggage train. General Keanry ordered an advance, and the Brigade moved forward to Fairfax Station about four miles further up the railroad. A light battalion had been formed, consisting of two companies from each regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel L M. Tucker, of the Second Regiment. This battalion acted as advance guard and flankers The Third Regiment was in the van, next, the Second to the right and slightlv to the rear, and the Fourth Regiment similarly disposed after the Second. Two companies of the First Regiment under Major Hatfield, were disposed on the BraddocK road, north of the railroad, while the rest of that regiment he d Burke's Station. Fairfax Station, being occupied by the Fourth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers without opposition, a furthei advance was ordered. ^1 • •, The regiments advanced in the same order, the Third going directly to Sangster's Station. Here the first resistance to our- advance was offered. The detachment of the First New York Cavalrv, twentv men under Lieutenant Hidden, was with the 1^ FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Third Regiment. Colonel .Taylor ordered Lieutenant Hidxlen forward to reconnoiter the ground and instructed him trj charge the rebels, if he found the picket not greatly superior in number. These instructions were fully carried out and the rebels were scattered, losing thirteen men prisoners, including Lieutenant Stewart, a West Point cadet, who had very recently joined the rebels. In this skirmish Lieutenant Hidden was killed while gallantly leading his men, and was the only one killed by the enem}-. Just as this slight engagement was over, the Second Regiment, under Colonel Tucker (Colonel McLean having re- signed in November, 1861), arrived to support the Third, and occupied the ground of the rebel picket. Next day, :\Iarch loth, Lieutenant-Colonel McAllister of the First Regiment received orders to send a small detachment in advance. Lieutenant W. H. Tantum was detailed for this duty, and with fourteen men of Company B. First Regiment, marched to Centreville, and re- ported at once to his captain. S. Van Sickell. that he had occupied the place at 1 1.30 A. M. Thus, to the First Regiment Xew Jersey Volunteers fell the honor of being the first infantry to occupy the field of Bull Run battle in this movement, as well as the last troops of any army to leave it, after that battle. The reports of the rebel mox-ement were verified, the movement being to the rear, and in such haste that considerable property was found, as well as important papers, which were secured by Colonel Simp- son, of the Fourth Regiment, from General Johnston's head- quarters in Centreville. The Third Regiment marched in during the afternoon, the balance of the First Regiment having come in at about 4 P. M. The Union flag was hoisted and the Brigade camped at Centre- ville until March 14th, when it returned to its old camp ground. (Colonel D. McM. Gregg claims the honor of having occupied Centreville, Bull Run battlefield, with the Third and Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry before any other troops.) On ALirch 3d. 1862, General McClellan, through Adjutant- General Townsend. relieved General Kearny from the command of the First Xew Jersey Brigade and assigned him to the com- mand of Sumner's Division. Kearny declined the honor of advancement, preferring to remain with the Xew Jersey troops. FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 17 Accortling-ly, on March 14th, McClellan sent a dispatch to Secre- tary of War Stanton, that he had ,g-iven Sumner's Division to General Richardson instead of to General Kearny, because "this General preferred to 'command his old Brigade." On Kearny's return from McClellan's headcjuarters he was obliged to pass by the camp ground. When he appeared on the road the men started to cheer. The General rode into the camp, the men surrounding him and manifested their joy in repeated cheers. Kearny was nuich mov^d by this manifestation of their love and loyalty and could only say, "Thank you, boys." March 14th, 1862, army corps were formed and the First New Jersey Brig-ade became the First Brigade, First Division, First Corps, occupying the post of high honor, the extreme right of the army. The First Corps was commanded by Major-General Irwin McDowell, the First Division by General William B. Franklin, and the First Brigade by Philip Kearny. Arrived back in camp, the Brigade settled down to routine duties. The men were in high spirits over the certainty of their beloved commander remaining with them. The quiet of camp life lasted but a few days, however, when the Brigade received orders to "pack up" and prepare to march. Rations were issued and the Brigade moved out towards Burke's Station. Much speculation was indulged in as to their destination and object. The march commenced on April 7th, 1862, and the division went as far as Bristoe's Station on that day, and next day to Catlett's Station, camping there for a few days, and then returned to their old camp at Fairfax Seminary, arriving there on April 12th. General McClellan had been for some time preparing a plan of campaign, the object of which was the capture of Richmond and end the war. Three routes had been considered — one di- rect through Fredericksburg, using the connecting railroad for communication ; one by way of Aquia Creek, which would give water transportation part of the way, and the other by way of Yorktown, using the York River as a means of communication, with the co-operation of the navy. These plans were, of course, jealously guarded, so' that but few even of the high officers of the army knew anything of them besides the President and his Cabinet. The strict censorism kept the people from being en- 18 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. lightened as to the army's movements. The spring was well opened, and still no movement. So much dissatisfaction became apparent, both on the part of the general press and the politicians, at the apparently nseless inactivity of the army, that confidence in General McClellan was greatly impaired among a coterie of high officials in \\'ashington. His plan of campaign was criti- cised and condemned by those who would not, or could not understand that time was necessary to train a great armv o almost raw recruits and make a reliable fighting organization of them. There were others who believed in AlcClellan's ability to .carry out his plans, and among these were the President and- most of his cabinet. General McClellan finally adopted the Peninsula plan, but when he had fully matured all the necessary arrangements for the moving of the troops, he found his splendid armv greatly depleted by the detachment of divisions that he had relied upon for the most efficient and arduous service. Franklin's division was ordered to the Department of the Rappahannock, under McDowell, for the defense of Washington. The disappointment of not accompanying the Army of the Potomac did not last long, for on the 17th of April Franklin's division was ordered to em- bark on transports to join the army at Yorktown. General Mc- Clellan had urged with so much persistence the absolute neces- sity of his having the use of this great body of drilled troops, that the Secretary of War, Stanton, finally obtained permission from the President to transfer Franklin's division from the army for the defense of Washington to the Army of the Potomac. The division arrived in the York River on A.^ril 22d and dis- embarked at Cheeseman's Creek. Just at this time the Brigade, which was in good spirits and ready for the work, was greatly depressed by the transfer of their General to the command of the Third Division of the Third Corps, under General Heint- zelman. Colonel George W. Taylor, of the Third New Jersey Volunteers, was made Brigade General. \Mien it became known that the contemplated transfer of General Kearny to another and mt^re important command had been nullified bv his declining promotion unless he was allowed to take his "pets" with him, which alternative had been refused bv the commander of the i FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 19 army, the Legislature of New Jersey passed the following reso- lution on March 20th, 1862: "That New Jersey highly appreciated the disinterested fidelity of General Philip Kearny in declining proffered promotion rather than separate himself from the command of the Jerseymen en- trusted to him." That the transfer of General Kearny from the command of the Jersey Brigade to a division in Heintzelman's corps was a matter of great concern and regret to the people of New Jersey is evidenced by the resolutions passed by the Legislature of that State on March 28th, 1862: "Resolved, That to the New' Jersey Volunteers belong the praise not only of checking the retreat of the Federal forces retiring from Bull Run and greatly aiding in the preservation of the National Capital from capture, but also of advancing, un- supported, on the rebel stronghold at Manassas and compelling its precipitate abandonment ; and that General Kearny deserves the warm approval and thanks of the Nation for his boldness in making this advance, and this skillful strategy he displayed in its execution. "Resolved, That having already testified our high appreciation of the self-sacrifice and fidelity to' his trust, which led General Kearny to decline promotion rather than leave his Brigade, we now express our regret at the existence of any such necessity, and respectfully suggest to those in authority the propriety (unless it be inconsistent with the public interest) of combining all the New Jersev troops on the Potomac into one division and placing the same under the command of General Kearny, whose devotion to his soldiers, care for their comfort and discipline, and brilliant qualities as an officer, entitles the country to his ser- vices in a higher position than the one he now occupies. "Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to the Honorable the Secretary of War." 20 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Second Year Under Taylor. PEXINSUI.AR CAMPAIGN WEST POINT GAINES' MILLS CHARLES CITY CROSS ROADS SECOND BATTLE OF MANASSAS. Under Torbert. CRAMPTON's pass ANTIETAM FIRST FREDERICKSBURG MUD MARCH. OX May 5th. Yorktown ha\"ino- ])een evacuated by ilie Confed- erates, General McClellan decided to make a flank move- ment, SO as to cut off the retreatine: rebel army and its wao-on trains, and for the purpose ordered Franklin's division to West Point, on the York River. The division re-embarked and the fleet of transports proceeded up tlie York River, supported by gunboats sent by Commodore Goldsborough. W'hile this movement was in progress a battle was being fought at Williamsburg, and on landing the Brigade received the account of the gallant work of Kearny's division in relieving General Hooker, who had for five hours fought a greatly superior force successfully, but was very hard pressed when Kearny arrived with re-enforcements. Franklin's division was landed on the right bank of the Pa- munkey River, opposite West Point. General P. S. Michie, in his life of McClellan, on page 274, says : "With regard to Frank- lin's division, which, at McClellan's urgent and repeated solicita- tion, had been sent Xo him. and from which so much had loeen promised and expected, it was the victim of many untoward cir- cumstances that neutralized its expected efficiency. It reached IMcClellan on April 22d, l)ut it was then considered too small to be detached to Severn, it was decided to disembark on the north bank of the York River opposite Gloucester, but nearly BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE W. TAYLOR. Killed at Bull Run Bridge, Second Battle of Bull Run. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 2.1 two weeks were consumed in preliminary preparations for this project, when, on the 3d of May, he concluded to disembark it at Cheeseman's, on the Poquosin, for the contemplated assault on Yorktown after the bombardment had taken place. The next morning, however, the evacuation had taken place and Franklin received orders at 10 o'clock to re-embark his division, it being then in camp on the Poquosin River. It was not until noon of the 5th that Franklin succeeded in re-embarking his artillery and putting his transports in motion, so that he did not reach York- towai till the dusk of that day. It was then too' late to start that night up the York, and he did not get off till the morning of the ■6th. He reached Eltham that afternoon and completed his dis- embarkation on the morning of the 7th." The rebels having secured all the results they had worked for, evacuated Williams- burg, but left Hill's and Longstreet's divisions to confront Franklin. "They were at Barhamsville on the 7th of May, in readiness to oppose Franklin in case he moved his division from Eltham to attack their trains, which were in motion on the road in the near vicinity. Franklin's position was a good one, both flanks and a large part of the front being protected by water. Hoping that, Franklin w'ould advance beyond the protection of the gunboats, Whiting's division was placed in a favorable posi- tion to cover his advance from Eltham, but there being no evi- dence of Franklin's immediate advance, at seven o'clock Whiting was ordered to attack." The rebels — counting from right to left were Hampton's, Hood's and S. R. Anderson's brigades — began the action at about 9 A. M. Driving in our pickets, they encountered New- ton's brigade. On Newton's left were Slocum's brigade of Franklin's division and Dana's brigade of Sedgwick's division, just landed from the transports. The battle continued until 3 P. M., when the rebels drew oft' and the Union line was re- established in the position of the morning. The official report, on page 614 of Vol. 11, part ist. Series i, says: "This brigade (Newton's) was supported on the left by Taylor's brigade, consisting of the Third and Fourth New- Jersey Regiments and by the Fifth Maine, of Slocum's brigade. In the rear were Hexamer's New Jersey and Upton's regular batteries, 22 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. iiiuler coniniand of Captain Piatt, Second Artillery. The remain- der of Taylor's brigade, the First and Second Xew Jersey Regi- ments, supported the batteries and at the same time were in reserve to repel any attacks upon the approach to the dam." "The pickets having retired, the Thirty-second New York and part of the Xinety-fifth Pennsylvania were moved into the woods- as a support, where they met a very hot fire and were obliged to retire to the edge of the woods. The line was then formed with part of the Eighteenth X^ew York, the Fifth Maine, the Thirty- first New York, to which force w^as added six companies of the First X^ew Jersey and four companies of the Second X'^ew Jersey Regiments, under Lieutenant-Colonel McAllister of the First New Jersey. With this force, after a sharp contest, the position of the morning was soon recovered." From General Franklin's report this extract is taken : "At 5 o'clock I placed the troops of Colonel Taylor's brigade, con- sisting of four X^ew Jersey regiments, in the position held l)y the four regiments previously engaged, with orders to find out during the night the position of the enemy, and, if possible, to push further to the front. He performed the work well, though with- out an engagement, and occupied a position two miles in advance early next morning." In this battle Hexamer's Battery "A" did splendid work. Captain Richard Arnold in his report says: "But the service rendered by Captain Hexamer, when the enemy appeared on the border of the woods, and the accurate firing of shell from the battery commanded by Lieutenant Upton, which resulted in routing a portion of the Hampton Legion and releasing Captain J. E. Montgomery, A. A. G. to General X^ewton. who had been taken prisoner by them a few minutes before, contributed greatly to the repulse of the enemy, and gave all the troops on this flank increased confidence. The only casualty of the day. a private was seriously wounded in the arm." The First X^ew Jersey Regiment lost three men in the action. The Brigade remained on the battlefield during May 8th, and on the 9th advanced to X^ew Kent Courthouse, about four miles, where they encamped and remained till the I2th. when they again advanced to White House, on the Pamunkey River. This estate FJRST XBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 23- belonged to General Fitz Hugh Lee, and the dwelling was a line specimen of old Virginia plantation houses. The advance of the Union forces had been tedious, wearisome and discourag- ing. The heavy and frequent rains had made the roads rivers of mud, rendering marching the most difficult task, and quite im- passable for the wagon and artillery trains. On May 13th the Brigade marched to Slatersville, as a support to the Sixth U. S. Cavalry, which was reconnoitering that part of the Confederate position. The Brigade camped at New Kent Courthouse, and on the next day, 14th of May, returned to their camp at White House. A rest of two or three days, greatly needed, gave the men an opportunity to clean up and prepare for more arduous duty. On the i8th the Brigade advanced to Tun- stall's Station, on the Richmond and York River Railroad. On this day Franklin's division was reorganized and became the Sixth Corps, [the New Jersey Brigade becoming the First Brigade,. First Division!] On May 19th, the Brigade marched to Pay- sley's farm, camping there for the night, and on the 20th ad- vanced to Cold Harbor. Heavy cannonading heard towards the left of the army was the action that took place when the Union army took Bottom's Bridge. The corps advanced to Old Cold Harbor and camped there on the 21st. The object of this demonstration having been accomplished, no further advance was made, the corps camping at Old Cold Harbor until the 25th. It was evident that McDowell's army would not be permitted to leave the strategic line for the defense of Washington as long as Jackson could make raids down the Shenandoah Valley towards Harper's Ferry. McDowell was therefore held near Fredericksburg, and moved, as occasion seemed to require, towards the gaps in the mountains, through which Jackson and his army might make a descent upon Washington. The Sixth Corps left Cold Harbor on the 25th of May and marched towards Gaines Mill, on the Chickahominy River. Here the corps rested for two days. The men were occupied in the various duties of an actiye campaign. While occupied with these operations sev- eral severe battles had been fought by Porter's, Keyes' and Heintzelman's corps at Fair Oaks or Seven Pines and Savage Si-ation, in which the First New Jersey Brigade had no part. 24 riRsr xBir jersey brigade. The Brigade received orders on June ist to prepare for march- ing. Cartridge-boxes were filled and rations issued. The heavy cannon and musketry firing on this day, heard on the left, kept the men in doubt as to their destination, though they expected to be ordered to Fair Oaks as a support. The battle of Fair Oaks was in progress, and to the waiting men it seemed a never- ending one. The Chickahuniiny River, swollen by almost daily rains, was impassable without bridges, and many of these had been entirely washed away or were so badly damaged that lhe\' had to be entirely rebuilt. The Fifth Corps, under General F. J. Porter, was -north of the Chickahominy, and was now cut off from the rest of the army. This shrewd leader and gallant fighter recognized his danger and set to work at once to repair the bridges, draw in his outlying troops and prepare for the struggle, which he knew must come. General R. E. Lee had succeeded Johnson in command of the rebel army, and was alert, quick and a splendid strategist. His spies kept him well in- formed of the condition of affairs on the Union side, and he began at once to get his army in readiness to, first, destroy or capture Porter's corps, and then turn upon the rest of the Union army and endeavor to destroy it. The safety of Porter's corps caused great concern to the other corps generals, but it evidently did not trouble McClellan much. Lee sent four of his best generals with their divisions to cut off and destro}' that part of the Union arm}' north of the Chickahominy. Porter had some- thing more than twenty thousand men of all arms, while the four divisions of Jackson, Longstreet, A. P. and D. H. Hill numbered over sixty thousand men. It was determined to with- draw the Fifth Corps to the south side of the Chickahominy, and all the heavy guns and wagon trains were ordered to cross <»n the two rickety bridges still available, and upon which the pioneers and details from the nearest regiments had worked night and day to render safe. Nearly all this had been accom- plished, and Porter was engaged in making disposition of his troops wlien the enemy appeared. The battle opened a little after noon of June 27th, without much preliminary skirmishing, the rebels evidently relying on their immensely superior numbers to crush at once the small force opposed to them. By 2 o'clock FIRST XBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 25 Porter was hard pressed and asked for help. Slociim's division of the Sixth Corps was ordered to proceed to his rehef and to cross by Alexander's bridge. He got on to the field at about half-past three, having been delayed by contradictorv orders Newton's brigade, being in the advance, was sent to the right of the line. Bartlett's brigade to' the center and Taylor's First New Jersey Brigade was distributed by regiments to those points on the left where assistance was most needed. General Taylor's report, Series i, Vol. ii, part 2. page 437, is as follows : "My command, by orders of General Slocum, left our intrenched camp on the right bank of the Chickahominy on Friday afternoon, the 27th of June, and crossed the said stream by Woodbury bridge. The battle begun the day previous had been renewed near Gaines' farm, where we arrived about 4 o'clock P. M. I immediately formed my brigade in two lines, the Third and Fourth Regiments in front, and the First and Second Regiments in the second line. "My line was scarcely formed when the Third Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, was ordered to' advance forward into' the woods, where a fierce combat was raging. Colonel Brown immediately formed his regiment in line of battle, led it into the woods, and began a rapid fire upon the enemy. As this was the first of my regiments engaged, I will complete my report of it by saying that they continued the fight in the woods until the close of the action. They were all the time under a galling fire, often a cross-fire, but maintained their ground until near sunset. when the whole line fell back. They had at this time expended (a large majority of the men) their last cartridges — 60 rounds to the man. It is but justice to say that this regiment bore itself most heroically throughout the entire action. Their conduct was all that could be desired. With their comrades falling around them, they stood up like a wall of iron, losing over one-third of their number, and gave not an inch of ground until their am- munition was expended and the retrograde movement became general. They were under this fire one hour and a half. "The First Regiment entered the woods about half an hour after the Third, and remained until the close of the action. Colonel Torbert, being unwell, the regiment was led by Lieu- ■26 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. lenant-Colonel McAllister, and well sustained b\' his presence and courag-e. I should, however, say that Colonel Torbert, though suffering from low fever, followed us to the field and was present. I take great pleasure in saying, for both these regiments fought under my own eye. that the First Regiment showed the same indomitable courage as the Third Regiment, exposing themselves to the leaden hail of an often unseen foe, advancing with the Third Regiment, and stood steadily under a most galling fire until the close of the action. Their loss was enlisted men killed, 20; wounded, 80; missing, 57. The loss of commissioned officers was I killed, 4 wounded and i missing; making a total of 163. "I ha\e now to speak of the SecO'nd and Fourth Regiments, the first of which, under Colonel Tucker, numbered only four com- panies, the other six being on duty in the field works at Camp Lincoln, left behind under Colonel Buck. While absent to the front, these four companies, by order of General Porter, and without my knowledge, w^ere sent into the woods suffering a most galling fire. Their loss was: enlisted men killed. 12; wounded, 45 ; missing. 4c ; making a total of 97 enlisted men. I also regret to record the death of Colonel I. Tucker, and probably Major Ryerson, both of whom were left upon the field ; also Captain Danforth, mortally w'ounded, and Lieutenants Blewett. Root and Bogert, severely, and Lieutenant Callan missing. They, how- ever, sustained themselves most gallantly, and proved their courage against superior numbers. "The fate of the Fourth Regiment, Colonel Simpson, one of my' most ef-ficient regiments as regards officers and men — was most painful. At the moment when Aictory seemed wavering in the balance, an aide of General McClellan took them from my com- mand and ordered them into the woods. All the account I can give of them is. that but one officer, wounded, and 82 men have rejoined my command. All the rest, if li\ing, are believed to be prisoners of war. I learn from those who have come in that up to the time the regiment was surrounded they had received from and returned the enemy a most galling fire. I annex a report of the casulties of the day. showing the total loss of the Brigade. "Ill conclusion. I would say that so far as I am at present in- formed, my officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, nobly FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 27 performed their duties, and it might, therefore, be invidious to particularize, still in justice to the gallant dead who have devote(J their lives to the country, I must record the names of Captain Brewster, of the First, and Captain Buckley, of the Third; also Second Lieutenant Howell, of the Third, all officers of dis- tinguished merit. These officers fought under my own eye. As regards the conduct of the Second and Fourth Regiment officers, 1 am told that it was all that could be desired : but these regi- ments having been taken from me, I did not see them again during the action." In this battle the First Regiment lost Major Hatfield and Cap- tain E. G. Brewster, killed; Captain J. D. P. Mount, Lieutenants F. B. Holt and C. W. Mutchler, wounded; Lieutenant John Parker, missing. The Second Regiment lost Colonel L M. Tucker and Captain Danforth, killed; Major Ryerson and Lieu- tenant Blewett, Rott and Bogert, wounded; Lieutenant Callan, missing. This was the first battle in which the regiments of the First New Jersey Brigade were employed in actual hard fighting. That the men in it did their part with cool courage and soldierly discipline can be gathered from the foregoing reports. The list of casulties attests this, as can be seen from the following report taken from the official records; Enlisted Officers. Men. Pirst New Jersey— killed, 2 20 wounded, 4 75 captured, i 57 7 152 = 159 Second New Jersey — killed, 2 13 wounded 3 52 captured i 42 6 107=113 Third New Jersey— killed, 2 33 wounded, 5 131 captured, i 43 8 207 = 215 28 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Fourth New Jersey — killed i 44 wounded 7 96 captured 22 415 30 555 = 585 1,072 Alaking a total of 1,072 out of the Brigade. Battery "A" had five enlisted men wounded. General Michie, page 347, says: "Reliance npon this egre- gionsly erroneous estimate []\Iajor Allan, Chief or Secret Service, reported Lee's strength at one hundred and eighty thousand men] undoubtedly caused McClellan to justify to himself a most dis- proportionate division of his strength on the two sides of the Chickahominy, so that while Porter, at first with nine brigades comprising but thirty-seven regiments of infantry, afterward? re-enforced with the twelve regiments of Slocum's three brigades, was fighting twenty-seven Confederate brigades, comprising one hundred and fifteen regiments, Magruder, with but forty-three regiments in his eleven brigades, was holding at least nineteen Union brigades with over ninety regiments within their strong defensix'e lines in such a state of apprehension that the Cor}),- commanders did not deem it safe to detach any of their troops to re-enforce Porter, even when, late in the afternoon, his position was considered critical. Language is scarcely strong enough to condemn, in appropriate terms, the inefficient administration of the service of information whereby so gross a miscalculation should lia\-c e\'oh-ed. and especially since the two armies, with the exception of Jackson's corps, had been in close contact for a month. "Conceding, however, that McClellan was bound to make In- dispositions conform to his information, such as it was. it is scarcely possible, even with this concession, to justify the neces- sity, obligation or propriety of fighting the battle of Gaines' Mill. His strongest friends and warmest admirers — Porter. Franklin and Smith — sustained it in the expectation that McClellan would attack Magruder with the bulk of his forces on the south side, while Porter was holding the position to which he had been assigned to the last extremity. And if in his own mind he had FIRST XBW JERSEY BRIGADE. 29 decided that there was no aUernative but a retreat to the James, it was incumbent upon him to withdraw Porter from Beaver Dam Creek in the darkness after his successful action of that day. The uncertain element in the whole problem that makes any forecast of probabilities difficult is whether McClellan possessed sufficient tactical abilit}^ to handle an army of one hundred thou- sand men in the battles that Lee would force upon him during- the retreat." From these reports and extracts it can be readily seen that the battle of Gaines' Mill was a mistake, or rather a series of mistakes, in that the battle should not have been fought in the first place, and second, as the rebels had forced it, it could have been fought under much more favorable conditions if McClellan had used the troops on the south side of the Chickahominy instead of allowing himself to be bluffed by a small portion of Lee's army. The battle ended \vith the capture of the Fourth New Jersey Regiment, which fate was shared by the Eleventh Pennsylvania, under Colonel Gallagher. On June 28th, the Brigade moved with the rest of the troops to the south side of the Chickahominy. The line of march was toward Savage's Station. Slocum's division of the Sixth Corps was ordered -to the Station to act as reserve and train guard, while the other two divisions remained in the neighborhood of the Chickahominy to act as rear guard. Savage Statiou is on the York River and Richmond Railroad, and was a supply depot for the army. Slocum's division arrived at the Station on the 29th. An enorm'ous amount of food, cloth- ing, ammunition and other supplies had been gathered there to supply the army, and as it was now in full retreat to the James River, it became necessary to destroy all that could not be loaded on the wagous to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy. Great piles of boxes containing crackers, clothing, shoes, barrels of pork and beef, were made and set on fire. A long train of box and platform cars was loaded with powder, shells and cartridges, with two engines to draw it. The train was set on fire in many places, the engines started and the fire train dashed toward the Confederate lines. Twenty-five hundred wounded and sick men were abandoned, together with a great 3 1^ B 30 . FIRS7' XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. number of ambulances, already hitched up, for transporting them. This action has been justified by the statement that in the hurried n-jovement many would have died, who, by not being moved at that time, would recover. The division (Slocum's) received orders the same day to pro- ceed to Charles City Cross- Roads to relieve General Keyes Accordingly it left Savage's Station on the 29th and fell back- across White Oak Swamp to rejoin the army, having performed the duty assigned in covering the withdrawal of the wagon trains. General Michie, in his work, on page 253, says : "First, Slocum's division of Franklin's corps, under direct orders of McClellan, crossed the swamp to- relieve Keyes and reached its destination at 7 P. M. of the 29th, but early next morning was moved out on the Charles City Road, alx)ut a mile from the junc- tion. Kearny's division of Heintzelman's corps crossed the swamp during the evening of the 29th, the whole division en- camping, at about 10 P. M., in the position afterwards occupied by Slocum, but next morning was moved to the left to guard the country between Charles City and New Market Roads, a front of about tw^o and a half miles. On this day it must have been evident to McClellan that Lee would attack that day, both at White Oak Swamp Bridge and at the cross-roads, and that the crisis of the retreat had arrived, and yet he had withdrawn him- self from the immediate vicinity of the battle-field where, had the consequences been averse, his armv would have been lost.'' The battle of Glendale, or Charles City Cross Roads, w-as foug-ht by division commanders, acting on their own initiative, and possibly for that reason was a great success for the Union army and a ver}^ severe repulse to the rebels. At 2 o'clock the enemy appeared in force on the Charles City road, and at 2 130 P. M. the attack commenced down the road on General Slocum's left, but the enemy's onset was checked by his artillery. The bat- tle raged all the afternoon with varying fortunes, until about dusk, when McCall's Division of Pennsylvania Reserves, worn out with days of continuous fighting and nights of marching and loss of sleep, with ammum'tion nearlv exhausted, g'ave way. The situation was threatening, but Kearny, who was in command on that part of the line, had no thought of retiring. He sent one of FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 31 his aides to Slocum's division with the message that he desired the assistance of his old Brigade. It was not quite dark when the aide rode up and dehvered his message. The m'en of the First New Jersey Brigade, though in as bad phght as McCall's division, with the exception that they were well supplied with ammunition, responded with enthusiasm and hastened to Kearny's assistance. The official reports, page 66, Series i, Part i, Vol. ii, says: ^'Later in the day, at the call of General Kearny, General Taylor's First New Jersey Brigade, Slocum's division, was sent tO' occupy a portion of the position from which General McCall's division had been forced back by the attack of superior numbers, a battery accompanying the Brigade. They soon drove the enemy, who shortly afterward gave up the attack." General Kearny's report, page 163, Series i, Part 2, Vol. 11, contains the following ])assage : "It was at this conjunction that I arrived from my right. I found McCall's position abandoned, although not occupied by the enemy. I placed in it the First New Jersey Brigade, General Taylor. I then knew it to be in true hands." Further on, in the same report, page 164. he says: ""In concluding my report of this battle — one of the most desperate of the war, the one the most fatal if lost — I am proud to give my thanks and to include in the glory of my own division, the First New Jersey Brigade, General Taylor, who held McCall's deserted ground — not only entitle them to share in the credit of our victory, but also ever after engender full sympathies between the two corps." In Foster's book, page 83, is found the following note: "On the 30th, while passing through White Oak Swamp, the rear guard of our army was violently assailed by a large force of the enemy. McCall's Pennsylvania Reserves, who held the front, being dri\-en back after a desperate encounter, when the rebels rushed forward to capture our guns, a succession of terrible struggles ensued. Finally, our troops gradually falling back, General Kearny, who was also engaged, sent a request to General Franklin for the First New Jersey Brigade, which was at once forwarded. As the men advanced at the call of their old leader, they were met by him and informed '^f the critical situation of affairs, when, forming in the edge of the woods and throwing off 32 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. their knapsacks, the}' clashed at double quick toward the point of danger, cheering as they went with the wildest enthusiasm. But now the rebels, exhausted by their struggles, and alarmed by the cheers of the Jersey men, fell back in haste to the woods in their rear, and our forces were permitted to withdraw^ without further contest. Few events of the war illustrated so well the character of our troops, and the attachment they felt for General Kearny, as their eager response to his call for help — a response in whicii everything was abandoned that he might once more win the day. Kearny himself never forgot that day, and to the men of the First New^ Jersey Brigade the memory of the greeting he gave them as they hurried at his call will be ever precious." In this battle the Brigade fought for the first and last time under the command of General Philip Kearny. It has always been a source of congratulation among the survivors that they w^ere permitted to fight at least one battle under Kearny. The battle of Charles City Cross Roads ended about 9 P. M. The columns were almost immediately set in motion towards Malvern Hill, about two miles from the extreme left of the battle- field of Charles City Cross Roads, or Glendale. The battle of Malvern Hill was fought on July ist. The Sixth Corps was posted near the right of our lines, and, as the battle was fought by the left and the centre, the troops of this corps had but little part in it, except to act as support and look on. The battle proved an overwhelming defeat for the Confederate army, and the moment was opportune to follow it up and push the rebels int*/ their intrenchments at Richmond. But the usual hesitation and delay ensued and the opportunitv was lost. The battle over. the army continued its retreat to Harrison's Landing, where the troops were under the protection of the heavy guns of the navy. The army rested here from July 3d to August 13th. when per- emptory orders from Washington to withdraw the Army of the Potomac from the Peninsula were received. On the 14th inst. the movement was begun by the Third and Fifth Corps, whicli went to Yorktown. The Sixth Corps moved out on the i6th towards Fortress Monroe. An itinerary taken from Captain* Cunningham's diary shows that the march was to Newport News. * Captain Cunningham was then Lieutenant Cunningham, of the First Regi- ment, New Jersey Volunteers. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 33 *'On the 17th inst., marched fifteen miles to the Chickahominy, which was crossed on a pontoon bridge, camping at WilHams- burg. On the i8th, marched twelve miles to Yorktown. On the 20th, marched to Big Bethel. On the 21st, marched to Hampton. On the 22d, marched eighteen miles to Newport News and camped. On the 23d, embarked on transports and proceeded to Fortress Monroe." The Sixth Corps proceeded by transport to Alexandria, arriv- ing there on the 24th, and immediately landed. The First New Jersey Brigade returned to its old camp near Alexandria, where it remained until the 26th. Their numbers were reduced by the battles of Gaines' Mill, Charles City Cross Roads, Malvern Hill, and by sickness to fifteen hundred men. The Fourth Regiment, captured at Gaines' Mill, had been ex- changed and returned to the Brigade at Harrison's Landing. The situation at Washington was greatly changed by the removal of the Army of the Potomac from Harrison's Landing. The Confederate army, before that event, had been between two fires. They were now relieved of the one they considered the most dangerous and immediately took advantage of that fact. The authorities at Washington, having lost confidence in McClellan, had called from the West Major-General John Pope, whose operations at Island No. 10 in the Mississippi River, and at other points in the West, had been successful. This General, almost unknown to the Army of Virginia, except by newspaper reports, committed the error of reflecting on the ability of the Eastern armies and their leaders, in his first general order, par- ticularly in the unfortunate sentence, "that he had come from a section where the soldiers Were accustomed to seeing the backs of their enemies, and who never took a step backward, but always forward," and more to the same effect. The men naturally looked for grand strategic operations and successful encounters with the enemy. Major-General Halleck, Commander-in-Chief, had instructed Pope to seize and hold all lines of communication between Washington and Richmond in the vicinity, and on the Rappahannock River. Pope carried out his instructions faith- fully, and watched the manoeuvres of the enemy with eager antici- pation of scoring a victory, whenever the opportunity presented itself. The Army of Virginia, which he commanded, was com- 34 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. posed of the First Corps, commanded by General Franz Sigel, numbering about eleven thousand five hundred men ; the Second Corps, under General Nathaniel P. Banks, about fourteen thou- sand five hundred, and the Third Corps, under General Irwin McDowell, about eighteen thousand five hundred men. There were also in this army two brigades of cavalry, under Brigadier- Cknerals George D. Bayard and John Buford. These corps gave Pope a force of about forty-nine thousand five hundred men. Each corps was amply provided with artillery. Upon Pope's taking command of the Army of Virginia, ex- plicit promises had been made to him that re-enforcements from the Army of the Potomac would be sent forward to him as fast as they arrived at Alexandria or Aquia Creek. The first re- enforcements to reach the field of operations was General John Reynolds, with a brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves, who re- ported to Pope on August 23d, nearly two weeks after the time re-enforcements had been promised. Before this the battle of Cedar, or Slaughters, Mountain, fought on the 9th of August, by General N. P. Banks, Union, and Jackson, Confederate, re- sulted disastrously for the Union force. Jackson soon discovered the disparity in the forces of the two armies, and at once sent word to General Lee. Lee immediately ordered Jackson to start on a raid around the right of the Union army, to cut its lines of communication with Washington, and do whatever damage he could. Jackson, by forced marches, succeeded in getting in to the Virginia Valley through Thoroughfare Gap in the Bull Run Mountains. He brushed aside or captured what small detach- ments of Union troops he met, and on the 26tli of August cap- tured Manasas Gap Junction and Manasas Station, where an immense store of supplies for Pope's army had been collected. On August 27th, 1862, General Taylor, commanding the First New Jersey Brigade, received orders tO' go to the front and find General Pope and learn the cause of his silence, as no word had been received from him for twenty-four hours. The Brigade boarded the cars on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad at Camp California, and proceeded towards Bull Run Bridg-e. When the train reached a break in the road, caused by a collision the night before, about a quarter of a mile from the bridge, the Brigade FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 35 di sen barked and formed column. No artillery or support ac- companied the Brigade. Taylor marched the Brigade to the bridge and, after crossing, on mounting a small rise of the ground, gave orders to the commanders of regiments toi leave tents, blankets and knapsacks there, evidently believing that the .force opposed to him was small, perhaps only guerrillas. The Brig-ade advanced in column of division, a line of skirmishers being about five hundred yards in advance. The First Regi- ment led, the Second and Third Regiments following. The Fourth was ordered to hold the bridge, a guard from it having been left at the cars. In front of the Brigade was a depression, terminating on the further or west side in a hill with a slight curve. On this hill were seen two batteries and some cavalry, which at first were taken to be Union troops. The First Regi- ment now deployed in line of battle, on the right, facing one of the batteries. The Second Regiment also deployed into line of battle on the left, facing the battery on the left, with an interval of about fifty yards between the two regiments. The Third Regi- ment about two hundred yards in the rear, in column of division, moved forward opposite the interval between the First and Second Regiments. As soon as the Bdgade had reached a point about three hundred yards from the batteries, all doubt as to their character was dispelled by their opening fire with shell, grape and canister. At the same time a line of infantry appeared on the crest of the hill and opened fire at once. A storm of balls struck the Brigade and General Taylor ordered the regiments to charge the batteries, which they pre- pared to do. The effect of the enemy's fire was too much for them, however, and the regiments were obliged to retire toward the bridge after an hour's exposure to the enemy's fire. The enemy's cavalry made a demonstration on the left in a threaten- ing manner, but upon the regiments forming in column to resist cavalry, they withdrew. The retreat was conducted with order and without any undue haste or appearance of panic, the enemy following closely. A rear guard fight was maintained until the bride-e was reached, when some confusion attended the crossing, and here the enemy's cavalry and infantry captured about two hundred prisoners. It was at this time that General Taylor was 36 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. wounded in tlie lower part of his right leg. He was put upon a stretcher and carried from the field, calling out to the men to stand and make a fight for the bridge. General Taylor was a veteran of the Mexican War, in which he had served with some distinction and had gained for himsel the reputation of being absolutely without fear. He nevt hesitated in carrying out any order, and always with soldierly' exactness and promptitude. In the advance to Manassas battle- field he must have believed that the work given him to do was not a very difficult task, as shown by the bold and rapid march towards the enemy, without even a single piece of artillery or any support. It is well within reason to believe that, had he even suspected any superior force to confront him, he would have conducted the affair on quite different lines. One regiment sent out as a reconnoitering force could have developed the number of the enemy's force. At the bridge the New Jersey Brigade were re-enforced by the Eleventh and Twelfth Oihio Regiments of General Cox's Kanawha Division, under command of Colonel E. P. Scammon, an officer of the Regular Army, who- had been ordered up as a support. As soon as the confused mass of men of the Jersey Brigade had crossed the bridge. Colonel Scammon moved for- ward and opened fire on the enemy,, who were now beginning to cross the bridge. The well-sustained fire of the Ohio regiments checked the enemy's advance and the Jersey Brigade were ordered to the rear around a curve of the railroad where a cut afforded some protection. The Brigade re-formed behind this shelter and were again in condition to meet the enemy. The Confederates took shelter in the rifle pits and trenches on the heights on the west side of Bull Run. They were a part of Jackson's corps, and consisted of the brigades of Field, Pender, Archer and Thomas, antl the batteries were commanded by Poague and Carpenter. Their fire did but little damage at this point, but kept the brigades in position until it was seen that both infantry and cavalry were crossing Bull Run by fords above the bridge. Colonel Scam- mon, who had assumed command of all the Union troops with him, in the absence of General Taylor, ordered the brigades to retire towards Fairfax Station, the enemy following for about H. BURD GRUBB, Brevet Brigadier-General, U. S. V. Chairman Historical Committee. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 37 half a mile. The New Jersey Brigade, in company with Scam- mon's command, retired, without further encounter with the enemy, to Fairfax Station, and there took the road to Cloud's Mills via Annandale road, arriving at twelve o'clock on the 28th of August. In this affair the Jersey Brigade showed the same steadiness and courage that made them \yelcome to any other troops they were temporarily in contact with. The training of their beloved Kearny was their mainstay. Jackson, in his re- port, shows his appreciation of the soldierly qualities of the Jersey boys in this sentence : "The advance was made with great spirit and determination. If I had a division of such troops I could take Washington," The following reports, taken from the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, give a more exact description of the affair. Report of Major William Henry, Jr., commanding the First New Jersey Volunteers. Official Records, page 539, Vol. 12, Series i : Headquarters ist N. J. Voes., Sept. 6th, 1862. Sir — In obedience to your order of this date, I have the honor to report that, on the 27th of August, this regiment, in command of Lieut.-Colonel Collet, with the Brigade in command of Brigadier-General Geo. W. Taylor, proceeded by the Orange and Alexandria Railroad from camp California, two miles south of Alexandia to Bull Run Bridge, on said road, whence the regiment on the right of the Brigade, marched to Manassas Plains, some two miles from the bridge, and encountered a large force of the enemy in formi- dable position on the heights. By order of the General commanding the left company of this regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Roberts, of Co. C, were deployed as skirmishers 500 yards to the front, the enemy's skirmishers retiring. The regiment, in close cohimn of division, deployed into line of battle, and, by order of the General, advanced to engage the enemy's artillery, stationed in a redout directly in front, which, in connection with the artil- lery on the right, had opened upon our advancing force with a heav}^ dis- charge of round shot, shell and grape, through which the regiment advanced in good order, undaunted and defiant. The enemy, in the meantime, had deployed a large force of cavalry and ■considerable infantry, exhibiting a strength that it was apparent our Brigade was entirely inadequate to cope with, which, being discovered by the General, he gave the order to fall back, the enemy's cavalry and infantry in the mean- time advancing and attacking us in force. Column against cavalry was formed and the Brigade marched in good order to the rear. In the execu- tion of this order, accomplished by a rapid movement, the principle part of our loss was sustained. 38 riRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Recrossing the bridge at Bull Run a portion of the regiment was filed tc the left, with the order to hold the bridge, the enemy's infantry closely pur-j suing, and firing with comparatively insignificant effect from the right banl of the stream diagonally across the bridge, which was replied to with gooc effect by our men. After being thus engaged, and holding the bridge for the' space of about half an hour, the Eleventh and Twelfth Ohio Volunteers, under command of Colonel Scammon, who assumed command of the com- bined forces, consisting of the First Brigade and two regiments of Ohio Vol- unteers (the Eleventh and Twelfth), General Taylor having received a wound which disabled him from duty, and being thus relieved by fresh regiments which had not been exposed to the enemy's fire, the undersigned, who was at this time in command, Lieut.-Col. Collet suffering from the effects of excessive fatigue and sunstroke, ordered his men to the rear, where the main body of his regiment had at this time assembled. The loss to this regiment in the affair here reported vvas killed, wounded and missing, 152. The regiment marched on the night of the 27th inst., with the force referred to, via Fairfax Station and the Braddock road to Annandals, thence by the Little River Turnpike, arriving at this camp near Cloird's Mill, at 12 M. the day following, August 28th. WILLIAM HENRY, Jr., Major First New Jersey Vols. CoL. A. T. A. TORBERT, 1st N. J. l^ols. Coiinnaiidiiig Brigade. The Third Regiment, under Colonel Henry W. Brown, did not suffer as heavily as the First and Second Regiments, it being" held as a reserve, as will be seen from Colonel BroAvn's report here appended : Headquarters Third New Jersey Volunteers. 1ST Brigade, ist Division, 6th Corps. Camp Seminary, Sept. 6th, 1862. Sir — I have the honor to report that on the morning of the 27th ulto.^ about 3 o'clock, orders were received to be ready to march immediately, and the regiment, which was then encamped at the foot of the hill near the seminary, marched at daybreak to the railroad depot near Fort Ellsworth^, where it was placed on the cars with the other regiments of the Brigade and the train moved off immediately. About 9 o'clock A. M. of the same day we came to a point on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, about a quartei* of a mile this (east) side of Bull Run Bridge, where we found the road obstructed by the debris of cars from a collision the night before. The regi- ment left the cars and moved up the railroad, crossing Bull Run Bridge,, when I filed to the left of the road and formed it by column of division on the high ground to the left of the track. Here I was ordered to relieve the men of tents, blankets, knapsacks, &c., and they were consequently thrown, upon the ground. From a little previous to 10 o'clock A. M. cannonading was heard on the front, and from the point we now occupied skirmishers were observed to FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 30 our front and left. I now received orders to follow the Second Regiment, and the line of march was obliquely to the right across the railroad, and after a march of one and a half miles, through rough but open country, we came to a dwelling-house and the marks of an old camp, when suddenly the enemy opened on our right and left flanks with artillery at short range. A battalion of cavalry now showed itself on our left, when I formed my regiment in double column at half distance and was ordered to take my position two hun- dred or three hundred yards to the rear and opposite the interval between the First and Second Regiments, which were in line of battle. Thus formed the Brigade moved, the First towards the guns on the right, the Second towards those on the left, the Third moving opposite the interval, as pre- viously ordered, for a mile or thereabout, when I was ordered to halt and deploy, the enemy's cavalry having moved to the rear of his right. Almost immediately skirmishing was heard in front. Shortly after the leading regi- ments fell back on my line in good order, and the enemy's cavalry again appeared on our left when I again prepared to receive them, and retreated in column, by order of the General, across an open country to an elevated position on the railroad, and there formed a line of battle behind some trees and ranks of wood. When the First and Second Regiments had passed I continued the retreat towards Bull Run Bridge, sometimes threatened by the cavalry, when I formed column ; sometimes by artillery, who fired grape through my ranks, men and oflicers behaving admirably and moving in per- fect order. We now came to a ravine, the declivity of which was so steep that many of the men fell in descending, and in ascending the opposite side we received a destructive fire from the enemy's artillery at short range. Fatigue of in- cessant marching over bad roads and continuous fire of the enemy had thinned my ranks and many men had fallen out unable to march. The retreat being continued across the bridge, these stragglers were captured by the enemy. I was then placed with part of my regiment on a hill to the left of the road to protect the bridge, the other portion having moved down the rail- road. Here I was reinforced by the Twelfth Ohio, the Eleventh Ohio being somewhere to my left and rear. General Taylor was now wounded and car- ried to the rear and Colonel Scammon, of the Eleventh Ohio, assumed com- mand. The difficulty of the ground prevented the further pursuit of (by) the enemy's artillery, but they occupied the rifle pits on the opposite hill and commenced a heavy fire on our troops, which was vigorously replied to 'and continued nearly an hour. The enemy now having crossed the creek on our right in force, for the purpose of outflanking us, I was ordered in concert with the Twelfth Ohio to fall back along the brow of the hill and opposite the force trying to get in my rear. The bridge being now abandoned the enemy crossed with his infantry, the cavalry having previously passed by a ford above, and he being now on our left flank and pressing our front, we retreated slowly and in good order down the railroad, the enemy following about half a mile. The firing during the engagement was incessant and sometimes very heavy. The casualties, so far as known, are comparatively few, the troops having been pretty well screened by the hill on the left of the railroad, covered with 40 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. dense woods. My chief loss was in prisoners taken by the enemy's cavalry who were captured in attempting to cross the bridge. I append a list of killed, wounded and missing so far as ascertained. My officers and men, almost without exception, behaved with the utmost gallantry, and showed the best qualities of soldiers by the quietude and steadi- ness of their retreat under galling fii-e. I have the honer to be, sir, your most obedient servant, H. W. BROWN, Colonel Commanding Capt. Robt. T. Dunham, Assistant Adjutant-General. I The Fourth Regiment was left on the east side of the bridge to hold it. Nine companies were stationed there, and the tenth company was deployed as skirmishers to prevent the position from being flanked. The regiment had been exchanged only about two weeks previously. An extract from the diary of Captain John P. Beach, of Company B, Fourth Regiment : "As we got off the cars we heard heavy firing in the direction of Bull Run. The Brigade marched up to Bull Run bridge. General Taylor took the First, Second and Third Regiments over the bridge and advanced towards the heights beyond, leaving the Fourth Regiment to hold the bridge. Nine companies held the bridge, while the other (my company, B,) was deployed along Bull Run as skirmishers to the right of the bridge, to prevent a flank attack. General Taylor, seeing some rebels in some of the old earthworks, formed his command and advanced upon a rebel battery in his front. x\s he advanced two other batteries, which had been masked, opened a destructive fire upon his chargiug column, compelling them to fall back to the bridge." The Second Regiment had the same experience as the First, its loss in killed, wounded and captured being but two less than that of the First Regiment. The Comte de Paris, in his work on the Civil War. Vol. 2, page 278, says : "Fortunately, Franklin's corps had landed on the afternoon of the 26th (August). It was positively destitute of everything that an amiy needs for its march, having neither horses, wagons, cannon, rations or ammunition. Nevertheless, on the morning of the 27th, one of his brigades, composed of New Jersey FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 41 troops under General Taylor, proceeded by rail as far as Bull Run bridge, got off the cars, crossed the stream, and boldly advanced to see what they could discover in the direction of Manassas. The Confederates, seeing this handful of men, for they only numbered one thousand or twelve hundred, concealed themselves in the woods and the works, and when the Federals were within a very short distance, they opened a terrific fire upon them, which laid one-third of their party low. The rem- nants hastily fled to the other side of Bull Run and to Centre- ville, conveying with them their wounded general. At Centre- ville a few troops rallied around the debris of this unfortunate brigade." There seems to be a discrepancy in the numbers as given by the different authorities. Foster gives the total number at about i,ioo, though in adding his figures for the several regiments together there is a difference of lOO men. He gives the First Regiment 300: the Second, 250; the Third, 375, and the Fourth Regiment, 75; total, 1,000. As nearly as is possible to ascertain the exact number of each regiment it is computed that the First Regiment had about 300; the Second, more than 250; the Third nearly 400, and the Fourth, about 500. Colonel Torbert, in his report of the affair, says the brigade moved out 1,600 strong, which is nearer the actual number than either Foster or the Comte de Paris. The brigade numbered between 1,400 and 1,500 men. The loss of the brigade in the engagement was 339, distributed as follows : Killed. IVoHuded. 1st Regiment, .... i enlisted man. 46 enlisted men. 2d Regiment, .... 7 enlisted men. 55 enlisted men. I officer. 3 officers. 3d Regiment, 3 officers. II enlisted men. 4th Regiment, i officer. 5 inen. Add to this i general officer and i staff officer wounded, 339 Captured. Total. 85 enlisted men. 132 61 enlisted men. 3 officers. 130 50 enlisted men. 64 5 enlisted men. II 337 ■d, 2 42 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The brave Taylor died in the hospital at Alexandria, from the effect of the amputation of his leg on September ist. The ojfficers wounded in this battle were Captains Wildrick.j Bishop and Stahl, of the Second. Lieutenant Plume was th( officer killed. Captain Stickney and Lieutenants Carr anc Taylor (nephew of the General), of the Third, and Captain Nip- pins, of the Fourth. The Brigade having returned to its old camp. Colonel Tor- bert, of the First Regiment, assumed command. The men hav- ing lost all their camp equipments except their arms and cart- ridge-boxes, the brigade quartermaster at once began the task of furnishing them with the necessary supplies. The rest was very short, for on the 29th August orders were received for an immediate advance. The regiments left camp and marched to Benton's Tavern, on the Little River turnpike, about seven miles, and bivouacked. The next dav they marched to Fairfax Court House. Here General Slocum, commanding the division, ordered four companies to be left, and the rest of the Brigade to proceed two miles from Fairfax Court House and camp with Hexamer's Battery "A", on the Centreville pike. Accordingly, four companies of the First Regiment were left at the Court House, under command of Captain Baker. From this camp one company of the First Regiment was sent out to Germantown to picket from there to the Centreville road and beyond, the line extending something more than half a mile. On the 31st of August Major DuftV, with six companies of the Second Regiment, relieved the four companies of the First Regi- ment. Major Duffy was empowered to act as provost marshal, and was instructed to place strong picket posts on the Flint Hill and Vienna road, Falls Church road and Fairfax Station road. Also to guard a number of prisoners. Early in the morning the picket force in front of the brigade was doubled, and the line extended a mile up the Little River turnpike to the right of Ger- mantown. Sometime after noon a body of Confederate cavalry made a dash on the Little River pike, capturing Captain Hight, Second U. S. Cavalry, about three miles from Germantown. Colonel Hatch, of the Fourth Regiment, was sent out with half his command to re-enforce the pickets, which move caused the •enemv to retire. FIRST XEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 43 ^ Colonel Torbert, commanding the Brig-ade, in his report, page 538, Vol. 12, Series i, says: "About dark I received orders from General Pope tO' send two regiments and two pieces of artillery as a guard to- the trains, enroute to' Alexandria, as far as Clouds Mills. I sent the First and Third Regiments, New Jersey Volun- teers, leaving me two regiments and four pieces of artillery. "About 8 P. M. the enemy brought three pieces of artillery into position at the edge of the woods between the two turnpikes, about 300 yards from the pickets and the same distance from the Centreville pike, where the trains were moving. They fired six shots into the train and my camp, killing twO' or three horses and stampeding the trains. Drivers deserted their wagons and the greatest confusion existed. My guards, stationed on the road to arrest stragglers, by great exertions stopped the train and re- stored order, forced men to take charge of wagons and drive them to Alexandria and toward Centreville. I immediately advanced a. portion of my picket line opposite the artillery, which retired ; prepared my own artilery for action ; sent the Second Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, up the Centreville pike opposite the point where the train was shelled, then sent a staff officer to report to General Pope the state of affairs." General Pope sent five regim'ents of Dana's brigade, under Colonel Hinks, and two batteries as a support, but they did not arrive until the next morning, vSeptember ist. During the morn- ing the enemy's cavalry pickets wounded one of the pickets of the brigade, but no other demonstration was made. Late in the day, by order of General Pope, the Brigade was marched tO' German- town and was temporarily under the general command of General Hooker. Here the Brigade was formed in line of battle and so remained the whole night, in a drenching rainstorm. The First and Third Reg-im-ents and the six companies of the Second Regi- ment, under Major Duffy, who had been left to guard Fairfax Court House, rejoined the Brigade here. The First New Jersey Brigade took no further part in this campaign. The second battle of Manassas had been fought and won by the Confederate army. The Union amiy, defeated and almost demoralized, sought shelter behind the defenses of Washington. The loss to the Union cause in commanding officers and rank and file was great, but the loss 44 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. of prestige greater. The 29th and 30th of August, 1862, seemed to those who had watched anxiously the course of events, to be the darkest days in the National calendar. Some historians at- tribute the disaster to jealously and spite on the part of some of the corps commanders, others to Pope's incapacity. However that may be, one opportunity of crippling Lee's army was de- liberately abandoned when McDowell and Sigel were withdrawn from their positions between Jackson's troops and Thoroughfare Gap. The Brigade returned to its old camp near Alexandria, and while here the command was given to Colonel Torbert, of the First New Jersey Volunteers. The work of refurnishing the Brigade, interrupted by the march to the front, was resumed. It was at this camp that the news of Kearny's death was cor- roborated by official report. The Brigade was deeply moved by the sad news. Every man in the Brigade felt the death of their hero to be a personal loss. Kearny's career in the Army of the Potomac had been so full of conspicuous deeds that his death was a great blow to the Gov- ernment. It is now known that, had he lived two days longer, he would have been appointed to the command of the two armies. Kearny was killed at Chantilly, Va., on the evening of Sep- tember I St, just about dusk, while inspecting his line, and had ridden outside the lines to find out the position of the enemy in his front. A heavy mist had risen which obscured objects close by, and prevented his seeing the Confederate picket post, into which he rode. At their command to halt, he wheeled his horse and rode toward the Union lines. A shot from the Confederate pickets killed him instantly. While the armies were not so demoralized as io make them unsafe as a guard to the Capital, they were certainly in a very bad way. There seemed to be but one man at this juncture who could re-organize the army and who had the confidence of the men to such an extent that his efforts tO' re-establish order and re-organize the army would be successful. This man was General McClellan, but a month before stripped of his army and left with but a handful of escort and camp guards. General Pope was allowed to return to the West. After much opposition from the !^aSSSSSSSS8«SS»^ggis?gig>S«Si»gg^gSg^(g GENERAL GEORGE B. McCLELLAN. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 45 Cabinet and other high officials, President Lincohi appointed General McClellan to the command of the Armies of Virginia and the Potomac. The two armies were consolidated and becam-e the Army of the Potomac. Various changes were made in the corps commanders and in the numbering of the corps. McClellan set about re-establishing discipline and re-organization at once, and with his fine ability for disciplining and mobilizing brought the army into something like its old efficiency and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, General Lee, knowing the condition of the Union army, and believing it to be incapable, for the present at least, of any great obstructive strategy, recognized the opportunity of making a diversion in favor of the Southern Confederacy by an invasion of the North that might give them the much-desired recognition by European States, crossed the Potomac and ad- vanced to Frederick, Maryland. Here he issued an appeal to the people to throw offi the "yoke of the oppressor" and cast their fortunes with the Southern Confederacy. The appeal fell flat and the Confederates had to content themselves with seizing such portable property as would be of use to^ the Confederate army. Harper's Ferry, but a few miles west and south of Frederick, was held by Colonel Miles, of the United States Regular Army, with about 8,0C0' men, 2,000 of which force were cavalry. Col- onel Ford with 1,100 men held Maryland Heights, and General White Avas at Martinsburg, West Virginia, with 2,000 troops. White retired from Martinsburg on the 12th of September and joined Colonel Miles' command, generously declining to take com- mand, but asked i^ermission to serve under him. The force at Harper's Ferry and immediate vicinity was now 11,000 men and all arms. This post being in tht rear of Lee's army, the number of its garrison was too important tO' be allowed to remain there. General Lee sent Jackson with his corps and McLaw's, R. H. Anderson's and Brigadier-General John G. Walker's divisions to reduce Harper's Ferry and capture or disperse the small army that held it. 0!n the evening of the 12th Jackson arrived in front of Harper's Ferry and began to invest it. Colonel Ford, on Mary- land Heights, was attacked by superior numbers and, after a rather feeble resistance, retired tO' Harper's Ferry on the 13th of September and joined Colonel Miles. The latter sent away the cavalry force, thus reducing his strength to 9,000 men. 4 F B 46 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. To meet the invading Confederates the First, Second, Third, one division of the Fourth, Sixth, Ninth and Twelfth Corps were despatched to confront Lee and his army. The Sixth Corps left their camp near Alexandria on September 6th, crossed to Potomac at Georgetown, by the Long Bridge. On the 7th inst. it had passed Tenallytown, D. C, and on the 8th camped at Muddy River. Passing through Darnestown, Barnesville and Urbana it camped at the foot of the Catoctin- Mountains on the 13th. This corps, with Couch's division of the F^ourth Corps, formed the left wing of the army, and had been instructed to push forward to relieve Colonel Miles, without delay. On the morning of the 14th of September the corps passed over the Catoctin Mountains, passing through Jefferson and arriving at Burkettsville. Near here the enemy's pickets were met, when the First Division was formed to attack. General Lee had calculated to reduce Harper's Ferry in time to gather together his dismembered army before the Union army could bej concentrated, in which case he would not have to guard the passes in the South Mountain Range, but the resistance Jacksoi met at Harper's Ferry made it necessary to delay the Union] army as much as possible by preventing its using the passes inl South Mountain Range. With this object in view he sent de-| tachments to Turner's and Crampton's Gaps, with instructions' to prevent, at all hazards, the Union troops from passing through. It was mid-day of the 14th when the skirmishers of Colonel Bartlett's brigade,' of the First Division, Sixth Corps, came in contact with the enemy. The Sixth Corps, intent upon the ob- ject of its mission, advanced steadily till the foot of South Mountain Range was reached. Our skirmishers had pushed the enemy's skirmishers back to a stone wall at the foot of the moun- tain. Colonel Bartlett's brigade was deployed and formed the first line, the First New Jersey Brigade, in line of battle, forming the second line. At half-past two the Jersey Brigade relieved I^)artlett's brigade and became the first line. The advance began at once. The Confederates opened the battle with a heavy artillery fire, with guns placed at various points on the side of the mountain. The Union lines advanced steadily and in splendid form. The Confederate advance line, posted l^ehind the stone FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 47 wall already mentioned, opened fire on the skirmishers, who now retired. The two lines of battle advanced to within three hundred yards of the enemy and opened a brisk fire, but were much annoyed by the enemy's eight pieces of artillery posted on the mountain side. It soon became evident that the infantry must do all the fighting on the Union side, as it was impossible to elevate the artillery sufficiently to be effective. The first line charged the stone wall and drove the enemy in confusion up the mountain. The second line charged over the first line and the Jersey Brigade went up the side of the mountain, a most steep and difficult ascent, even when not hampered by knapsack, over- coat and blanket. The Confederates re-formed in Crampton's Gap and on the crest of the mountain, but the Jersey men charged into them and drove them through the gap and down the further side into the plain below. The victory was complete j and the fruits of it were the utter rout of the enemy, the cap- ture of about 300 prisoners, three stands of colors, twO' of them by the Fourth Regiment, yoo rifles of the latest improved Spring- field pattern and one gim, besides quantities of knapsacks, haver- sacks, blankets, &c. With these captured rifles the Fourth Regiment was completely armed, they, since their return from captivity, having been furnished w'ith old smooth-bore muskets. The loss to the Brigade was one officer, Lieutenant Josiah Stud- deford, of the Fourth Regiment, killed, 39 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men killed, and 125 wounded. Total 174. This battle was the most brilliant achievement of the Brigade to this 'time. The following order of congratulation was issued by Colonel Torbert : HEADQUARTERS 1ST BRIGADE, 1ST DIVISION, 6TH CoRPS, Camp in Crampton's Pass, Maryland, Sept. 15th, 1862. Soldiers of the First Neiu Jersey Brigade: The 14th day of September, 1862, is one long to be remembered, for on that day you dashingly met and drove the enemy at every point. Your advance in line of battle under a galling artillery fire, and final bayonet charge, was a feat seldom, if ever, surpassed. The heights you took show plainly what determined and well disciplined soldiers can do. You have sustained the reputation of your State, and done great credit to your officers and yourselves. While we lament the death of our brave com- rades who have fallen so gloriously, we can only commend their souls to 48 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. God, and their sorrowing friends to His sure protection. May you go fron? victory to victory is the hope and wish of the Colonel commanding Brigade A. T. A. TORBERT, Colonel Commanding. The following extract is taken from an address delivered bv General E. Burd Grubb to the "Kearny First New Jersey Brigade j Society" at their annual reunion, held at Edgewater Park, Bur- lington County, N. J. (General Grubb's home), September 20th, , 1888, page 2 : "The road from Burkettsville to Crampton's Pass lies through a beautiful rolling country, with the sweet pasture lands of ]\Iaryland lying on either side, thickly dotted with farm houses. A short distance from Burkettsville the road rises to ascend the South Mountain and passes over it, through a narrow gorge, walled on either side by very steep hills ; at the foot of the hills were fields enclosed by stone walls and the hills were thickly wooded. There were two ranges of low hills and then the mountain top, forming a natural and admirable position for the placing in position of artillery. "As General Franklin approached the gap, his scouts informed him that the pass was held by the enemy in force. He made his disposition about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the 14th of Sep- tember to attack them. The attack was intended to Idc made by Newrton's Second Division and Slocum's First Division of the Sixth Corps. \\& may leave out the gallant part which the other troops of the First Division bore and confine ourselves to that which was borne by the gallant boys of our Brigade, for they really won the battle and I have never heard anylwdy den}- it. Colonel Torbert was in command of the First Brigade and at half past two o'clock in the afternoon he was ordered to relieve one of the regiments of General Newton's division, which was „ on his right, which he did with the Second New Jersey, and this really commenced the battle as far as our Brigade was con- cerned. The distribution of the Brigade was in two lines, the First and Second in one line and the Third and Fourth, about one hundred yards in the rear, composing the second line. They were supported by, Imt had no need of the other regiments of the First Division. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 49 "Let us see what was opposed to them. The gap was held by Colonel T. T. Mnnford's brigade, of the Second Virginia Cavalry, the Sixth Virginia Cavalry, the Twelfth Virginia Ca^-alry and Seventeenth Virginia Cavalry and Chew's and Pel- ham's Virginia Batteries, eight gims in all. They were supported by Semme's brigade, the Tenth and Thirteenth Georgia, the Fifteenth and Thirty-Second Virginia, and a short distance in their rear, and as it turned out, within supporting distance. Cobb's brigade, comprising the Georgia Legion, the Sixteenth and Twenty-Fourth Georgia and the Fifteenth North Carolina; also Mahone's brigade, commanded by Colonel Parham. Colonel Munford, on seeing the advance of the infantry, opened with his artillery and sent back word to General Cobb to come to his support, and it was about that time that the Jersey Brigade charged. This charge is described by everyone who saw it, as one of the most magnificent, best sustained and most gallant charges that ever was seen. Torbert ordered the second line, composed, as I have said, of the Third and Fourth, to charge, which it did with a yell, rushing- over the fence behind which the first line, composed of the First and Second, were lying, which line immediately joined them, and the entire Brigade went over the fence, up to the stone wall, behind which the rebels were hid, and from which they were pouring a deadly fire. "The enemv fell back before our men could reach the wall, fleeing in some confusion across a small field to the second wall, closely pursued by the Brigade. There was no stand made at the second wall, which was, remember, almost at the foot of a steep hill, and the entire Brigade, yelling and charging", firing and in many instance eng-aging in sing-le combat with those who refused to surrender, rushed over the wall and scrambled, for that is the only word that expresses it, up the steep hill, with the enemy in front of them and in many cases among them. This hill was so steep that afterward, in company with some others, I found the greatest difficulty in cold blood in climbing it at all. Upon reach- ing the top of the hill, there was one of the most magnificent war scenes that any man could wish tO' see. Cobb's Legion and Semme's men were there, the artillery was at one end of the flat top of the hill, and the Jersey Brigade, flushed with victory, 60 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. rushed with exultant yells upon it. The firing was very severe and a slight check was made on the top of the hill ; it was only for a moment, but sufficient for the rebels to get off all their guns but one ; another rush w-as made and this gun was taken. These with three stands of colors fell to the possession of that magnifi- cent regiment, which through no fault of its own or any of its members, but through the mischance of a badly arranged battle, had lost its liberty, its arms and its colors at Gaines' Mill — I mean that grand old regiment, the Fourth New^ Jersey. Well did the Brigade avenge them that day and well did they avenge them- sel\-es. for three hundred prisoners, three stands of colors, over seven hundred stands of arms of the most approved pattern, one piece of artillery and a large number of haversacks and blankets w^ere the spoils of the top of the hill at Crampton's Pass. "Over the hilltop they pursued, the enemy fleeing panic- stricken dovk^n, far down, on the other side. As long as they could pursue, they did pursue, but human breath and human legs cannot go very far over a mountain-top and so at the foot of the hill on the other side from wdiere they made their stand, the rebels stopped when night came down and they could no longer be seen to be captured. And when the evening's shade hid them from the view of our sharpshooters, they fell back two miles along the plain, and Crampton's Pass, the key of the rebel position, was in the hands of the Jersey Brigade. This w'as a clear and undis- puted victory, one of the ffew^ fights in the whole war, so far as T know, that the enemy made no claim to having won." "Howell Cobb, in his report of the battle, says : 'After the lines were broken all our efforts to rally the troops were unsuccessful. It is impossible for me to report the casualties, as the fate of a very large portion of the number wdio went into the battle is not certainly known; there are missing and unaccounted for over eight hundred.' Well, we have accounted for three hundred of this number as prisoners and the others wall probably answer t(^ their names on the day of judgm'ent. "General Semmes says in his report : 'I encountered fugitives from the battle and endeavored to turn them back ; proceeding- further up the mountain, the troops were pouring down in great disorder, when I found Howell Cobb and staff, at the imminent FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 51 risk of their lives, using- every effort to check and rally them.' And Colonel Munford, in his report, says : 'When the other two regiments of General Howell Cobb's brigade came np he again requested me to put them in position, but they behaved badly and they did not get into position before the wildest confusion oc- curred, the wounded coming to the rear in numbers and more well men coming with them. General Cobb tried to rally the men, but without effect ; it would have been as useless to- attempt to rally a flock of frightened sheep." ^ I formed my command (cavalry) and moved down the mountain, the infantry still run- ning in great disorder on the Harper's Ferry road, followed a short distance by the enemv w^ho were then between them and the cavalry who had to' gO' for their horses. The enemy was at the fork of this road before many of the cavalry, who were the last to give up their position.' "This is the record of the Jersey Brigade made for itself on the 14th of September, 1862. Its cost was heavy, but most remark- ably light compared with that of the enemy, notwithstanding its magnificent charge over two stone walls held by Virginia's best troops and up a hill so- steep that many oi the enemy fleeing before them were shot lengthwise, that is from foot tO' head." The First New Jersey Brigade camped at Crampton's Pass, on the battlefield they had so gallantly won. The rest of the Sixth Corps were in the immediate vicinity and here the corps remained until the morning of September 17th. Colonel Miles had been mortally wounded while making disposition of his troops to resist the attacks of Jackson. General White taking command, and seeing that overwhelming numbers would make further resist- ance a useless sacrifice of life, the surrounding heights being- occupied by the enemy's artillery, surrendered at 9 o'clock on the morning of September 15th, thus rendering any further effort to relieve them useless. On the morning of the 17th of September orders were received by General Franklin to march to Antietam, Maryland, where the most sanguinary battle of the war was foiight on this day, con- sidering the duration of the battle and the loss in killed and wounded. General P. S. Michie, in his memoirs of General McClellan, says, page 406: "The military situation presented exceptional 52 I'IRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. advantage to McClellan and the gravest disasters to Lee." The Gin federate forces had gathered at PVederick, Maryland, and from there were dispersed in different directions. Jackson with nearly one-half of the Confederate army was sent to reduce Harper's Ferry. Nine brigades of Longstreet's corps were sent t(j Ilagerstown, Maryland, while two brigades of Hill's corps were at Turner's Gap. and the rest of his corps at Boonsboro, Maryland. On the 13th of September, after the scattering of the Confederate army in different directions, the Union forces oc- cupied Frederick. Just after entering the town, a soldier found a c< »py of Lee's plan of campaign order, which was sent at once to McClellan. General Michie, page 406, says : "Thirty minutes should not have elapsed after coming into possession of Lee's plans Ijefore orders should have been issued by McClellan for the innnediate and speedy movement of his several corps to the South Mountain passes and Pleasanton should have been at once in- formed of the situation, with the necessity of extreme vigor of attack upon the Confederate rear guard." The Union army was more concentrated and, therefore, more readily moved to meet any emergency. General McClellan had re-f.rganized the army Ijetween the 2d and 6th of September, when he sent the First Corps, commanded by General Hooker, and the Ninth Corps, commanded by General Bumside, both under the command of Burnside. and comprised the right wing <.f the army, to Leesburg. Md. This force was followed by the Second Corps, commanded by General Sumner, and the '[\\clfth Corps, commanded by General A. S. Williams, both under command of General Sumner and composing the center, and were ordered to Rockville. The left wing commanded by General W. W. hVanklin was composed of the Sixth Corps and Couch's division of the Fourth Corps, the Sixth Corps camping at Tenallytown. and Couch's division at Offuts Cross-roads. General McClellan's headquarters on September 12th were at Urbana and on the 13th at Frederick. On the 1 2th two divisions of Fitz John Porter's Fifth Corps joined the army, which now numl>ered about 87,000 men. The strength of the Confederate army was less than 50,000 men or less than three-fifths of that of the l^nion armv. McClellan's FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. • 53 mind was still dominated by the belief that Lee's army outnum- bered the Union army, placing their strength at nearly 100,000. With this controlling belief, he moved his different corps with great caution, thus causing delay. This and the lack of prompt- ness in making such disposition of his army as to overwhelm the Confederate army in detail, made possible by his possession of Lee's order, gave the latter what he most wanted, time to con- centrate his army. Om the i6th of September his different corps and detachments were rapidly marching towards Sharpsburg, where he had designed to await McClellan's advance. On this day the disposition of the two armies was, the right of the Union army under General Hooker was composed of Hooker's and Mansfield's corps; the center, Sumner's and Williams' corps, commanded by General Sumner, and the left, the Ninth Corps, under Burnside, who had been removed from the command of the right wing on the 15th. The Confederate left was composed of Jackson's and Ewell's corps under Jackson, and the right, General Longstreet's corps. Some desultory artillery practice had been indulged in during the day of the i6th inst. without any serious loss on either side. The day was spent by McClellan in looking- over the field, and another day was lost by over- cautiousness. Harper's Ferry having been surrendered on the morning of the 15th inst., the greater part of the Confederate forces engaged in that movement were released and hastened to join Lee, which they did on the night of the 15th and morning of the i6th of September. As Lee had concentrated his army in the vicinity of Sharpsburg and occupied the elevated positions back of that place, he formed his line in a slightly convex formation, thus enabling him to move his divisions more rapidly from one point to another. His left was almost directly north of Sharpsburg ■and swung around in a curve nearly to the Potomac River. On the afternoon of the i6th inst., Hooker's corps crossed the Antietam Creek and drove the Confederates from their posi- tion into a strip of woods in their rear. Seeing no indication of any intention on their part to renew the fight that night he bivouacked on the field. Next morning Mansfield crossed over /^c :, \ FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. and rested alxjnt a mile in the rear of Hooker. The battle opened early on the 17th of September, and Hooker drove the enemy from the strip of woods to a second Ijelt of timber. General H(X)ker's whole corps was now engaged, and he ordered up Mansfield to his support. Franklin's Sixth Corps having fulfilled the duty of guarding the right of the Union army at Crampton's Pass, started early . n thTTjth to take part in the battle. The leading brigade ar- rived on the field at 10 A. M. Couch's division had been sent to occupy Maryland Heights. McClellan had intended to keep the Sixth Corps as a reserve, on the east side of Antietam Creek, but HcKDker was so hard pressed that Smith's division was sent to re- lieve him. This was done in fine style and the fighting continued until after dark. The First Division of the Sixth Corps arrived on the field at 1 1 o'clock and Xewton's brigade and Torbert's Jersey brigade were formed in two lines to assault the enemy's position in the woods, that had given Hooker and Sumner so much trouble. Hooker having been wounded, Sumner took command of the right wing. He, l^elieving the assault would be useless, suspended the order to attack with Slocum's division. He explained that though he l)elieved the assault would be successful, the supports were too nuich demoralized by fatigue, hunger and constant repulse to be relied upon to asist in holding the position. The following extract from General McClellan's report, page 61, Vol. IX, part I, Series I, says: "The advance of Franklin's corps was opjxjrtune. The attack of the enemy upon this position, but for the timely arrival of his corps, must have been disastrous had it succeeded in piercing the line between Sedgwick's and I'Vench's divisions. General Franklin ordered two brigades of General Slocum's division, General Newton's and Colonel Tor- Ijert's to form in column to assault the woods that had been so hotly contested Ix^fore by Generals Sumner and Hooker. Gen- eral Bartlctt's brigade was ordered to form as a reserve. At this time General Sumner, having command on the right, directed further oflfensive ojKJrations to be post^x^ned, as the repulse of this, the only remaining corps available for attack, would imperil the safety of the whole army." FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 55 In considering- the physical condition of the Union array and its losses in this battle, the same reasoning applies to the army of the Confederacy. In both armies the men were fatigned, hungry and worn with incessant fighting. The losses were nearly equal, those of the Union army, including South Mountain and Cramp- ton's Pass, being something- more than 15,000 — this would m.ake the Union loss about seventeen per cent., while the Confederates having lost a little more than 13,000 would be about twenty-five per cent, of their total force. The battle should not have been allowed to close on the afternoon of the 17th. With a corps of fresh troops, full of ardor and eager for the fight, fifteen thou- sand strong : the situation such, that a determined and sustained assault by the Union army would have driven the Confederates from their position and resulted in a complete victory for the Union cause, the refusal of the opportunity by the general com- manding was most unfortunate. It was dispiriting to those who saw the opportunity and looked for orders to advance, impatient at the delay and disappointed when night closed down and the possibilities of the opportunity were dissipated. General Mc- Clellan seemed only too willing to accept without question the judgment of General Sumner as covering the situation and a complete cessation of hostilities ensued. During the night Gen- eral Lee made such disposition of his troops that the weak points were strengthened, and such fresh troops as he could spare from his right were sent to the left, and was ready on the morn- ing O'i the i8th to meet the assault he was sure would be made. The night of September 17th passed without incident on the Union side. The army though somewhat battered through the miserable tactics of sending in a corps at a time to fight nearly the whole Confederate army, was still in good condition to renew the battle on the i8th. General Lee had used with con- summate skill the small but dauntless brigades of his army, con- centrating at points that were threatened with disaster, and to take advantage of any opportunity offered to attack. This necessitated constant marching and counter-marching of reserve brigades, which, added to stress of battle, left his army in a very reduced condition. 56 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. 'I'lic nioniingf of September iStli found the two armies in the same pr>sition. The day was spent by McClellan in looking over the field, moving- from one point to another, apparently without appreciation of the fact that Lee had about exhausted his strength fur offensive work and could only defend his position. The day was sjient in rescuing the wounded and l:>urying the dead. General Lee seeing that McClellan showed no inclination to renew the fight, and feeling that should it be renewed, that with the exhausted condition of his army, it might not result so favor- ably for him, withdrew his army after dusk of the i8th and retired across the Potomac during the night and the morning of the 19th. The pursuit was characteristic of McClellan's cam- l)aign. dilatory and overcautious, consequently without result, except the defeat and rout of one of his divisions sent across the river to halt the Confederates, without support. One can gather from his report that he was quite satisfied with the withdrawal of tlie Confederate army from Mar)dand. '{'he First Xew Jersey Brigade, with the rest of Slocum's division, remained in i)osition. supporting Sumner's corps, for the better pan ot two days not called upon to do any actual fighting, though exposed for several hours to a severe artillery fire. It was here that Battery A. Captain Hexamer. did some of its best work. The battery was ordered up to replace one whose ammunition was nearly exhausted and whose fire did not seem to have much effect upon the enemy's batteries. It came upon the held in fine style, as if on parade, and quickly formed battery. c(»mmencing firing at once. In less than half an hour it had silenced the enemy's batteries, and their work was greeted by cheers from the Jersey Brigade. The Sixth Corps remained in its position at Antietam until September 21st. when it was mo\ed to Williamsport, and on the 23d again moved to Bakersville, Md.. where camp was laid out. and the corps remained until October 31st. / While encamped here, the Fifteenth Xew Jersey \^olunteers, a three-years regiment, was added to the Brigade!' This splendid l)ody of meti, 047 str(^ng, was commanded by "Colonel Samuel Fowler, of Somcrville. X. J. A few days after, on October 8th. the I'wenty-third Regiment. Xew Jersey Volunteers, a nine- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 57 months regiment, 996 strong, commanded by Colonel John S. Cox, was added to the Brigade, which now assumed the propor- tions of a full brigade. But few of the members of these two new regiments had seen active service, but they were fortunate in being thrown in contact with regiments that had been drilled and disciplined as were the four regiments of the original brigade. Colonel Fowler, of the Fifteenth Regiment, though a man of fine abilities, and endowed with a stern sense of duty, was lacking in knowledge of military duties and experience. His Lieutenant- Colonel, Edward L. Campbell, formerly captain in the Third New Jersey, supplied the drill and discipline that Colonel Fowler could not, and the regiment improved in appearance and conduct. Colonel Fowler resigned in March, 1863, and the command of the regiment was given to Lieutenant-Colonel Pennington, of the regular army, who declined. On April ist. Lieutenant W. H. Penrose of the regular army was appointed colonel and from that time the improvement in the Fifteenth was steady. Colonel Cox, of the Twenty-third Regiment, finding that his health would not stand against the exposure incident to military life, resigned in November, 1862, and was succeeded by Lieuten- ant-Colonel H. O. Ryerson, formerly of the Second Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers. The Brigade remained at Bakersville until the 31st of October, when the Sixth Corps moved to Crampton's Pass. On Novem- ber 1st it camped about three miles from Berlin, Md., and on the 2d crossed the Potomac. McClellan had two routes open to him to follow and confront Lee, one on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the other on the west side. The President and Secretary of War believed the eastern route preferable because the army would be directly between Washington and the Confederate army and have the inside route to Richmond, though encumbered by immense trains. Should McClellan choose this route, he was promised a re- enforcement of thirty thousand men. McClellan preferred the western route because he would have railroad communication as far as Winchester, but the authorities could only spare twelve thousand re-enforcements (the other eighteen thousand to be re- tained to guard the Capital) should he choose the western route. 58 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The preponderance in numbers decided him to choose the eastern route. Tlie plan of campaign adopted was to march his army close to the foot of the mountains, seize the passes as they were approached and hold them for an opportunity to attack Lee in the rear. Should none such ofifer, then as soon as the army was supplied, to attack Lee at Winchester, where he confidently ex- pt'Ctc(l Lee would wait for him and be thoroughly whipped. In consummation of this plan, the different corps were pushed for- ward to Warrenton, Va. On November 3d the Sixth Corps resumed its march, arriving at New Baltimore on the 9th, having passed through White Plains and Rectortown, the latter place entirely deserted. On Xoveml>er loth, General McClellan rode past the different camps accompanied by General Burnside. He was taking a last look at the veterans w^ho had followed him so faithfully, for he had been removed by the President and ordered to report at Trenton, X. J. lie was superseded by General Ambrose E. Burnside. McClellan was enthusiastically cheered by the troops as he ap- proached the lines drawn up to receive him and his successor. Though McClellan has given his estimate of Burnside's ability as displayed at the battle of Antietam. he has left no record of his opinion of. him in his new role of Commander of the Army of the Potomac, Init doubtless he saw some grim humor in the situation, in which he himself was removed for being too slow, to be succeeded by a man who had been deprived of the command of the riglit wing of the army at Antietam, by himself, for the same cause. The Sixth Corps remained at New Baltimore until November 1 6th. when the march was resumed to ^^'eaver's Mill, about thirteen miles. The roads were difficult, even heart-breaking. The fre(|uent rains had rendered them almost impassable and marching was painful and slow, \\hile in camp on November 2 1 St, an interesting event occurred. Some loyal Jerseymen living in Califr)rnia sent a flag to the Brigade, which was brought to camp from Washingtntoon bridges on the spot when the arm\' arrived, the |)ernianent bridges over the river having been destroyed by the Confederates. Burnside had requested, from the authorities at Washington, material for six pontoon bridges to be sent to the nearest point to Fredericksburg, beheving that they and the army would arrive at about the same time. Then the army was to cross — if at Skinker's Neck, advance to Guiney's Station on the Richmond Railroad; if at Fredericksburg, to sieze the heights back of the town, securing the railroad com- munication witii Richmond — for an immediate advance on the Confederate Capital, and l)efore Lee C(Xild arrive with sufficient force to prevent. Lee would have a considerably longer march to the olKctive ix-)int than Burnside, who had the inside route. Gen- eral Lee. in his report says that he expected to confront the Union army on one of the Annas, but changed his route to Fred- ericksburg, to save as nnich of the country as possible from the depredations of the Northern army. The fords above Fredericks- burg were impassable for infantry and artillery, caused by the frequent and hea\y rainstorms. Only cavalry could use them, but without supplies, except what the troopers could carry on their horses. The i>t:>ntoons arrived im the 25th of Novem])cr. The Skinker's Neck route was abandoned and that through Fredericksburg de- cided upon as the one least expected by Lee and therefore in some measure a surprise. The six days delay in forwarding the pon- toons gave Lee ample time to bring his whole army to Fredericks- burg. The delay was attributed by Burnside to the indifference if not disobedience of General Woodbury, who had cliarge of that department of the Engineer corps, and he was placed in arrest. Ilalleck had made a promise to Burnside at their conference at Warrenton t<» make every effort and exhaust everv means to in- sure the success of his (Burnside's) plan, whatever it might be At that conference two plans were proposed, one by Halleck, sug- gested by the President, to concentrate the army at or near Cul- pep|K»r anil make a rapid march on Richmond by the most direct road, crossing the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers by the fords, which were then passable for all arms. The other plan. Burnside's. was to ir>nve at once on Fredericksburo- on the north FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 61 side of the Rappahannock, crossing- on the pontoons, seize the rail- road and continue the advance on Richmond as soon as the armv could be supplied. This plan Halleck declined to sanction but said he would lay it before the President. He returned to Washing- ton at once and, after consulting- the President, telegraphed to Burnside on November 14th, "The President has just assented to your plan. He thinks it will succeed if you move rapidly, other- wise not." In his report, Halleck explains that the President assented to, but did not approve of Burnside's plan. That Halleck was dis- appointed is easily discernible, and that may have had something to do with the careless execution of the orders for forwarding the pontoons. Burnside's request for the pontoons was supple- mentary to McClellan's, which was sent to Washington on the 6th of November. Captain Spaulding% who was in command of the pontoons on the upper Potomac, did not receive the order until the 1 2th of November and was not instructed tO' hurry. When he got to Washington he was ordered to park his trains, and thus several days were wasted. General AVoodbury issued orders to park the trains, and when Burnside learned the true state of affairs he blamed General Woodbury. There is a discrepancy between the reports of Halleck and Burnside, suggesting a misunderstanding between these two officers for which there could be no excuse. Burnside's report of December 17th, 1862, page 67, Vol. 21. Series i. Official Reports, says : "The fact that I decided to move from Warrenton onto this line, rather against the opinion of the President, Secretarv and yourself, and that you have left the whole arrangement on ni}- hands without giving me orders, makes me the more responsible." Halleck, in his report, maintains that Burnside's movement was in opposition to the plan agreed to by them, which movement was to have been by the upper fords of the Rappahannock (page 47, Vol. 21, Series i,- Official records). Lee had made the best use of the six days delay and his army was all in the neighborhood of Fredericksburg and busy perfect- ing the defenses of the heights. It now became necessary for Burnisde to modify his plan to meet existing conditions. To cross a deep and rapid river in the face of a vigilant and active foe, 5 t^ B 82 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. requires good generalship and confidence in one's self. That Burnside accomplished this is to his credit, in selecting a crossing where the resistance could be reduced to a minimum. Burnside's preparations for a new plan of campaign were completed by Dcceml^er loth, when orders were issued to the commanders of the Grand Divisions to have their troops in readiness for an im- mediate advance. On the night of December loth and morning of the nth, the bridges were thrown and only completed on the afternoon of the nth, considerable resistance by the Confed- erates l:>eing met at the town, the houses near the river affording protection to their sharpshooters. An hour's artillery practice drove them out and the pontoniers completed their work. The bridges for the left wing were thrown about two miles below Fredericksburg, near the mouth of Deep Run, with but little resist- ance. Sumner's Right Grand Division crossed over into the town. Hooker with the Centre Grand Division supporting him. The Left Grand Division under Franklin moved down to the bridges near Deep Run, and Devens' Second Brigade of New- ton's Third Division, Sixth Corps, crossed to the south side and drove the enemy's skirmishers from their positions. A part of Brooks' division also crossed, but was ordered back, and the Left Grand Division camped for the night on the north side of the river. At daylight, on the 12th, the Left Grand Division began to cross and by one o'clock it was all on the south side of the Rappa- hannock, debouching on a plain that extended from the river bank (»ne and a half miles back tc the heights and about eight or nine miles down the river. In the crossing the Sixth Corps, under W. H. F. Smith, led and was placed on the right of the line, the First Corps, under Reynolds, occupying the left. The height curved toward the town as far as the outskirts. The north bank, for a considerable distance above and l>elow Fredericksburg, is high, affording excellent positions for heavy artiller}-, which completely dominated the plain. The railroad to Richmond runs along the .southern Ix^rder of the plain but a short distance from the foot of the heigiits, and between the railroad and the river is the Bowling* Green, or River wagon-road, both nearly parallel with the river, At the Massaix)nax River, a tributary of the Rappahannock about two and a half miles IkIow Fredericksburg, the railn^ad turns FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 63 south and crosses the Massaponax, and beyond, the heights. The plain is intersected by Deep Run, about half way between the town and the Massaponax River, a ravine with very steep sides, and Hazel Run, near the town. By the time the left wing had crossed and the different corps had taken the positions assigned to them, it was toe late in the day to begin a forward movement and attack. The troops re- mained in position all night. The plan given by Burnside contemplated a vigorous attack by the left wing, and as soon as Franklin had carried the heights in front of him and secured the position the right wing was to make a determined effort to carry the heights back to Fredericks- burg. To' insure Franklin's success he was re-enforced by Birney's and Sickle's divisions of Stoneman's Third Corps and Burns' First Division of Willcox's Ninth Corps, making the total strength of the Left Grand Division about 6o,ooO' men. The following extract from Franklin's report, page 449, Vol. XXI, Series i, Official Records, will give a clear idea of the situation : "Smith's corps had been previously ordered, in compli- ance with directions of the commanding general, tO' form parallel with the old Richmond road, with two divisions in front and one in reserve. Reynolds' corps was to form at nearly right angles to Smith's and his left on the river. Two divisions were to be in line of battle and one in reserve. The artillery was to be posted and used according to the directions of the corps com- manders, as the nature of the ground and positio-n of the enemy might determine. The dispositions indicated were made in the face of some slight opposition by the enemy's skirmishers and a spiteful, though nearly harmless, fire from his artillery, and by four o'clock the troops were in the positions assigned to them. "The ground upon which the troops were disposed is in general a plain. It is cultivated and much cut up by hedges and ditches. The old Richmond road traverses the plain from right to left, alx)ut one mile from the river and nearly parallel to it. This road is bordered on both sides by an earthen parapet and ditch, and is an exceedingly strong feature in the defense of the ground, had the enemy chosen to defend it. On the right of my position is Deep Run, and on the left, about one mile in front of Reynolds,- 64 FIRST XBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. is Massaponax Creek. Both streams are tributaries of the Rai> pahannock. The plain is lx)rdered by a range of high hills in front which stretches from Fredericksburg to the Massaponax, nearly parallel to the river. In front of and nearly parallel to the old Richmond road, and alx)ut 5CX) or 600 yards from it. at the foot of the range of hills, is the railroad. The ravine, through which Deep Creek runs, passes through the hills near the center of my front. Two brigades of Smith's corps were in front of Deep Creek forming the extreme right. The remainder of Smith's troops was in rear and to the left of Deep Creek, Reynolds' corps being about one mile from the Massap^onax. The enemy had artiller}- on the hills and in the valley of Deep Creek, in the wood near Reynolds' right and on the Massaponax^ so that the whole field was surrounded by it except the right flank. His infantry appeared in all directions around the posi- tion. In front of Reynolds' right, the forest extends to the old Richmond road, coming nearer the river there than at any other ]X)int in the vicinitv of my position. The railroad traverses the forest. "About 7.45 in the morning of the 13th (Saturday), Brigadier* General Hardie arrived from general headquarters, and informed me verbally of the design of the commanding general, in refer- ence to the attack, and that written orders would soon arrive, by .'.n aide-de-camp. These orders arrived soon after 8 o'clock. In the meantime I had informed General Reynolds that his corps was to make the attack indicated by General Hardie, and he ordered Meade's division to the point of attack, to be supported by Gibbon's division. .\s Smith's corps was in position when the order f»»r attack was recei\ed, and as a change in the line would have l)ccn attended with great risk at that time and would have caused much delay. I considered it impracticable to add his force to that about to make the attack. I thought also that General Reynolds' force of three divisions would be sufficient to carry out the spirit of the order, the words of it being: 'You will send out at once a division at least, taking care to keep it well sup- ix>rted and its line of retreat oi")en.' "At 8.30 o'clock General Meade's division moved forward about scx) yards, and turning to the right, pushed toward the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 65 wood near the Bowling Green road. It was met by a severe fire of artillery. The fire was answered by the artillery of Reynolds' corps, which in the course of two hours or more silenced the enemy's batteries. The wood in which the enemy's infantry was posted was then shelled for more than half an hour, and Meade's division immediately afterward moved on to the attack." The two divisions of the Third Corps and one of the Ninth Corps had been left at the river tO' guard the bridges. The two divisions of the Third Coips were sent forward with Gibbon's division of Reynolds' corps to support Meade. This division pushed on and drove the enemy from his position behind the earth parapet at the Bowling* Green road and other defensive works. The advance continued till Meade's division reached the ridge and over it, into a clearing beyond the road that ran behind the enemy's line. In this advance Meade's troops were obliged to push through a dense undergrowth and considerable timber until nearly at the road on the ridge. In consecjuence of this condition of the advance the division lost touch with its supports, and when it reached the open space found itself isolated. The Confederates determined not to have their road of communication between their right and left cut, threw in a heavy re-enforcement which compelled Meade to retire, which he did reluctantly. By the time the supporting divisions were near enough to help, the position was lost. The only compensation for this splendid achievement, and loss incurred, was the capture of two Con- federate flags and about two hundred prisoners. The division was followed closely by the Confederates as it retired, and soon struck Gibbon's division, which in turn drove them back across the railroad, capturing some prisoners. Gibbon now met such stubborn and effective resistance that he was obliged to retire. The situation was relieved by Birney's division, Berry's brigade coming into the fight on Gibbon's left and stopping the advance of the enemy. Just at this time, while Reynolds and Meade were endeavoring to rallv Meade's division, the rest of Birney's division came up 6G FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. and cleared the field, driving the enemy through the woods into their sheltering earthworks. No more severe fighting took place on the front of the left wing. The Sixth Corps was not called iiix)n for any effective work. This splendid corps, the strongest in the army in point of numbers, lay almost inactive, while Meade's division, the weakest in the army, was left to do what Burnside had designed the whole left wing to do, and for which purpose he had strengthened the Left Grand Division with three divisions from other corps. The First New Jersey Brigade's part in the battle of Fred- ericksburg was not much more than a skirmish. The Brigade was on the left of the corps. General Brooks, commanding the First Division, was ordered to extend the skirmish line further to the left and sent an order to Colonel Torbert. commanding the Jersey Brigade, to execute the movement. Torbert sent in the Fourth New Jersey Regiment, under Colonel Hatch, who was instructed to drive the enemy's skirmishers from the rail- road cut, from which they had kept up a persistent and annoying fire. The Fourth Regiment, supported by the Fifteenth and part of the Twenty-third Regiments, performed the task as- signed to it with a dashing charge. The men were pretty well protected and were holding the position captured, when Brooks ordered the supix>rts back. The opportunity to recapture the cut was immediately taken advantage of, and the Fourth Regi- ment driven out of the cut and back to the Union lines, by a superior force of the enemy. This useless move was a costly (me for the Brigade, for it lost one of its best officers, Colonel Match, who was wounded in the upper part of his right thigh. He ilied a few days after the battle from the effects of the wound and amputation. General Brooks' report, page 526, Vol. 21, Series i, Official Records, a portion of which is inserted here, says : "On Saturday an effort was made to extend the picket line on the left of the rail- road. For this purpose Colonel Torbert was ordered to move forward the picket line, supported by one or two regiments. The line and its support advanced handsomely, and drove the enemy beyond the road. The object sought being obtained the .^4 5 I. 5. 7— llcxanK'r"^ Battery. 6, 8 — Standards of Second New Jersey Infantry 2. 3— Standards of Fonrth New Jersey Infantry, captured with the regiment, Jtnie 27, 1862, Gaines Mills. 4 — First Brigade Headquarters Flag. FIRST NEW JERSBY BRIGADE. 67 supports of the picket line were ordered to return to their first positions. The enemy, in the meantime heavily re-enforced, ad- vanced toi recover the lost ground. Torbert in withdrawing his regiments met with severe loss." Colonel Torbert's report, page 527, Vol. 21, Series i, Official Records, gives a clearer account of the affair : He;adquarters First Brigade, Dec. i6th, 1862. Sir— I have the honor to report the following as the part taken by this Brigade in the battle of Fredericksburg, Va. : The Brigade, consisting of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifteenth and Twenty-third Regiments, New Jersey Volunteers, arrived on the north bank of the Rappahannock River on the nth inst. and encamped for the night. At daylight on the 12th the Brigade started to cross the river. On reach- ing the south bank it was formed in two lines in rear of the division : First line, Fifteenth and Twenty-third Regiments, deployed ; second line, First, Second, Third and Fourth Regiments in line of masses one hundred yards in rear. About one o'clock the Brigade advanced across a beautiful plain to support the second line of the division, during which time the enemy shelled them, but without effect. They were then put in a deep ravine to shelter them from the enemy's fire, where they lay on their arms all night, one or two being wounded by shells while there. On the morning of the 13th I relieved the pickets of the division by the Fifteenth Regiment, and supported them by the balance of the Brigade. About 3 P. M. General Brooks, commanding division, ordered me to ad- vance one regiment supported by another, and drive the enemy from and hold their position, posted in a railroad cut and behind the embankment, just where the railroad crossed a deep ravine, and on the extreme left of my picket line. At the same time two regiments of the Third Brigade we^e placed under my orders. I immediately ordered Colonel Hatch with the Fourth Regiment, N. J. Vols, (about 300 rifles), to advance and take the position above referred to, at the same time directing the left of my picket line, with its reserve under Major Brown, Fifteenth Regiment, to advance with them. These troops advanced in a handsome manner under a severe fire, and then charged the enemy's position, led by their gallant leader. Col- onel Hatch, driving them from it with great loss, capturing about 25 pris- oners of a Georgia and North Carolina Regiment. The enemy being in a stronger force than was supposed, I at once ordered the Twenty-third Regi- ment, N. 'J. Vols., under Colonel Ryerson, and the two regiments of the Third Brigade, to advance and support the Fourth and Fifteenth. Six companies of the Twenty-third were soon engaged. At this time I received orders to halt the balance of my supports and fall back from the railroad, and hold it with pickets only, if possible, for fear that a general engagement might be brought on. The enemy seeing my small force at the railroad, and that retiring, charged with a whole brigade to the railroad. My men fell back and the pickets held their original line. 68 FIRST yUW JERSEY BRIGADE. On the morning of the 14th my pickets and brigade were relieved by the Second Brigade, when they were placed in the ravine before referred to, to shelter them from the enemy's fire. On the morning of the 15th the First Regiment, X. J. Vols., was placed on picket, covering the right of the division. About II o'clock on the night of the 15th, I received orders that the whole army was rccrossing the river, and that my brigade and that of Brigadier-General Devens would cover the crossing and be the last to pass over. Arriving at the river, I was ordered to send the Fourth, Fifteenth and Twenty-third Regiments across the river, covering the right with the Second and Third Regiments in two lines, deployed. In good time the First Regiment (which had been on picket) and all of the pickets of the Left Grand Division arrived and crossed the river, when the troops that had covered the crossing passed over. In this affair I regret to mention the loss of one officer and sixteen en- listed men killed, five officers and ninety enlisted men wounded and fifty enlisted' men missing in action. Many of the missing were wounded and taken prisoners. The brigade has lost one of its best and gallant officers in Colonel William B. Hatch, Fourth Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, who was wounded in the right leg, having to have it amputated near the thigh. Captain Slater, Co. G, Fifteenth Regiment X. J. Vols., unfortunatel}' lost a leg also. I am pleased to speak in the highest terms of the conduct of the Twenty- third Regiment X. J. Vols., being a nine months regiment, and the first time tlicy were under fire. Their Colonel (Ryerson), formerly of the Second Regiment, New Jersey Vols., who was badly wounded at Gaines' Mill, was to be seen in the thickest of the fight (mounted), cheering on his men. Major ('irubb, of the Twenty-third, lately promoted from my staflf. deserves great credit for the manner in which he fought a part of his regiment. Major Brown, of the Fifteenth, in command of the pickets (who was also wounded), behaved with great coolness and bravery. I am much indebted to my staff. First Lieutenant William E. Sturgis, Second Regiment, N. J. Vols., acting assistant adjutant-general; First Lieutenant J. T. Whitehead, quarter- master Second Regiment, N. J. Vols., acting aide-de-camp, and Second Lieu- tenant H. H. Goldsmith, Twenty-Third Regiment, N. J. Vols., acting aide- de-camp, for their bravery and coolness in transmitting my orders with promptness and precision to different parts of the field and in the thickest of the fight. Accompanying please find a list of the killed, wounded and missing. I am. very respectfully, &c., A. T. A. TORBERT. Captain U. S. A., Colonel Commaudhig Brigade. General Biirnside. findiiio- that Franklin's movement did not produce the effect anticipated, ordered Sumner with the Right Grand Division to attack, supported by Hooker witli the Centre Grand Division. The fighting was obstinate and bloody, but human cndiu-ance could not face such awful carnage and the FIRS T NE J I ' J ERSE \ ' BRIGADE. • 69 troops were obliged to retire. Biirnside's amended plan of battle was evidently faulty in the extreme. The six days delay in getting the pontoons completely upset his original plan, and he seems to have lost his faculty for devising another that would insure success. He blamed Franklin for the failure, though Franklin carried out his part of the altered plan faithfully. He was directed to send in a division supported by another. The attack was delivered as ordered, but before the two divisions ■could shake off the hornets' nest they had stirred up, Franklin was obliged to send in another whole division and two brigades of still another. By dusk the fighting ceased all along the line. The battle of Fredericksburg was finished. The Union army, though repulsed, was not defeated. The Grand Divisions re- mained upon the field for two days after, some portions of the line retaining the positions taken from the enemy. Sharp artillery fire and skirmishing were indulged in by both sides at times. Burnside was determined to renew the battle on the 14th, but was persuaded to abandon the attempt by his generals, who showed him its utter futility. Accordingly orders were issued to the Grand Division Generals to withdraw their commands after nightfall of the 15th. The First Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, had been detailed for picket duty, the Second and Third being retained to cover the withdrawal. After the last brigade had crossed, the picket line of the Left Grand Division was withdrawn and crossed to the north side of the river. The Second and Third Regiments, New Jersey Volunteers, were then crossed over and the pon- toniers took up the bridges. The Brigade went into camp at White Oak Church, about two and a half miles below Falmouth, where preparations were made to go into winter quarters. These were interrupted by orders to prepare for another advance, to be made about the 20th of December. Rations were issued and everything was ready for the signal to march, when the movement was checked by order of the President. The Brigade returned to camp and settled down for the winter. Quiet and rest, much needed by the men, were now assured for several months, they thought. But after a month's stay in camp. 70 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. orders came to pack up and prepare for another attempt to oust Lee. Rations were issued and everything made ready to march to the fords above Falmouth. The cavalry had been started and the pontoon trains followed them, guarded by a division. Soon after the start a heavy rainstorm set in and was so violent and prolonged that marching became impossible. The trains were luired and it l^ecame dangerous to attempt to move them. After exposure to this storm for a day and a night the army was returned to camp for the rest of the winter. This movement has gone into history as the "Mud march/' and it was most appropri- ately named. General Burnside in his report of the operations at Fredericks- burg claims to have made four attempts to bring success to the Union army, but only two can be counted as real attempts. He cites the plan to cross the Rappahannock at Skinker's Neck as one, but the only preparation for that plan was the sending of a small force to guard the pontoons. The pontoons were, however, brought to the camp near Falmouth. Skinker's Neck is fifteen miles l)elow Fredericksburg, and the intention to cross there was abandoned and the plan to cross at Fredericksburg adopted. This plan might have been successfullv carried out if the pontoons had been on the spot when Sumner's corps arrived on November 17th, and this is the only one which can be counted as an attempt, and is the second one cited. His next attempt, on the 26th of December, was arrested by direct order from the President before any movement of troops was made, except the cavalry, and the fourth was the "Mud march." Major Williams in his book says that "Burnside requested the removal from command of Generals Franklin, Smith, Ferris and Sturgis, and charged Generals Brooks, Xewton. Hooker and Cochrane with insubordination. This request being refused by the President, he resigned the com- mand of the Army of the Potomac." Palfrey, in his ".\ntietam and Fredericksburg," says thai Burnside's "plan, if he had any plan," was "incoherent" and intimates quite broadly that he was incapable of forming a plan that could be successfully carried out. Burnside's order to Frank- lin was contradictory, and Franklin carried out the part assigned to him as well as anv one could under the circumstances and in MAJOR-GENERAL J. HOOKER. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 71 the light of that order. Burnside's resignation was accepted by the President, and it may be the more readily because he had the amazing effrontery tO' advise the President tO' get rid oi Secretary Stanton and General Halleck. SumneV was relieved of his com- mand at his own request and Franklin was transferred to another command. Franklin graduated from West Point at the head of his class, and his particular line of service was the engineers, to which fact may be attributed his lack of dash and initiative when in command of an army. General Hooker was made commander of the Army of the Potomac on January 26th, 1863. Winter had set in and the troops were allowed to build winter quarters. To those who have not experienced camp life in the winter time, it sounds some- what doubtful to say that one can be comfortable under such conditions. But the fact remains that camp life on the Rappa- hannock during the winter of 1862 and 1863 was not only com- fortable, but enjoyable. Quarters were built of logs, about four feet high, seven or eight feet long, and five or six feet wide. A ridge-pole, supported by a stout sapling at each end, ran the length of the hut about three feet above the walls. Shelter tents stretched over the ridge-pole and fastened to the outside of the top layer of logs made the roof, and the same material made the gables and door. A wide chimneyplace built of rock, furnished with a chimney of barrels plastered with mud on the inside, or made of layers of sticks plastered with mud, altogether made very comfortable living quarters. The duties of a soldier's life in camp were resumed. Drill, dress parade, inspection, picket and guard duty, policing, build- ing roads, were the usual occupations. Amusements were en- couraged and chess, checkers, cards, baseball and athletic exer- cises helped to while away tedious hours. Lieutenant-Colonel William Birney succeeded the lamented Hatch as colonel of the Fourth Regiment, and a number of pro- motions were made. General Hooker abandoned the Grand Division formation and restored the old order of corps formation, as being more mobile and less likely to be subject to misunderstanding of orders, each corps commander being directly responsible to the Commander- in-Chief. 72 1-IRSr Mill' JERSEY BRIGADE. On February 4th. 1863, General W. F. Smith was trans- ferred from tlie Sixth to the Ninth Corps, General John Sedg- wick succeeding him in the command of the Sixth. The division- :'nd brigade commanders of the Sixth Corps remained as before. Tile Army of the Potomac was now composed of the following corps : First, General J. F. Reynolds ; Second, General D. N. Couch ; Third, General Daniel E. Sickles; Fifth, General George G. Meade; Sixth, General John SedgAvick; Ninth. General W. F. Smith; Eleventh, General Franz Sigel; the Twelfth, General Henry W. Slocum, and the cavalry corps under General George Stoneman. About the middle of Februaiy, the Ninth Corps was transferred to Newport News, Va., leaving l)ut seven corps of the line in the Anny of the Potomac. During the winter and early spring the ranks were partly filled b\- the return of the- convalescents and the arrival of recruits. As the season advanced leaves of absence and furloughs were refused to officers and men. The issue of these had been Hooker's policy to stop desertion, which it did in a great meas- ure. He relied upon the esprit de corps among the men to bring them back, feeling secure in the belief that all they w^anted was a sight of home and home folk, and that satisfied, they w^ould return to their regiments. Accordingly, these short vacations were liberally distributed among the rank and file. As the spring opened and the trees and shrul)S showed the delicate green of awakened life, the roads l>ecame passable. Active operations were planned and preparations made for the coming campaign. Those in the hospital who were not fit to return to their regi- ments were sent to Washington or convalescent camps. Cavalry expeditions were sent out to find out the location and strength of tiie Confederate outp<:>sts. Once in a while the enemy did the same thing, and about the 9th or loth of February the Con- federate cavalry, under General Stuart, made a dash on the picket line at Hartwood Church, capturing about fifty of the Union ])ickets. Along in Ajjril. the l'*ourth Regiment was detached from the I'rigade. Three companies under Lieutenant-Colonel Ewing were ordered to do provost duty for the First Division, and the other seven companies, under Colonel Birney, were train guard at general headquarters. I'.KIi-.ADIKR-C.KXKRAL A. T. TORl'.l-.RT Coniniaiulin.u First \. j. I'.rii,Mde. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 73 Third Year. Under Torbert. SAL^M HEIGHTS (SECOND FREDEJIICKSBURG) GETTYSBURG EAIRFIELD RAPPAHANNOCK STATION MINE RUN — RECON- NAISSANCE TO CULPEPPER COURT HOUSE. Under Penrose. WIEDERNESS SPOTTSYEVANIA COURT HOUSE! COED HARBOR SHENANDOAH VALEEY CAMPAIGN OPEQUON EISHEr'S HIEE CEDAR CREEK — RETURNED TO THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. DURING the first days of April, the President and Mrs. Lincoln visited the Army of the Potomac, being entertained by Gen- eral Hooker at his headquarters. On the 6th a review of the cavalry was held. Stoneman, with about ten thousand of his men passed before the reviewing stand, and a fine show they made. So many horsemen had never before been assembled in the United States for such a display, and the effect was very inspiring'. On the 7th, the visitors inspected some O'f the camps of nearby divisions being conveyed in carriages and ambulances. On the 8th, a review of the Second, Third. Fifth and Sixth Corps was held. E'arly in the day long lines of troops were marching from their camps to a central point near the Lacey house, in front of Fredericksburg. The reviewing ground was a plateau, slightly rolling but sufficiently level to admit of good marching. The reviewing stand, a knoll somewhat elevated, could be seen by the Confederates over .the hills of Stafford, which shut off their view from the rest of the Union camp. The regiments on reaching their designated places formed division front, each brigade being a unit. The line was about three miles 74 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. long, a solid' wall of blue. After the President and General Hooker and staff had ridden down the front of the line and re- turned by the rear, they took position on the rise selected for the reviewing stand, which was about the centre of the line. The ladies who accompanied Mrs. Lincoln were grouped about her in carriages to the left of the stand. When all were satisfactorily placed, the march past began. When the signal was given the brigade on the extreme right marched by platoon to the front. and, wheeling to the left, marched down past the Persident and reviewing officers. As each brigade marched to the front its place was immediately filled by the next in line, so that one line was moving to the right while the other was moving to the left past the reviewing stand. The review seemed interminable to the onlookers as regiment after regiment passed, a never-ending- stream of men. It was a grand pageant. Seventy thousand men helped to make it and pyerhaps suggested to the President the idea which he afterward imparted to Hooker when about to leave for Washington, not to keep back any troops in the next battle to ht. fought, but to put every man in. Tlie great pageant was not witnessed by Union people alone, but was a source of speculation among the Confederates, who crowded the heights back of Fredericksburg, from which they could plainly see a part of the reviewing ground. As the days of April passed and the spring advanced, an air of expectation and unrest pervaded the army. Much conjecture was indulged in as to the plans and capabilitv of the commanding general. Xot a man of all the army doubted his ability as a corps leader nor his pugnacity, for he had earned the sobriquet of "Fighting Joe Hooker" by the eagerness with which he sought a fight and the stubborn character of his staying qualities when in one. He was a man of unusually fine appearance, especially on horseback, a graduate of West Point, and endowed with great personal magnetism. He had some previous experi- ence in warfare in Mexico, and the authorities in Washington looked upon him as an exceptionally strong man for the position of commander of the Army of the Potomac. The rank and file -admired him for his fighting qualities and were more than well disposed toward him for his kindlv and liberal treatment of them FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 75 during the winter. Still there was a feeling of uncertainty as to his ability to formulate a plan of campaign that would be successful. In a general way his plan for the coming campaign was like Burnside's in that he intended to- move on the Confederate capital by the way of Fredericksburg and its connecting line of railway, making a strong demonstration against the Confederate right. He differed from the late commander in the use of the rest of the army, which was to be sent up the Rappahannock River with as much secrecy as possible, crossing that river and the Rapidan, and take Lee in reverse. On the 26th of April, the corps commanders w^ere ordered to be prepared to move at a -moment's notice. Rations and ammu- nition were issued to the men, and on the 27th orders were issued to move. General Sedgwick was directed to move with the First, Third and Sixth Corps to the old Franklin crossing near the mouth of Deep Creek, while Hooker with the Second, Fifth, Eleventh and Twelfth Corps executed the flank movement around the Confederate left. Sedgwick moved out of camp at three o'clock in the afternoon of the 28th. Arriving at the road that led down to the river, the left wing went in to bivouac behind the embankment, Sedgwick having been cautioned to' conceal his movement as much as possible. The First Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, was detached and sent down the river about two miles to support two batteries stationed at Gray's Point. Rus- sell's Third Brigade of the First Division, Sixth Corps, was de- tailed to assist in throwing the pontoon bridges. The men of the left wing of the army were not allowed to^ build fires or show themselves lest the movement be discovered. After dark the pon- toons were carried by hand to the river. At dawn Russell's brigade crossed in the boats and drove the enemy's sharpshooters and skirmishers from their rifle-pits and shelters. This accom- plished, the rest of Brooks' division crossed and formed a line of skirmishers from the mouth of Deep Creek around the Bernard House to the bank of the river below. The two bridges were then built to be ready for the other two divisions of the Sixth Corps to cross. 76 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. The First Corps marched a mile further down stream, and after considerable resistance from the enemy's skirmishers succeeded in throwing two bridges. General ^^'adsworth leading the troops in the first boat, drove the enemy from their rifle pits. His division having crossed, the line of skirmishers in his front joined that of the Sixth Corps on its left. General Sickles' Third Corps was stationed about midway between the two crossings as a reser\e and remained on tlie north bank. When General Hooker marched his other four corps by the right flank. Gibbon's division of Couch's Second Corps was left in camp, opposite Fredericksburg, as this was the only part of the Union winter quarters that could be seen by the Confederates. This division was left to convey the impression that the whole L'nion army was still in winter ffuarters, the men being told to busy themselves about their usual duties. An important part of Hooker's plan miscarried at the very outset. He had ordered General Stoneman with the cavalry corps to move about tlie middle of April, make his way around Lee's left, cut the communications between the Confederate army and Richmond and to destroy the stores at Guiney's Station and other points. A succession of storms prevented Stoneman from moving at the apix)inted time, and the roads were not in con- dition for cavalry to move until the latter part of the month. On account of the expiration of the term of enlistment of about forty regiments in the Army of the Potomac during May. General Hooker could not delay his movement until the cavalrv had time to do the work entrusted to them. The flank movement was conducted with masterlv skill. Meade's Fifth Corps marching to Kelly's Ford on the Rappa- hannock, thence to Fjy's Ford on the Rapidan. crossing both streams with the slightest delay, was a complete surprise to the Confederates. He then marched down the right bank of the river, uncovering I'nited States Ford, where the two division- of Couch's corps were waiting to cross. Howard's Eleventh and Siocum's Twelftli Corps crossed the Rappahannock River at Kelly's Ford and the Rapidan at Germanna Ford., on the extreme .right of the army. Din-ing the days of the 29th and 30th. the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 77 First Corps, under General Reynolds, and the Sixth Corps, under General Sedgwick, remained in the positions taken, two divisions of each corps remaining on the north bank and one division of each corps on the south bank. The First New Jersey Regiment, having been relieved from the support of the batteries at Gray's Point, rejoined the Brigade in time to cross with the division. On the 30th, General Sickles was ordered to report at general headcjuarters with his corps by way of United States Ford. At the same time one of the bridges at Reynolds' Crossing- was taken up and moved to Bank's Ford on the Rappahannock. On the evening of the 29th, the First New Jersey Brigade was detailed for picket duty to relieve Russell's Third Brigade. The Brigade remained on the picket line until the next evening, when it was relieved by Bartlett's Brigade, and returned to its original position in the second line. The Brigade remained in line near Deep Creek until May ist, when General Sedgwick received a delayed order at 5 P. M., which should have been delivered at II A. M., to make a demonstration in force at i P. M., and to have it heavy and menacing enough to create diversion from Hooker's front. Notwithstanding the delay of about seven hours in the delivery of the order. General Sedgwick at once ordered General Reynolds to advance and display his corps. General Newton, temporarily in command of the Sixth Corps, while Sedgwick was occupied with the direction of the two corps, was ordered to send a division as a support to- General Reynolds and to protect the bridges. General Newton sent his own division, with General Wheaton in command, for this pur- pose. When the necessary dispositions were made and General Reynolds was ready to make the demonstration, an order came from General Hooker countermanding the movement. On May 2d, General Reynolds was ordered by General Hooker to move his corps to United States Ford and to report at gen- eral headquarters. The First Corps re-crossed the river and moved away; the remaining bridge was taken up and sent to a point opposite Fredericksburg. At 10 A. M. the other two divi- sions of the Sixth Corps and Burnham's Light Brigade, attached tO' General Newton's division, crossed to the south side of the Rappahannock. The First Regiment. New Jersey Volunteers, 6 F B 78 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. liaving- httn detailed for picket duty, the Light Brigade was sent with them to extend the picket Hne further to the right. Together they drove the enemy's skirmish Hne back to the raih'oad. During the night the First New Jersey Regiment was relieved by four companies of the Second Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers. On the morning of May 3d, the Brigade was under arms at two o'clock. At daybreak, the Fifteenth Regiment, New Jersey Vol unteers was sent to the old Richmond wagon road as support to the pickets. On reaching the designated position Colonel Pen- rose found the enemy in strong force and immediately reported the situation to General Brooks. McCartney's and Hexamer's (under Lieutenant Parsons) batteries were ordered forward to shell the enemy, the Brigade accompanying them as support. The batteries opened on the Confederate line and soon forced it l>ack. At II A. M. an order came to move along the road to Fredericksburg. Column was formed and the corps pushed for- ward, leaving the four companies of the Second Regiment, under I^Iajor Close, on picket, with the Fifteenth Regiment supporting them. The march was rapid and the corps quickly covered the distance. Passing through the town, the corps pushed out upon the plank-road leading to Chancellorsville. I<"arly in the day the rifle pits at the foot of the hills and the breastworks on the heights back of Fredericksburg had been twice assaulted unsuccessfully. At about ten o'clock Newton's division supported by Howe's divison on the left and the Light Brigade in the assaulting column, succeeded in driving the enemy f n >m these positions, hitherto considered almost impregnable, and where Burnside's supreme efforts had been futile. This splendid achievement cost the corps 1,000 men, killed and wounded. Colonel Spear, leader of the left assaulting column, was killed, and Colonel Johns, of the right column, was severely wounded. >Liny other olticers were killed or wounded in this desi>erate enc< >unter. \\ hen the First New Jersey Brigade had gone alx)ut two and a hall miles up the plank-road, a small force of the enem\-. com- ; ix)sed of a company of cavalry and a section of horse artillery, was encountered, bkx^king the road. The remaining six com- l)anies of the Second Regiment, New Jersev \'olunteers, were de- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 79 ployed as skirmishers under their commanding- officer. Colonel Buck, who cleared the road. The Brigade was then formed in line of battle, the Twenty-third Regiment, under Colonel Grubb. iMi the left of the road, the First Regiment, under Colonel Col- lett, on the right of the road, and the Third Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Stickney, on the right of the First Regiment. General Bartlett's brig-ade occupied the ground on the left of the First Brigade and General Newton's division was stationed to the right and rear of the line. Scarcely had the line been formed when the enemy opened fire on it with artillery, wounding Cap- tain Read, of the division staff. Rigby's battery took position on an elevated portion of the field in the rear of the line and replied Avith such good effect that after a few rounds the enemy retired. The six companies of the Second Regiment on the skirmish line, re-enforced by two companies of the Third Regiment, pushed forward, followed by the Brigade, to a thick growth of scrub timber in which the enemy had taken shelter. As soon as the line had entered the woods, a fierce and destructive musketry fire was opened by the enemy. The Brigade continued to^ advance, push- ing on through the dense undergrowth, driving the enemy until it reached the crest of the rise on which the timber stood. Here the growth was more scattered and the enemy could be seen. The enemy's skirmishers displayed a stubbornness in maintaining their position against the attacks of the Union line that indicated the immediate vicinity of their line of battle, and it was evident that they had been heavily re-enforced, outnumbering the Union force. The advance was checked, but the men clung to the position taken by them in the face of a terrific fire. In the advance the Twenty-third Regiment was checked by the fire which seemed more incessant and in greater volume than on either side of it, but this gallant regiment, somewhat disor- ganized in the advance, had halted for a few moments at the edge of timber to re-form. This was quickly accomplished and the regiment rushed forward with spirit and steadiness. They dro\'e the enemy some distance and uncovered Salem Church and a school-house near it, each of which buildings was gar- risoned by a company of the Ninth Alabama. A dashing charge drove the enemy back of the buildings, from which a very an- 80 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. noying and destructive fire was kept up by the Alabama com- panies. When the Confederates in the school-house saw that the Union line was between them and their supports, they sur- rendered. Now was the time for the Union supports to go into the fight, but they were not sent in, and the Jersey Brigade was obliged to give ground, and finally retire, before the furious onset of the Confederates which released the captured company. They followed up their advantage until checked by the Union bat- teries. General C. IM. Wilcox commanded the brigade in the im- mediate front of the Jersey Brigade, and the following extract from his report, page 858, Vol. 25, Part i, Series i, is given to show how closely the two sides correspond in tlieir statements : "The enemy's artillery ceased to fire near 5 P. M. Their skirmishers then advanced ; a spirited fire ensued between the skirmishers for some fifteen or twenty minutes. Ours then retired, firing as they fell back. The enemy's skirmishers pur- sued, followed by their solid lines of infantry, and still a third line in the rear. On either side of the road, as they advanced from the toll-gate, were open fields, and the ground slightly ascending. These fields continued to within about two hundred and fifty yards of the church and then woods, thick, but of small growth. When the first line of the enemy reached this wood they made a slight halt, then, giving three cheers, they came with a rush, driving our skirmishers rapidly before them. Our men held their fire till their men came within less than eighty yards, and delivered a close and terrible fire uj^on them, killing and wounding many and causing many of them to waver and give way. The enemy still pressed on, surrounding the school-house, and captured the whole company of the Ninth Alabama stationed in it. and pressing hard upon the regiment in rear of the school-house threw it into confusion and disorder and forced it to give ground. The Ninth Alabama, in the rear of this regiment, sprung forward as one man, and, with the rapidity of lightning, restored the continuity of our line, break- ing the lines of the enemy by its deadly fire and forcing him to give way, and. following him so that he could not rally, re-take FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 81 the school-house and free the captured company, and in turn take them captive." The position taken by the First New Jersey Brigade was lost and recovered twice, the firing" on both sides being fierce and continuous. During this contest, Colonel Penrose, with his regi- ment, the Fifteenth New Jersey Volunteers, accompanied by the four companies of the Second Regiment, arrived on the field, and was directed by General Brooks to take the right of the line. In marching towards the position he was met by Colonel Brown, in command of the First New Jersey Brigade, who directed him to support the Third Regiment, which was in danger of being driven back. Colonel Penrose deployed his regiment in line of battle, the movement being executed with the pre- cision of regulars on the drill ground, and advanced to the right of the Brigade. The Third Regiment had retired to the edge of the woods, where it re-formed and again advanced until they met the rebel column, also advancing. The Fifteenth Regiment advanced with the Third, supporting it, and both were fiercely engaged. The skirmishers from the Second Regiment continued on the skirmish line, doing fine work and showing great steadi- ness and courage. It very soon became evident that without immediate and substantial support the position could not be held. The men were greatly exhausted by the rapid march of the morning, the intense heat, the stress of battle and nervous strain, and were losing strength every minute by death and wounds, while the Confederates were gaining strength by re-enforcements in heavy columns. After the position had been taken and re-taken, the men, unable to endure the strain longer, gave way and the position was abandoned. The Brigade retired slowly through the woods and took position behind the batteries of Hexamer, Lieutenant Par- sons in command, McCartney and Rigby. When the scattered line reached the open space in the rear of the wood, Colonel Collett, of the First Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, fell mor- tally wounded. At about 6 :30 P. M., Colonel Brown, command- ing the Brigade, was severely wounded but a few minutes after Colonel Collett fell, and was carried from the field. Colonel 82 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Penrose, of the Fif tenth Regiment, Xew Jersey Volunteers, assumed command of the Brigade and directed the withdrawal. As soon as the Union troops had retired behind the batteries, a galling fire of grape and canister and shrapnel shot was opened on the rapidly advancing enemy, who followed the Union forces closely. The fire from these three lotteries not only checked the Confederate advance, but drove back his entire line. The l)attlefield over which the Jersey Brigade charged was known as the ]\Iar\'e Place, the crest, Salem Heights. Just beyond the wood a small brick building, known as Salem Church, and a log school-house, stood, which served as a protection and rallying places for the Confederates. The fight for these build- ings was obstinate and bloody and they would have been captured from the enemy had the much-needed re-enforcements arrived. Xight falling prevented further movement and the Jersey Brigade bivouacked on the field, confidently expecting the fight would be renewed the next morning. The Brigade being reassembled. Colonel Buck, senior officer present, assumed command. When, on the morning of the 3d of May, the Sixth Corps advanced, Early's division of Jackson's corps and Barksdale's brigade were the only troops confronting it. After the Second and Third Divisions of the Sixth Corps had taken the rifle pits and stormed Marye's Heights, the Confederates were driven down the road leading to Richmond, part of the command being cut off from the main body going west on the road to Chan- cellorsville. A brigade of Confederate troops under General Wilcox has been stationed opposite Bank's Ford to guard it. Wilcox, as soon as he ascertained the situation, abandoned the Ford and moved rapidly to the assistance of General Early. The arrival of this brigade served to stop the retreat of the enemv and soon after McLaw's division, sent by General Lee to assist in stopping the advance of the Sixth Corps, arrived on the field just .as Brooks' division of the Sixth Corps made the charge. The day's fighting cost this (Brooks') division 1.500 men killed. wounded and captured. FIRST XEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 83 Report of Col. Henry W. Brown, Third New Jersey Infantry, Com- manding First Brigade. Hdors. First Brig., First Div., Sixth A. C, May 4th, 1863. Sir — I have the honor to report that in obedience to 0-^"''=: on April 28th, I marched the First Brigade from camp near White Oak Church to a point near to that which the Left Grand Division crossed the Rappahanock in De- cember last, and there bivouacked. At 5 A. M., on the 29th, crossed the river with my Brigade in pontoon boats, and remained on the south bank, taking my tour of picket duty without advancing until Sunday, May 3d, when, at daylight, I sent the Fifteenth Regi- ment, New Jersey Volunteers, in accordance with orders received, to take post at a point where the Richmond and Fredericksburg road crosses the ravine, and act as rear guard to the division. At 6 A. M. I was ordered to post my Brigade in this road, on the left of the division line, toward the burnt house, and we remained there under a very hot shell fire from a battery posted in front of my position at about 800 yards distant, and from which I lost some men in the Fifteenth and Twenty-third Regiments, New Jersey Volunteers. I had also some casualties from the fire of the enemy's pickets, to which I did not reply. At 11 A. M. I was ordered to move rapidly to my right along the road toward Fredericksburg, leaving my picket line out and one battalion (the Fifteenth) in support. We marched through the town and up the Plank road toward Chancellorsville, and halted for five minutes on the south side of the heights, which had been gallantly carried at the point of the bayonet by New- ton's division in the morning. We were then in the advance, and I formed my brigade : six companies of the Second, under Colonel Buck, as skirmishers on either side of the road ; the First and Third, under Colonel Collet, on the right of the road, in line of battle, and the Twenty-third, under Colonel Grubb, on the left, at about 200 yards in the rear of the line of skirmishers, and so moved about half a mile, when we were met by a fire of shell from a battery in position on the crest of a hill at about 300 yards distant. Our skirmishers still advanced gallantly, and by their fire drove the enemy to a precipitate retreat, our batteries, which had now come into position, contributing to this result. Our advance con- tinued about one and one-half miles farther, the enemy still retreating and fighting, using their batteries at every advantageous point. I should here state that I ordered out two companies of the Third Regiment as skirmishers, finding that the detachment of the Second was not sufficient to cover my front and flanks. When we arrived at this point we found the enemy in strong position, and also that he had received re-enforcements. I here received orders to send in a regiment to clear some woods on my right flank, and, as the advance seemed to be checked, I went with the Third Regiment com- manded by Major Stickney, which I ordered on this duty. I was accom- panied by Captain H. P. Cook, assistant inspector-general of the Brigade; Lieutenant Abeel, aide-de-camp, and Adjutant Fairly, of the Third Regiment, whom I had attached to my staff as acting guide. 84 FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. Tlic regiment advanced gallantly, but was met by an overwhelming fire from the enemy, concealed in some trenches and behind a fence, to which it replied with vigor. The Fifteenth Regiment had now come up, and I directed it to advance to the support of the Third Regiment. It came into its position in beautiful order, and I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which this regiment was fought by its gallant commander, Colonel Pen- rose. He relieve/i. *hv 'iuird, almost worn out by its long march and fight, and hel'' l.'iC enemy in check, who, having had fresh troops come up, were i>->.paring to attack both in front and on our right flank. After a few minutes rest, and having reformed his regiment, slightly disordered by the march through the thick wood and undergrowth, in line of battle. Major Stickney gallantly led it (the Third) in again to the support of the Fifteenth, and so we held them until about 6:30 P. M., when, having been severely wounded, I was carried to the rear. The First Regiment, under Colonel Collet, moved forward into the woods on the left of the Third, a few minutes after its advance, and was nobly fought l5y its commanding officer, whose death, at the head of his command, I have to deplore. The Twenty-third advanced on the left of the road about the same time with the First, under Colonel Grubb, and, although a nine-months' regiment, its heavy loss shows how obstinately it was fought by its brave young commander. I cannot distinguish between my officers without injus- tice, yet my thanks are eminently due to the commanding officers of regiments, Colonels Collet, Buck, Penrose and Grubb, and Major Stickney, for their coolness and intrepidity, as also the judgment with which they fought their respective commands. Of the members of the staff, including Lieutenant (David) Fairly, of the Third Regiment, I can only say that they fully sus- tained their reputations won on other fields, and I am glad to say that they had all escaped uninjured, excepting Captain H. P. Cook, who was wounded severely in the neck. I have tlie honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. BROWN, Coioftcl Third Nezv Jersey Volunteer Infantry, Commanding Brigade. C.\rT. .\. K. P.\RS0NS, A. A. G., First Division. During the night of the 3d of May. Lee came over from Hooker's front to the force opposed to Sedgwick, bringing with him Anderson's division, by which move he placed the whole of the Confederate army, except Jackson's corps, now commanded by General J. E. B. Stuart, in front of tlie Sixth Corps. On the morning of the 4th, General . Sedgwick discovered that heavy re-enforcements had been .'^ent to the enemy in his front. He sent a despatch to General Hooker describing the situation and asked for re-enforcements. The courier went by way of Scott's Dam. n mile below Banks' Ford, where General Benham. of the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 85 Engineers, had thrown a pontoon bridge as soon as the Con- federates had abandoned their position at Banks' Ford. During the battle on the 2d, General Hooker had been struck and stunned by a piece of one of the columns of the Chancellor House, when it was shattered by a solid shot, and had not sufficiently recovered to realize the importance of immediate action. His reply to Sedgwick was that he could not send any re-enforcements and that he (Sedgwick) must get along without help. Sedgwick, finding himself abandoned by his chief, determined to retire, knowing that with the great superority in numbers of the enemy in his front he could not expect to hold his position with his depleted corps, without help. He directed General Newton to select and lay out a new line in his rear towards Banks' Ford. Lee spent the day in examining the field and making dispositions of his troops for the final blow by which he expected to capture the whole Sixth Corps or drive it across the river. Towards evening his dispositions seemed completed, for a demonstration was made against Brooks' division. The line on the Union side was formed by the First and Second Brigade of Brooks' division facing the enemy on the south. General Newton's division and Russell's Third Brigade of Brooks' division faced west, at right angles with Brooks' right, while Howe's Second Division faced east towards Fredericksburg, at right angle with Brooks' left, forming three sides of a square. The line was thin and weak along the whole front, which was between five and six miles long. At six o'clock in the evening, the Confederates advanced in line of battle against Brooks' front, but were easily repulsed by the skirmish line and a battery of artillery. A much more deter- mined atack was made by Early on Howe's front, the object being to cut off the Sixth Corps from the bridges at Banks' Ford and Scott's Dam. The fighting was determined and persistent on both sides, the Confederates driving a part of Howe's line, but were checked and driven back by the splendid service of the artillery, which was most skillful and deadly. The Confederates made three desperate attempts to break the line, and while the result was still in doubt General Sedgwick sent General Wheaton's brigade of General Newton's division to re-enforce Howe. After the enemy had been repulsed and severely pun- 86 FIRST SEW J&RSEV BRIGADE. ished, tlie lines were re-established until after dark, when the whole line was withdrawn to the new line selected b}- General Xewton. During the night the Sixth Corps retired from this position. The pickets were withdrawn, General Russell himself going along the line cautioning each picket to use caution in retiring, to make no noise and rejoin his command as soon as possible. Everything being in readiness, the troops went quietly down to the bridges and crossed over. A number of batteries were posted on the north bank commanding the approaches to the bridge heads, but thev were not called upon, as the enemy made no movement to interfere. The Sixth Corps brought with it fourteen hundred prisoners, nine cannon and five battle flags, captured, and all its ow^n ma- terial, leaving nothing but two or three disabled wagons. Howe's division captured in the last fight one general, two hundred other prisoners and three battle flags. The loss of the corps was 41 officers killed, 49 w'ounded and 31 missing; 444 enlisted men killed, and 2,471 wounded and 1,454 missing. Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. First Regiment — Officers, i 4 Enlisted men 6 67 27 105 Second Regiment — Officers i 4 Enlisted men 3 32 9 49 Third Regiment — Officers, i 3 i Enlisted men, 10 66 14 95 Fifteentli Regiment — Officers, 2 2 Enlisted men, .... 22 124 4 134 T\vent\ -tiiird Regiment — Officers, 3 6 Enlisted men.. . 17 54 31 108 511 Beside CoIducI Cullclt. of the First Regiment, Captain William Bergen, of the Second Regiment; Captain Archibald Taylor of the Third Regiment; Captain Ira J. Lindsley, of the Fifteenth Regiment; Lieutenant John Foster, of the Fifteenth Regiment; Lieutenants Charles Sibley. James S. Budd and Sidney McCart- ney, of the Twenty-third Regiment, were killed. The battle <)f Chancellorsville was ended on the evening of the ^tl. and after waiting a whole day for Lee to atack in his new FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 87 position, General Hooker withdrew the right wing of the army and crossed to the north side of the Rappahannock. The great campaign from which so much had been expected by the Administration and the General of the army, with all its advantages of surprise and superior numbers, had come to naught. The army was still strong, notwithstanding the loss of nearly 40,000 men by expiration of term of enlistment, and was being- strengthened by the arrival of regiments that had been on de- tached service and new ones. The morale of the army was excellent, and General Hooker, now nearly recovered from the blow received at the Chancellor House, was busy preparing plans for a new campaign. His unfriendly superior, Halleck, feeling that his opposition to Hooker was now justified, lost no opportunity to have him re- moved. The fact that the army trusted him, liked him, and was willing to fight under him, had but little consideration. That General Hooker's errors w^ere the cause of his defeat was patent to every one. The first, the stopping the advance, and then aban- doning the position taken by General Sykes' division, on the first day of the fight, was serious enough, when by pushing forward the suports a very different showing could have been made the next day. The surprise and rout of the Eleventh Corps, due in a great measure to Howard's abundant confidence in his own judgment and ability, would not have been effected had Hooker insisted on his recommendations of strong picket posts, sufficiently far advanced to give timely warning. The disaster could have been remedied by ordering up Reynolds' First Corps, whose position would have enabled it to take Jackson's corps on the flank and rear. The failure to take advantage of the weakened condition of Lee's defensive line, stripped as it was of all but a very thin line composed of a few brigades, was the third fault. His fourth error was in not re-enforcing Sedgwick with two corps, which would have forced Lee tO' fight in the open country where Hooker's superior numbers would tell. These last two errors of judgment should be ascribed to the unfortunate con- dition the blow received at the Chancellor House placed him, both mentally and physically. However, to Halleck the cause was of no moment in the arraignment of Hooker's conduct of the cam- I 88 PIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. paign. Tlie fact that he had been unsuccessful was the one dom- inant and unforgivable fact. By the 9th of May the army was back in its old encampment, resting and getting in shape for a renewal of the struggle. The rank and file had, by this time, come to the conclusion that, though General Hooker was an able and reliable corps leader, he lacked the capability to command an army. The conclusion w-as tempered somewhat when they learned, as they soon did, of the accident on the porch of the Chancellor house. Still they missed the dash and energy he had shown on former occasions, whatever the cause. They also knew that one whole corps and part of another had not been used at all, in fact had not fired a shot. The cavalry had returned to the army, General Averill's divi- sion coming in on the right of the army, and crossed the Rappa- hannock just before the rear guard of infantry. They were now resting and refitting for active work. In a week's time they started out towards Gordonsville, Culpepper and Brandy Station. General Hooker calculated that Lee would move towards the Shenandoah Valley and instructed General Pleasanton, to whom he had given the command of the cavalry in place of Stoneman, to find out what Lee was doing. Pleasanton soon discovered that Longstreet's corps was near the Blue Ridge Mountains and Ewell's corps en route for the same point, leaving Hill's corps to hold the heights of Fredericksburg. In his report, Lee says he l^elieved he could now successfully achieve the object for which the former invasion of Maryland was made, and. should he be successful, the end of the war was assured, as he planned to capture Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. II«'M'>ker, finding tiiat Hill's corps was the only Ixidy of Con- federate troops in his front, saw an opportunity to give a telling blow to the Confederates, and began preparations to attack. It is said he even gave expression to ideas that led his hearers to think he would be willing to exchange Washington for Rich- mond. He wrote to the President giving his plan, which was to cross the Rappahannock below Fredericksburg, take Hill in re- verse and possibly capture the whole corps without serious loss. The President replied that he thought the better plan would be FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. . 89 to follow Lee up and fight whenever he found him. Halleck refused his sanction more emphaticall}^ and Hooker was obliged to forego his contemplated movement and devote his energies to finding out where Lee's army was and what his intentions were. As it was necessar)' to determine precisely what troops Lee had left at Fredericksburg, Hooker ordered a demonstration to be made at Franklin's Crossing. He knew that Longstreet, by this time, was in the Shenandoah Valley and that Ewell was follow- ing, but was unwilling to trust entirely to the information gleaned by the scouting parties of cavalry. Hooker ordered Sedgwick to move down to the crossing near Deep Run and send a division over to test the enemy's strength. Howe's Second Division of the Sixth Corps crossed the Rappahannock and moved towards the heights. He found the enemy in force and reported the situa- tion to General Sedgwick. The movement being reported to Lee, he halted Ewell's corps, which was on the road to Gordons- ville, so as to be ready to return in case an attack was made on the heights below Fredericksburg. Howe's division crossed over on June 6th and remained on the south side until the morning of the 8th, when the First Division, under General Wright, relieved him. On June 6th, 1863, Howe's division of the Sixth Corps crossed to the south side of the Rappahannock, the pontoon bridges having been thrown during the night with no resistance from the enemy. A heavy skirmish line was pushed out to feel the enemy, which resulted in a considerable display of force by them. No action took place except skirmishing and a little artillery practice. On the morning of June 7th, the First Division, Sixth Corps, under General Wright, relieved Howe's division, the Jersey Brigade in front. General H. G. Wright succeeded Genera! Brooks in command of the First Division, Sixth Corps, when the latter was given command of the Department of Pittsburg. The skirmishing and sharpshooting which characterized the crossing of Howe's Second Division, slackened considerably, but it was still dangerous to one's safety to show himself in the open. A barn on the outskirts of Fredericksburg afforded concealment and some protection to the Confederate sharpshooters, until the 90 FIRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. building was demolished by a battery stationed on the north bank, directly opposite it. The First Brigade took its share of picket dutv and was posted mostly in Deep Run, the men climbing up its steep sides till they could look over the edge, while some w^ere obliged to take the risk of being shot while taking their positions on the open plain. On the morning of the 8th, the Twenty-third Regiment left the Brigade for Trenton, X. J., to be mustered out of service, their nine months of service having expired. The First Division was relieved by Xewton's Third Division on the 9th, and recrossed the river, joining the Second Division. The corps remained here until the i^lh of June, when it marched to Potomac Creek and later in the day to Acquia Creek. The several corps of the Army of the Potomac moved by different roads towards the line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The Sixth Corps left Acquia Creek on the 15th, passing through Staft'ord Court House and Dumfries to Fairfax Station, arriving there on the i6th. From there, after two days' rest the Sixth Corps marched to German- town on the 1 8th, and on the 20th Howe's Second Division marched to Bristoe's Station. On the 26th the Sixth Corps l>eing re-assemliled marched to Drainesville, Va., and on the 27th crossed the Potomac River at Edward's Ferry to Poolesville, ]\Id. The appearance of the countr}- was so different from the dreary waste of Virginia, with its fenceless fields, ruined houses and trampled gardens, that the men spread out everywhere, contrary to discijjline and strict orders. The beautiful valleys covered with the produce of a generous soil showed great fields of waving grain just ripening, orchards loaded with fruit, and the roads hned, in manv places, with cherry trees in full bearing. The farm houses well-kept and neat in appearance, the fences in repair and outbuildings in good condition, all made such a contrast with the desolate, deserted country but a few miles south, that the men seemed to lose all sense of discipline and for a few hours there were very few left in the ranks. The natives were most hospitable, giving biscuits, milk, honey, eggs and other things dear to a soldier's stomach, in many instances, and when a charge was made for supplies, it was so low as to appear ridiculous. The march was made in easy stages, the .MAJ()R-(;i{.\l.;k \1. MI'.ADI FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 91 Sixth Corps moving- to Hyattstown on the 28th. The next day the corps marched to New Windsor, passing through New Market and Riegelsville. On the 30th, the corps marched to Manchester. From here the Sixth Corps started on July ist at ten o'clock in the evening to make a 39-mile march to Gettysburg. Though the distance was really somewhat short of 35 miles, the guide mistook the road and the corps marched two miles in the wrong- direction before the error was discovered. The retracing this distance made the march four miles longer than it would otherwise have been. \Miile at Manchester many farmers visited the camps, some bringing fine blooded horses which they offered for sale at low prices to get rid of them, deeming it safer to sell them than to run the risk of the rebels taking them by force. The march through Maryland was greatly enjoyed by the army, being in the nature of a picnic. Fruits O'f all kinds, fresh vegetables and milk in abundance took the place of the regulation fare, greatly to the advantage of the men. The head of the Sixth Corps arrived on the field of Gettys- burg at about 2 P. M., but it was after four o'clock before the First New Jersey Brigade reached the field on the 2d of July. On the morning of June 28th, the army was startled by the news that General Meade had succeeded General Hooker in com- mand of the army. The change was then commented upon un- favorably by the men as "spite work" of General Halleck, and no doubt there was a grain of truth in their reasoning. The ar- rival of the Sixth Corps relieved the Fifth Corps from the reserve and the latter was sent to the left of the army, where furious fighting was going on. Neil's brigade of the Third Division of the Sixth Corps was detached and sent over to the right to assist General Slocum in his defense of Cemetery Hill, which vantage point the Confederates were making desperate efforts to capture, and had succeeded in taking some portions of the line. The First and Second Divisions remained in reserve behind Little Round Top, the First New Jersey Brigade taking position on the front line on the north crest of the hill, behind a stone fence, the Fifteenth Regiment being thrown tO' the front 92 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. at right angles to the line. The Second Regiment, Colonel \\'ie- becke. was detailed for picket duty and was kept well to the front until relieved by the Third Regiment on the afternoon o£ the 3d of July. The position assigned to the First New Jersey Brigade was not without the excitement and danger of battle, for stray bullets fell in quantities in the ranks and beyond, wounding several men. From this crest the whole valley could be seen until it bent towards Cemetery Hill. From here one of the finest spectacles of any war was witnessed by the men of the Brigade. Desultory fighting had been indulged in on both the right and left during the morning, which slackened towards mid-day. At one o'clock a tremendous cannonade was commenced by the Confederates, directed entirely on our center. They kept this up until four o'clock with a steadiness and persistence that was surprising. At four o'clock their batteries suddenly ceased. From over a low ridge flanked on the east side by a wheat field and a peach orchard, a thin line of butternut-clad men emerged, the center advanced and the wings trailing until the line resembled the segment of a circle. A hundred feet behind came another heavier line and behind that still another line. The movement was like clockwork, so steady and without hurry or confusion. As soon as the Confederate lines reached the foot of the rise, and in good distance to use schrapnel and grape and canister, the Union guns, one hundred in numl>er, opened upon the advancing column with awful effect. Great spaces were torn in the Confederate ranks, which were im- mediately filled, and the line, not even checked, came on. At almost every step the Union g-ims poured in schrapnel and canister without stopping the Confederate advance. The lines unbroken, battle-flags held aloft defiantly, many officers mounted, they came on till within charging distance, when with a rush they drove the Union forces a few feet back from the low stone- wall where the Union line stood. The rank and file had com- menced musketry tire as soon as the Confederates had gotten l.)eyond the point at which it was dangerous for the Union guns to Cfiiitimu' tin- r.-innonndc for fear of mowing down our own men. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 93 The left of the Confederate Hne was taken in flank by some regiments that had been advanced beyond the line, in the morn- ing. The Confederates clung- desperately to the stone wall, not- withstanding the firing at close range. It was at this bloody angle that the men, having no more cartridges, clubbed their muskets and fought hand-to-hand. The melee was too mixed toi allow the use of artillery, and the fight was still going on with the Confederates inside the Union lines, when Stannard's Ver- mont brigade came down the road leading to the fray, at double- quick, and went into the melee with fixed bayonets. The Jersey men held their breath when the Vermonters charged, for they thought every Confederate would be killed or captured. Small parties of them drifted back until finally, when General Armi- stead, of Pickett's division, fell mortally wounded, the Con- federates retired slowly, sullenly, towards the peach orchard through which they had advanced less than two> hours before. As they passed over the ridge a. silence fell upon the field, heaps of Confederate dead and wounded were scattered over the ground, but no movement was made on the Union side to make a counter attack. After a short while small parties of men went over the field nearest the Union lines, bringing in the wounded. General Armistead's body was sent back to the Confederate lines with all the honors due to a military chief. While the skirmishing was going on about noon, many stray bullets dropped around the position of the First New Jersey Brigade. Headquarters of the Brigade was a square rock about thirty or forty feet back of the line where General Torbert and Captains Whitehead and Cook and Lieutenant Goldsmith, of his staff, were seated eating lunch. The men were amused tO' see General Torbert get up from his seat and, making a stern ges- ture, order the men to cease throwing pebbles at headquarters. A general laugh greeted the general and a high-pitched voice from the left informed him that "Them's rebel Ixdlets. General." The battle of Gettysburg was opened by the contact of Gen- eral John Buford's division of cavalry with General A. P. Hill's corps of the Confederate army, near the town on July ist, 1863. It was not the intention of either General Meade or General Lee to fight at that particular point, but the clash between the Union 7 F B 94 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. cavalry and Confederate infantry became so serious that it liastened the actual battle. Reynolds' First Corps was hurried up to relieve Buford, who drew off his horsemen to the right, the interval l:>eing filled with skirmishers from Reynolds' two di- visions that were with him, while his other division was hur- ried forward to extend the line of battle along Seminary Ridge. Reynolds sent to Howard, who was advancing with the Eleventh Corps, for re-enforcements. Before Howard could get on the field, General Reynolds was killed by a rebel sharpshooter. Gen- eral Doubleday took command of the First Corps and directed the movement of the troops engaged, until Howard came up, who then assumed command of the field. He had General Reynolds' First Corps and one division of the Eleventh Corps to confront the whole of A. P. Hill's corps. As the Confederate corps were always stronger in niunbers than the Union corps, from 50 to 100 per cent., it is easy to understand why the Union troops were outnumbered. Notwithstanding the superiority of the Confederate strength, the Union forces were making a good fight until the Confederates were re-enforced by Ewell's corps late in the afternoon. Howard fought the battle as well as he could under the circumstances, but was compelled to yield ground on account of the sui>erior strength of the Confederates and finally retired to Cemetery Ridge, though re-enforced by his nther two divisions and one division from General Dan Sickles' 'i'hird Corps, the latter coming up at about 7 P. M. Cemetery Ridge is somewhat less than a mile east of Seminary Ridge. It ])rove(l to l)e too strong a position for the rel)els the next day when they made numerous assaults upon it. .\t the same time (July 2d) General Longstreet with the right wing of their army was trying to turn the left of the Union line and capture the two hills known as Big and Little Round Top. Though the Union lines had been forced from their first position, the situation was more favorable to them on the night of July j' fighting in front of the position assigned to the First Xew Jersey Brigade on the morning of July 3d. The pursuit of Lee's army was continued all day of the 6th 1>\- the other corps, while the Jersey Brigade remained in cam]) about one and a half miles from Fairfield. At six o'clock on the evening of the 6th of July, the Brigade resumed the march as rear guard of the Sixth Corps and trains, their destination being I'jumittsburgh, about eight miles away. After marching all night, with frequent halts to allow the trains to get ahead, the corps arrived at Emmittsburgh at daylight of the 7th. The march was resumed at 6 A. M. and continued until 10 P. M.. further progress being arrested by a violent thunderstorm near the vilage of Hamburg, in the mountains of the Catoctin Range. The men were thoroughly drenched, but few finding any shelter at all. and these few had only such protection from the rain as was afforded by their small shelter-tents. Xo supper and no coffee, added to wet clothing, caused great discomfort. The progress made on this day was fifteen miles. The march was resumed at daylight, crossing the Catoctin Mountains at Middletown, about eight miles. While crossing the mountains the eft'ects of the storm were plainly visible in shattered trees and great giiUies in the sides of the mountains cut by the rush of water, and roads almost impassable. The Brigade remained at Middletown, resting till about four o'clock in tlic afternoon of the 9th, when the Brigade took up the line of march again, reaching Boonsborough, eight miles from Mid- dletown. Camp was made and the men rested until the morning of the loth, when the route was again taken, and after marching three miles line of Ixittlc was formed. The Brigade was formed in two lines and remained in this position all day of the nth. On tlie morning of July 12th, the Brigade proceeded about six miles and again formed a line of * On the afternoon of the 3d July the Tliird Regiment. N. J. \*ohinteers, re- lieved the Second N. J. Vohmteers. FIRST NBJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 99 battle two miles from Hagerstowii, on the pike that connects that place and Boonsborough. In the afternoon the position was changed to the left. Late in the afternoon the picket line was ordered to advance, which was done, driving in the Confederate pickets. The Brigade lost three officers and four enlisted men wounded. This position was maintained until the 14th, when the Brigade advanced as far as Williamsport, a distance of six miles. On the 15th the Brigade marched to Boonsborough, six- teen miles, and on the i6th tO' Berlin by the way of Middletown and Petersville, about twenty miles, and camped. The Jersey- men remained in camp on the 17th and on the i8th moved camp about two miles and remained there until the 19th, when they crossed the Potomac, with the rest of the Sixth Corps, into Virginia, and marched eight miles to Wheatland. The Pennsylvania and Maryland campaign, which began so pleasantly for the army and developed into the most eventful battle of the war, had come to an end. The Army of the Potomac had lost the strength of a whole corps of about 23,000 men, killed, wounded and missing. From Wheatland, Va., the Brigade marched fourteen miles to near Philomont, passing through Aldie, the scene of the cavalry fight a month before, and Purcellsville, by the Snickers- ville pike, on the 20th, and camped. The Brigade remained here until the night of the 22d of July, when at 10 P. M. camp was broken and the march resumed to the Little River turnpike, a section which was known to the men of the Brigade from their experiences there two years before. The distance marched was twelve miles and was resumed at 4 o'clock on the morning of the 23d to White Plains, passing through Rectortown. The Brigade rested here for the day, and started at 6 o'clock in the evening, marching to near New Baltimore, reaching the camping ground at midnight. On the morning of the next day, the march was resumed for Warrenton, in Fauquier County, the distance being between six and seven miles, and camp was made on the Sulphur Springs road. By the first of August the Army of the Potomac had reached a point near the Rappahannock River and rested there in tem- porary encampment while Pleasanton with the cavalry corps was 100 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. busy trying to find out the movements of the Confederate army. Tliere seemed little prospect of an active campaign, as the author- ities at Washington wthdrew a considerable number of men from the army for service in other fields. As brigade after brigade was withdrawn the chances of hunting up General Lee and his soldiers seemed to grow less. By the first of vSeptember not only the individual brigades mentioned had been taken from Meade, but also the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps. Pleasanton was active in the meantime and the sound of his guns was frequently heard. The days, hot and sultry, passed quietly for the Brigade of Jersey men, their duty being to act as provost guard in Warrenton, the different regiments taking turn. August passed slowly. During the month a number of drafted men were sent to the army, the Jersey Brigade receiving its .share. On the 13th the "Pack-up" call was sounded and the Brigade moved off towards the Rappahannock River. The cavalry, supported by the Second Corps, had driven the enemy across the Rapidan, and the Army of the Potomac followed, the Sixth Corps being stationed at the railroad bridge on the Rapi- dan River. The corps remained here, in the vicinity of Cul- ])epper, until the loth of October, when the Sixth Corps was marched to the right of the Union line joining the Second Corps. The marching and counter-marching seemed both useless and tiresome to the men in the ranks, but with their usual good nature and habit of unquestioning obedience, no murmuring or other manifestation of impatience was apparent. It soon became evi- dent that a serious movement was in progress. By the night of the nth of October, the army had re-crossed to the north side of the Rappahannock River, the Third and Fifth Corps and Buford's and Gregg's divisions of the cavalry corps acting as rear griard. The Confederate cavalry followed closely until they forced a fight with the Union cavalry, in which they were worsted and driven back. On the 12th, the Sixth Corps re-crossed to the south side of the river with the Second and Fifth Corps, marching to Culpepper, where they found a few detachments of cavalry instead of the whole Confederate army. General Meade now received dispatches from General Gregg to the effect that General Lee was at or near Warren- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 101 ton. The delay in gettting the information of the advance of the Confederate army lost to Meade the opportunity of selecting a battlefield on which to resist the advance of Lee's veteran legions, and was primarily the cause of the retrograde move- ment of the Union army. The three corps sent back to Culpepper were hastily with- drawn on the night of the 13th, the Jersey Brigade with the rest of the Sixth Corps taking position on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, between Catlett's and Bristoe Stations. The move to Culpepper was evidently made on a wrong interpretation of Lee's intentions. Late in the night orders came to continue the march. The corps was soon headed towards the battlefields of Bull Run. It did not halt there, however, but after marching that night and the next day the men found them- selves on the old intrenchments at Centreville. On the 14th of October the rear guard had a serious engagement with the rebels at Bristoe Station, the noise of which was very plainly heard b}' the men of the Sixth Corps. Awaiting the appearance and movement of the enemy the Brigade remained in position, ready for action at a moment's notice, until the 17th of October. On this day orders came from Army Headquarters to follow the enemy, who was evidently retiring. The movement was delayed by a furious storm, which made the fords on Bull Run impassable, and the march back to Culpepper was not commenced until the morning of the 19th of October. The whole army advanced as far as Gainesville, on the Warren- ton pike, the line extending to Bristoe Station. Dispositions were made here, awaiting the efforts of the cavalry to stir up the enemy. The Confederate army was found to be in the vicinity of Warrenton, but during the night of the 20th Lee moved back to the south side of the Rappahannock. When the army, on the next day, approached Warrenton, it was found deserted by the Confederate army. General Lee had destroyed about twenty miles of railroad track from Bristoe to the Rappahannock as he withdrew. The damage was not repaired until the 2d of November. The Brigade remained in the neighborhood of War- renton until the morning of the 7th of November. On the 102 PIRST XE1V JERSEY BRIGADE. eveiiing <»f the 6th orders were received to move early the next morning. General Sedgwick was given command of the Fifth and Sixth Corps and instructed to direct his operations against the works at Rappahannock Station, built originally by the Union troops, but now improved and extended by General Lee to contest the crossing of the Rappahannock. The forward mo\ement l>egan early in the morning of the 7th and by noon the t\\ o corps had reached a ixjint a mile and a half from the railroad bridge. Another column, consisting of the First. Second and Third Corps, under General French, had gone to Kelly's Ford, four miles below the Rappahannock Sta- tion bridge, to drive off the Confederate troops there, and cross- ing to go up the south side of the river to help Sedgwick. The efforts of the latter to make an impression on the force in the rifle-pits and earthworks on his front with artillery were with- out result, though six siege gims of large caliber had been sent to him. It was not until late in the afternoon that, finding the gun fire of no avail. Sedgwick determined to carr}- the works by assault. The Second and Third Brigades of the First Division of the Sixth Corps, under General David Russell, were ordered forward to charge the works. They moved forward steadily under a heavy fire and rushed the works, driving the enemy out and capturing the works. The assault was gallantly seconded by two regiments from the Fifth Corps. The two brigades captured 1,200 prisoners, eight battle flags, four gims and a large number of small arms. The First Brigade, l^'irst Division. Sixth Corps, the Jerseymen, was held in reserve and witnessed the fight, though taking but a slight part in it. lUillets and shells were plentiful enough, which did some damage in the P)rigade. When the Jerseymen marched to the works, they realized the obstinacy of the defense, as evidenced in the destruction of the gmi carriages, caissons, horses and parts of the intrenchments. Here the unusual sight of death caused by bayonet wounds was witnessed, a dozen or more Confederate soldiers showing Kiyonet wounds, as well as some Union dead. The Confederates being driven away from the crossing, the troops crossed over and camped. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 103 On the 8th, the Brigade was early on the march, following up the retreating rebels, a heavy skirmish line thrown out. The progress was necessarily slow, but finally the Sixth Corps reached Brandy Station on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The Union lines extended from here to Kelly's Ford on the Rapidan. General Lee had re-crossed the Rapidan and occupied his old intrenchments. It became evident that he did not anticipate further active operations, for the scouts, and citizens of the neighborhood, brought in reports that the Confederate army was building winter quarters. The Union army rested until the railroad was gotten into running order to Brandy Station, which was accomplished by the 20th of November. Supplies were brought up, the cars running night and day. Rumors of a forward movement became prevalent in the camps, which caused a cessation oi hut building by those who had deemed the lateness of the season would pre- vent active operations. The rumors were confirmed on the 23d, when five days' rations were ordered to be issued. An order to move the next day was received by corps commanders. A violent storm prevented the execution oi this order until the 26th. The morning of the 26th dawned clear and bright, a heavy frost haying fallen dur- ing the night. At dawn the bugles sounded the reveille and very soon after the "Pack-up'' call. At six o'clock the route was taken towards Jacob's Ford, on the Rapidan. The march was delayed by frequent stops to afford passage tO' the artillery and trains, and the Sixth Corps reached the ford after dark. The Third Corps, under General French, had reached the ford much earlier, but the crossing- had been delayed by the impossibility of crossing- the artillery at that point on account of the depth of the water. The artillery was sent down stream four miles to Germana Ford and the commanding officer was directed to rejoin the Third Corps next morning. On account of the bad road along the river, only one battery was able to report next morning. The Sixth Corps crossed, leaving Upton's brigade of the First Division on the north bank as rear guard, and went into camp. On the morn- ing of the 27th Upton's brigade crossed over and rejoined the corps. The forward movement was resumed, the direction being 104 hlRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. to Robertson's Tavern, the Third Corps leading, the Sixth Corps following as support, well closed up. The road on which the two corps advanced was a dim wood road and wound through a dense forest of trees and undergrowth. Progress was on this account very slow and the two corps had covered but two or three miles. The skirmishers had found the enemy and the sound of their firing increased so greatly by 3 o'clock that General Sedgwick deployed and moved forward the First and Second Divisions of the Sixth Corps. As the firing increased and became more extended he sent the Third Brigade, First Division, under Colonel Ellmaker, to the right and the Second Brigade of the First Division, under Colonel Upton, with the Third Brigade, Second Division, under General Neill, to the left to support the Third Corps line. Torbert's First Brigade, First Division, and the Second Brigade, Second Divi- sion, under Colonel Lewis A. Grant, were held in reserve. The Third Division of the Sixth Corps had been detached and left to guard the trains and bridges at Germana Ford. General French drove the enemy back a mile or more, the Sixth Corps not being called upon to take any part in the fight. The firing ceased about efore and no coffee at all. Rations were becoming scarce and hunger was added to the discomfort of cold. As dawn approached a lessening of the cold gave some relief, and Avhen the sun rose a nun-niur of satisfaction could l)c heard down the line. The rank FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 107 and file now realized that serious work was ahead of them, and awaited the signal tO' advance with considerable apprehension. A few minutes before 8 o'clock, the chaplain of the First Regi- ment came to the Brigade with a number of canteens slung from his shoulders, some filled with whiskey and the others with water, with which to succor the wounded. At 8 o'clock sharp the artillery along the front and centre of the Union line opened briskly. The firing was kept up for half an hour, when it slackened and almost ceased. When the noise of the firing stopped the sound of battle ofif to the left could be heard, but soon that ceased. At 9 o'clock the lines were straight- ened and the roll called, the men standing in place rest. The hour for the signal came and passed and no signal was given. The m'en waited with strained attention for some w^ord or sound that w^ould relieve the tension. In a little while word was passed down the line that the attack had been postponed. The relief was welcome — some of the men lay down in ranks and fell asleep at once, nothwithstanding the cold, while others hunted among their comrades for a cracker or something to satisfy hunger. Some of the curious ones of the Jersey Brigade went tO' the front to- view the field they were expected to fight over. The revelation was startling and the conviction was borne in upon them that the assault would have meant the destruction of the Jersey Brigade. Immediately in front of the cedar grove there was a snake fence, five feet high, extending along the whole front. On the far side of the fence there had been another cedar forest, but the trees had been cut off breast-high, the trunks strewn in every direction, making an almost impassable barrier. Beyond the cut cedars was Mine Run, a stream twelve or fifteen feet wide and about three feet deep. The intense cold of the night had formed ice an inch thick over the stream. Beyond Mine Run an open meadow, half a mile wide, stretched back to a range of hills. At the foot of the hills a line of breastworks, and about half way up the ascent another line, made the position almost impregnable, while the summit was fairly crowded with artillery and infantry. The whole of the Confederate front was so commanded by the artillery and the two lines of breastworks that the signal to charge them would have been the signal for the 108 FIRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. destruction of the two brigades. The enemy's artillery would ha\e opened on them as soon as they em'erged from the cedar thicket and disclosed themselves. The tearing down the fence, the struggling through the felled cedars, the dash through the ice-cold water of Mine Run by men who had neither food nor sleep for twenty hours, with the rebel guns playing on them, would have left but few to make the charge across the half-mile of flat meadow, which would have been swept by the infantry in the two lines of breastworks. Even if the few left could have reached the breastworks, there would not have been force enough to take them. It was a fortunate thing for the First New Jersey and First Vermont Brigades that General A\^arren reported to- General Meade that he could not carry out his part of the plan without a terrible sacrifice of life in time for General Meade to suspend the movement on the right. General Wright's estimate of the feasibility of the plan at thi? point was evidently greatly exaggerated and the cost minimized. It was with great relief that the men of the Sixth Corps took up the line of march back to their first position. When the corps arrived here some relief from the excessive hunger of the men was obtained, for many of them carried part of their rations of crackers in their knapsacks and these provident ones distributed what they could spare among those who had none. It was found that several of the pickets in different parts of the line had been frozen to death. On December ist. the First Brigade, Xcw Jersey \'olunteers, was moved back and the march towards the Rapidan was begun. The army crossed to the north bank of the Rapidan during the night and on the morning of the 2d all of the Union army that Lee could find were a few stragglers. The Mine Run campaign w^as finished and a failure. The army returned to its old camping ground, instead of marching to Fred- ericksburg, as had l^een the plan General Meade ardently wished to carry out. This was vetoed l\v General Halleck. who still seemed to think he had all the brains and military genius of the Union cause centered in himself. General A. A. Plumphrcys, in his "Gettysburg to the Rapidan." gives a very short but terse account of this episode. In this short campaign the Union army lost about two thousand men. killed, wounded and missing. FIRSX NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 109 The Sixth Corps was stationed at Wellsford, four miles from- Brandy Station, near the Hazel River, and winter quarters were built. The section occupied by the Army of the Potomac was a rolling country and the camps of the different corps could be seen quite plainly from any of the high points. At nig-ht long- rows of lights indicated the camping places of different organizations. The roofs of the huts being of canvas showed the light of the candles and hearth fires. Relatives and friends of the soldiers were allowed to visit them in camp and the army settled down to the usual winter duties. While in camp here the Brigade lost one of its most useful and beloved officers in Chaplain Yard, of the First New Jersev Vol- unteers, who' resigned and left the front. Before his departure the regiment was paraded, and formed in a hollow square. Chaplain Yard came to- the centre with Lieutenant-Colonel Henry and made an address to the men, bidding them good-bye. Colonel Henry, on behalf of the officers of the regiment, presented him with a gold watch. A sense of personal loss was felt by all, for the chaplain had been close tO' them, not onlv in quarters but on the battlefield, exposing himself with quiet unconcern of the danger, whenever there was need of his services. It was said by those who were intimate with him that he left the army disap- pointed and grieved because President Lincoln had refused to commute the death sentence of a deserter from^ the regiment. The chaplain had secured the commutation of sentences in the cases of five others who' were to pay the death penalty from different regiments. This was the first time that the President bad refused to interfere and the chaplain took it greatly to heart, as the doomed man was the only one of the Brigade who had ever been shot as a deserter. Chaplain Yard was succeeded by the Rev. W. H. McCormick. who had until quite recently served with the artillery. On February 27th, the Sixth Corps was ordered to march to Madison Courthouse on a reconnaissance, the men supposed, but really it was a demonstration to keep the Confederate army where they were while General Kilpatrick with a division of cavalry made a dash on Richmond to release the Union prisoners of war there and at Belle Isle and escort them to the Union lines. On 8 F B 110 FIRST XEJV J ERSE y BRIGADE. the morning of the 5th day after marching- out the corps returned to its camp, having fully performed the duty assigned to it. For two months more the First New Jersey Brigade rested in camp near Brandy Station. Promotions were made among the officers, and additions to the regiments partly filled the ranks. The Tenth New Jersey Volunteers, Colonel Ryerson, was here added to the Brigade, having about eight hundred men in the ranks, and made a decided improvement in the appearance of the Brigade when on dress parade, which was one of Torbert's favor- ite functions. The regiments formed division front with intervals of twenty feet, the colors in the centre of the front division, the drum corps massed for the "beat off," the Brigade band accom- panving them, the reports of the adjutants of regiments, the salute of the held and staff officers mounted, made a very interesting spectacle. Toward the latter part of April, when active prepara- tions were making for the coming campaign, the Brigade lost its General, A. T. A, Torbert, who, being a cavalryman, had been promoted to command a division of the cavalry corps. "Wilderness Campaign. " In February, 1864, Congress revived the rank of Lieutenant- General, the recipient to command all the armies of the United States. The confidence of the authorities of Washington, backed by the public sentiment, pointed to General Grant as the logical selection. He had been so uniformly successful in his operations in the West that he had won the admiration and confidence of the people. He was called from the West, and on the 9th of April, President Lincoln, in the presence of the Cabinet, gave him the commission of Lieutenant-General. The next day General Grant visited the Army of the Potomac to confer with General Meade and to see the troops. General Meade tendered his resignation as commander of the Army of the Potomac to give General Grant the opportunity of choosing one of his western friends for the position. General Grant refused to accept it, however, and showed his conlidence in General Meade by keeping entirely aloof from anv of Meade's plans and arrangements. GENERAL U. S. GRANT. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Ill A consolidation of the different corps by General Meade, on .account of the depleted condition of brigades and divisions, re- duced the number of corps from five to three, the Second, Fifth and Sixth. The First Corps was incorporated with the Second Corps and the Third Corps with the Fifth and Sixth. The men of these two corps kept their brigade formations and corps badges. During the month of April such bodies of troops as were taken from the Army of the Potomac in the fall of 1863, to serve else- where, Avere returned, among them Wheaton's Brigade of the Sixth Corps, which had been doing duty at Harper's Ferry. The Sixth Corps, now reorganized, was composed of three divisions, two of which had four brigades each, the Third Division having only two brigades. .This division had been part of the Third Corps and was incorporated in the Sixth Corps in ]\'Iarch. In June, 1863, an order was issued by the War Department ■offering inducements to re-enlist to the men of those regiments whose terms of service would expire in the summer of 1864. The terms were one hundred dollars bounty, thirty days fur- lough and the chances of advancement. The order was discussed by the rank and file of the Brigade during the summer and fall, and resulted in several hundreds accepting the terms, the Fourth Regiment re-enlisting in a body and retaining its organ- ization. In December the re-enlisted men, except the Fourth Regiment, left the front, returning to their homes to enjoy the month's vacation. The Fourth Regiment left the front for home on January ist, 1864. While the men were away, the Brigade supplied its details for picket and guard duty, the men coming chiefly from the Tenth and Fifteenth Regiments. A proclamation by President Lincoln in April, 1864, offering amnesty to those who had left the front without leave, brought back to the Brigade a few men who took advantage of the Presi- dent's clemency. On April 20th/ General Burnside was ordered to join the Army of the Potomac, the Ninth Corps having been brought back from Knoxville, Tennessee, in March, arriving at Annap- olis on the fourteenth of that month. In addition to the Ninth 112 FIRST KEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Corps. General Grant brought to the .\rmy of the Potomac thirty thousand heavy artillerymen from the defenses of Washington, greatly to the consternation and disapproval of Secretary Stanton. His expostulations producing no effect on General Grant, who asserted his authority as the commanding officer of all the troops of the United States, the War Secretary laid the matter before the President. Mr. Lincoln did not say that he approved General Grant's action, but reminded the Secretary that Congress had made General Grant General-in-Chief of all the armies of the United States and that he had the authority vested in himself to do as he pleased about the matter. Stanton could say and do nothing more, and perforce acquiesced. General Grant took (Occasion to assure the President and the Secretary that when the armv moved on the Confederate lines. General Lee would have too much else to think about to give any time or thought to plans- for moving north. The Sixth Corps was now commanded by General John Sedg- wick, often called "Old Reliable," the First Division by General H. G. Wright, the Second Division b\' General George W. Getty^ antl the Third Division by General Janies B. Ricketts. The exacting inspections, issuing of supplies to the rank and file and review of the troops gave assurance of the nearness of the expected campaign. On the 3d of Mav orders were issued to the corps commanders to break up camp at midnight and to have troops ready to move before dawn of the 4th. Long- before daylight the bugles sounded the reveille and soon after the call to pack up was blown. Tn a few minutes thousands of small hres were aglow, the fuel made up of the bedding and discarded accumulations of winter quarters. By the light of their hres knapsacks were packed, overcoats and blankets rolled and coffee made. The morning dawned bright and clear and at 5 o'clock the men of the First New Jersey Brigade were standing in line, roll had l>ecn called and they were all ready for the march. The forward movement was delayed until late in the morning, the Sixth Corps Infing obliged to follow the Fifth. About 9 o'clock the troops began to move out. forming column on a road that led to Germana Ford on the Rapidan. The march was delayed by frequent halts, making it tedious and slow, so that the Sixth FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 113 Corps arrived at Germana Ford late in the afternoon, crossing on the pontoon bridges. It was getting well on towards dusk before the Jerseymen arrived at the halting place for the night. The Third Division of the Sixth Corps remained at Germana Ford to guard the bridge. As the troops filed past a small house near the ford, General Grant appeared on the porch, or gallery, as it is called in the south, and watched the men as they marched by. The Jersey Brigade camped about a mile from the ford along the side of the road. Little sleep visited the men, who sat around their small camp-fires in groups, talking in low tones, smoking, some writing letters by the lights of the camp-fires, and many repacking their knapsacks. The next morning a collection of rejected luxuries and even comforts were scattered over the camp ground that would have filled two or three wagons. Every con- ceivable thing used by soldiers was tO' be found there. Cards, books, papers, razors, looking-glasses, folding-stoves, underwear, partly-worn clothing, shoes, stockings and a hundred other ar- ticles were strewn around. The men were reluctant to sacrifice their treasures, but one day's march satisfied them. Breakfast was hurried, for the roar of musketry in front told the men that the campaign was opened and that they would be called upon to do their share. The Second Division of the Sixth Corps being in front was detached, except Neill's brigade, and sent forward to occupy and hold the crossing of the Brock and Germana roads. The firing in front became heavier, but receded, indicating that General Warren with the Fifth Corps, who preceded the Sixth on the march, had struck the Confederate line. He drove them back about a mile, but Ewell, who commanded the Confederate troops at that point, being re-enforced, in turn drove Warren back to his first position near the old Wilderness Tavern. The First Divi- sion of the Sixth Corps with Neill's brigade of the Second Divi- sion were moved along the road about a mile and a half, formed in line of battle facing to the right, and moved towards the sound of musketry, which seemed very close. The Third Division of the Sixth Corps was still at Germana Ford awaiting the arrival of the Ninth Corps. The Jersey Brigade was soon engaged, after 114 FIRST XEVV JERSEY BRIGADE. passing some of the wounded of the Fifth Corps, who were pain- fully making- their way back to the hospital. The order to move fonvard as quickly as possible was passed down the line. A charge could not have been made, as the undergrowth was so dense and the trees so close together that it was impossible to keep formation. The regiments of the Brigade had difficulty in keeping in touch with each other and the Fourth Regiment was entirely separated from it. The line moved forward quite steadily for several hundred yards undisturbed when the enemy's sharp- shooters commenced their murderous work. The first man to fall in the Brigade was Color Sergeant Phillips, who carried the National colors of the First New Jersey Regiment. He was shot through the heart, and as he fell. Color Sergeant Peter Brobson, of Companv A, First Regiment, caught the flag before it fell and advanced with the State colors beside him to a position about one hundred yards in front of where Sergeant Phillips fell. Here the line was halted to re-form and straighten. Hardly had the ad- vance ceased when Sergeant Brobson was killed in the same man- ner as Phillips. The colors were caught and carried by Color Sergeant C. A. Pettie. As soon as the line had been re-formed the men were ordered to lie down, to protect them as much as possible from the enemy's sharpshooters, who were verv active and had very quickly made an impression on the lines. The corps was to have taken position on the right of the Fifth Corps, but the density of the undergrowth prevented any man- euvering at all, and it was with great difficulty that the men advanced in line of battle. Finally the right of the Fifth Corps was found, and General Sedgwick formed line so as to be in touch with General Warren. Some firing was done by the Bri- gade, but as no enemy could be seen it died down to now and then a shot, as the men fancied they saw moving objects or caught sight of sharpshooters. The line was advanced several times dur- ing the day to not only keep the lines intact, but to take advantage of the enemy retiring, to secure the abandoned positions. It was only after advancing several hundred paces that dead Con- federates were found, indicating where their line had been^ During the day the enemy managed, in spite of the density of the forest, to get the range of the Brigade with artillery, and FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 115 their shells came over thick and fast. A number of officers were killed and wounded on the 5th, Lieutenants Carley Swan, Sea- graves and Moffett of the First Regiment, Captain Hamilton of the Fifteenth, Captains Callan and Bogert of. the Second, Colonel Ryerson and Captain Thackeray of the Tenth, killed. A shell bursting in a group of officers of the First Regiment killed Lieu- tenant Moffett and wounded- Captain Tantum, Company B, Lieu- tenant Hullfish, Company B. Captain H. C. Warner, Company A, was wounded in the right arm within five minutes after the advance commenced and Lieutenant H. M. Oilman, Company G, very soon after. In the afternoon the First Jersey Brigade was relieved by the Second Brigade, First Division, taking the first line, the Jersey Brigade retiring about thirty paces. The day wore away and as evening approached the Brigade found ammunition running very low. Orders from Colonel Brown, commanding the Brigade, to- be saving of their cartridges gave the men some uneasiness, as they immediately concluded that reserve ammunition was not at hand. About 5 o'clock a charge was made by the enemy, not long- after the First New Jersey Brigade had been relieved. The Confederates came on with great dash and spirit, charging right up tOi the low breast- works that the Jerseymen had thrown up, and which were on— fire in several places. The first line stood their ground finnly and poured a hot fire intoi the rebel ranks, causing great con- fusion and disabling many of them. Still they hung on to the position, and fought with determination to drive the Union men away. The deadly fight lasted twenty minutes or more, when the enemy, seeing so' many of their men killed and wounded, gave way and retired, disappearing in the thicket of under- growth. The Jerseymen stood in line ready to make a rush for- ward as soon as called upon. The Brigade had lost heavily in the day's fighting and the men were both tired and hungry when relieved, and took position in the second line. As dusk deepened, they expected another attack by the enemy, as that was their favorite time for a demonstration, but the disastrous charge on our front in the afternoon seemed to have satisfied them. The undergrowth was so dense that a large percentage of wounds 116 FIRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. was either in the head or arms, the latter being- struck when the arms were raised to ram liome the cartridges. 'I'he timber at this part of the battlefiehl was mixed, oak, pine and dog-wood, the latter l>eing profusely scattered through the forest and white with flowers. At night it seems as if everv- twig held a whip-poor-will, and as if each one vied with all the rest in the rapidity of the peculiar call. At three o'clock in the morning, while the men were asleep lying in line on their arms, something caused a part of the line to rise up as one man and rush for the rear. They went ten or fifteen steps and then stopped. They returned immediately to the line and lav down again. No one could explain what caused the stampede, hut it was noticed that every man had his rifle, while he left his overcoat, blanket and knapsack behind. At dawn the men of the Brigade got breakfast as best they could, and were ready for the day's work. Such of the wounded as could be reached readil}- were brought in behind the line, fire having broken out in front of the breastworks some distance out. among the dead leaves and sticks with which the forest was strewn. May 6th dawned clear and warm, the thick forest preventing any breeze from stirring the air. Firing commenced almost as .-oon as the men could see to aim, but soon stopped, for it was impossible to see any of the enemy. Quite early in the morning several mules, with ammunition packed on their backs, passed down the line, the boxes taken off and opened. The men were directed to re-fill their cartridge boxes and they put fifty rounds in their knapsacks, as the>- had when the campaign commenced. In the early afternoon of the 6th, the Third Division joined the corps from Germana Ford, Burnside having arrived and relieved them. The Second Brigade of this division with Shaler's Fourth Brigade of the First Division were sent to the right of the Jerse}- Brigade, as a movement by the enemy to our right had l)een iletectetl. Xo important event occurred .during the day, the principal fighting being m the skirmish line, and by the sharp- shooters, who were very persistent, and a wounded or killed Union soldier everv little while attested the accuracv of their FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 117 aim. ]^Iany more officers of the Brigade had been wounded dur- ing the day. Major Way, Captain Roberts, of Company G; Captain Holt, of Company E; Captain Blythe, of Company F, and Lieutenant Cunningham, of Company C, of the First Regi- ment, among them. About six o'cl()ck the pickets and skirmishers in front of the Jersey Brigade came in with the news that the enemy were advancing in force. The Brigade were ready to repel the charge and were looking ahead to fire at the first enemy to come in sight, when a tremendous discharge of musketry on the right of the Brigade drew their attention. The wierd rebel yell accom- panied the discharge and the men of the First Brigade saw a Aast crowd of Confederates pouring over the half-built breast- works in front of Seymour's brigade, on which they were at work when the enemy charged. It was said afterward that the pickets were but a few yards in front of their line and that the Brigade had stacked arms and doffed accouterments to be able to work more effectively on the intrenchments. A wild scramble for the rear ensued, and the rebels, pursuing, kept up a fierce fire ■upon the retreating troops. Shaler's brigade was struck by the flanking force of Gordon's Confederate brigade and doubled up on the mass of disorganized regiments of Seymour's brigade. The right of the Jersey Brigade was broken and foi'ced back by the stampede and the men backed off towards the left and rear so' as to present as decent a front to the enemy as possible. This line stopped the further advance of Gordon's men, who probabl}' thought they had done enough in capturing two^ Union generals and about six hundred men from Seymour's, Shaler's and the First Jersey Brigades. Generals Seymour and Shaler were the generals captured. The First New Jersey Regiment lost Adjutant I. L. F. Elkins, Captain Parker; Lieutenants Ferguson and Ramsey and about forty men taken prisoners, and Major Vickers, of the Fourth Regiment. General Shaler in his report says that the line of his Brigade was "attenuated" to such a degree that it was a mere skirmish line, and that the position was so exposed that building protective works was out of the question on account I 118 FIRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. of the proximity of the enemy, whose sharpshooters were doing- deadly work, making it necessary for the men to lie down. At about midnight the lines were re-established and the men of the Brigade got such food as they could and rested until dawn. At daylight of the 7th, the First Division of the Sixth Corps was moved to the right and soon came upon the battlefield. On the 5th and 6th of May, in many places the leaves and dry brush had caught fire and were burning steadily towards the Union lines. Some of the wounded of both sides were burned to death. The First Regiment had been on picket during the afternoon of ihe 7th of May, and were relieved after dark. No active opera- tions took place in the Brigade front. Some time before mid- night the Brigade was moved to the Germana plank-road, and orders given to march towardsl Spottsylvania Court House. The night was very dark and warm and the men. tired out with little sleep and food and much hard work, staggered along the road, some falling asleep while marching, awakened only by the shock of their fall. The loss sustained by the Brigade in the Wilderness battles was very heavy, the First Regiment sustain- ing nearly one-half. Captured or Killed. Wounded. Missing. Rr^imcnl. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Totals.^ First N. J., 2 15 8 98 3 36 162 Second N. J 2 3 . . 18 2 21 46 Third N. J . . . . 7 . . I 8 Fourth N. J., 8 I 72 I 14 96 Tenth N. J 3 2 14 i 18 38 Fifteenth X.J 3 2 7 .. 2 14 Totals 4 32 13 216 7 92 364 At sunrise itf the 8th of May the corps had arrived at a point where a road crossed the Germana plank-road. A tannery occu- pied one of the corners. Here the Ninth Corps, under. Burnside, were resting after their stifif fight on the left. Burnside had ac- complished a march of thirty miles on the 6th to bring his corps to assist the Army of the Potomac. The men of the Jersey Brigade had their first sight of negro soldiers, the Third Division of the Ninth Corps, commanded by General Ferero, being com- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 119 posed of negroes, except the field staff and line officers. As the men of the Sixth Corps passed, many of them shouted greetings to General Burnside, who- responded good-natnredly to the sobri- quet of "Pop Burnside." A little beyond where the Ninth Corps was resting the Sixth Corps halted for rest and breakfast. In about half an hour the march was resumed, but under the most distressing-' conditions. The heat w^as intense, the undergrowth shutting off any breeze, the dust ankle-deep and lig'ht as air. so that the atmosphere was filled with it. Many of the men suf- fered from sunstroke, falling in the ranks, and were lifted to^ the roadside by comrades. At 3 o'clock, or a little after, the Brigade came on to the field where the Fifth Corps had been engaged in an unsuccessful attempt to drive the enemy from the entrench- ments near Spottsylvania Court House earlier in the day. A number of Union dead were scattered around and most numerous were the Duryea Zouaves, with their short blue jackets and red trousers. On request of General Warren for assistance, the Jersey Brigade was sent over to him. A small column con- sisting of the Third and Fifteenth New Jersey Regiments was sent forward to develop the enemy's strength and position. The Third advanced as skirmishers, supported by the Fifteenth, the two regiments being led by Colonel Campbell, of the Fifteenth. The rest of the Brigade were ordered to' lie down. The Second and Fourth Regiments in the first line and the First and Tenth Regiments in the second line. The two regiments advanced to within fifty yards of the earthworks before a shot was fired and then a terrific fire was opened upon them. They continued the advance, charging the breastworks, and broke through the enemy's line. Having completed the work they were sent to do, and having nO' support, they were forced to retire, which they did in good order. The affair cost the Brigade about one hundred and fifty men killed, wounded and mising. A little later Warren sent another and stronger force to break the enemy's line and drive him out of the breastworks. The assaulting column was made up of the First Division of the Fifth Corps, Getty's division of the Sixth Corps, except Neill's brigade, and Foster, in his ''New Jersey in the War," says, the Tenth Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, from the First New Jersey Brigade. This may be an 120 FIRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. error, tor the rei)ort of General Warren makes no mention what- ever of the Tenth New Jersey, though the writer thinks not, for he saw the whole movement, and after the withdrawal of the Union forces saw numbers of the Tenth Regiment drifting out of the smoke and rejoining the Brigade, among them an officer, who, he was told, was Captain Perrine, of the Tenth, with his lower jaw shattered by a bullet. The Jersey Brigade was formed in mass on the left of the assaulting column, and when it ad- vanced the jersey men advanced also alx)ut one hundred yards and were then ordered to lie down. The assaulting column made a dash for the enemy's breastworks, driving them out of the first line and on over the second line. The liring was incessant and sustained. The Confederates threw re-enforcements from both right and left and both flanks of the Union force were attacked. Finding the position taken from the enemy untenable, the order to retire was given and the men slowly but steadily retired, bringing with them between two and three hundred prisoners. The Jersey Brigade remained in position until after dark, when it was withdrawn and allowed to rest. During the night a drenching rain fell, causing great suf- fering to the wounded who had not yet been rescued, and dis- comfort to the men. On the morning of the 9th of May the Brigade was moved to the left about a mile and placed in reserve. Being about half a mile from the enemy's line, the men could see l)lainly their movements and the disposition of their troops behind the l)reastworks which appeared very formidable. While resting here the noise of horsemen approaching drew the attention of the Brigade. Soon General Sedgwick and staff appeared, going towards the right. About two hundred yards from the right of tlu' IWigade a battery had gone into position. When General Sedgwick arrived there he dismounted and gave instructions to the officers commanding in regard to placing the different pieces, suggesting improvements in the locations and in the direction for tiring. The eyes of all the Brigade were on him, for he was greatly esteemed by the men. While gazing at their beloved commander, as he leaned over a gun giving orders, they were horrified to see him straighten up with a jerk and fall backward. He was caught l)eforc he struck the ground and was immediately FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 121 surrounded l)v liis staff and orderlies, who, after some delay, secured a stretcher and had the General carried past the rear of the Jersey Brigade towards the field hospital. The officer com- manding the battery had noticed the exact spot from which the Confederate sharpshooter had fired the fatal shot, which was located by the puff of smoke. It was from the notch of a tree inside the Confederate breastworks. The artillery officer trained a gun himself and fired. The shell burst apparently right in the place from which the puff* of smoke had come. The sharp- shooter's rifle ball had struck the General in the left cheek just below the eye and penetrated the brain. His death caused great g"loom in the corps as soon as it was known. General Wright, commanding the First Division, Sixth Corps, was directed to take command, and General Russell, of the Third Brigade, took command of the First Division. The men, being" rested, were marched to the rear to screen their movements and then towards the left of the Sixth Corps. No move of any importance was made, the Brigade being sent some- times to right and then back to the left. At about three o'clock the Brigade, being on the left of the corps, was marched a short distance still further to the left to join in a demonstration to develop the enemy's strength on that part of the field. Two regiments, the First and Fifteenth, under Colonel Campbell, of the Fifteenth, were moved forward to seize and hold a road in front of the Brigade. The two' regiments advanced, driving the Confederate skirmishers across a swamp and through the low scattered pines until they reached a ridge commanding the road. Here the little column halted and remained during the night of the 9th. Early in the morning of the loth of May, the Sixth Corps was advanced and the two regiments rejoined their Brigade. On this day. General Burnside with the Ninth Corps had the extreme left of the army, Avith the Sixth Corps on his right, but separated from him by a considerable space unoccupied by troops. Next to the Sixth Corps the Fifth was stationed, while the Second, under Hancock, held the right of the army In the morning Hancock and Warren made a combined attack on the intrenchments in their front, but did not succeed in driv- ing the enemy out. Later in the day Colonel Upton, with four 122 FIRST XEPV JERSEY BRIGADE. regiments of the Second Brigade, four regiments of the Third Brigade, First Division, and four regiments from the Second Division, Sixth Corps, made a splendid assault upon the enemy's works in front of the Sixth Corps, and carried them, the men fighting across the top of the breastworks. Upton in his report, page 668, Vol. 36, Part i, Series i, gives this spirited description of the fighting: ''Here occurred a deadly hand-to-hand conflict. The enemy sitting in their pits, with pieces upright, loaded, and with bayonets fixed, ready to impale the first who should leap over, absolutely refused to yield the ground. The first of our men who tried to surmount the works fell, pierced through the head by musket balls. Others, seeing the fate of their comrades, held their pieces at arm's-length and fired downward, w^hile (jthers, poising their pieces vertically, hurled them down upon the enemy, pinning them to the ground.'" Colonel Upton was to have been supported by ]^Iott's division of the Second Corps, wdiich had been sent over to fill the gap between the Sixth and Ninth Corps, but for some reason Mott failed to advance, and Hancock being repulsed on the right, Colonel Upton's column was obliged to retire. He brought off about 1,200 prisoners and a number of Confederate battle-flags. His loss in killed, wounded and missing was about 1,000. Foster, in his book, gives the Jersey Brigade credit for this achievement. On page 113 he says: "Wright's First Division, including those regiments of the Jersey Brigade not with Colonel Campbell, with the Third Division (Sixth Corps), made a charge as a column of assault under Colonel Upton, which, while one of the most g-allant of the war, was also at all points successful." Colonel Upton in his report makes no mention of the First New Jersey Brigade, giving the number and State of each regiment of his column. This gallant affair of Upton's gained for him the honor of promoti(^n on the field of battle, General Grant advancing him' to the rank of Brigadier-General. As a feat of arms and a dis- play of resolute and detemiined fighting, it was so far without parallel in this campaign. As soon as the regiments of Upton's force had cleared the field, the Fourth New Jersey were deployed as skirmishers along FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 123 that front where the assault was made. During the night the I enemy poured several volleys intO' the skirmish line, but as they ; had built barricades with such material as could be reached there ; were no casualties. The nth of May dawned dark and lowering. The Second New Jersey Regiment relieved the Fourth on the skirmish line in the evening. The latter regiment had several men wounded during the day. Rain fell during the whole day, stopping only for short intervals. The men needed rest, and as no movement of any magnitude could be made while the rain fell, the whole army was allowed to remain quiet. The ground was saturated with the rain and at every step the men would sink into the mud to the shoe-tops. During the night of the nth of May the Second Corps was moved from the right of the army and took position on the left of the Sixth Corps. Their march had been ver}' slow and tedious on account of the darkness and mud. I The 1 2th of May dawned cloudy and rainy. The men, wet and chilled, were making themselves as comfortable as possible at about half-past five, when a rousing cheer on the left told them that something' was going on. Firing commenced at once on the left and the cheering continued at intervals. The firing soon be- came very heavy and while the Brigade was trying to make out what it was all about the Brigade band commenced to play the National airs. General Penrose ordered the Brigade massed and the Adjutant read an order giving an account of the splendid charge upon the enemy's works on the left of the Sixth Corps made by the Second Corps. When the Second Coi-ps left the right of the army, Warren was ordered to fill in the gap left by Han- cock and to keep the Confederates busy at that end of the line. At half-past five, General Hancock gave the signal to advance in silence, but when his men were within a hundred yards of the rebel ^^•orks, they broke into a charge, cheering as they went. They drove the enemy out of the intrenchments, capturing Gen- erals Edward Johnson and Stewart with 4,000' prisoners and twenty guns, besides many battle-flags, b . . The Sixth Corps was sent in to support the Second on the right. When the Jersey Brigade approached the works it found the front already occupied by our troops. The Brigade was then 12^ FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. marched at double-quick to the right for about a quarter of a mile. A thin belt of young- pine and cedar between the Con- federate earthworks and the open space on which the Brigade was moving concealed the movement for a few minutes, but the forest growth becoming thin, the rebels discovered the movement and poured a most destructive fire into the Brigade. In the first volley Captain Richard Foster, of Company K. First Regiment, was shot through the left knee. Men were falling everywhere as the Brigade emerged into the ()i)en field. The order was given to march by the left fiank. bringing the Brigade into line of battle, and charged. The Brigade dashed forward, attacking the breastworks and continued to fight, the men lying down or kneeling on one side with the enemy on the other. During the moNement the right of the First New Jersey Regi- ment was forced by the pressure into a strip of young pine on the right with thick undergrowth, and while endeavoring to get to the front, Captain \\'ykoff. Company G, was struck by a rifle-ball in front of the right shoulder, the ball coming out lK.'hin(l the left shoulder. The Brigade continued to hold its position until a1x)ut two o'clock. Before it was relieved a sec- tion of the P'ifth U. S. Artillery was brought to the front and opened on the rel^el intrenchments with double canister. A few minutes after the battery opened on the rel^el line. Captain T). P>. l>rown. of Company I, First New Jersey Volunteers^ while un top of the breastworks calling on his men to follow, was struck in the right elbow by a rifle-ball, shattering the bones, necessitating amputation. The enemy's fire became too hot for human endurance, the section losing more than half its men and nearly all of its horses. The section was reduced to a slow fire and would have been obliged to cease altogether had it not Ijeen for a number of the gallant Fourth New Jersey Regiment, who volunteered to serve the guns. Lieutenant Metcalf ran out of canister and resortetl to shell and shrapnel with one second fuse. The fire was very destructive and the enemy's efforts to drive the I'nion men from the position were unavailing. Finally the ammunition for the section was exhausted and it was with- drawn by the infantry. Another section was sent to take its place FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 125 during the afternoon. The firing slackened late in the after- noon, more because the men on both sides were more cautious about exposing themselves. The Brigade had been in the firing line since before eight o'clock in the morning. It was nearly two when relieved by other troops. The Brigade retired about one hundred yards to the rear and laid down. The loss was very heavy, the regiments as lined up showing mere skeletons. During the day, but -particularly in the afternoon, the enemy displayed, at various points, white flags. Immediately the fire ceased in their front, squads of Confederates, from half a dozen to twenty-five or thirty, would leap over the breastworks, throw down their guns and give themselves up. The last incident of that nature happened quite late, when at least thirty Confederates jumped over the breastworks, and as they did so a murderous fire was poured into them by their own men, killing or wounding all but seven or eight. The firing continued on the left of the Sixth Corps with unabated fury until long after dark, a con- tinuous stream of lead being kept up over the breastworks at a point where they were built out into an angle or salient. Behind this point were two trees, some say oak, others say hickory, each about twenty inches through. These trees were cut off just at the height of the breastworks by the bullets from the Union line, one of them falling upon a South Carolina regi- ment, wounding several of the men. The firing at this point was steady all day and until midnight, when the Confederates abandoned their efl:'orts to retake the in- trenchments and retired tO' their second line of works, about eight hundred yards in rear of the ones captured. As fast as a regi- ment exhausted its ammunition another was pushed forward in its place, soi that the firing should not slacken. In the afternoon a battery of Coehorn mortars was installed on the left of the Jer- sey Brigade and threw 12-inch shells into the Confederate works. The bursting of these shells was watched closely by the men of the Jersey Brigade, bets being made whether an arm or a foot or a head would be thrown into the air. The Brigade remained in reserve during the night and the next day. On the morning of the 13th of May some of the Jersey men went over to the breast- works to see the result of the fight. They returned sickened by 9 F B 126 FIRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. the sight. The trenches were full of wounded and dead Con- federate soldiers. The rain had half-filled the trenches which covered many dead Confederates: others lying- partly in the bloody water, some still alive, but the greater part dead. Some of the wounded. men had managed to crawl up the side of the trench but were unable to wholly mount the incline, and hung there. The trenches looked like a narrow canal of blood. Almost fcverv conceivable kind of wound could be seen, one man having had his head blown clear off. Those who still lived were relieved as quickly as possible, but many of them having l^een wounded in the head were unconscious, having to be dragged out from under the dead. Most of the wounded were helpless, but a few could walk with assistance. The helpless ones were carried to a drier and more sheltered spot, the less seriously wounded being taken to the hospital. Tlie day was uneventful, the troops resting- after the tremen- dous strain of the day before. Advantage was taken of the quiet of both sides to rescue the wounded within reach and to bury the dead. At three o'clock in the morning of the 14th the Brigade was formed in column and moved off to the left. The Fifth Corps had been sent to the left and had been marching all night. The rain had fallen almost continually during the day and night and the soil was so softened that the passage of the Fifth Corps had made it a sea of mud. The conditions were most uncom- fortable. At daylight the corps had reached the Nye River, the marching through the mud making the movement most difficult and fatiguing. The rear of the Fifth Corps had just cleared the crossing when the head of the Sixth Corps arri\ed. The brigade of regular troops of the Fifth Corps were occupying the place known as Myer's Hill, or Ca3des, just beyond the crossing. As soon as the Sixth Corjjs cros.sed, L'i)ton's brigade, now onlv about eight hundred strong, relieved the regulars. Upton sent three of his regiments deployed as skirmishers to the front. Finding he would require a stronger force to hold the position he sent to General Wright for another brigade. The Second and Tenth Regiments, New Jersey Volunteers, were sent. Two companies of the Second were deploved as skirmishers and tlie rest of the res:iment and the Tenth were \ CHARLES WIEBECKE, Lic'utt'nant-C(tlinu-1 Stcnnd Xcw Tcrscv Volunteers. Killed. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 127 ordered to the intrenchments. The skirmishers had only just arrived at the point the)^ were to occupy when the enemy were discovered forming in line for a charge, in the timber a few hundred yards from the skirmish hue. The skirmishers retired while the Second, Tenth and a regiment of Upton's brigade were ordered to advance. They were hardly in position when the Confederate line came out of the woods and charged. At the same time, a body of cavalry with a section of horse artillery rode out from behind the woods on the left of the line and opened fire, enfilading it. The rebel charge was checked by the fire poured into them by the Union troops, but they, receiving re-enforcements, resumed the offensive and forced the line back, taking the hill. In this fight the Brigade lost one of its best and most esteemed officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Wiebecke, of the Second New Jersey Regiment. He was instantly killed, and wlien the position was retaken his body was found naked and maltreated. The two Jersey regiments lost a number of men captured. The Fifth Corps arrived at its appointed position; the Sixth Corps following and passing in the rear of the Fifth became the left of the army. The corps was massed in a heavy growth of timber. The 15th and i6th were passed in throwing up breastworks, placing batteries, developing the enemy's position and skirmishing. The 17th of May the Sixth Corps rested, the men needing relief from the strain of constant marching and en- trenching of the last two days. On the i8th, the Sixth Corps was countermarched to the right in company with the Second, and ack of the Bloody Angle made by the Confederates. They displayed such vigor in the defense that the columns were withdrawn after two un- successful attempts to capture the works. The Sixth Corps re- turned to its former position on the left of the Fifth Corps. The corps remained here until the 21st of May, when it marched to the Xorth Anna River, being rear guard for the army. During the afternoon, when about to abandon the intrenchments, the enemy displayed a heavy column and attacked the corps. They Avere met and driven back Iw the First Division, under General Russell, the Jerseymen taking their share of the fight. 128 FIRST XEjy JERSEY BRIGADE. The following is a list of officers killed or mortally wounded in the Spottsylvania battles : First — Captain Foster, Company K. Captain Wyckojflf, Company G. Second — Lieutenant-Colonel Wiebecke. Third — Captain Thomas P. Edwards. " Lieutenant Richard A. Curtis. " Lieutenant Richard Duffy. Fourth — Lieutenant Samuel D. Cross. Fifteenth — Captain Cornelius C. Shimer. " Captain James Walker. " Lieutenant George C. Justice. Lieutenant William A'^an Vov. Missing or Killed. Wounded. Captured. Regiment. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Staff, I First X. J., 1 2 2 48 I 8 Second N. J. i 3 i ;i6 i 26 Third N. J i 19 6 92 i 99 Fourth N. J 15 4 62 2 6 Tenth N. J., 15 2 78 5 49 Fifteenth N. J 4 71 2 157 2 36 Totals. 7 125 17 473 13 154 Totals, I 62 68 148 89 149 272 -89 The Sixth Corps remained in position on the Xorth Anna River until the 26th, occupying its time in building breastworks and destroying the Fredericksburg and Virginia Central Rail- roads. The men of the Jersey Brigade were engaged in this w^ork for some time. They were drawn up in line on one side of the track which was pried up. A section of the track was then raised and thrown over. Fires were built on and under the rails to warp them and render them useless for relaying. On the 27th, the Brigade with the rest of the Sixth Corps moved towards the Pamunkey River, crossing on the 28th. On the 29th it continued the advance to Atlee's Station, and took position on the right of Hancock's Second Corps, occupying TTanovcr Court PTouse. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 129 May 30th, the term of service of the men of the Second New Jersey Regiment who had not re-enlisted expired, and they left the front for home, to be mustered out of service. General Phil Sheridan had been sent on a great raid early in the month and had done some splendid work in the rear of Lee's army. On the 29th, General Meade received a dispatch from him. saying that he was at Cold Harbor, hard pressed, but could maintain his position, which he was ordered to do until assistance arrived. The Sixth Corps was sent at once to relieve him. By the order of Lieutenant-General Grant of May 22d, the Eighteenth Corps, under Major-General W. F. Smith, was to join the Army of the Potomac. It was about 12,500 strong and formed part of the Army of the James, under General B. F. Butler, which was entrenched at Bermuda Hundred on the James River, and as General Grant in his report says, "hermetically sealed up." The Eighteenth Corps came by way of White House, on the Pamunkey River, having left General Butler's army, on trans- ports, on the 30th. The Sixth Corps started from the main army on the night of the 31st of May and arrived at Cold Harbor on the morning of June ist, the Eighteenth Corps arriving some hours later, owino- tO' an error in the order for the route and destination. As soon as the two corps joined, dispo'sitions were made for an attack. It wa.s six o'clock in the evening before the assault was made, the Sixth Corps on the left and the Eighteenth on the right. Russell's First Division, of which the Jersey Brigade was the First Brigade, occupied the centre of the Sixth Corps. The Union forces captured a part oi the Confederate works but were unable tO' maintain their advance, and were obliged to retire. During the night the two corps intrenched along their front, June 3d, at 4 130 o'clock in the morning, the Second, Sixth and Eighteenth Corps made a vigorous assault on the enemy's line. A division of the Second Corps was successful in making a lodgement and carrying the position in the front, but the Sixth and Eighteenth Corps were repulsed. The Confederates were then able to withdraw a part of their force from the front of I 130 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. these two corps and tlirow it against the Second Corps, driving; it out. Fighting was going on nearly all day at different parts of the line. The corps commanders then ordered their men to intrench tiieir fronts and make their positions strong as pos- sible. The term of service of the First and Third Regiments expired on the 1st of June, but they were not allowed to leave the front until June 4th. when they were withdrawn and ordered to report at Trenton, X. T. The re-enlisted men were consolidated wnth tile Fifteenth and Fourth Regiments temporarily, but later were formed into the First, Second and Third Battalions, each bat- talion having three companies. The Jersey Brigade took part in the battle of June 3d and sustained some loss in killed and wounded, the corps losing about 1,200. The Second Corps had been moved from the right to the ex- treme left while the Fifth and Ninth closed up to right and rear of the Eighteenth. The}- were attacked by the enemy in the course of the movement but kept their lines intact, but lost some skirmishers, captured. In describing the battle and speaking of the Second, Sixth and Eighteenth Corps, General Humphrey in his book, page 182, says: "Promptly at the hour these corps ad- vanced to the attack under heavy artillery and musketry fire and carried the enemy's advanced rifle-pits. But then the fire l^ecame still lnjtter and cross-fires of artillery swept through the ranks, from the right of Smith to the left of Hancock. Notwithstand- ing this destructive fire the troops w-ent forward close up to the main line of intrenchments, but not being able to carry them. quickly put themselves under cover, and maintained the positions they had gained, which in some places were but thirty, forty and fifty yards from the enemy's works. The loss in officers and men was licavy, and especially so in brigade and regimental commanders, who are the leaders in action. The greater part of the fighting was over in an hour or less, though attacks were renewed after that time." On page 185 of the same book: "The Sixth Corps advanced to the attack, with Russell's division on tlie left. Rickett's in the centre, Neill's (Getty's) on the right. The advanced rifle-pits w-ere carried on the right, and then the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 131 assault on the main line was made, but was repulsed ^^•ith heavy loss. Yet positions were g-ained and held close to' the works, at some points only thirty or forty yards from them. During- all the time, besides the direct fire, there was an enfilade artillery fire that swept through the ranks from right to left." In this fight the color-bearer of the First New Jersey Regi- ment advanced close up to the works. Not hearing the order to retire, he remained there, lying down until night, wdien, under the cover of darkness, he returned to the regiment. Several of the men of the First and Third Regiments whose time had expired on the ist of June, were wounded in this charge. The attack was not renewed on this part of the line, but further to the right the Nin.th Corps was successful in driving the enemy, but were finally withdrawn from the advanced position. No more fight- ing took place and the battle of Cold Harbor, one of the bloodiest of the war, was ended. No positive advantage accrued to the Army of the Potomac and the loss was shocking. General Humphreys gives the number of killed and wounded as 5,617. This does not include the missing, many of whom were doubtless killed. On the night of June 3d those of the wounded who could be rescued were brought in, but many of the wounded lay on the field forty-eight hours, exposed to the heat of the day,, without water or assistance. The most of these poor fellows died before the rescuing parties were allowed tO' attempt their rescue, owing to the refusal of General Lee to accede to the proposal of General Grant to cease hostilities for twO' hours for this humane purpose. General Humphreys says the battle of Cold Harbor lasted less than an hour. This would show 93 men killed or wounded every second, and does not include the casualties in the Ninth or Fifth Corps. Many have blamed General Grant for ordering this charg^e to- be made, but not even that experienced soldier could determine the cost before hand. As it was, the outcome of the battle was not to the advantage of the Army of the Potomac, but was rather an encouragement to the enemy. General Grant in his Memoirs, on page 276, 2d A^ol., says: "I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made." 132 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The loss of the Brigade in the battles of the North Anna, Pamunkey and Totopotomoy, as recorded in Volume 36, Series i , Part I, of the Official Record, page 159: Killed. Wounded. Missing. Rcgivu'iit. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Totals. First N. J., 6 . . 2 8 Third X. J 4 ■ • 4 Tenth X. J . . • • 5 • ■ • • 5 Totals .. 15 •• 2 17 The loss at Cold Harbor, same volume of the Official Record, page 172, was : Regiment. First X. J., . . . Third X. J Fourth X. J.. . Tenth X. J., . . Fifteenth X. J.. Totals, . . . Killed. Wounded. Missing. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Officers. Men. Totals. .... 5 2 23 . . 2 33 . . I 2 . . 12 . . I 16 .... 2 I 14 . . 2 19 .... 18 4 58 . . . . 80 . . . . 12 . . 24 . . . . 36 39 131 184 'i'lie officer killed in this battle was Captain Oscar Westlake, of the Third New Jersey Regiment. The history of the Sixth Army Corps, from the commence- ment of the campaign in the \\'ildemess to the departure of the Corps from Petersburg to the defense of Washington, will have to serve for the history of the First New Jersey Brigade, for no- where in the records published by the Government is there to be found any report from the commander of the corps, the com- mander of the First Division, nor the commander of the First Brigade. The matter contained in this part of the history of the First Brigade (First New Jersey Brigade) is taken from the pub- lished reports of the commanders of the other brigades of the division, "Humphrey's Virginia Campaign," "Grant's Memoirs," "Stein's Army of the Potomac," and other works, and from personal recollections of participants. On the night of the 12th of June, the army continued the flanking movement commenced in the Wilderness. The Fifth FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 133 Corps moved out and crossed the Chickahominy River at Long Bridge, the Second Corps following. The Sixth and Ninth Corps followed on the 13th, crossing at Jones' Bridge. Intrench- ments had been thrown up on an interior line to cover the with- drawal, deceive the enemy and to make resistance to a flank attack from him successful. The moving of the corps was at night, while during the day a display of force was kept up. The ruse was successful, for General Lee did not realize that the Union forces were in full swing for the James River until the 17th. The Eighteenth Corps had left its line on the 12th with the Fifth Corps, and marched tO' White House, where it was em- barked on transports to rejoin the Army of the James. The Sixth Corps moved to Charles City Court House on the 14th, the Jersey Brigade passing the battlefield where they had fought for their beloved chief and had rendered him such timely aid. The corps remained there till the i6th, when it moved close to the pontoon bridge across the James River, and threw up in- trenchments along its front. On the night of the i6th the First and Second Divisions embarked on transports and proceeded to Bermuda Hundred, reporting to General Butler, while the Third Division crossed on the pontoon to the south side of the river and reported to General Meade. The First and Second Divisions remained at Bermuda Hundred until the 19th, when they crossed the Appomattox River and rejoined the Army of the Potomac, being placed on the right of the army, and remained there till the niofht of the 21st. The two divisions were then moved to the extreme left of the line, a heavy skirmish line being thrown out. During the 22d and 23d of June the skirmishers were kept very busy by the enemy. During the night of the 23d, the two divisions were returned to the position they held on the 21st. Picketing and skirmishing occupied the days, the Jersey Brigade furnishing its detail until the 29th. On this day the Sixth Corps advanced to Reams Station to the assistance of Wilson's cavalry division. General Wilson had been instructed to penetrate the enemy's lines and destroy the Southside, Richmond and Dan- ville and Weldon Railroads as far back as he might be able. 134 I'IRSr XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The cavalrymen had nearly finished the work when they were attacked l)v the enemy's cavah-y supported by infantry, and with difficulty escaped, abandoning their artillery. On July 2d, the corps returned to its first position near Peterslmrg-. where it re- mained until the 6th. when the Third Division was ordered tu City Point to take transports for the defense of the city of Wash- ington, the First and Second Divisions following on the 9th. The Third Division sailed for Baltimore and arrived there in time to be forwarded to the little army under General Lew Wallace, at Frederick, Md. The First Xew Jersey Brigade at this time was reduced to three regiments, the Fourth, Tenth and Fifteenth. The re- enlisted men of the First. Second and Third Regiments had been inc(jrporated with the Fourth and Fifteenth. The Brigade at this time numbered less than twelve hundred men. When General Meade marched the Army of the Potomac from its winter camps near Brandy Station, a simultaneous move- ment was made bv all the armies of the Union, by order of Lieutenant-General Grant. Part of this movement was the ad- vance of the army under General Franz Sigel up the Valley of the Shenandoah. Sigel got as far as Xew Market before he met the eneniy in any force. Here, on the 14th of May, he encountered General Breckenridge. who administered a severe defeat and forced Sigel to retire to the line of Cedar Creek. General Grant, being disappointed in the conduct and result of the campaign, suggested to General Halleck to relieve Sigel and find some one else to command in the Valley. Halleck named General Hunter as a fitting commander of the Shenan- doah Valley forces. Hunter, being acceptable to General Grant. was accordingly ordered to take over the command of Sigel's army. He at once made preparations to advance. He was given additional troops, and having issued supplies was i-eady by the 25th to advance. On the morning of the 25th he began the march towards Woodstock. His instructions were to live as much as possible on the country and to push on to Charlottes- ville to Lynchbtu"g. where he was to destroy the \^irginia and Tennessee Railroad. Tlie army passed through Xew Market and PTarrisonburg to Port Republic. On June 5th he resumed FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 135 the march and advanced towards "Staunton. At Piedmont he found the Confederates, now under General W. E. Jones. General Hunter did not delay, but at once formed for attack, which was made soon after midday. The Confederates were completely routed, losing a large number in killed and w'ounded, their commander, General Jones, being killed. The prisoners numbered about 1,500, including 400 wounded. Three guns and a large number of small arms were also captured. General Hunter had orders, when he started, to meet General Sheridan at Charlottesville. Sheridan had left the Army of the Potomac at Cold Harbor on June 7th, by order of General Grant, to push on towards the Valley, and en route, to destroy the Cen- tral Virginia Railroad and do as much damage as he could to the Confederate lines of communication on his way to Charlottes- ville, where Hunter's army was expected to be. Sheridan suc- cessfully accomplished the task of destroying- the railroad, but at Trevillian Station w-as confronted bv the Confederate cavalry in force, supported by a very considerable force of infantry. After some very severe fighting, he was forced to abandon the Charlottesville part of the plan and return to= White House on the Pamunkey, his ammunition and rations running short. When Hunter arrived at Lynchburg he learned from prisoners of Sheri- dan's mishap and, finding the Confederate position too strong, withdrew after an' ineffectual attempt to storm the enemy's works with his whole force. From prisoners taken here he learned that General Jubal Early had arrived with his corps- and was in com- mand. He was also confronted by the facts that he had not suffi- cient ammunition to fight a pitched battle, and food was getting scarce. The necessity of reaching supplies compelled a rapid march to the rear, during which the army was continually harassed by the Confederate cavalry under General Ransom. As the orders for the destruction of food and forage had been liter- ally carried out during the advance up the Valley, there was nothing to be gained by foraging, and so the "headlong" flight was continued. The roads on the direct route to the rear were occupied by the enemy and Hunter was obliged to deflect and march towards West Virginia. He expected a train of supplies I nit was disappointed. In this retreat he lost eight guns and 13G FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. a number uf wagons, some of the latter being burned because the horses and mules had died from starvation and overwork. Hun- ter left Lynchburg on the 19th, and it was the 27th of June before he received supplies at White Sulphur Springs, where he arrived <»n the 24th. He then heard that the train he had expected was set upon by guerillas and the guard had taken it back to Gauley Bridge. During this rapid march the men had been obliged to live on six ounces of raw flour a day per man, without coffee. Still they were not pinched by hunger, for they had plenty of fresh meat on the hoof, which was killed and issued to them. General Jubal Early, being now in command of the Confederate forces and seeing the opportunity to make a counter diversion, and having a sufficiently strong force to make the attempt, de- cided to adopt the alternative given him by General Lee to make a foray into Maryland and threaten, if not capture, Washington. As soon as he could get his army in shape he commenced his advance down the V'alley and arrived at Staunton on June 27th. His army consisted of four divisions of infantry, three battalions of artillery, about forty guns, and, with the cavalry, numbered about 17,000 men. The authorities at Washington, being in- formed of Early's movement, became apprehensive. The first definite information they had was sent by Sigel. who was at Martinsburg. As soon as his pickets reported* the enemy's pres- ence on his front he sent dispatches to Washington, and moved nearly all the government stores by rail to Harper's Ferrv and across the Potomac. He drew in all his outlying posts and re- tired to Maryland Heights, where he felt secure. Harper's Ferry, being immediately under the heavy guns mounted on the heights, was safe from occupation by the Confederates. The fear of another invasion of Maryland, now threatened, caused an ani- mated correspondence between Halleck and General Grant, the former urgently calling for succor. The Lieutenant-General at first did not think the situation so serious, believinsf rather the reports brought to him by his scouts that Early had not left Richmond. But when, on July 5th, he learned that Early was actually in Maryland, he directed General Meade to send a divi- "^ion of a corps to re-enforce the troops guarding Washington. FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 137 On July 6th, the Third Division of the Sixth Corps, under Gen- eral Ricketts, was sent, as before stated. On the 9th the First and Second Divisions were ordered to City Point to embark. They left City Point on the loth and arrived in Washington on the nth and 12th. As they left the transports they were met and welcomed by President Lincoln and his Cabinet and a crowd of citizens. The welcome extended to the Jersey men as they formed in line was like the one given them in 1861, when their timely arrival relieved the anxiety of the people of the Capital. While these efforts were being made to re-enforce the garri- sons of Washington and Baltimore, General Early, always ener- getic and impetuous, had pushed on to Frederick, Maryland, spreading out foraging parties to gather supplies of all kinds. General Lew Wallace, in command at Baltimore, marched out towards Frederick to dispute the Confederate advance, taking with him every man that could be spared from the defenses of the city. On the night of the 7th and morning of the 8th of July, Ricketts arrived in Baltimore with his division, and at once, on the order of General Halleck, marched to swell the force General Wallace had taken with him, arriving at the Monocacy River on the evening of the 8th. General Wallace retired from his posi- tion to Monocacy Junction, about three miles from Frederick, which was the most defensible position to guard the two roads from Frederick, the one to Washington, the other to Baltimore. General Wallace's little army was composed of the Third Divi- sion, Sixth Corps, about 3,500 men, 2,500 men gathered from different organizations in Baltimore, seven guns and about 450 cavalrymen. This was a ridiculously small force to oppose Early's army, which was almost intact, only one brigade with a battery having- been detached by him, to threaten Baltimore. But it was sufficient to delay the Confederates, confident and exacting. It was a very unecjual fight, but it was a good one, that was fought at Monocacy on the 9th of July, the Union men holding their ground until afternoon, keeping back the enemy for nearly a whole day. The Sixth Corps men lost nearly one-half of their number, i,6oo' of them being killed, wounded or captured. The battle opened about eight o'clock in the morning and was stub- bornly contested till mid-afternoon, when Early, exasperated by 138 FIRST XEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. the determined opposition and delay, sent a heav}- flanking column around the left of Rickett's position, causing it to give ground. The rest of Wallace's force was obliged to retire, and the little army, sadly depleted in number, retreated on the Baltimore turn- ])ike, leaving the road to Washington open. Next day Harlv advanced cautiously and approached the out- Iving forts and earthworks that surrounded Washington. These had been manned by the hea\y artillery regiments that had been retained for this purpose, the Veteran Reserve Corps, a pro- visional brigade made up of government employes in the Quar- termaster's Department, several regiments of emergency troops, called (Hit for loo days, and dismounted cavalry. A body of 600 mounted men under Major W. H. Fry, of the Sixteenth Pennsyl- vania Cavalry, supplied the cavalary force. The Confederate army appeared before the defenses of Wash- ington on the morning of the nth and commenced driving in the pickets and skirmishers in front of Forts Stevens and Reno. The Second Division of the Sixth Corps arrived in Washington at 12 M. and immediately took up the line of march after landing, going towards the Chain Bridge, across the Potomac. They were met by the -\djutant-General of the troops in \\'ashington and directed to march as rapidly as possible to Fort Stevens. The guns at Fort Stevens had opened on the Confederates between one and two o'clock and kept them from making any serious demonstration. The head of the Second Division arrived at Fort Stevens at about 4 P. M. and at once took part in the skirmish- ing, General Wheaton. temporarily in command, deploying a brigade as skirmishers, relieving the Veteran Reserves and Quar- termaster's Brigade, who were then being driven in toward the city. The appearance of the Sixth Corps headquarters' flag with the Greek cross was the assurance to Early that the whole of the corps had arrived and confronted him. He already knew from the prisoners captured at Monocac>' that one division had left Petersburg, but as they had left that place three days l>efore the other two divisions, he could gather no further information until his lines confronted them at Washington. Hot skimiishing was kept ui) until ton o'clock that night, when firing ceased. During the night Farly retreated. FIRST NBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 139 On the morning- of the 12th the Jersey Brigade with the rest of the First Division, Sixth Corps, arrived on the field, increas- ing the force under General Wright to about 10,000 men. Gen- ■eral Grant wanted the Union forces to pursue Early vigorously and destroy his army. There were so many in command of separate bodies of troops that there was no concert of action. C. A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War, a forceful and energetic man, telegraphed to General Grant, describing the situation, ask- ing him to place some one in command of all the troops in and about Washington. General Grant immediately replied, order- ing these separate commands tO' report to General Wright, and •directed him to assume command and push the pursuit. His message contained this paragraph: "He (Wright) should get out of the trenches with all the force he possibly can and push him (Early) to the last moment." A division of the Nineteenth Corps, under General Emory, had arrived at Washington at about the same time as the Sixth Corps, coming from New Orleans. General Wrigiit, with the two divisions of the Sixth Corps, moved out at about noon, leaving orders for Emory to follow as speedily as possible. 0;n the suggestion of General Grant, Hal- leck sent an order to General Hunter, then making his way as fast as he could from West Virginia to the Shenandoah Valley, knowing that he was needed there, to rendezvous with General Wright at Edward's Ferry, on the Potomac, so as tO' cut off Early's passage back into Virginia. Hunter's troops were so footsore and reduced by the rapid march from Lynchburg' that he decided to send them by water. But in this he was so greatly delayed by the shallowness of the rivers, caused by the great drought, that it took much longer to make the movement than it would have if his men had been in condition and marched. , General Wright pushed on as fast as he could, the intense heat and dust making- marching difiicult. The infantry got as far as Offut's by half-past seven in the e\'ening. General Emorv with part of his division, about 3,500 men, followed. The Sixth Corps arrived at Seneca Falls on the 14th, too late to head Early off, for by that time Early had successfully crossed all his troops, prisoners and plunder, at White's Ford, and had gone into camp 140 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. at Leesburg. On the evening- of the same day, General Wright's army arrived at Poolesville, Mar}-land. He rested here until the i6th, Early remaining in camp at Leesburg as long as General Wright was at Poolesville. On the 15th General Wright received an order from Halleck to continue the pursuit of Early, using caution, and to keep on his track until it was certain that the Confederates were retreating to the upper part of the Valley or Richmond. A part of the First Division of the Sixth Corps that had been detached and remained near Washington, with Emory's First Division of the Nineteenth Corps, together about 5,000 men, arrived on the 15th, augmenting General Wright's amiy, thus making it about 15,000 strong. On the morning of the i6th General Wright began the forward movement, crossing the Poto- mac at White's Ford and advanced on the road to Leesburg. On the same day Early broke up his camp and started south. He knew of the re-enforcement of General Wright, and his friends in the valley kept him posted about General Hunter's efforts to bring his army to join General Wright, the van of his army having reached Martinsburg on the loth. This advance guard remained at that place, resting, till the morning of the 13th, General Hunter himself pushing through to Harper's P'erry. His army, under Generals Sullivan and Duffie, fol- lowed quickly, passing through Harper's Ferry and making every effort to join General Wright and help to cut off Early from his progress south. When Hunter's forces at last came in touch with General \\'right. Early had escaped, passing between the converging columns, and had succeeded in carrying off all the plunder of which he had robbed the ^larylanders. During this time General Grant was anxious to have the Sixth and the division of the Nineteenth Corps sent back to him as soon as the Confederate army was far enough away from the Potomac to allow the withdrawal of those two bodies of troops. According to his letters to Halleck. he believed that Early could be checked, if not quite prevented, from making another raid into Maryland by General Hunter's army. Halleck wrote General Wright, giving the views and tentative order of General Grant, which was construed by General Wright into a positive order. Acting on his interpretation of the letter from Halleck. he sent FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 14! General Crook, with his division of Hunter's army, on after Early through vSnicker's Gap, following- with the Sixth and Nine- teenth Corps on the i8th of July. The vanguard found that Early had crossed the Shenandoah River at. Snicker's Ferry and encamped a mile back, leaving a strong guard at the Ferry, General Crook sent a part of his force below Snicker's Ferry to a ford some distance from the ferry, with orders to effect a cross- ing and advance up the river, with the intention of driving away the guard. A stubborn and hotly contested fight ensued, which resulted in the defeat of the Union troops, who were driven back across the river. The attempt to- effect a crossing being unsuccessful, General Wright directed the withdrawal of the troops engaged. He remained in camp at Snicker's Gap uhtil the 20th, by which time Early had retired towards Winchester, On this day General Wright resumed the pur- suit, crossing the river at Snicker's Ferry and passing the battle- field of the 1 8th. The grewsome sight of heads, legs and arms of the Union dead, sticking out from under the few shovelfuls of earth thrown upon them, gave rise to- bitter denunciation, by the Union soldiers, of Confederate inhumanity. General Wright evidently had no desire to risk -a battle with Early, though he was now strong enough to have engaged him with a good chance of success. Still the order to follow cautiously seemed to control his movements and he was very deliberate. Early had left his camp near Snicker's Ferry on the 19th, and Wright fol- lowed on the 20th, expecting tO' gO' as far as Berryville. He did not, however, but returned by Snicker's Gap to Leesburg, from which place he wrote to Halleck, on the 21st: "Conceiving the object of the expedition to be accomplished, I at once started back as directed in your orders, and to-night shall encamp on the east side of Goose Creek, on the Leesburg pike. Two days easy march will bring the command to Washington." Halleck was greatly exercised about the defenseless condition the approaches to Washington would be left in by the withdrawal of the vet- erans of the Army of the Potomac, and reiterated his fears in every letter to General Grant, calling his attention to the fact that the hundred-days' men, called out for the emergency, would be going home very soon. General Grant replied that the Sixth 10 F B 142 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. and Xineteenth Corps could l)e retained until Early's departure was assured. General Wright had left the pursuit of Early to General Crook, who followed Early as far as Kernstown, where he camped. Early verv quickly learned that the Sixth and Nine- teenth Corps had heen withdrawn, and countermarched rapidly, striking Crook's division and Averill's cavalry with such vigor that thev were obliged to retreat with more haste than dignity. Crook did not stop anywhere ver}' long, until he had crossed to the north side of the Potomac. General Hunter ordered him to secure the South Mountain passes at once. This turn of affairs being communicated to General Grant he telegraphed to Hal- leck. repeating his order to retain the Sixth Corps to assist Hunter. He also sent another division of the Nineteenth Corps, 4.600 strong, from the Army of the Potomac to re-enforce the troops defending Washington. In. the meantime, General Wright, with the Sixth Corps, was making his way towards the Capital, the men pretty well worn out with the marching and intense heat. Rations were becoming scarce, and as the country swarmed with bushwhackers, the men did not dare to do any foraging on their own account. These ])artisans were encouraged in this practice of irregular warfare by the Confederate authorities, through the partisan leader, Mosby, who was was regularly commissioned by the Confederate gov- ernment, and whose methods were recognized as legitimate. The bushwhackers were not soldiers, though encouraged by Mosby, and made war only on the defenseless farmers and isolated posts of the Union ariny, when they were strong enough in num1)ers to overwhelm the ones attacked. A sick or disabled Union .soldier, obliged to fall out of ranks, if found, had little mercy shown him by these thieves. He was either murdered out- right or dragged off as a prisoner. Another cause of suffering among the men of the Sixth Corps was the lack of clothing. more esi>ecially shoes. Many of the men plodded along with badly worn siioes. and some with none at all. The roads were rough and the marching difficult even for those who were well shod. The heat was intense and the dust ankle deep. The Sixth Corps arrived at the Chain Bridge over the Potomac on July 23d. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 143 in the morning, and crossed. About three miles from the bridge, the corps camped near Tenallytown, where the men rested, while waiting for the supplies that had been requisitioned. They needed the rest as much as the clothing, which arrived in due lime and was issued. To the men who^ were not too greatly fatigued by the marching and distressing conditions, and who had drawn new clothing and shoes, the proximity of Washing- ton was a great temptation and numbers w^ent into the city. On the 26th, the men having rested sufficiently and the absentees recalled, the march was resumed at eleven o'clock in the morning. The raid of Early intoi Mainland again changed the destination of the Sixth Corps, and instead of going to the transports to embark for City Point they were hurried off to meet the Con- federate army. The pace was killing but they kept on wnth but short halts, till midnight. For all the haste the corps marched but fifteen miles, halting for rest about five miles from Rock- ville, Md. Only four hours were allowed for sleep, the reveille sounding at 4 A. IVL, and the route taken up at five o'clock. The direction was towards Hyattstown, where the corps camped, the distance made being' but thirteen miles. The troops remained in camp here till six o'clock on the morning of the 28th of July. The march was continued, the corps arriving on the battle- field of Monocacy at about one o'clock. The men of the Third Division had now an opportunity to view, almost at leisure, the battlefield where they had stood so firmly and fought so bravely to delay Early's advance but a short while before. The bridge over the Monocacy having been burned when that battle was fought and not }et rebuilt, the Six Corps was obliged to wade across the river, when the march was resumed at 5 P. M. At midnight the corps halted, and camped, near Jefferson City, hav- ing marched twenty-five miles. The next morning the corps marched to Harper's Ferry, crossed the Potomac and proceeded to a position four miles beyond, at Halltown, and camped. The march ^vas very wearing, the country being much broken and hilly. The men were greatly in need of rest, for thongh the marches were not long, except in \\\o or three instances, the difficult roads of this section and the intense heat caused great suffering. The men were allowed to rest till 2 P. M. of the 30th, 144 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. when the corps was countermarched, passing through the little village of Bolivar, and halted for several hours near the Potomac. At nine o'clock in the evening the corps re-crossed the Potomac at Harper's Ferry and marched to Jeffersonville, and camped there at two o'clock in the morning of the 31st of July. This march was frightfully severe, many of the men being over- come by the heat, many of the cases being so serious that they were sent to the hospital, some of them dying from sunstroke. The march was resumed at ten o'clock in the morning, the route being towards Frederick City. A steady march till 7 P. M. brought the corps within two miles of that place, where a halt was made for the night. General Wright and his troops were now in a position to head off the Confederates who had made the raid into Maryland. But the men of the Sixth Corps were very much used up, for the march had been more exhausting than that of the previous day. The heat was greater with but little or no air stirring, and the roads deep with dust, heated by the sun till it was almost scorching. ]\lany of the men fell by the roadside from exhaustion and the effect of the heat, and were left where they fell, the ambulances l^eing overcrowded. The corps remained in camp here till ten o'clock on the morn- ing of August I St. when the order was given to "fall in." In a half hour or so the order was countermanded. The men dis- posed themselves in various ways, sleeping, cleaning their arms and tidying up generally, for the rest of the day. At half-past two in the morning of August 2d, reveille was sounded, and almost immediately "Pack up" told the men they were to march on. At half-past four the route was resumed. After marching three miles the First New Jersey Brigade was detached from the corps and ordered to act as escort to the trains. The Fifteenth Xew Jersey took the advance, the Fourth and Tenth acting as rear guard. After marching fifteen miles, a halt of an hour was made to water and feed the mules. This being done a further march of two miles brought the train of 300 wagons to the Monocacy, where the First Division, Sixth Corps, was encamped, the First New Jersey Brigade rejoining the division. On August 3d. the division was drawn up in two lines facing in- wards to pay the last tribute of resj>ect to the body of Major FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 145 Ellis, of General Russell's staff, then being taken home for burial. He had been wounded in one of the skirmishes some time before and had died that morning. The corps rested all day of the 4th of August, and until about half-past nine in the night of the 5th, when soon after "tattoo" the men were roused and ordered to fall in. Strict orders were read to- the men about straggling. The order provided for ten minutes rest after each hour's march. Apparently nO' attention was paid tO' this part of the order by the officers in command, for the men were kept on the move all night and till eight o'clock in the morning of the 6th of August. This night march, without rest, told fearfully upon the men, numbers dropping out of the ranks utterly exhausted. After resting for two hours, the march was resumed at ten o'clock and continued till six o'clock in the evening, when the corps halted for the night. The corps had now returned to Halltown, where the troops were concen- trating. On the morning of the 7th of August an order was received by the different corps commanders to the effect that General P. H. Sheridan had been assigned to the command of all the troops in the Valley. During this day and the next, the First New Jersey Brigade, with the rest of the army, remained in camp, resting, and to give those who had dropped out of ranks during the march, time to rejoin their regiments. While in camp here the report was brought of the seizure of five house-guards from the Brigade, by guerillas. Early's victory over Crook at Kernstown, on July 24th, de- termined his next move, which was to be a repetition of his campaign in June and the first part of July. He followed Crook pretty closely, feeling secure in his superior strength, since the Sixth Corps had been withdrawn. He sent the cavahjman, Mc- Causland, into Maryland to gather supplies, following with the greater part of his army, with the supposition that the dem- onstration would cause a further depletion of General Grant's army, by the detachment of troops to guard Washington and Baltimore. McCausland's instructions included the ransoming or burning of captured cities and towns. His selection for this 146 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. brutal ser\ice was a ritting one. McCausland penetrated the Union lines and arrived at Chambersburg- on July 30th. He demanded five hundred thousand dollars in greenbacks or one hundred thousand dollars in gold, as ransom, the alternative being the destruction of the city by fire. The citizens sent a delegation to the Confederate commander, assuring him of the utter inifKJSsibility of raising such a sum. Thev were sum- marily dismissecl and the order to set the city on fire issued to Alajor Harry Gilmore, who promptly carried it out. Three thousand i)eople were rendered homeless in a few hours, many of them losing everything except the clothes they stood in and such things as thev could carry. The people were driven out of their houses into the open field by the Confederate soldiers, no time being allowed them to secure even food. General Averill with his division of cavalry had been ordered in pursuit of McCausland, but too long after the Confederates' destination was known, to save Chambersburg. Averill pushed the pursuit energetically and was but two hours behind ^Ic- Causland when the city was fired. At the distance of ten or twelve miles from Chambersburg, A^•eril^s troopers saw the vast clouds of smoke from the doomed city, and animated by the desire to punish the perpetrators of the outrage, and help as much as lay in their power the unfortunate people, they pushed on w:ith increased vigor. McCausland knowing that his pursuers must l^e near him. pushed on toward Cumberland, Maryland, intending to exact the same tribute from its citizens. General Averill entered Chambersburg about three hours after McCausland had left, the city still burning in many places. He abated nothing of the vigor of his pursuit and finally overtook the raiders near ]Mc- Connellsbiu^g, Pa. He imiiicdiately deployed and moved against them, driving them towards the Potomac River, saving ^Ic- Connellsburg. Betlford, Hancock and several other small places in Pennsylvania, from the fate of Chambersburg. On the 31st. General Averill had forced McCausland to the river, but the latter, fearing to exixjse his band of raiders to attack while crnssing. took the road along the bank of the river towards FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 147 Cumberland, where he arrived on August ist. Here he found General Kelly and his brigade, entrenched on Folck's Hill, a mile from the town. McCausland levied a ransom on the citizens of Cumberland, but the proximity of the Union fire and the pos- sible early arrival of Averill, decided him to make an effort to drive off Kelly first. He accordingly deployed, and attacked the Union position. The engagement commenced early in the afternoon and was sustained for several hours. Finding the Union position too strong, and fearing the advent of Averill' s cavalry at any minute, he withdrew after dark, leaving his dead unburied, and his wounded uncared for. The invasion of Maryland by Early, and the raid of his cavalry, was naturally construed into an intent to- invade the North. Halleck's almost frantic appeals for help and an efficient leader caused General Grant to send General Sheridan with a division of cavalry. Sheridan arrived in Washington, August 4th, and set toi work to study the situation. General Grant feel- ing that he could not know everything that was going on solely through the medium of the telegraph and letters, had left the Army of the Potomac and went straight to the camps at Mo-nocacy to look intO' the conditions himself.. He did not stop in Washington, but sent an order for General Sheridan to follow him. When the two met, the whole matter was gone over and final instructions left with Sheridan in the form of a letter in- tended originally for General Hunter. Sheridan learned from this exactly what was expected of him, but left him unhampered by details as to his plans. He was left to make these for him- self and put them into execution. On the same day General Hunter requested to be entirely relieved from command, by which act all the troops around Washington, in Maryland and the valley, came under the command of Sheridan. On the same day the four military divisions, the Middle Department, De- partment of Washington, Department of the Susquehanna, and that O'f West Virginia, were consolidated and placed under the command of Sheridan. All the troops, including those of the army of General Hunter, were now concentrating at Halltown, four miles south and west of Harper's Ferry, the strongest and 148 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. easiest defended position in that part of the Valley. Averill's cavalry was the only body of Union troops not at. or near, Hall- town, he being occupied in following up the raiders under Mc- Causland. This leader threatened a number of places, attacking several, capturing prisoners and doing as much damage as he could. General Averill overtook him at ]\Ioorefield, at the junction of South Fork and the South Branch of the Potomac, on August 6th, and immediately attacked with such vigor and impetuosity that McCausland's band was broken up and dis- i:>ersed, the men scattering and seeking safety singly, or in small squads, in the mountains. Averill captured all of his artillery, a battery of four giuis, 400 horses, 420 prisoners, three battle- flags and nearly all his wagons. Early, in his report to General Lee, admits that it was a very damaging blow to his army. General- Sheridan's army, which was now designated as the Army of the Shenandoah, consisted of the old reliable Sixth Corps, one division of the Nineteenth Corps, the Army of ^^'est Virginia, under General Crook, having two divisions, both of which together were not equal in strength to a division, a division of cavalry from the Army of the Potomac, under General A. T. A. Torbert, the former commander of the First New Jersey Brigade, and Colonel Powell's small brigade of cavalry. General Averill's brigade was to be added to the cavalry force as soon as he arrived at Halltown. General Tor- bert was made chief of cavalr}'. General Wesley jMerritt taking Torl^ert's place in command of the division. General Sheridan, in his Personal Alemoirs, page 475, Vol. i, makes the following concise and pithy statement : "In a few days after my arrival preparations were completed, and I was ready to make the first move for the possession of the Shenan- doah Valley. For the next five weeks the operations, on my part, consisted almost wholly of offensive and defensive maneuvering for certain advantages, the enemy confining him- self, meanwhile, to measures intended to counteract my designs." While completing his preparations, the Army of the Shenan- doah remained at Halltown, with the Sixth Corps on the right of the army, and the Nineteenth Corps on the left. Getty's T. W. OAKLEY, Surgeon First Brigade. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 149 Second Division of the Sixth Corps was on the left of the corps, his left connecting with the right of the Nineteenth, Rickett's Third Division on the right and in rear of the Third Russell's First Division on the right and in rear of the Third Division and extending tO' the Potomac River. The pike-road, from Harper's Ferry to Winchester, was between the right of the Nineteenth and left of the Sixth Corps. During these days Early's army lay at and around Bunker Hill, about twenty miles west and south of Halltown. It con- sisted of Early's own corps, the three divisions commanded by Rhodes, Ramseur and Gordon, Breckenridge's column from southwest Virginia and the cavalry brigades of Vaughan, John- son and Imboden, and what was left of McCausland's band after his interview with Averill. Early broke up his camp at Bunker Hill on the 4th of August, and marched towards the Potomac, camping a few miles north •of Martinsburg, sending his cavalry and two divisions of infantry across the Potomac, to* gather supplies from the farms about Sharpsburg. Vaughan' s brigade of cavalry penetrated as far as Hagerstown, Maryland, and caused another panic among the inhabitants. At this time, August 4th, General Hunter was still in command at Halltown, concentrating his army there by order of General Grant. At the same time the Sixth and Nine- teenth Corps were marching towards that place. Early, realiz- ing the insecurity O'f his position from the proximity of Hunter, and himself with a divided army, recalled his troops from Maryland and returned to Martinsburg on the 6th of August. On the 9th of August, General Torbert arrived with his di- vision of cavalry, and on the loth the forward movement com- menced. When Early sent his cavalry and infantry into Maryland, the people were panic stricken, but it caused General Grant no un- easiness, since he had given Sheridan complete control of all the troops, and he had confidence in that general's ability to cope with the situation. However, General Grant promptly ordered Meade to send another division of cavalry from the Army of the Potomac to swell General Sheridan's forces. General 150 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Meade sent General Wilson with his division, and it was on the way when General Sheridan l>egan his march to Winchester. Besides the cavalry, General Meade sent, by order of General Grant, another division of the Nineteenth Corps, under General Cuvier Grover. The First New Jersey Brigade, with the rest of the Sixth Corps, moved out of camp, passing through Charlestown, and took position on the right of the army, at Clifton. At the same time Early marched south from Bunker Hill, and took position covering A\'inchester, and next day abandoned the position and contiiuied the march to Strasburg, where he occupied the trenches and breastworks he had thrown up on a former oc- casion. It now became a matter of common report that Early was looking for re-enforcements from Richmond. Having a strong position, he decided to wait there for help, sent him l)y General Lee. During this movement the cavalr\' were very active, many i small affairs and skirmishes being fought. The sound of their artillery was often heard by the men of the main army, and speculation was rife as to the chances of overtaking the enemy and forcing a hght. On the morning of the nth of August, the Jersey Brigade reached the Opequon Creek, where the ^lill- wood pike crosses it, and camped. Colonel Edwards, command- ing the Third Brigade of the First Division of the Sixth Corps, was sent back with his command, to Winchester, to bring up the wagcm train. While in the town he learned that about 130 w'ounded, of l)oth sides, w^ere there being cared for by the people, and that they were mostly cavalrymen. On the 1 2th of August, the Jersey Brigade, with the rest of the army, moved on after Early, who, they found, had retired to Fisher's Hill. The army followed as far as Cedar Creek, where it halted, the Jersey Brigade l^eing sent across as skirmishers. Lively fighting ensued between the two lines of skirmishers for several hours, until dark. Next morning the Sixth Corps crossed over and took the position held by the enemy at Hupp's Hill. General Sheridan now learned the exact facts concerning the re-enforcements sent to Earlv. Thev were Kershaw's division PIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 151 of Long-street's corps, Fitz Lee's division of cavalry and a brigade of artillery, all under the command of General Ander- son. Sheridan, realizing- that he would be overmatched when these troops joined Early, decided that a retrograde movement was the best course to pursue, at least until his own re-enforce- ments should arrive. The skirmishers of the First New Jersey Brigade entered Strasburg in the morning and remained there until the evening of the 12th. They were then withdrawn and the Sixth Corps re-crossed Cedar Creek, leaving a strong line of pickets in the south side. On the 15th very lively skirmishing was kept up between the pickets of the opposing forces, the Jersey Brigade now being- the picket reserve for the whole line. The Confederate skirmishers were very determined and drove the Union line back a little way, but were in turn driven back. On the evening of the i6th, the Sixth and Eighth Corps (fonnerly the Army of West Virginia), began the retreat, the Sixth Corps arriving in Winchester at five o'clock in the morn- ing of the 17th, having marched all night. By this time Ander- son had got into supporting distance of Early. The Confederate signal station notified the latter of the withdrawal of Genera! Sheridan. Word was sent at once to Anderson and both Con- federate forces started in pursuit, but not before Anderson had sustained a severe repulse by the cavalry brigades of Generals Devins and Custer, while crossing the Shenandoah River, en route from Front Royal, to join Early. Anderson lost 300 cap- tured and two battle-flags. General Sheridan, after a thorough inspection of the country around Winchester, decided that it was too open in which to make a successful stand. He continued his retrograde march to Berryville, covering Snicker's Gap, by which route he expected Grover's division of the Nineteenth Corps to arrive. He left the guarding of the rear to General Torbert and detached the First New Jersey Brigade, now only about 850 strong, to support him. In this way it came about that the Jersey Brigade was to fight under its old commander and win new laurels. General Wilson, with his division of cavalry, joined the army south of Win- chester, and it was his division and Colonel Lowell's brigade. 152 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. with the Jersey Brigade, that acted as rear guard for the army. This occurred on the afternoon of the 17th of August. General TorlxMi deplo}ed the Jersey Brigade, the Fourth Regiment, under Colonel Campbell; the Tenth, under Lieutenant-Colonel Tay. and the Fifteenth, under Major Boeman, along a little creek near Winchester, running in a southerly direction. A squadron of cavalry, dismounted, was deployed on the left of the Jersey Brigade, to cover the front. In a very short time after the disposition was made, the Confederate cavalrv attacked and very lively skirmishing ensued. In Pond's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, page 130, this ac- count of the rear guard tight is given : "The Jersey men held Early's horsemen in check all the afternoon, and only when Wharton s division attacked their right, and Ramseur's division their front, while Gordon's advanced against the cavalry, was the line broken." The Jersey Brigade still faced the enemy with undaunted courage and clung to the position with great de- termination. The advance of the enemy was arrested and held in check, mainly through the persistence of the Jersey Brigade. Between seven and eight o'clock in the evening, the Confederates advanced a double line of skirmishers along the whole front, hairing l>ecame heavy and continuous until, finally, the Union line was forced back to the cover of a stone fence. Here the gallant Jerseymen found protection enough to enable them to hold their position until it was dark. The Confederates having Ix^en pre\ mted from following the army to.o closely, and the purpose of the rear guard fulfilled, the line was withdrawn as soon as it was dark enough to do so safely, and the Jerseymen retreated through Winchester. While passing through, a body of Confederate troops overtook them and commenced firing. At the same time a number of the inhabitants opened fire from their houses on the Union rear guard, wounding a number of lliem. The Confederate troops captured a large number of the Brigade, the Tenth Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, meeting the heaviest loss, Lieutenant-Colonel Tay commanding, and about 150 of the men being taken prisoners. The loss sustained l)y the Jersey Brigade was 97 killed and wounded, and 200 cap- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 153 tured. The following extract from the diary of John P. Beach, of the Fourth New Jersey Volunteers, gives a more detailed ac- count of the affair : "Our brigade of three small regiments, the Fourth, Tenth and Fifteenth, about 850 men, were left to bring up the rear and hold the enemy in check. A squadron of the Third New Jersey Cavalry was with us. We took up a position about a mile and a half south of Winchester, sO' as tO' cover all the roads converging near Winchester. About 3 P. M. we de- ployed as skirmishers, the Fifteenth on the right, the Fourth in the centre, deployed ten paces apart, the Tenth on the left. The Fifteenth was holding the road on which the enemy was approaching, and at once became engaged with the enemy's skirmishers, but the gallant Colonel Campbell, and the brave boys of the Fifteenth, with their rapid fire and obstinate resist- ance, held them back, repulsing attempt after attempt to force their position. In the meantime, the enemy in our front, and in plain view, had made no' attempt to advance, but about five o'clock heavy columns of the enemy appeared in our front^and began to deploy intO' columns of attack. The Fifteenth ap- parently were having a hot time of it, and, by the firing, giving ground slowly. Between 7 and 8 P. M., the enemy advanced in heavy force along the whole line. The ground was open and we could see every movement. We were deployed ten paces apart, lying down. We watched the enemy advance with a double skirmish line, supported by two lines of battle. At this time, nearly dark, the firing in front of the Fifteenth indicated that they were being forced back. The enemy in our front opened fire and we returned it, but our position in the centre was becoming critical, both flanks being exposed, the Tenth on the left and the Fifteenth on the right, retiring, the bullets w^histling from both flanks. It was now either be captured or run. With bent forms we broke for the rear. Fortunately for us there was a road directly in our rear, with stone walls on each side; these and the darkness saved us from capture or annihilation." The Jersey Brigade was cut in two by the in- trusion of the enemy's force in the town, one body of about 15a men, under Captain Johnson, of the Fourth Regiment, getting through, but expecting to be cut off at any moment. The other 154 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. jjart of the Brigade, about 400 men, got through, but with the loss of a numl:)er of the men. killed and wounded by the citizens of Winchester. Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell was in command of these and had a very narrow escape from capture, while in the town. The two sections came together north of \\'inchester, C'U the 1 8th, and the retreat was continued towards the Opequcn. where the Sixth Corps was encamped at the crossing of the Rerryville pike. When the men had a chance to talk over the events of the 17th of August, they found that the three small regiments composing the First New Jersey Brigade, and a squadron of the Third Xew Jersey Cavalry, had fought and successfully de- layed in its pursuit the whole of Early's army during the after- no(jn and evening, gaining time for the Union army to take up a good position on the old Clifton-Berryville line. While in camp here the Second Division of the Xineteenth Corps joined the army. Sheridan's cavalry were active and harassed the advancing Confederates as much as possible, getting valuable information from prisoners and delaying their advance. From the re[X)rts of the cavalrymen and his scout, Sheridan decided that it would not be quite safe for him to hazard a battle on the line he had taken up, and on the i8th of August continued his retrograde movement to Halltown. On the evening of the 18th, the army halted two miles from Charlestown for the night. The Sixth Corps remained there all dav of the 19th, resting. Rain fell all day steadily, and. though not violent, was sufficient to make things uncomfortable. The next day a number of the Fourth Regiment were given transportation to \\'ashington. the three years of service of those who had n<^t re-enlisted having expired. As they marched out of camp on their jnurney towards home, there were many who envied them. The 2 1st l)eing Sunday, brought the usual function of that day, inspection. The duty was hardly finished when rapid firing was iieard on the left. Soon the pickets came in on the brigade front and the enemy's bullets began to drop among the men. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 155 The Jersey Brigade, long accustomed toi sudden alarms, quickly formed a strong line of skirmishers and deployed, with a heavy support. The enemy's skirmishers were driven back, though they continued firing all day. Temporary breastworks were hastily constructed to afford such protection as was possible, in case the enemy made a serious attack. It amounted to nothing, however, but at midnight the army was again on the road mak- ing its way to' Halltown, where the Jersey Brigade arrived at six o'clock in the morning, and occupied their old position. The enemy followed closely, giving the rear guard constant oc- cupation in repelling their skirmishers. For three days Early made demonstrations against the Union lines, but finding them too strong, withdrew his army, except Anderson's division and a small force of cavalry. He made a quick dash for the Poto- mac, but ran into Torbert, with two divisions oi his cavalry corps between him and the river, ready to contest the road. Tor- bert gave Early a good deal of trouble, delaying him so much that he was forced to give up the plan of crossing- the Potomac, and deflected his march tO' his old lines at Bunker Hill. The Jersey Brigade remained here quietly until the 28th, not called upon for more serious duty than picketing, drilling and inspection. On the 28tli the army moved forward slowly to- wards the old line from Clifton tO' Berryville, occupying them, the Sixth Corps on the right of the arm}', resting- in and around ■Cliftoii. The disposition of the army was finished on the 31st of August. No move was made after the lines were formed, and the army lay quiet. Just as the evening was coming on, September 3d, and dusk was deepening, musketry firing com- menced on the left of the line, where the Eighth Corps, under General Crook, was stationed. The fight continued until dark- ness ended it. Crook's troops took about seventy prisoners, from whom it was learned that the attacking force was Ker- shaw's division oi Anderson's corps, on its way to rejoin Gen- eral Lee, at Richmond. A dispatch from General Grant to Sheri- dan told of heavy fighting around Petersburg, in which the Con- federate loss was estimated at about 10,000. and that General Lee Avould most probably order Anderson, with his troops, back to 156 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Richmond. The hg^ht on the 3d was brought about by Ander- son's attempt to return to Richmond, verifying General Grant's forecast, Anderson not being aware that General Sheridan had advanced. His route was to have been by the Berryville pike to the Blue Ridge 'Mountains and cross to the east side, but being balked in his route by Crook's corps, returned to Winchester. During the next week, constant skirmishing was kept up, mostly by the cavalr}^ On the 13th of September, General Wright started on a reconnaisance to the Opequon ^vith Getty's Second Division of the Sixth Corps. He found the enemy en- camj3€d on the south side in force. General Grant visited the army on the 14th and conferred with General Sheridan in regard to the situation and future movements. He found that Sheridan had just completed plans for a forward movement and found them so complete and per- fect that he made nor suggested any change. On the morning of the 14th of September, Anderson started again on his return to General Lee's army, taking with him the brigade of artillery, under Cutshaw. Through his secret service men, Sheridan learned of this depletion of Early's army. It was this information that influenced him in drawing up his plans for the ensuing campaign. At this time, also, he became aware, through a despatch from General Averill, from ]\Iartinsburg, that part of Early's army had moved in that direction. General Averill was at Martinsburg, protecting the force mending the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and while engaged in this work was attacked by Early's infantiy. Averill soon ascertained that there were two divisions of the enemy in the attacking force and at once sent word to General Sheridan. Tile latter recognized his opportunity to attack the Confederates while their army was divided, and further weakened by the departure of Anderson's troops, and decided to profit by it. On the 19th of September, the Union arniy was astir at i A. M., and en route by three o'clock, the Sixth Corps moving off towards the Berryville pike to join the Nineteenth Corps, which was to l)e under the orders of General W^right during the move- ment. General Wilson's division of cavalry preceded the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 157 column, crossing the Opequon Creek at a ford, and pushing his way through a defile in the mountain, narrow and densely wooded, through which the road ran for a distance of two and a half miles, pushing the enemy's pickets and skirmishers before him. General Sheridan's plan and orders were to g-et the troops in position at, or, soon after, daylight, before Early's absent di- visions could return, but, though an early start was made, and the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps were hurried forward as rapidly as possible, the difficulties presented by the narrow defile delayed the forward movement so much that it was well on in the day before the Sixth Corps had passed through. General Wright took but one battery through the defile with the corps, the rest of the corps artillery being halted with the wagon train on the sides of the road, before it entered the defile, so as to^ not retard the passage of the infantry. The Nineteenth Corps followed rapidly, but General Einory found great difficulty in getting through, the Sixth Corps artillery having started as soon as the last of that corps had entered the defile. At General Emory's request, the artillery w^ere stopped and drawn off tO' the side of the road. As soon as the Nineteenth Corps was well through the defile, the artillery went forward rapidly. When the Sixth Corps emerged from the defile, General Wright found General Wilson holding a small earthwork, intended to guard the en- trance to the defile on the west side, he having wrested it from its garrison, and was obstinately holding it against the repeated assaults of the enemy, who were at the time of the arrival of the Sixth Corps forming a heavy column to assault and re-take it. The timely arrival of the Sixth Corps checked all further attempts. As soon as each division emerged from the defile it was formed in line of battle, Rickett's Third Division on the right, Getty's Second Division on the left, with Russell's First in reserve. The line was about two miles from Winchester, and the positions were occupied under a heavy artillery fire from the Confederate batteries. This was soon checked by the Sixth Corps batteries. It was nearly noon when the final dispositions were made, and the signal to advance was given. The Nineteenth Corps had II F B 158 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. been assigned a position on the right of Rickett's Division. In "General Sheridan's Personal Memoirs/' Vol. 2, page 21, this description will be found : "Just before noon the line of Getty, Rickett and Grover moved forward, and as we advanced, the Confederates, covered by heavy woods on their right, slight underbrush and cornfield along their centre arid a large body of timber on their left, along the Red Bud, opened fire from their whole front. We gained considerable ground at first, especially on our left, but the desperate resistance which the right met with demonstrated that the time we had unavoidably lost in the morning had been of incalculable value to Early, for it was evident that he had been enabled already to so far con- centrate his troops as to have the different divisions of his army in a connected line of battle in good shape to resist." At the signal to advance the whole line moved forward. The firing opened in heavy volume, increasing as the Union line ad- vanced, until it became very destructive. As the line moved forward a gap opened between the right of Rickett's division of the Sixth Corps and the left of Grover's division of the Nine- teenth Corps, which Avas instantly taken advantage of by the enemy. T'hey sent forward a heavy column in quick order, and were almost inside before the opening was filled by Kiefer's small brigade of Rickett's division. It was not strong enough to withstand the impact of the Confederate column, which broke through, thrusting back Rickett's division and the left of the Nineteenth Corps, and were rolling up the right of the army when Russell moved for^vard with the First Division of the Sixth Corps. Charging at once it struck the right flank of the Confederates and soon had them in a difficult position and the gallant First Division forced them out and drove them back in a disorganized mass to the heavy timber from which they had emerged. While General Russell was rallying the scattered Third Di- vision, assisted by Rickett and his brigade commanders, he was struck in the breast by a piece of shell which passed through his heart. His death was a shock to the Jersey Brigade and the whole Sixth Corps, for he had endeared himself to all of theiii FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 159 by his kindly treatment and soldierly qualities. It was found upon examining his body that he had received a wound before the one that caused his death, that would probably have been fatal, but he had concealed the fact. The Third Division was rallied behind the First, which also served as a rallying point for the troops of the Nineteenth Corps, which had been forced back and somewhat scattered. The report of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward L. Campbell, of the Fifteenth Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, commanding the First Brigade, shows the fine work done by the Brigade in this battle, page i68. Vol. 43, Part i, Series i, Official Records: '"Immediately upon arriving in front of the enemy's position near the Opequon, the command was formed in reserve, in rear of the left of the Third Division, Sixth Corps, with orders to ad- vance by the left of the battalions to^ front in such direction that the right of the brigade, when wheeled into line, w^ould rest upon the Berryville turnpike, keeping about 300 yards in rear of the line in front. They w^ent forward from this position with the general advance at about 12 M. After passing over a wooded hill and moving out upon the open ground a consider- able fire of artillery and infantry was encountered, and seeing the Third Brigade, on my left, forming line I, also, wheeled into- line of battle, and moved forward in this manner, inclining to the right, until my centre moved along the turnpike, the Third Brigade in its formation having covered half of my front. After advancing a few hundred yards further the front lines, which had apparently carried the enemy's position, began to give w^ay, being evidently pushed back by a strong force of the enemy. I pushed my command forward rapidly in order to gain the crest of a hill beyond a ravine, before the enemy, and check him at that point, but seeing the Third Brigade on my left halt, and retire a little to higher ground, I also halted my left, extending through the ravine mentioned above, which here curved sharp to the rear. At this time I received an order from General Getty commanding the Second Division, to detach my right battalion and send it forward in the front lines to drive the enemy from a cornfield, through which he was advancing. The Fifteenth New 160 • FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Jersey was quickly moved forward across the ravine to the crest of the other side. Here it was halted (everything- having given away to the right and left), with orders to hold the enemy as long as possible. The retiring front lines crowded into the ra\ine in such dense unorganized masses upon the front of my remaining two battalions, that it was with the utmost difficulty they were arrested. Very nearly all, however, were prevented from going to the rear, and by the assistance of their own officers, mo\ed forward again at the next advance. At this time I receixed an order from the late General Russell to move to the right and form on the brow of the hill on the left of the Third Brigade, which had been moved from m}^ left and formed a short distance in my right. This w-as probably the last order issued by our late dearly loved and deeply lamented division commander. The movement was executed, and fire immediately opened upon the enemy, who was moving forward on the hill beyond the ravine. The advance of the enemy being checked, the line was immediatelv pushed forward tO' the top of the hill beyond the ravne, mv right resting at a dwelling-house on the right of the turnpike. From twenty to thirty prisoners were taken here by the Tenth New Jersey Volunteers. "The ixjsition l>eing good here, I remained waiting for further orders, organizing my line, and endeavoring to form a seContl line of troops which had been pushed forward in its front. About half an hour afterward, by order of General Upton, then in com- mand of the division, my line was pushed forward rapidly, across the next field to the edge of a cornfield on still higher ground. the enemy retiring readily before a sharp file fire. Here my com- mand remained for some time and until the final advance in the afternoon. The Fifteenth New Jersey, which was detached l)y order of General Getty, as above stated, held its position until attacked in flank by the enemy moving down the ravine to its right, when it retired, moving around the left of the reserve line and re-forming close in the rear. It was now, by direction (if Colonel Edwards, commanding the Third Brigade, placed on the right of his brigade to fill an interval between it and the Second Brigade, where it remained during the remainder of the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. ' 161 action, taking an efficient and creditable part in the final advance, and taking- quite a number of prisoners. Toward evening" a general ad\'ance was ordered, and my command, being thor- oughly re-formed, moved steadily forward until, the enemy hav- ing been entirely driven from the field, it was encamped for the night on the south side of the town of Winchester." In Pond's "Shenandoah Valley," page 162, there is given this glowing tribute to the First Division, Sixth Corps : "At this junc- ture Russell's division of the Sixth Corps splendidly improved a golden opportunity. Ordered at once to move up into the front line, now needing re-enforcement, the change brought it into the gap created b}- the Confederate charge, and continuing its ad- vance it struck the flank of the hostile force which was sweeping away the Union right, and aided by the Fifth Maine Battery, which enfiladed the enemy's line with canister, at once turned the tide. The enemy retreated, the line was re-established, the fugitives w^ere gathered from the woods in which they had taken refuge, while the gallant division took position on the right of the corps. But in the hour of triumph Russell had fallen. The broken portion of Rickett's line was quickly re-formed behind the First Division, now under Upton, and again moved forward, v\diile D wight's division having taken the place of Grover's on the right of the line, the latter was promptly rallied and brought tip." The lull in the fighting which succeeded this enforced retire- ment was used by General Sheridan in making preparations for the final onset, which he determined should be a successful one. The Eighth Corps, which was in reserve to the left and rear of the Sixth Corps, was transferred to the right and took position on the right of the army, the divisions forming in line of battle as soon as they uncovered from the rear of the Nineteenth Corps. A little before three o'clock, Generals Sheridan and Wiright rode along the front of the line, oblivious of the fact that they were A^ery conspicuous targets for the Confederate sharpshooters. At three o'clock the signal to advance was given. Crook's men rushed forward, crossing the intervening space between the 162 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. hostile \mt^ so quickly and striking the enemy's Hnes with such impetuosity that they were forced back with but httle resistance, though what they did give was destructive. The Eighth Corps men drove the left of the enemy's line pell-mell, in a discouraged mass. At the same time the Sixth and >rineteenth Corps ad- vanced, driving back the enemy on their front. Sheridan had shouted to the men, as he rode across the line, that Torbert was in the rear of the enemy. This served as a spur to the infantry, as well as an encouragement, and the onslaught was irresistible. The Confederates, finding themselves overwhelmed by seemingly superior numbers, and being made nervous by the sound of Tor- bert's guns, in their rear, gave Avay all along their centre and right, and retreated precipitately. The Union men followed closely, pursuing the fleeing Confederates through Winchester, until exhaustion compelled a halt, about two miles south of the town. In Pond's "Shenandoah Valley," page i66, he quotes from a Confederate officer who had. been wounded and captured: "I never saw our troops in such confusion before. Night found Sheridan's hosts in full and exultant possession of much-abused, beloved Winchester. Our scattered troops closely pursued by the large army of pursuers, retreated rapidly and in disorder, through the city. It was a sad and humiliating sight." The only stand that the Confederates made was just north of Winchester, where some old intrenchments afforded them some little protection. There they posted some guns and a force of infantry, the rest of Early's army being placed in line on the left and right. The delay caused by this display of organized resistance was of short duration, for Torbert and his cavalry- men were again in their rear, renewing the dread of being caught between two fires, and despite the efforts of their officers, the men of the Confederate army left their lines and retreated, losing all semblance of organization, and became a fleeing mob. The Sixth Corps continued the pursuit on the pike, but the men were too tired and worn out to keep it up. The whole army was jubilant, and when Generals Sheridan, Wright, Emory, Crook and W'heaton rode tlown the line, they were greeted with a FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 163 tempest of cheers. General Sheridan sent a dispatch to General Grant, just such a one as one would expect O'f him : "We have just sent them whirHng through Winchester, and are after them to-morrow. This army behaved splendidly." This battle, considering the numbers engaged, may be counted as one of the most destructive of the war. Coimting every man in his army, Sheridan had 45,487 men, of which number, at least 7,000 must be deducted for guards at various points, quar- termasters and commissary details, etc. Early's army numbered 34,515, according to^ his returns. How many of this number were on detached service is not known, but there must have been quite a number, and as the Confederate commanders reported only those that were fit for duty in the ranks and present, it is fair to conclude that his army was not greatly inferior to the Union army, in numbers. At daybreak of the 20th, the army was in hot pursuit of the Confederates. Numbers of them were captured singly and in small squads during the day. The march was rapid and by evening the Sixth Corps was at Fisher's Hill, a high and pre- cipitous bluff at the foot of which a small stream, known as Tumbling Run, flowed. Along the blufT and across the valley, to a small range of mountains to the west, the Confederates had thrown up intrenchments, and had disposed of their force to make a considerable resistance. The Sixth Corps rested here for the night, almost within musket range of the Confederate line. On the morning of the 2 1 St the Second and Third Divisions, after a severe fight, got into position directly in front of the enemy's works, where on the next day the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps were massed. General Crook with the Eighth Corps had been sent, as secretly as pos- sible, during the night oi the 21st, toi the extreme right of the army, and was concealed in the timber that covered the smalt range of mountains on the Confederate left, with orders to attack as soon as he was in position. In the morning Rickett's Third Division of the Sixth Corps was taken from the line of the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps and moved to the right, to con- nect with Crook's left. In a very short time firing on the right lf;4 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. indicated that Cmok had struck the enemy's left, and the sound of iKittle approaching the left of the Union Hne. the Sixth and Xineteenth Corps advanced, driving the enemy from their in- trenchments. No serious resistance was offered to the advancing Union line. It soon became known that General Crook had again Hanked the enemy, and Rickett's division had forced the intrcnchments in his front. The Union troops swept over the field, the enemv seeking safety in flight. Early's army was now in full retreat, abandoning everything, a confused mob. Their confidence in their ability to hold Fisher's Hill against the efl^orts of the Union troops was shown by the fact that they had taken the ammunition Ixv.xes from the liml^ers of the giuis and «listributed them along the line of intrcnchments. to make them more readily accessible to the gimners. The losses in these two engagements were heavy, that of the Union army l^eing about 5.000 killed, wounded and missing, while that of the Confederates was about 7.000. including 3,000 wounded, left at Winchester and the small settlements between that town and Fisher's Hill. General Sheridan's despatch to General Grant, dated at Strasburg, Septeml:>er 20, page 25. Vol. 43. Series i. Part i, Ofificial Records, tells the story in crisp sentences: *T have the honor to report mv command at Stras- burg. M\ trtx^ps were so much fatigued by their work yester- e greater from the fact that the enemy would not exi)ect a move in that direction, on account of the great difficulty attending it and the great strength of their position on that flank." Gordon. Ramseur and Pegram's divisions were sent by the l)atliway described by btarly. the movement commencing at eight o'clock on the evening of the 18th. Before daylight, on the H)th. l^arlx's flanking column was in position. Jnst as dawn was breaking it made the assault, suq:>rising and routing Croiik's bjglnh Cori>s. Rushing through their camps the col- umn struck the left and rear of the Nineteenth Corps, scattering the men and capturing their camps and the artillery. A division FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 1G9 of the Nineteenth Corps was under arms before dawn, to make a reconnaissance, and the rest of the corps were just getting intO' line wdien the Confederates charged. These divisions of the Nineteenth Corps checked the advance o^f the enemy, but the turning cokimn kept up the flanking movement and attacks from the rear so' effectively that the corps was obliged to^ give way in the face of overwhelming numbers. At 'the beginning of the assault on the left, an attack was made on the right by Rosser's cavalry, and the Sixth Corps was supporting- the cavalry when the situation became almost desperate and the First and Third Divisions were drawn up in line of battle. Getty's Second Division was stationed some distance in front, protected by a slight breastwork of rails and earth, acting as rear guard with the cavalry, and holding the advancing enemy in check. The Nineteenth Corps was in the rear of the Sixth Corps, having been forced back. The Eighth Corps seemed to be dispersed, the only ones left at the front being a group of officers with a line of colors and the color gaiards, in the rear O'f Getty's division. The Confederates themselves were in a greatly disorganized condition, many of the men, and even officers, being scattered through the captured camps, plunder- ing the tents, and apparently lost to- all sense of discipline. Early claimed that had it not been for this, he would hax-e dispersed, if not captured, the Union army. Sheridan's arrival on the battlefield, between ten and eleven o'clock, restored con- fidence and order. The other two divisions of the Sixth Corps were moved up to Getty's position, and formed on his right. The Nineteenth Corps was placed on the right of the Sixth. While this line was being formed the men of the Eighth Corps were retracing their steps, and returning to the battlefield. As they came onto the field they were organized hastily into companies. Some of them had gone as far as Winchester before they saw Sheridan hurrying to the front, and almost tO' a man they turned back and followed him. It took some hours to get back the bulk O'f the corps and get them into' shape. Sheridan's words to them as he galloped past seemed to have roused a keen sense of the humiliation thev must labor under, unless they 170 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. redeemed themselves. "Yon are going the wrong way. boys. The fighting is over yonder,'' pointing towards the sound of the guns. By the time the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps were moved into position, it was past mid-day. Early had been making great efforts to restore order in his lines and was partly successful. He ordered an advance and the assault was made on the Nine- teenth Corps and Wheaton's First Division of the Sixth Corps. Just before the advance was begun by the Confederates, Gen- eral Sheridan rode in front of his line of battle, from left to right, and was greeted with cheers and shouts of welcome by the men, many of whom now saw him for the first time since his return to the army. The appearance of their general greatly heartened the men, and was a powerful factor in the success achieved later in the day. The assault was delivered on, and easily repulsed by, the Nineteenth Corps, the enemy retiring after the first charge and seeking protection behind stone fences and other sheltering objects. General Sheridan was untiring in his efforts to restore the lines and make the disposition of the troops as effective as pos- sil)le. The Sixth Corps occupied the left of the infantry, the Nineteenth on the right, the Eighth in the rear as reserve, the two cavalrv divisions on the flanks. General ]\Territt on the left of the Sixth Corps, and General Custer on the right of the Nineteenth Corps. Some hours were consumed in making these dispositions and getting up the Eighth and Nineteenth Corps men, who had been forced back and had gotten far to the rear. By three o'clock these preparations had been completed. When General Sheridan received the translation of the Con- federates' dispatch he gave but scanty credence to it, but now he heard rumors of the approach of Longstreet, by the Front Royal pike, from various sources. Colonel Powell was watch- ing that road on the extreme left, and Sheridan sent a courier to him to find out if the rumors were true. It was nearly four o'clock l>efore his messenger returned from Colonel Powell, with the assurance that the rumors were false. Being satisfied «tn this point, General Slieridan ordered the advance, which was FIRS7^ NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 171 made with great enthusiasm and alacrity. His plan of attack was the same as that used at the battle of the Oipequon, a left wheel, or swinging- movement of the right towards the left, to drive the enemy off the pike, which would be their line of retreat. The Jersey Brigade, with the rest O'f Wheaton's division, moved forward, and should have done sO' slowly, to allow the swinging movement opportunity tO' develop. The enemy had used the time since their repulse in making themselves more secure on their lines, using the stone fences, building breast- works O'f rails with earth covering, tree trunks and whatever would serve to build breastworks. The advance of the Union line was so^ steady and determined that the charge of a Con- federate brigade, against the right flank, caused but a temporary pause. ■ A countercharge by a brigade of the Nineteenth Corps cut off the flanking Confederates from their support. General Custer saw this opportunity, and swooped down upon them with the suddenness of a bird of prey, driving them back and cap- turing a number of them. The Union left, seeing the effect of the advancing right, surged forward, the enemy offering but feeble resistance, and finally breaking away from their line for the rear. The battle soon became a rout and a pursuit, the Confederates vieing with each other as to who would get to the rear the quickest. The Jersey Brigade kept on after the fleeing enemy, capturing a number of them, keeping up the pur- suit until they reached Cedar Creek. The only hard fighting occurred on the Nineteenth Corps front, where a murderous fire was delivered by the enemy before they were dislodged. Pond in his "Shenandoah Valley," page 238, says: "Grover, of the Nineteenth, and Wheaton, of the Sixth, on their fronts handsomely broke the enemy's line, while of the infantry and cavalry at the pike it is enough to say that they fought with the vigor they had exhibited throughout the battle. Custer on the right charged with his usual spirit." When Early made his attack, on the morning of the 19th of October, a heavy fog hung over the valley and greatly assisted him in his assault on the Eighth Corps, for it completely hid the assaultinof column from observation. The attack at first 172 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. was S(j successful that 24 guns and caissons, a large number of amlxilances and wagons and over 1,400 prisoners were cap- tured. The latter were at once hurried to the rear and sent to Richmond. The guns, wagons and amlxilances were taken acnjss Cedar Creek, with the intention of sending them to the rear, but the pursuit was so close and persistent that they were all re-captured before they reached Fisher's Hill. The Union army captured 24 Confederate guns, and everything that be- longed to them, caissons, forges, wagons and ambulances, be- sides a large numl>er of other wagons. The pursuit was con- tinued by the infantry to Cedar Creek, capturing many prisoners. The cavalry continued the pursuit after the fleeing Confederates, and to them belongs the glory of re-ca]:)turing the Union guns and capturing the Confederate gims. wagons, etc. The loss of the Union arm)-, according to official returns. was 5,764. of which num1)er the Sixth Corps lost 2.215. Early's loss was somewhat over 3.000. Of these 1,860 were killed and wounded, the rest being captured by the Union forces. The loss in the Jersey Brigade in this Ijattle was: Kll.i.KU. Wounded. Missing. Regiments. Omccrs. Men. omccrs. Mcu. Officers. .Mcu. Total. Staff .... I I Fourth N. J I 29 4 34 Tenth N. J 3 2 40 43 Fifteenth N. J., . I 12 7 50 15 ^5 165 The report of Captain Baldwin Hafty, of the Fourth Regi- meiu. page 167, Vol. 43, Part i. Series i, gives this description of the part taken by the Jersey Brigade: "On the mtM^ning of the T9th of October, the enemy commenced an attack on the extreme left of our lines. .\t the first alarm the Brigade was quickly out and under arms, and immediately afterwards re- ceived an order from Brigadier-General Wheaton, commanding the division, to move across the creek on our left, and form in line of Ixittle on a high hill on the opposite side of the stream, to support the Kighth Corps, which had been heavily attacked. fIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 173 Before we could execute the movement the order was counter- manded and we re-crossed the creek and took up position a con- siderable distance tO' the rear and left of our former camp. The line was formed in the following order: Fourth New Jersey oil the right, Tenth New Jersey on the centre, and the Fifteenth New Jersey on the left. We had been in line but a short time when some of the troops on our right, supporting batteries, be- gan to give way in considerable disorder, deserting the guns which they had been placed there tOi protect. Colonel Penrose immediately changed front to rear with his brigade and moved up to the support of the batteries. It was at this time that he was wounded and obliged to leave the field. The command then devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, who was soon after wounded, and the gallant Major Boeman, commanding the Tenth New Jersev __Vt)lunteers, killed, while endeavoring to save a piece of artillery which had been captured by the enemy. At this time we received an order from Brigadier-General Wheaton to move tO' the rear by right of battalions. We fell back slowly and took up position on a crest about 300 yards to the rear of our former position. A few moments after we had taken up position on the crest spoken of, we were ordered to move still further to the rear, which we did, and took up a line about 2,000 yards beyond. After we had re-formed our lines, the order to- continue our movement to the rear was re- ceived. We fell back in good order about two miles, when we were faced about audi advanced a mile. We formed in line in a woods to the right of the Third Division, and with the One Hundred and Twenty-First New York (Volunteers) formed second line of our corps, and in rear of a portion of the division. "We remained in this position until three o'clock in the after- noon. At that time we moved forward under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry and gained a crest about 400 yards in advance of the woods, driving the enemy in disorder from it. The Brigade halted under the crest for nearly half an hour, owing to the troops on the left not coming up. While in this position we were subject to a most galling fire from artillery and musketry. As soon as the troops on our left commenced to advance, or rather prepared to advance, our Brigade, to- 12 F B 174 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. gether with the Second Brigade, was pushed forward with alacrity, leaving the troops on our right and left far in the rear The enemy broke in confusion and scattered in all directions. We did not allow them time to re-form, but followed them so closely that they were able to make but trifling resistance. At dark the enemv were driven from the field, and we occupied the camps we had been forced to abandon in the morning. Out of 28 officers and 598 enlisted men, which we took in the action, we lost in killed, wounded and missing, 11 officers and 154 en- listed men." In taking a survey of the different phases of the battle of Cedar Creek, while the greatest meed of praise should be given to General Sheridan, as was done by the President, Congress and the North generally, it should not be overlooked that the veterans of the Potomac Army were the ones who actually prevented a disastrous rout, and possibly the destruction of the Army of the Shenandoah. The return of the Sixth Corps to that army was the greatest saving factor, and it was ably supported by Torbert and his splendid cavalry corps. Had the "Old Sixth" continued its journey to Washington, the laurels would not have been so plentifully bestowed on Sheridan. The night of the battle was passed by Early, and what was left of his army, in the intrenchments at Fisher's Hill, and next day found him at New Market, he having started with hfs followers long l)efore dawn, leaving his cavalry at Fisher's Hill to check pursuit and protect his rear. The Union army remained at Cedar Creek for about three weeks, when General Sheridan deemed Kernstown a more suit- able camping ground and moved the anny to that point. This was on November 9th, and next day skirmishing and cavalry maneuvers indicated a movement of some kind on the part of the enemy. A strong skirmish line from the Sixth Corps was sent out to support the cavalry, the Jersey Brigade taking its share of the work. These diversions of the enemy were kept up till the 1 2th, when Torbert, getting his two divisions into shape, engaged the enemy's cavalry and gave them a good drubbing, capturing two pieces of artillery, wagons and a number of prisoners. He found out, also, that Early had a very respectable FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 175 infantry force with him. This was the 'last active field service the Jerseymen were called on to perform in the Valley. General Grant, believing that the climax was rapidly approaching, as did all others, wanted the Sixth Corps with him in the Army of the Potomac. It left Kernstown, a division at a time, until on December 9th the last division was on its way tO' Petersburg, via Washing- ton. In General Sheridan's report of the Shenandoah campaign, Oifficial Records, page 54, Vol. 43, Series i, Part i, is this pas- sage concerning the battle of Cedar Creek: "This battle practically ended the campaign in the Shenan- doah Valley. When it opened we found our enemy boastful and confident, unwilling to acknowledge that the soldiers of the Union were their equal in courage and manliness ; when it closed with Cedar Creek, this impression had been removed from his mind, and gave place to good sense and a strong desire to quit fighting. The very best troops of the Confederacy had not only been defeated, but had been routed in successive engagements, imtil their spirit and esprit were destroyed." 17.3 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Fourth Year. Under Penrose. petersburg five forks appomattox court house re- view in washington home. Petersburg and Richmond. CZrom the 9tli of December. 1864. to the 5th of February. 1865. ' the First Xew Jersey Brigade rested quietly, being called upon. only to supply its quota for picket and duty in the trenches. The position assigned to the Sixth Corps in front of Peters- l)urg was the left of the army, cavalry being stationed to g^iard the flank. Dut\" in the trenches was arduous and attended with the additii^nal danger of sickness from exposure in damp sur- roundings, without exercise.. The usual camp routine was established, winter quarters built and the Jerseymen disposed themselves to pass another winter in the field. The time was passed, when not on duty, in amuse- ments of different kinds, but the most absorbing was the dis- cussion of the situation. Some thought that the end of the great struggle would come right there, others that Lee would abandon Richmond and try to join Johnston. All could see the waning strength of the enemy and knew that the final struggle was not far off. The ranks of the Brigade began to fill with recruits and con- valescents returning from the hospitals. The Fortieth Regi- ment. Xew Jersey X'olunteefs, was attached to the Brigade, the regiment arriving in camp by comi)anies. Iieing forwarded to the front from Trenton, as soon as a companv was completed and mustered. Tlie first company arrived in camp January 12th. the others coming iu alK)ut a week or ten days apart until March iJth. when the last company arrived. They were attached to FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Ill the Fourth Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, until six com- panies had arrived, when they assumed regimental autonomy, and were commanded by Colonel S. G. Gilkyson. On February 5th, 1865, the First Division, Sixth Corps, marched tO' Hatcher's Run, about ten miles west and south o£ Petersburg, to support the Fifth Corps under General Warren, in an attempt to cut the Richmond and Danville and the Weldon Railroads, which were still held by the Confederates, and sup- plied their army with food and forage. The Fifth Corps was preceded by General Gregg's division of cavalry, which moved out on the Boydtoii plank-road, by which wagon trains were continually passing to and from the nearest railroad station, carrying supplies to the besieged Confederates. Two^ divisions of the Second Corps, now commanded by General A. A. Humph- rey, formerly General Meade's chief of staff, followed the Fifth Corps, but were held in reserve and were posted several miles in the rear. Gordon's and Hill's Corps were the troops of the enemy that confronted Warren. He crossed Hatcher's Run at a place called Vaughan's Crossing, and disposed his troops to give immediate support to^ Gregg's cavalry. At five o'clock in the evening-, the enemy attacked the Second Coirps line, which had been intrenched as soon as they took position, but a fierce and deadly artillery fire forced them back into the woods from which they had emerged. They, however, replied with artillery and kept up a very steady fire for some time. It was at this time that the First Division of the Sixth Corps was brought tO' the front and took position on the right of the Second Corps. The night of the 5th of February was passed by the Jerseymen with great discomfort and no sleep. The winter had been unusually severe, the cold being O'f more than ordinary intensity and duration. In leaving their little log and canvas houses they left behind all comfort and warmth in exchange for exposure and intense cold. An hour or so after midday, General Warren started on a reconnaissance with two divisions of his corps, Crawford's and Ayres', sending General Gregg off to the left to guard that flank, his First Division being held in reserve, and as support to Gen- 178 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. eral Gregg-. When Gregg had gone some distance along the Vaughan road and was approaching Gravelly Run, he was at- tacked bv part of Pegram's division of Gordon's corps, but with the assistance of the First Division, Fifth Corps, under General Grifiin, he drove them back. Crawford's division was now at- tacked by part of the same force. The enemy was repulsed and driven back until they were re-enforced by another division of Gk)rdon's corps, which came into the fight on the left of the Union line and caused some confusion. Two brigades of Ayres' First Division of the Fifth Corps, and a brigade of Griffin's division now came onto the field to support Crawford. Almost at the same time a division of Confederates, under Mahone, re- enforced the enemy, who, upon completing their line, advanced, and charging impetuously, smashed the Union line. A large pro- portion of the Fifth Corps were new recruits and had seen but little active service. The effect of the Confederate charge upon these men was disastrous, for they were stampeded and rushed wildly for the rear, utterly regardless of the efforts of their officers and the veterans in the ranks to check them. Now the Second Brigade of the First Division, Sixth Corps, came into the fight, and deployed into line of battle. They checked the advance of the enemy and served as a rallying point for those of the Fifth Corps who had not gone too far to the rear. The Confederates finding the intrenchments too strong and fully manned to attack successfully with the force they had. withdrew. The new line placed the Second Corps on the left of the army, while the Sixth Corps occupied positions on the right of the Second Corps. Picket affairs were frequent during the winter, some of them of rather serious proportions, but no important move was made until towards the end of March. On the 25th, very early in the morning, in fact while yet dark, the intrenchments and forts in front of the Ninth Corps were attacked and captured by General Gordon. Fort Steadman and three intrenched batteries were captured by the enemy and their advance guard penetrated as far inside the Union line as the military telegraph and railroad lines, but by ten o'clock they had been driven back, losing in the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 179 fight 2,000 prisoners and nine battle-flags. At the first onset the noise of the battle awakened the Second and Sixth Corps. They were quickly fonned, ready to gO' to the relief of the Ninth Corps. By order of General Parke, commanding the Ninth Corps, who was in command of the army while General Meade was at City Point, the First Division of the Sixth Corps was moved out ^t once to render assistance where it was required. By the time it arrived on the field the enemy was being driven back. At I P. M. the division returned to camp. Later in the day, General Wright, acting under a general order issued a day or two previously, formed the Sixth Corps for attack. The object was to capture the enemy's line of intrenched pickets. The advance was spirited and overwhelm- ing, and the intrenched picket line was carried, capturing 550 prisoners. The losses in the Sixth Corps were about 400 killed, wounded and missing. The Confederate picket line was retained and successfully held by the Jerseymen and the other brigades in the face of strong and repeated efforts on the part of the enemy to re-capture them. It was now so evident to all that the end of the great rebellion was at hand that the men were speculating upon the time of their departure for home. The newspapers had kept them fully informed about the magnificent campaign made by General Sherman's army, and the cutting in two of the "Confederacy." They discussed the probable line of retreat of Lee's army, should he be able to get away without an overwhelming battle around Richmond. The battles of Hatcher's Run and Five Forks had been fought by the Confederates in an attempt tO' retain control of the only railroads that could be used to transport their supplies, and had been beaten in both. The Jerseymen were fit and prepared for any emergency, either fighting or rapid marching in pursuit of a retreating foe, and were not surprised when both came. On the night of April ist, General Meade, at a council of his commanding generals, asked General Wright if he thought the Sixth Corps could cap- ture the Confederate main line of defense. The quick response of General Wrigfht was a manifestation O'f the unswerving con- 180 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. rtdence in his men. an enthusiastic tribute of praise to the corps he commanded. His answer. "The Sixth Corps will go through them like a knife." demonstrated his absolute reliance upon their ability and willingness to execute any order given them. Gen- eral Meade then issued orders to attack early on the 2d, making the enemy's earthworks on the left of the Sixth Corps its ob- jective. The Ninth Corps was ordered to attack the earthworks on its front at the same time. Some time before daylight the men were gotten into line, a rather difficult undertaking on account of the intense darkness and the necessity of absolute quiet. The First New Jersey Bri- gade was formed with the Fortieth Regiment in the first line, the Fourth Regiment, second line; the Tenth Regiment, third line, and the Fifteenth Regiment, fourth line. At the first streak of light in the east, the signal, two guns fired in quick succession from Fort Fisher, was given to commence the attack. The enemy, on the lookout for some such demonstration, met the onslaught with a destructive fire of musketry, their batteries cjpening at once. The Jerseymen were not deterred, though some little delay was caused by the Fortieth Regiment being checked in its advance. The gallant Fourth Regiment pushing- through them, followed by the Tenth and Fifteenth, worked their way through the obstructions and in a gallant charge cap- tured the works, driving- the enemy rai)idl}' to the rear. While forming for the attack, the movement was nearly betrayed to the enemy by our pickets opening fire u\K>n the enemy's pickets. The firing was suppressed by the energetic exertions of the officers in command, though the task was a difficult one, owing to the darkness not i^ermitting signs to be seen and the necessity of quietness preventing the officers from giving orders in loud tones. While the Brigade w^as advancing on the earthworks, firing was commenced in the rear of the Brigade, and it was only after rei>eated orders were sent back that tlie firing was stopped. The Confederate main line of defense was carried handsomely on the fronts of both corps. The advantage gained by General \\'right's capture of the enemy's intrenched picket line, three days before, was now demonstrated and fully appreciated, since FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 181 it reduced the distance to be traversed between the Union and Confederate lines to less than 150 yards. The Confederates retreated towards Hatcher's Run, and were closely followed by the Sixth Corps. After pursuing the re- treating eneni}' about four miles the advance guards of the Second and Fifth Corps were met. Finding the field occupied by Union troops, General Wright countermarched and ad- vanced towards Petersburg'. The Second Brigade of the First Division, Sixth Corps, had been ordered to remain in the cap- tured works to prevent their re-capture. They were also to support a strong skirmish line from the Second Division, which had been left when the corps commenced the pursuit. During the absence of the corps, a body of about 600 Confederates re-captured two of the intrenched batteries from which they had been driven early in the morning, and turned the guns upon the Second Brigade. At the same time a body of about the same size issued from the woods on the left of the Brigade, threaten- ing that tiank. The situation was becoming difficult for the Second Brigade, when fortunately a division of the Twenty- Fourth Corps came ontO' the field and relieved them. A little before ten o'clock, the corps returned from the pur- suit, the Second Brigade rejoining the First Division, and the skirmish line returning to its division. The advance towards Petersburg was then resumed, the First Brigade (Jersey Bri- gade) being posted on the left of the Second Division. In this order the corps moved forward about three miles, exposed to a continuous artillery fire both in front and flank, until within two miles of Petersburg, when it halted on the South Side Rail- road. At five o'clock the First Division was formed in two lines, taking position on the left of a division of the Second Corps, with orders to intrench. The day had been a very trying- one. Roused at 3 A. M., formed in line with difficulty, on ac- count of the darkness, the men stood in line awaiting the signal to advance, which was given at half-past four. The dawn re- vealed the advance to the enemy, who opened fire at once. The difficulty of getting a line intact across even the short space to be traversed, was greatly increased by the defensive works of the Confederate lines. Their front was protected by two lines 182 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. of abattis and slashings, tliat is. trees cut partly through and felled in such a way that they crossed and interlaced, the butts l)eing held by the uncut fibre, making it extremely difficult to remove them. The number of pioneers in each brigade had been increased, and an extra supply of axes furnished. When the Union lines reached the abattis, they found but few open- ings, the efforts of the pioneers being greatly hampered by the hot fire of artillery and musketry. The Union lines became dis- ordered, the men of the different organizations somewhat mingled and regiments overlapping. Notwithstanding all this, they never wavered, but pressed forw^ard and broke over the intrench- ments, driving the Confederates back in confusion. The w^orks with their intrenched batteries were captured for a mile and a half along the Sixth Corps front, and the men had sustained their general's confidence in them and their own reputation as strong and stubborn fighters. The loss of the Brigade in this battle was 75, one officer and four men killed, six officers and 62 men wounded, and two men missing. During the night of the 2d and 3d of April the Confederates evacuated Petersburg, retiring to the vicinity of Richmond. While they were quietly withdrawing from Petersburg, prep- arations were making in the Union lines for a vigorous assault on their inner line of intrenchments at daylight. Soon after dawn, the men being in line waiting for the signal to advance, a white flag was displayed by the people of the town. The mayor came out to the picket line, surrendering the town, and told Major Butterfield, to whom he made the surrender, that the commanders of the other corps had been notified. As the Ninth Corps was nearest to Petersburg, they w^ere the first to know the fact and the Second Brigade, First Division, Sixth Corps, w^as the first body of Union troops to enter the place, this brigade having been sent the evening before to report to General Parke, commanding the Ninth Corps. Colonel Hamblin. com- manding the Second Brigade of the Sixth Corps, led his men into the town, and in this way the honor of first entering Peters- burg fell to the "Old Sixth." FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 183 It now became known that the Confederates had abandoned their Capital and were making rapid marches towards Danville. The pursuit was commenced immediately, the troops, in column^ pushing- on towards Amelia Court House. At eight o'clock in the morning of April 3d, the Second Division of the Sixth Corps was in full swing towards Burkeville. The First Division being second in line on this day, took up the line of march at nine o'clock, the Third Division following. The corps marched ten miles and camped near the South Side Railroad, three miles from Sutherland Station. The work of the day before, covering eighteen hours, had exhausted the men greatly, and the march on the 3d was made under difficult conditions. However, a night's rest put the men in shape to renew the pursuit the next morning, April 4th, at five o'clock. The corps marched till eight o'clock when a halt was made to rest the troops and to clear the road for the Fifth Corps wagon train. At two o'clock the march was resumed and continued till dark, the corps camping near Winticomack Creek. At six o'clock on the morning of the 5th, the pursuit was continued, and the corps marched ten miles, when a halt was made to issue rations. The First Jersey Brigade was detached from the corps to guard the trains of the Second and Fifth Corps. By this order the Jersey Brigade was deprived of any participation in the last battle of any importance of the war at Sailor's Creek, when the Sixth Corps, with part of a division of the Second Corps and Sheridan's cavalry, made a brilliant charge, capturing nearly all of the enemy's troops in its front, consisting of two divisions of E well's corps and the marine brigade, the latter fighting stubbornly against overwhelming numbers after the rest of the Confederate troops had ceased fighting. Lieutenant-General Ewell and Major-General Custis Lee, with about 10,000 men and eight battle-flags, fell into the hands of the gallant old Sixth Corps. General Wheaton, commanding the First Division of the Sixth Corps, in his report, page 915, Vol. 46, Part i, Series i, says: "The troops felt the immense importance of success in this the 184 FIRST Xnir JERSEY BRIGADE. l.'Lst battle fought by Lee s Army of Xorthern \'ii-g-inia, and their marching and fighting was all that could be wished." On the 7th of April, the Jersey Brigade rejoined the First I)i\ision and took part in the pursuit of Lee's army. Sometimes the roads were abandoned and the troops took to the fields, marching across country, taking the shortest route to come up with the enemy. The marching was rapid and continued till 9 P. ^L, when camp was made about a mile west of the Appomattox River. At seven o'clock in the morning of the 8th, the men were again on the march towards Xew Store. The march was tedious and wearisome, being kept up until nine o'clock in the evening, when having reached a point two miles west of Xew Store, the men were allowed to go into camp. At five o'clock in the morning of the 9th, the Jerseymen were again moving forward towards Appomattox Court House. After marching four miles, the corps was halted to let the Second Corps move out of camp. The march was resumed at 1 1 o'cl6ck and continued without halt till one o'clock, when the corps was massed four miles from Appomattox Court House, resting and awaiting the outcome of a conference between Generals Grant and Lee. The time hung heavy on the hands of the men of the Sixth Corps, for it was not until five o'clock in the evening that news of Lee's surrender came to them. In General Wheaton's reix)rt, page 916, A ol. 46, Part i, Series — , he says: *'At five o'clock received news of the uncon- ditional surrender of Lee's army, which caused the wildest en- thusiasm aiul heartfelt joy among the troops." The corps went into camp, with the relief that follows strained nerves and muscles. Among the Jerseymen but few had any other thought than that they would soon be on the road home. Much speculation was indulged in as to the disposal of the cap- tured Confederates, and when they heard all the particulars of the surrender, and that the Confederate troops were paroled prisoners until exchanged, there arose a feeling of distrust among some, but the majority felt that their great general had made no wrong mo\c. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 185 Every man felt a pardonable pride in having- assisted so suc- cessfully in terminating- the destructive and desolating war. The fighting was over, the strategic marches finished and all that they could now be called upon to do was to help in cleaning up the disrupted Confederacy. The four years of drilling, marching and fighting had come tO' a glorious end. and the men, tired of the soldier life, vearned for home and loved ones. A twoi days' rest in camp put the men in trim for the home- ward march. At six o'clock on the morning of the i ith of April, the corps moved back toward Burkeville, by way of New Store and Curdsville. camping at Little Willis' River. At six o'clock in the morning of the 12th, the corps resumed its march, arriv- ing at Sandy River at four o'clock in the afternoon, when camp was made. On the 13th the corps continued its march towards j Burkeville Juction on the South Side Railroad, arriving in the j evening. It remained encamped here until the 23d, when it moved to Keysville, in the direction of Danville, where it was ordered to- proceed. It was 100 miles from Burkeville to Dan- ville, and the march was accomplished in a little more than four days, going by way of Clark's Ferry, Halifax Court House and Brooklyn, arriving at Danville on the 27th. When the Sixth Corps had come intO' the vicinity of Danville, the place was sur- rendered, with all the war material and machinery for making- fire-arms, railroad stock and commissary stores. The First Division was distributed along the railroad from Burkeville to- Sutherland Station near Petersburg. The Jersey Brigade was stationed at Sutherland, being distributed by com- panies along- the road west to Wilson's station. On the 1 6th of May camp was broken up and the First Di- vision was embarked on cars and taken to Manchester, arriving there on the 17th and going into camp near the town. It took three days to move the camp, and the whole corps was once more intact. On the 24th. the corps marched through Richmond, being re- viewed by General Halleck. After the review the corps con- ,j^ tinned its march to Hanover Court House, where it camped for ■ the night. 180 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The destination of the corps was Washington, and the march Avas resumed on the morning of the 25th, via Fredericksburg, getting as far as Wolf Run Shoals on the 31st. The route was taken up on June ist in leisurely way, and on the 2d the Sixth Corps arrived at Hall's Hill, near Ball's Cross Roads, where it remained encamped till June 30th. On the 20th of June the First Division of the Sixth Corps was reorganized and was designated the First Division, Provisional Corps. An extract from General Meade's report, page 605, Vol. 46. Part I, Series i, will show the estimation the old Sixth Corps held in the minds of its commanders: ''It has been impossible in the foregoing brief outline of operations to do full justice to the several corps engaged. At the same time I would call attention to the gallant assault on the 2d instant by the Sixth Corps — in my judgement, the decisive movement of the campaign, to the successful attack of the Sixth Corps at Sailor's Creek." And stating in general terms the gallant conduct of the whole army, he says : ''Nothing could exceed the cheerfulness with which all submitted to the fatigue and privations to secure the coveted prize, the capture of the Army of Northern Virginia." Again, on the presentation of captured colors, page 908, Vol. 46, Part I, Series i : "Officers and soldiers of the Sixth Corps, I thank you very much for these numerous proofs of your valor, captured during the recent campaign. I do not wish to make any invidious dis- tinction between your own and other corps of this army. They performetl with valor and courage the part assigned to them. But candor compels one to say that in my opinion, the decisive movement of this campaign, which resulted in the capture of the Army of Northern Virginia, was the gallant and successful as- sault of the Sixth Corps on the morning of April 2d. It was with much pleasure I received a dispatch from your commander assuring me his confidence in your courage was so great that he felt confident of his ability to break through the enemy's lines. I finally ordered the charge to be made at four o'clock on the morning of the 2d, and it was with still greater satisfaction that a few hours afterward I had the pleasure of transmitting a COLONEL BALDY HUFTY, Fourth X. L Vols. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 187 dispatch to the General-in-Chief, telhng him the confidence of your brave commander had been fully borne out. "To you, brave men, I return the thanks of the country and of the army. To each of you a furlough of thirty days will be granted to enable you to present these proofs of your valor to the War Department. Let us all hope that the work upon which we have been engaged for nearly four years is over, that the South will return to its allegiance, and that our beloved flag will once more float over a peaceful and undivided country, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico." On the 15th of April, General Frank Wheaton, commanding the First Division, sent to headquarters. Sixth Corps, six battle- flags, two of which were captured by members of the Jersey Brigade — battle-flag of the Forty-sixth North Carolina Regi- ment, taken by Lieutenant Brant, of the First Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers ; battle-flag, name of regiment unknown, taken by Private Frank Fesq, Fortieth Regiment, New Jersey Vol- unteers. General Wheaton's report contains the names of the following officers of the First New Jersey Brigade recommended for pro- motion for gallant conduct and conspicuous braveiy in the ardu- ous duties of the campaign : First Battalion — First Lieutenant William Brant to be Captain by brevet. Fourth Regiment — Lieutenant-Colonel Baldwin Hufty to be Colonel. Brevet Major William McElhany to be Lieutenant-Colonel by brevet. Captain Joseph R. Wills to be Major by brevet. First Lieutenant W. L Ackley to be Captain by brevet. First Lieutenant E. R. Howard to be Captain by brevet. Tenth Regiment — • Major James N. McNeely to be Lieutenant-Colonel. Captain John Wilson to be Major by brevet. Fifteenth Regiment — Major Ebenezer Davis, to be Lieutenant-Colonel. Brevet Major C. R. Paul to be Lieutenant-Colonel by brevet. 188 1-IRSr SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Captain J. Penrose, to l^e ]\Iajor by brevet. Captain J. P. Crater to be Major by brevet. Captain Dayton E. Flint to be Major by brevet. Captain James H. Conings to be Major by brevet. First Lieutenant J. R. McCauley to be Captain by brevet. First Lieutenant H. Edward Lewis to be Major l)y brevet. Fortieth Regiment — Major J. Augustus Fay to be Lieutenant-Colonel. Captain diaries E. Grant to be Major by brevet. Captain A. J. Mandeville to be Major by brevet. Captain Ellwood Lippincott to be Major by brex'et. Captain John W. Goodenough to be Captain l)y brevet. First Lieutenant Jonathan Maguire to be Captain by brevet. First Lieutenant Samuel W. Downs to l^e Captain by brevet- First Lieutenant George W. Breen to be Captain by brevet. Second Lieutenant James Phillips to be First Lieutenant by brevet. Homeward AIarcti. The Sixth Corps arrived at Hall's Hill on June 2d and en- camped there. Hall's Hill is not far from Munson's Hill, so well remembered by the Jerseymen, and but a few miles from \\'ash- ington. General Wright, knowing- that the fame of the corps would attract many visitors from Washington, was desirous that the camp should be made as attractive as possible, consistent with the regulations. To that end he liad the companv streets and parade thoroughly jioliced and the tents pitched in perfect align- ment. He also ordered the tents to be raised eighteen inches from the ground, w hich was somewhat of a problem for even the old campaigners, since neither tools nor material were provided. However, the resourceful old veterans soon surmounted the difficulty. The camp being finished, the men were kept busy making preparations for the march to Wasliington. to be re- viewed. The Sixth Corps having had the duty of guarding the government property during the months of April and May after Lee's surrender, were not in time to participate in the grand review of the two armies on the 22(\ and 23d of Ma v. at which FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 189 time the Army of the Potomac and the cavahy corps were received by the President and Lieiitenant-General on one day, and the army under General Sherman the next day. On June 4th, the quartermasters of regiments were notified from headquarters to make requisition for such articles of cloth- ing and equipment as would be necessary to make the troops fit for inspection and in perfect trim. Coats, blouses, pants, shoes, socks, caps, corps badges and white gloves were included in these requisitions and were issued at once. On June 5th, an order was read at dress parade giving the Jerseymen the opportunity to enlist in the Regular Army. About this time a depot of the Sanitary Commission was estab- lished in the immediate neighborhood of the camp of the Jersey Brigade, so that the men were enabled to provide themselves with such necessary articles as combs, hair and shoe brushes, needles and thread, pins, letter paper and envelopes and a few extras for the mess. This admirable institution, after a career of usefulness of four years' duration, was soon to be discontinued. It had fed thousands of troops going to the front and returning, supplied the sick with the kind O'f food necessary for invalids, furnished the camps in the field with reading matter and thousands of small articles necessary to the comfort of the men, which were not readily obtainable in any other way. On June 6th, the following order was read at dress parade : General Order No. 19. In accordance with instructions from headquarters, Army of the Potomac, this corps will be passed in review through Washington city on Thursday, the 8th inst., in the following order: First, the Major-General commanding, staff and escort; second, First Division, Brevet Major-General Wheaton com- manding; third. Second Division, Brevet Major-General Getty commanding; fourth, Third Division, Brevet Major-General Ricketts commanding; fifth, Artillery Brigade, Brevet Major Cowan commanding; sixth, detachment Fiftieth New York Engineers, Brevet Major Van Brocklin commanding, with pontoon equipage in the order specified. The troops will move from their camps at 4 A. M. of that day, and, cross- ing Long Bridge and proceeding up Maryland Avenue, will be massed with the head of column on Pennsylvania Avenue, at the foot of the Capitol grounds. At 9 A. M. the column will be put in motion along Pennsylvania Avenue, taking wheeling distance by head of column, and, passing the review- ing stand in front of the President's house, will return to the camps by way of Aqueduct Bridge. 13 F B 190/ FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. On massing with the head of the column at the foot of the Capitol grounds, as above directed, the formation of the infantry column will be by companies, equalized for each regiment and not exceeding twenty files. When the com- pany front exceeds this the formation will be by platoons. The artillery will move with battery front, and the pontoon train as may be directed by its commander. Six ambulances will follow each brigade, three abreast. On starting from the Capitol the troops will march with cadenced step to Seventeenth Street, and arms will be carried at right shoulder shift from the Capitol to the State Department and thence at shoulder past the reviewing stand to Seventeenth Street. All commissioned officers will salute, and divi- sion and brigade commanders, after passing, will turn out and join the review- ing officer while their commands are passing. Brigade bands, after passing the reviewing stand, will be turned out to the right and continue playing until the brigade to which they belong has passed. The corps flag will be placed at a point six paces before reaching the re- viewing stand, to indicate the place at which officers and flags are to salute. As the reviewing stand will be on the left of the column the guide of the column will be on the left. All unarmed men and those unable to make the march will be left behind as camp guards. The troops will move without knapsacks and w'ith one day's rations in their haversacks. By order of Major-General Wright. June 7th was passed in making preparations for tlie review. The men cleaned and burnished their arms and accouterments and prepared the one day's rations they were to carry with them. Inspection was held and everything" put in shape for the event of the morrow. At 2 A M. of the 8th, the reveille was sounded and at 4 A. M. the column was formed and the march to the Long Bridge over llie Potomac was commenced. The men realizing that the last function of the corps was in progress, stepped out jauntily. The head of the column arrived at the Capitol grounds at about seven o'clock, and the fonnation for the march up Pennsylvania Ave- nue was made. The directions for forming column contained in General Wright's order were strictly followed. Companies were equal- \7.Q(\ so as to make them all the same size and twenty files front. The men were spick-and-span, arms bright and gleaming, and as the column moved forward, the splendid marching and' steady lines made a great impression on the throngs that had gathered tt) see the famous corps. The following is an extract from the Washington letter to the New York Times of June 9th, 1865 • FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 191 "The last of the veterans have been reviewed. The war-worn and battle-scarred Sixth Army Corps to-day marched through Washington and exhibited its tattered banners and admirable organization to thousands of spectators. The pageant was only less important that that of two weeks ago because less in size, but there were hundreds of eager eyes that gazed with satisfac- tion upon the battalions, remembering that not quite a year ago it was the Sixth Corps which held the enemy at bay before Washington, and drove liimi defeated from the very suburbs of the city. "So the presence of this body of brave men quickened the interest of a certain class of Washington's own people, who have, perhaps, too little of the patriotic fervor of the cause, but who still do not foTget the value of the service rendered, real estate being worth full as much now as it was when Brecken- ridge and Early pitched their tents on the borders of the district. "The dusty veterans of the Sixth Corps have a proud record. The colors are far too small for the inscription of the names of all their battles, and there are hundreds of officers and men who have been under fire a round hundred times. "The term 'Sheridan's heavy cavalry,' was applied to the Sixth Corps by someone who had a singularly correct idea of its sig- nificance, for the most brilliant victories of the Valley were those in which the 'heavy cavalry' came vigorously to the support of the light cavalry, and which, on the 19th of October, under the inspiring presence of Sheridan himself, wrested victory from the very jaws of defeat, and which again in the final rout of Lee, overhauled, defeated and captured the rear guard of Ewell, and sent to the rear 10,000 prisoners, innumerable flags and can- non and half a score of major-generals. So if if the Sixth Corps marched to-day with a vigorous step and proud spirit, they were entitled to do so by all that goes to make valiant and victorious soldiers. "At precisely 9:30 o'clock, Major-General Wright and staff, with the Sixth Corps flag floating gaily in the breeze, turned the corner of Fifteenth Street and entered the avenue in front of the President's house. Following, at a brief interval, came Brevet Major-General Frank Wheaton, commanding the First 10-2 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Division, a soldier whose name is inseparably connected with the s^allant achievements of the Sixth Corps. The First Brigade of tile division is led by Brevet Brigadier-General Penrose, a grad- uate of the New Jersey Heavy Artillery,* which he leads, and in his brigade are battalions of the First, Second, Third and Fourth Xew Jersey Regiments, once composing the brigade led by the gallant Kearny. From this brigade he reluctantly retired to take command of the First Division of the Third Corps, under Heintzelman, then lying in front of Yorktown. How well he fought, history can tell. Chantilly was his last. Ever in the battle front, his example endeared him to his men, Avho still venerate his name." The column was nearly two hours in passing the reviewing stand, which was occupied by the President, Secretary of War, Generals Meade, Hancock and many others. The long proces- sion of 25,000 men made a deq) impression on those who wit- nessed the review, the fine marching, even distances and perfect alignment, set off by the bright arms and accouternients. new uniforms and white gloves, made a tout-cnscnihlc of perfect organization, composed of perfect soldiers. iVfter the review, the march back tO' camp was made by a remnant of the corps. Many of the men had found friends in the city, others, glad to escape for a little while the monotony of camp life, remained in Washington. But the greater number of delinquents were those who were too greatly exhausted to continue the marchj and dropped out of ranks. The day had i)een long, the weather hot and the road dusty, making it a most difficult and trying one for the men. The Jerseymen were not exempt from these disabilities, so that but a corporal's guard from each battalion and regiment answered roll-call at retreat. The men straggled into camp during the evening and night, but no notice was taken of the irregularity, discipline being relaxed for the o'ccasion. Considerable latitude was allowed during these last days of service, which was taken advantage of by those who had always been more or less intractable, to make demonstrations, particularly at night. Evidently a misapprehension on reporter's part. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 193 The men remained quiet in camp for a few days. Then the spirit of restlessness seemed to seize them, and various demon- strations were gotten up by the more reckless of the disgruntled. To bring back a realizing sense of discipline and keep them out of mischief, drill was ordered. Governor Marcus L. Ward, of New Jersey, had visited the First New Jersey Brigade on June 2d, the day it arrived at Hall's Hill. He had always shown such keen interest in the Jersey troops and had given so' many proofs of his friendship for the "boys" that his reception by them was most enthusiastic. In some way the impression was prevalent that the Governor would take the Brigade back to Trenton when the review had taken place, and considerable discontent was manifested when, after marching back to camp, it became evident that it would be retained in the United States service some time longer. The absence of orders to make out muster-out rolls, the resumption of drill and parade and various other duties, deepened the feel- ing of disappointment. This restlessness and discontent took the form of demon&trations which were made at night, proces- sions being formed, and, sometimes with a drum corps, some- times singing camp songs, they marched through the camps cheering some of the officers and ''groaning" for others. The men carried lighted candles, making a very pleasing effect. On June 20th, the First Division of the Sixth Corps was made the First Division of the Provisional Corps, the other two divi- sions of this new organization being formed from the Second and Fifth Corps. The men still showing signs of restlessness, an order was issued to have the tents shaded by setting boughs of trees in full leaf, around and over them. This was done to keep the men busy and make them more comfortable. On June 22d, the Tenth Regiment was mustered out of service, and ordered to report at Trenton, On the same day the Fifteenth Regiment was mustered out. On June 29th, the First and Third Battalions were mustered out and sent home. On July 9th, the Fourth Regiment followed the First and Third Battalions, and on July nth the Second Battalion was dis- 194 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. charged, leaving only the Fortieth Regiment. This regiment was discharged on July 13th, bringing to an end the career of the First New Jersey Brigade. In going over the standing of this Brigade in the Army of the Potomac, it is easily seen that there were but few organizations of its size that equaled it in discipline, steadfast courage and willingness to meet any emergency and sacrifice. The thorough training given to the four regiments that originally composed this Brigade by the brilliant soldier who w'as its first commander, showed itself on every field and in every camp. And this leavened those other regiments which from time to time were added to the Brigade to keep up the brigade organization. And it is due in a great measure to the efforts and personal influence of its last Brigade commander, that the Brigade was wholly a Brigade of Jerseymen. General Penrose made personal appeals to the Governor of New Jersey and to the War Department to fill up the old regiments with recruits from New Jersey, or in default of that to add new regiments of Jerseymen to the Brigade. In this way the famous Brigade was kept a distinctly Jersey Brigade. And no less can be counted for the gallant men wdio fought and marched in the ranks, for to their splendid achievements on the battlefield, their manly and soldierlike appearance and con- duct in camp, the ecomium uttered by McClellan is due, ''the best Brigade in the Army of the Potomac.'' For the gaining of these laurels great sacrifices were made, and the lives of such men as Hatfield and Tucker, Taylor and Hatch, Collet and Weibecke and Boeman, and a long list of officers and men, were given. .The small squad of original Jersey Brigade men who returned in 1865 was a most pathetic proof of the magnificent material of which it was composed. It would not be more than right to give here General Meade's farewell address to the Army of the Potomac on June 28th, which, though intended for the whole army, applies to each mem- ber of it, and as the Jersey Brigade was a not insignificant part of that army it will not be amiss to reproduce it here : "Soldiers! This day, two years, I assumed command of you under the orders of the President of the United States. To-dav, FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 195 by virtue of the same authority, this army ceasing to exist, I have to announce my transfer to other duties and my separation from you. "It is unnecessary to enumerate here all that has occurred in these two eventful years, from the grand and decisive battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the war, to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House. Suffice it to say that history will do you justice, a grateful country will honor the living, cherish and support the disabled, and sin- cerely mourn the dead. "In parting from you, your commanding general will ever bear in memory your noble devotion to your country, your patience and cheerfulness under all the privations and sacrifices you have been called upon to endure. "Soldiers, having accomplished the task set before us, having vindicated the honor and integrity of our Government and flag, let us return thanks to Almighty God for His blessing in granting us victory and peace, and let us earnestly pray for strength and light to discharge our duties as citizens as we have endeavored to discharge them as soldiers. "Geo. G. Meade, ''Major-General, United States Army." The battles in which the First New Jersey Brigade participated were, West Point, Gaines' Mill, Charles City Cross Roads, Grove- ton (Second Manassas), Crampton's Pass, Antietam, Fredericks- burg, Salem Church, Maryes Heights, Fairfield, Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Opequon, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Petersburg. Besides these the Brigade was present on the field and exposed to fire in the following battles : Savage Station, Malvern Hill, Bull Run, Gettysburg, Rappahan- nock Station, Mine Run, Siege of Petersburg, Hatcher's Run and Sailer's Creek. There were also a number of small affairs in which casualties occurred, such as skirmishes between pickets, reconnaissances and expeditions that were not enumerated on account of their insig- nificance, but which took toll of the lives of the participants. 196 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The Tenth Regiment. The Tenth Reg-iment had a history peculiar to itself. Being recruited under authority from the War Department, without the consent and against the w ishes of the Governor of New Jersey, its earlier experience was very similar to that of the First Cavalry, which was raised under like circumstances. The or- ganization was first known as the "Olden Legion." It was re- cruited by \\'illiam Bryan, of Beverly (at which place it had its headquarters), who was its first Colonel, John M. Wright being Lieutenant-Colonel, and Matthew Berryman, Major; Captain Henry A. Perrine, of Company K, afterwards JNIajor of the regiment, was also one of the original officers. The regiment proceeded to Washington in December, 1861, but for a time was of little ser\ace, falling almost immediately, indeed, into disrepute, owing to its defective organization and the absence of all proper discipline. In January, 1862, the Secre- tary of War applied to Governor Olden to take charge of the organization as part of the quota of New Jersey and place it on a proper footing for serv'ice, but this the latter declined to do, l)eing unwilling to become responsible for the character of an organization raised and officered in contravention of all the rules he had established and observed in organizing other regi- ments. Later in the same month, however, the Governor was again appealed to b}- the Secretar\' of War, who stated, among other things, that it would be necessary to disband the regiment unless the State would assume control of and properly arrange it. Thus appealed to. Governor Olden sent for Colonel \\'illiani R. Murphy, in whose discretion he had confidence, and after referring to his uniform opposition to the regiment on account of the manner in which it was raised, proposed to accede to the request of the War DepartmciU. provided that Colonel Murphy would accept the command, and address himself to the task of rescuing the regiment from the demoralization into which it had fallen. After a full and free conference, Colonel Murphy FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 197 acquiesced in the proposition of the Governor on condition that the Quartermaster of the State should be directed to equip and supply the regiment like the others, and that he (the Colonel) should be permitted to select its officers. These conditions being assented to, Colonel Murphy at once prepared to accept the com- mand, and on the 19th of February, 1862, reported to Brigadier- General Casey at Washington, was mustered in and ordered to join the regiment. At this time the command was in an almost hopeless condi- tion. One of the radical defects of its organization consisted in the fact that it included a company enlisted and equipped as cavalry, thus impairing its unity and necessitating a diversity of drill and discipline eminently prejudicial to its regimental character. Many, if not all the men, attached to this company, were in arrest for refusing to do infantry duty, and chaos pre- vailed in all directions. The matter was at once brought to the notice of the Commanding General, who, seeing that a wrong had been done to these men either through ignorance or by design, issued an order to muster them out, while at the same time authority was given tO' the Governor by the War Depart- ment to recruit a company of infantry tO' complete the regimental organization. This being done, followed by the discharge of a considerable number on account oi physical disability, and the commissioning and mustering of field and company officers, the prospect of regimental usefulness became more encouraging. But before this was completed, the Army of the Potomac had gone to the Peninsula, leaving- the regiment attached to the command of Brigadier-General Wadsworth. The morale of the regiment continued to improve rapidly, and this, together with its superior soldier-like appearance, as compared with others, soon attracted attention, and early in the summer of 1862 it was ordered into Washington and placed upon provost-duty. The command, however, soon became anxious for more active service, and the Colonel, who' fully shared this feeling, accord- ingly remonstrated with the authorities against the detention of the regiment at that post, when, as it seemed to him, it could be more usefully employed elsewhere. To all his entreaties, how- ever, but one reply was made, namely, that his was the only 198 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. regiment that could be trusted, and with this gratifying but unsatisfactory compliment he was obliged to be content. The regiment continued doing provost-duty during the entire re- mainder of the year — Major Charles H. Tay, of the Second' Regiment, being in September appointed Lieutenant-Colonel — and in the early part of 1863 permanent barracks were erected for its occupation. This seeming to indicate that no change in the character of its duties was to be expected. Colonel Murphy, who had hoped for active service, on the 12th of March resigned his commission as Colonel, and Colonel H. O. Ryerson, fonnerly of the Second Regiment and more recently of the Tw-enty-third. was appointed in his place. At length, on the 12th of April, the desire of the regiment • for service elsew'here was gratified, orders being received direct- ing it to proceed at once to Suffolk, then menaced by the enemy in force under Longstreet. Suffolk being an important railroad junction, lying at the head of the Nansemond, twelve miles from its confluence with the James River, covering the landward ap- proaches to Norfolk, and virtually commanding that part of North Carolina east of the Chowan River, its occupation by our troops was of the greatest importance, and it had, therefore, early been seized and fortified. No serious demonstration, how- ever, had been made against it until April loth, wdien Longstreet suddenly ad\anced with a force of some forty thousand men, designing to cross the Nansemond, and seize the roads to Nor- folk, uix)n which he might then march unmolested. General Peck, how^ever, penetrating his designs, prepared promptly to defeat them, and it was to aid in the execution of his plans that the Tenth, with other regiments, was hurried to his department. Reaching its destination, the regiment, being attached to Cor- coran's brigade, was placed in the works at the front, extending across the Edenton road, active operations meanwhile going on at other ix^ints of the line. At length, on the 24th of April, it was sent out on a reconnaissance on the Edenton road, with a view of ascertaining the location, strengfth and plans of the enemy, the movement resulting in a lively skirmish, in which ihc enemy's outposts were driven back. The loss of the Tenth was only one or two men wounded. The regiment w'as not ^ FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 199 again engaged until the 4th of May, when Longstreet having raised the siege, General Peck sent out a column of some seven thousand men, including Corcoran' s brigade, in pursuit. Coming up with the enemy at Carsville, near the Blackwater, the Tenth speedily became engaged, capturing some prisoners and inflicting considerable loss on the retreating foe. This was the first severe engagement in which the regiment had participated, but the men behaved with marked steadiness, showing that the discipline to which they had been subjected had not been without influence in maturing their soldierly character. The regiment lost several men killed and wounded. Longstreet having abandoned the siege, many of the troops under General Peck were withdrawn for service elsewhere, the Tenth being ordered tO' join the Army of the Potomac during the month of July. Upon arriving at Washington, it was sent to Philadelphia, where it was feared the enforcement of the conscription would lead to disturbances of the peace. Here the regiment remained for twO' months on provost-duty, becoming very popular with the citizens, who flocked in crowds to witness its dress-parades. The discipline of the regiment at this time was equal, perhaps, to that of any regiment in the service, and elicited cordial commendation from all who visited the camp. In the month of September, the regiment was sent to Pottsville, Pennsylvania, where there were indications of riots among the miners, and thence was ordered to the fords of the Potomac near Shepherdstown, were it remained about a month, doing picket duty with other troops, the rebels under Imboden threat- ening a raid into- that part of Maryland. In November, riots having broken out in other parts of the mining regions of Pennsylvania, it was ordered to Maucli Chunk, where it was placed in charge oi the sub-military district of Carbon, com- posed of the County of Carbon and part of Luzerne, one com- pany remaining at Mauch Chunk, and the others placed at various points — the right and left companies being stationed seventeen miles distant from each other. Here the regiment re- mained all winter. During much of this time, Colonel Ryerson was president of a commission which tried many of the semi- rebels of that region, who were encouraging desertions, inter- 200 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. fering with recruiting, interrupting mining operations and mur- dering loyalists conspicuous for their devotion to the national cause. Lieutenant-Colonel Tay was also engaged for a time on court-martial duty. During the winter, the regiment re-enlisted and was otherwise recruited, but to such an extent were desertions instigated by the tories of that section, that the Colonel, who was also anxious to be united with the Army of the Potomac, urged the Department to place his command in tlie held. This request was finally granted, aiid in the month of .April, the regiment proceeded to Brandy Station, where it was attached to the First New Jerse}- Brigade, only a short time before the army crossed the Rapidan in the grand movement against Richmond. The record of the regiment from this time forward was almost identical with that of the First Brigade, which is elsewhere given. It shared in all the battles of the Wilderness and fought with its corps all the way to Petersburg, on every field displac- ing conspicuous gallantry. In the battle of the 6th of May, it suffered severely, especially in the assault of the rebel General Gordon on our right, made just before dark. In the engage- ment resulting from this assault, the regiment lost nearly one entire company in prisoners alone. Among the mortally wounded on this day, was Colonel Ryerson. Diu-ing the 7th, the regiment was not engaged, but on the evening of the 8th. it again met the foe. .\t this lime, Warren's corps, which, com- ing up with the enemy at Alsop's Farm early in the day. had vainly essayed to carry liis position, was preparing to make a second attack, and the Sixth Corps having arrived, one division was ordered to take part in the movement. The Tenth Regi- ment — no other regiment of the First Brigade participating — was accordingly ])ut in on the right of Crawford's division of the Fifth (Warren's) Corps, and moving forward, bravely at- tacked the enemy in its front. Unfortunately, however, the regiment on its left l>ecame in some way separated from it. and the two being thus isolated, were pounced upon bv the enemy with great celerity and force; compelling them to give way, with heavy loss — the Tenth having eightv men and several officers captured, including Colonel Tay, who, being with the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 201 Other prisoners, taken to the rear, was next day started for Richmond, but was fortunately on the same day rescued from the hands of his guards by General Sheridan, at Beaver Dam Station. The total loss of the regiment up to this time, aside from prisoners, had been one hundred and thirteen — ^eighteen killed and ninety-five wounded. In the fighting along the Po, the Tenth shared with the brigade, and at Cold Harbor again suffered largely, being in the first day's engagement in the third line of battle, and losing some seventy in killed and wounded. In the assault upon the enemy's position on June 3d, the regi- ment charged alone at a peculiarly exposed p9int, and sustained heavy loss, amounting in all to some sixty-five killed and wounded. From this time forward until the appearance of the army before Petersburg, the regiment was constantly on duty, responding cheerfully to all demands upon it, and on all oc- casions acquitting itself with eminent credit. Transferred with the First Brigade to the Shenandoah Val- ley, the Tenth was there, too, found equal to every emergency. On the 15th of August, it participated in a sharp picket skir- mish near Strasburg, and two days after took part in the battle of Winchester, assisting (with the rest of the brigade) to hold the whole of Early's army in check for a period of six hours. In this engagement the Tenth was formed on the left of the Fourth Regiment and held its position until heavily over- lapped by the enemy on the left, and even then, with its am- munition exhausted, stood firm, after a part of the brigade — right wing — had retired. From some cause, inexplicable to those most vitally concerned, no order was sent to the regiment to withdraw, and the result necessarily was, that holding on from moment to moment, fighting and waiting, it was gradually surrounded, so that when at last the attempt was made to fall back, it only fell into the snare set for it. The regiment not only lost considerably in killed and wounded, but also in pris- oners. Colonel Tay being again captured with one. hundred and fifteen men of the brigade — mainly of the left wing. At the close of this affair, the Tenth, which crossed the Rapidan in May with six hundred men, had only eighty men left for duty — a fact which exhibits more forcibly than any words the 202 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. severity of the experience which it had been called upon to iindergo. In the subsequent battles in the Valley, the regiment, feeble as it was, bravely maintained its reputation. During the winter of 1864-5, having with the brigade rejoined the army before Petersburg, and being largely recruited, it participated in the various movements which resulted so detrimentally to the enemy, and in the grand assault of the 2d of April, rendered dis- tinguished service. AVhen the rebel flag went down at Appo- mattox, it turned its face homeward, reaching the vicinity of Washington, four hundred and fifty strong, on the 2d of June. Thence, some weeks after, it proceeded to Trenton, and was in ■due time discharged. Its record, from the day it took the field, was one of sublime devotion to the work in which the nation was engaged, and in the legends and chronicles of the firesides to which its survivors came back scarred and laureled, its deeds will live for long years to come. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 203 The Fifteenth Regiment. The Fifteenth Regiment was organized at Fleniington in July and August, 1862. Three companies were recruited in Sussex County, two in Warren, two in Hunterdon, twO' in Morris and one in Somerset, and all were composed of men of superior physical strength and capacities of endurance. The regiment was mustered jnto the United States service on the 25th of August, and on the 27th left for Washington, numbering nine hundred and twenty-five officers and men. Colonel Samuel Fowler commanding. Reaching the Capital, it encamped at Tennallytown, where it remained for about a month, engaged in drill and acquiring discipline for future service. While here, the men were also employed upon the defences of Washington, slashing timber, making military roads, and throwing up earth- works — Fort Kearny being constructed entirely by their labor. On the 30th of September, the regiment proceeded by rail to Frederick, Maryland, and thence marched across tO' Bakersville, passing the battle-field of Antietam and Sharpsburg. At Bakersville, it was assigned to the First (Jersey) Brigade, First Division, Sixth Army Corps, and henceforth participated in the hardships, battles and triumphs of the Army of the Potomac. The month of delay which followed was diligently improved by the regiment, field-exercise and drill being practiced daily; and when, at last, the army moved across the Potomac, the new re- cruits had been transformed into soldiers who were worthy to march with the veterans whose deeds had already covered our anns with undying glory. The order to march, when (on the 31st of October) the army broke camp, was obeyed by the Fifteenth with true soldierly alacrity. But one thing was universally regretted, and that was the inability of Colonel Fowler, the chivalrous commander, who was dangerously ill with typhoid fever, to accompany the regi- ment. His ability and energy had been manifested in recruiting and rapidly preparing for the field an unusually fine body of 204 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. men; but his high ambition to lead them into actual combat was ne\ei" gratified, and he never after assumed command. When he rejoined the regiment after the first battle of Fredericksburg, it was with a shattered constitution, and though he followed the army for a few weeks, the surgeons pronounced him unfit for duty, and he was mustered out of service. He was ever held in affectionate remembrance by officers and men, and when intelli- gence of his death afterwards reached the command, not a few stout hearts were wrung by grief that so promising a career had so soon and unexpectedly been closed. At New Baltimore, General McClellan took his farewell of the army, and. attended b\- General Burnside. his successor, did the New Jersey Brigade the honor of riding entirely around their camp, receiving a cordial welcome. After a week's delay at Warrenton, the army moved to Stafford Court House, with Fredericksburg as its objective. Another delay, however, gave the enemy an opportunity to concentrate his forces, and when, on the night of the loth of December, the advance was resumed, Fredericksburg was in a state of perfect defense. The Fifteenth reached Stafford Heights on the morning of the nth, but did not become engaged, though witnesses of the cannonading of the doomed town. \i sundown the army was massed in the plain north of the Rappahannock, during the night the pontoon l^ridges were laid, and at daylight the First Brigade crossed, moving rapidly up the hill to the edge of the plain, in full view of the enemy on the heights. At two o'clock p. m.. forming in line of battle, it advanced swiftly across the plain, the rebel batteries meanwhile opening vigorously. The men of the Fif- teenth were under fire for the first time, but they did not falter. Before the rebels had fairly got the range, Deep Run Creek was reached, and in the chasm it opened the regiment found protection, though a few causalties occurred from the explosion of shells. On the following day. 13th, the army advanced early in the morning right and left, and a fearful struggle soon commenced. During most of the day the Fifteenth was stationed along the line of the railroad, keeping up a musketry fire, and now and then charging upon the enemy, with little loss on either side. Late in the afternoon, a more decided movement FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 205 was made on the immediate front, but the brigade was forced back with very considerable loss, Colonel Hatch, of the Fourth Regiment, who led the charge, being wounded in the knee, re- quiring amputation of the leg, from the effects of which he died a few days after. A large number of the Fourth were captured, tog'ether with a number from the Twenty-third and Fifteenth. The total loss in the latter regiment was about thirty. Among the killed was Sergeant-Major John P. Fowler, whose name had been proposed for a commission. Captain Slater, of French- town, lost a leg, and bore the amputation with much patience and Christian fortitude. Major James M. Brown, who dis- played great courage and activity, received a painful contusion in the thigh from a bullet, which disabled him for some time. In addition tO' this hurt, an old wound, received while a Captain in the Third Regiment, which shattered his jaw and partially paralyzed his tongue, broke out afresh, rendering his resignation, when cold weather set in, imperative. He was subsequently ap- pointed Provost-Marshal of the Fourth Congressional District, and continued tO' hold the office until it was abolished with the return of peace. Bravely as the army had fought, it could not accomplish the impossible, and on the night of the 15th, General Burnside with- drew his forces, who settled down at Falmouth and White Oak Church. The winter which followed, marked by no signs of activity other than the "Mud March," was for the most part one of great gloom and suffering. The troops, especially those who experienced for the first time a winter's hardships in the field, felt it severely. The typhoid fever prevailed; without proper tents or facilities for building . log huts, lying on the wet, spongy ground, without vegetable food, illy-provided with shoes and clothing, and firewood scarce, the men suffered and died by hundreds. Among the victims in the Fifteenth was the Ho'spital Ste^^•ard, John R. Hilton, who died nobly in the path of duty. But at length, the winter, dreary and sad, passed away, and active work again commenced. In the latter part of April, 1863, Colonel William H. Penrose, a native of Michigan and a Lieutenant in the Third United States Infantry, took command of the regiment, and' on the 29th, having broken camp at 14 F B •20G FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. White Oak Church the day previous, the Brigade crossed the Rappahannock at Frankhn's crossing, to co-operate in the move- ment against the enemy at Chancellorsville, whither the bulk of the army was already moving. During the day (29th), the Fifteenth was kept in position near the river, but in the evening was sent on picket in the open plain, within four hundred feet of the enemy. Two days after rifle trenches were dug, which it occupied until the night of May 2d, when our skirmishers drove in the enemy's line and held the plain to the foot of the heights. On the 3d, at daylight, the brigade moved rapidly out from its position, in the face of a sharp rebel fire — the Fifteenth reaching the turnpike road and having a severe skirmish, in which it lost several men killed and three bodies left on the field, the lo^s in all being twenty, subsequently, the regiment being captured, the Fifteenth about noon was withdrawn from the extreme left, and marching through the town, pushed up the plank road over the heights in the direction of Salem Church. At four o'clock p. m. the command halted, and in obedience to orders, two hours after, was hurried into position on the right of the brigade, encountering the heaviest fire it had yet made. Charging gallantly through a thick wood, the enemy was found ad\antageously posted behind a wall and ditch, but the Fif- teenth, with royal courage, bravely faced all obstacles, maintain- ing the fight until eight o'clock p. m., when, owing to a want of concert of action, it was compelled to fall back, having lost in killed, wounded and missing, one hundred and thirty men, which number, added to the twenty of the morning, swelled the losses of the day to one hundred and fifty. The fighting at Chancellors- ville having meanwhile proved disastrous, it was found neces- sary to withdraw the army, which in the case of the Sixth Corps was a hazardous undertaking, but was accomplished on the night of the 4th without loss. After re-crossing the Rappahannock at Banks' Ford, the regi- ment returned to its old camp, where it remained until June 6th. when it l)roke camp, and on the evening of the 7th, once more crossed the river at Franklin's crossing, and taking position in the old rifle pits, awaited an expected attack. During the ensu- inq- week strong works were constructed on the brow of the hill FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 207 o^•erlooking the plain below Fredericksburg, but no' conflict re- sulting, the regiment on Saturday night re-crossed the pontoon bridge, afterwards hauling the boats from the river — a few men in the darkness and confusion being left behind. Still moving forward — the army now being ordered in pursuit of Lee, who was moving into Pennsylvania — the regiment finally reached Fairfax Station, where, after a halt of some days, it again (on the 26th of June) advanced, crossing the Potomac near Ed- ward's Ferry. On the night of July ist, leaving the vicinity of Manchester, Maryland, it moved in a northwesterly direction until it struck the Littleton pike, and thence through Littleton and Two Taverns, reaching Gettysburg at three o'clock p. m. of the 2d, having marched thirty-five miles in sixteen hours, and mostly without food. At seven o'clock p. m. the brigade was sent to the front, but though the battle was in progress, did not become engaged. The ground in its front was that from which Sickles had been driven, but the enemy in turn being driven back, the men slept in position on their arms. But the wakeful ones heard, all through the night, the moans and cries of the wounded, who had been gathered into the houses or barns, or lay imcared for upon the bloody field. On the morning of the 3d, the brigade, after various move- ments, occupied a rocky knoll, something lige an eighth of a mile from Little Round Top, in the direction of the town. The enemy being, after three hours' stubborn fighting, repulsed and the position secured upon the right, a lull in the combat ensued, interrupted only by artillery fighting from left. But all the morning Lee had been placing his artillery and massing his troops for a grand assault, and at length one hundred and fifty pieces opened all along his lines, hurling great showers of mis- siles against our position. Fortunately, however, the First Bri- gade escaped with only a trifling loss. "Upon the rocky knell, fronted with trees," writes a member of the Fifteenth, "our position was indefinite, and most of the missiles passed over our heads harmlessly, bursting in our rear, or going too low, struck in the hill below us. Several men were injured by shells ex- ploding in the air, but in general the regiment was unharmed. A\'ith arms firmly grasped the men waited the coming assault 208 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. for over two hours, when the fire on either side slackened and in contrast with the previous dread explosions there was a great calm. But the enemy was forming-, and emerging from their cover, fifteen or twenty thousand Confederates moved out to the deadly assault. With strange emotion we watched their coming; it was not fear, it was not surprise, but even- man was silent, and grasped his weapon more closely. When the enemy reached the middle of the plain, our batteries began to play upon him. cutting through his lines, but he came on with increasing rapidity, till the fire of musketry, which had been withheld, was poured into him. He dropped rapidly, but nearer and nearer swept the charging columns. Most of our batteries were out of ammunition and ceased their firing, and it was left to the oppos- ing l>odies of infantry to determine the contest. As the charg- ing column swept nearer, a heavier and more deadly fire stayed a body of North Canjlina troops for a moment, when they broke and ran ; a large number throwing down their amis and coming in as prisoners. Pickett's division had a less distance of open ground to traverse, and so great was the impetus it acquired that it passed directly over our outer-line of stone wall' and rough works, and drove back the first line of troops, belonging to part of the Second Corps. The rebel colors, indeed, were planted right on the breastworks. The critical hour of the day had come, but General Hancock was equal to the emergency, and gathering troops from right and left, and halting and re-forming the broken columns, a new line was formed, which, though bend- ing back some distance from the former front, was a formidable barrier to the enemy's further progress. Then from right and left, assailing either flank, was poured in a destructive fire, and our men came pressing closer, making the circuit smaller. The fighting was short and decisive. The rebels recoiled before the deadly fire, threw away their arms in token of submission, and on all sides crcmched close to the earth in dismay. Some thou- sand wore captured and moved away to the rear, our troops at once regaining and holding their former line. Soon after, another charging column moved across the plain, but a withering artillery fire played upon their ranks, and a portion of our troops, leaping the intrcnchments, assaulted their tlank and soon FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 209 put them to flight, with heavy loss of killed and prisoners. Be- fore sundown the fighting ceased, but the Confederates had failed and their commander was convinced of the hopelessness of assaulting the position of the Union Army. It was Fred- ericksburg reversed : but wiser than Burnside, Lee did not per- sist in hurrying his columns again and again to certain destruc- tion. The Fifteenth witnessed all from their position, but though ready for duty were not summoned to actual fighting." The next day, 4th, was spent without a contest. Each side buried its dead and sent the wounded tO' the rear, within its own lines. The rebels during the day threw up works, but at night began their retreat. At once the army started in pursuit, and early Sunday morning the Fifteenth took the road on the left passing along the base of Little Round Top, and through Plum Run meadow and the wheat field, and peach orchard where Sickles' corps had suffered, so heavily on the 2d. came in about two hours upon their deserted hospitals. Following cautiously, at night it came upon their rear-guard near Fairfield, and a sharp skirmish followed. After halting all night and the next day until four o'clock p. m., at Fairfield^ the brigade again marched, and at sunrise reached Emmettsburg, the enemy hav- ing evacuated the whole region. The pursuit was continued for several days, and on the 12th, near Hagerstown, there was a skirmish in which two men of the Fifteenth were wounded, one by a bullet through the foot, and Jacob O. Burdett through both thighs. The former subsequently died in the hospital. Hagers- town was captured, and twO' days later the command reached Williamsport, but the rebels were safely beyond the river. On the 19th of July, the Brigade re-crossed the Potomac at Berlin and marched through the Loudon Valley, arriving at Warren- ton on the 25th, where it went into camp and remained until September 15th; two days later, moving to Culpepper Court House, it again encamped; and the remainder of the year was passed without participating in any engagements. The Fifteenth marched with the army to Centreville and back again to the Rappahannock, was present, though not engaged at the capture of Rappahannock Station, and after the movement to Mine Run went into winter-quarters two miles from Brandy Station. Here 210 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. timber being abundant, the regiment built very comfortable huts, and the camp was finely laid out uix)n a ridge of ground. On the 17th of January, 1864, a chai>el built of logs, roofed with canvas, and twenty feet by thirty in size, was opened for relig- ious services in the regiment. This rude house of worship wit- nessed many a scene of devotion, and the evident presence of the Holy Spirit, and was the spiritual birth-place of many souls. After its opening, services w-ere held twice on the Sabbath and every evening of the week, excepting Wednesday, when the Literary Society had the use of the building. Soon after the opening of the Chapel an unusual religious interest was awak- ened throughout the regiment. The house was well filled night after night. The preaching seemed to reach the heart, and the meetings for prayer after tattoo were deeply interesting. ^leet- ings for inquirers were opened and numbers of the awakened l>egan to come. Three communion services were held in this building. At the first, Januar}^ 24th, two men of the Fifteenth and five from the Third made public profession of their faith in Christ. At the second, March 27th, nineteen made a profession of religion and eleven of them were baptized. The third. May ist, witnessed the reception of twenty more into the regimental church, six of whom w^ere baptized. The services of May ist were very largely attended and numbers expressed their comfort in the exercises, an officer who received his death wound on the 6th, saying it was the most solemn administration of the sacra- ment he had ever attended. The last meeting w^as held in the Chapel on Tuesday night, the 3d of May, after which the can- vas covering was taken down and packed for removal. Out of one hundred and thirty in the regiment who professed to have found i^eace in the Saviour of men, many never again met at a religious meeting on earth, and before the month ended two- thirds of them had died or been disabled on the battlefield! On May 4th, the regiment broke camp at daylight, and march- ing by way of Brandy Station and Stevensburg, crossed the Rapidan at Germania Ford by pontoon bridge. The 5th found it in the Wilderness, and the sounds of battle where Warren had come into collision with Ewell's corps, soon brought the order hastening the Sixth Corps to his support. The thickness of the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. . 211 woods, and encumbered state of the road, formed a grreat ob- stacle tO' a speedy advance tO' the point of contest; but at length, being- put on the double-quick, the men, with much confusion floundering through the thicket, reached the battle-ground about one o'clock p. m. Each side was waiting for re-enforcements, and during the afternoon little was done beyond firing by artillery — which seemed ineffectual — and straightening our lines and getting the regiment out of the confusion into- which they had been thrown by the brushwood. The Fifteenth was now thrown in advance upon a rise of ground, from which our forces had withdrawn in the morning, and began to throw up rifle pits. (The regiment was for a time detached from the rest of the Brigade, and for two' days served under Colonel Upton of the Second Brigade.) Towards night the firing was resumed, in- flicting some casualties — ^Captain Van Derveer, Company E, having his hand shattered and being wounded in the throat. He was a valuable officer, brave and capable; disabled by these wounds he was sent to Washington, and after resigning his commission received a Government appointment, and died of fever soon after the war closed. Several men were also wounded, and Leonard Decker, Company D, killed. The night was cold, and marked by musketry firing, and at break of day the men stood to arms anticipating a stubborn contest. Just at sunrise. Captain Ellis Hamilton was struck by a bullet from a rebel sharpshooter, which passed through both thighs. He was sent to Washington, and after lingering some days, tenderly watched by loving friends, he expired, expressing his firm faith and telling of that change of heart he felt he had experienced while in camp at Brandy Station. Though one of the most youthful officers in the regiment, he was distinguished for bravery and efficiency, and universally beloved as having gone into the service from the purest sense of duty. At length, an hour after sunrise, the roar of artillery and musketry on the right announced that the rebels had assailed. Soon the combat approached and swept by the regimental front and on to^ the left. For a while it was vehement, but presently died down and the morning was disturbed only by occasional discharges of artillery and musketry firing along the skirmish line. But a more pro- 212 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. longed contest was being waged on the left, where Hancock had engaged Hill and Longstreet. Just at dark Ewell's troops, who fronted the Sixth Corps, attacked the flank of the Third Division, which fell back in confusion, the rebels carrying the breastworks, and then pouring a fire upon the flank of the First Division, the Fourth Brigade being driven from its position and flying in panic. The Tenth New Jersey in this disorder, and Colonel Ryerson. after having rallied his men and made them lie down on a new line which he determined to hold, as he rose upon one knee, received a Ixillet in the forehead, from which he died a few days after in a rebel hospital, deeply regretted. But though the line was broken on their right, and the enemy pene- trated to their rear, the Fifteenth held their advanced and isolated position till midnight, when without loss they followed the rest of the army to the new line some two miles to the rear. The situation was very hazardous, and many believed the regi- ment captured; so close was its proximity to the rebels that the men heard their conversation with ease. It was two o'clock a. m.. May 7th, when the regiment came into the new line. It had stood its ground when others fled and panic prevailed on either side ; and now, determined still to hold its position, began intrenching at daylight. By ten o'clock a. m. the works were verv strong, and though the enemy felt the line in fr(^nt and drove in a part of the skirmish line, by which three men were wounded, and John Brogan, Company A, killed — no real advantage was gained. At dark the regiment marched by the Fredericksburg road to Chancellorsville, and thence to the point where Grant was now concentrating. The morning of Sunday. May 8th. was intenselv hot. and exhausted by the fatigues of previous days and the march of the ])ast night, the men fell fainting by scores from the ranks. Ac- cordingly at ten o'clock a. m. a halt w^as ordered. The Fifth Corps were at this time in advance, and firing was heard at the point where they struck the enemy. About noon the Fifteenth reached the field of action, about half a mile from Spottsylvania Court House, meeting many of the Fifth Corps going in squads to the rear. As the command came up the road at Alsops, Gen- eral Warren rode into the ranks demanding, "What brigade is FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 213 this? Where is the commanding officer? I want tO' move this brigade forward at once. I must have this brigade." Colonel Penrose, now the ranking officer, commanded the brigade, and soon after, ordered by General Warren, moved to a designated position, and held the ground firm.ly under the artillery fire of the enemy. But the real object of our advance in that direction was not attained. General Warren had failed to reach Spottsyl- vania Court House in time to hold the roads which concentrated there — which was his real object in the advance — the possession of this point being considered of the greatest importance to a successful issue of this part of the campaign. At eight or nine o'clock on the morning of May 8th, a small body of Union cavalry were in possession of the Court House, but at ten o'clock a. m., when the head of the Fifth Corps emerged from the woods and crossed the open space near Alsops, they were greeted with a furious discharge of musketry from the troops of Longstreet, whose column had entered Spottsylvania Court House, driven out the cavalry and now came pouring into the place regiment after regiment. It was a critical moment when the Fifth Corps received the first discharge from rebel infantry. As yet only the head of Longstreet' s force had reached the Court House, though every moment swelled the number of his forces. The veterans of the Fifth, surprised at the sudden onset, were thrown into confusion, and the advance was checked until a stronger and more orderly assault might be delivered. This was attempted, a charge was made, and some advantage gained; but the delay of half an hour lost us Spottsylvania Court House, and was followed by the bloodiest contests in which the Army of the Potomac ever engaged. During the following day, the 8th, the Fifteenth was not engaged, but at six o'clock in the evening, the order came for the brigade tO' advance — the Fifteenth to charge the Avorks on the right flank and the other regiments on the front. The Fif- teenth at once moved gallantly forward, charging at double- quick, but without firing a gtm — the enemy also reserving his fire. Soon, the assailants, reaching a marsh, were exposed to an enfilading fire, which swept their ranks in three directions, but though • whole companies seemed to melt away, the gallant L'14 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Jerseymen plunged straight forward througli the soft, spongy marsh, forced their way through the fallen timl^er and over e\cry obstacle until they mounted the crest and standing on the jjarapets tired on the rebels in their own ditches. So pitiless was the assailing hre that the enemy speedily gave way, and had the Fifteenth been properly supported, or in greater num- l>ers, the victory must have been complete. But now, back in the woods, a drum beat the assembly, and perceiving the weak- ness of the attacking force, the rebels rallied from all sides to beat back the meagre remnant of the brave little regiment. Thus overwhelmed, the Fifteenth slowdy fell back, having lost in all one hundred and one men; but it had performed one of the most gallant achievements of the campaign, and in that thought the survivors found some compensation f(jr their suf- ferings, as, exhausted and Avorn, they wdthdrew^ from the scene of combat. The Tenth Regiment, which was sent in about the same time as the Fifteenth, participating in the charge on the front, scattered very soon after becoming engaged — Lieutenant- Colonel Tay, however, leading forward three or four companies until they came up to the works, w-hen he. Captain Snowden and several other officers and a large number of men, after main- taining a short, unequal contest, w-ere forced to surrender. The remainder, escaping, came out of the contest greatly disordered, without an officer of experience to command them, and w'ere consequently placed under charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Camp- bell, of the Fifteenth. At noon of the 9th, the Fifteenth again moved, marching to the right, but did not become actively engaged, though three companies were stationed on the skirmish line, and the w'hole command was much exposed. On the loth, the regimental posi- tion was no less exposed, but the command bravely held its own against the onsets of the enemy, losing in all twenty men. Dur- ing the nth, both armies maneuvered for position without any general engagement, but on the 12th hostilities were renewed with unsparing violence. The First Brigade, being moved at half-past three o'clock a. m. to the front on the left of the corj)s, was sent forward to assail some of the same w^orks it had assaulted on the loth — other brigades participating in the FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 215 movements and sharing in its perils. Few charges of this memorable campaign were more difficult or more grandly executed than that made at this time by the Jersey Brigade. They had not only to force their way through a pine thicket, and then forming, dash across an open space, but to do so in the face of a deadly concentrated fire which no ordinary line could resist. But the Jerseymen were equal to the occasion. Bidding his men reserve their fire until they saw the foe and knew that every shot would tell, Colonel Penrose steadily pushed forward the brave command. A thousand men soon lay lifeless, or wounded and bleeding, upon the ground, but still, the line swept on. The Fifteenth, dashing through the abattis before the rebel works, swept O'ver a portion of the breastworks, which for a time they stoutly held, driving out the rebels, or bayoneting those who tenaciously clung to the position. Some threw down their muskets and lifted their hands in. token of surrender and lay crouching in the ditch, only, however, to re- sume their weapons when their captors were more hardly pressed. Lieutenant Justice, of whom Colonel Campbell said, "He was to-day as brave as a lion," as he rose on the breast- work, waving his sword and shouting to his company, was shot by one of these skulking rebels who^ was in, turn run through with the bayonet by a man of Company A. Captain Walker was shot through the head at the first exposure to the enemy's fire. Captain Shimer was killed. Lieutenant Vanvoy was wounded, and while moving to the rear, was again struck and expired in a few moments. Captain Van Blarcom received several terrible wounds, but survived with the loss of a leg. Lieutenant Fowler was wounded and captured, and after a painful experience of the hardships and cruelties O'f Southern prisons, made his escape, and by a romantic series of adventures and deliverances in the mountains and swamps, at last reached the Union lines in Tennessee. The tenure of the salient was brief. The line to the right and left was broken, and an enfilading fire from a long distance on the right, swept through the thin ranks. The enemy had an inner line oi breastworks from which he poured a deadly fire. It was impossible to hold the captured bank so long as it was 216 FlKSr NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. swept by the works yet untaken. .Vccordingly, the regiment fell back, and wdien Colonel Campbell gathered his shattered bat- talion, only seventy-five were found. On the left of the ground M^here the regiment charged, the assault was renewed again and again through the day by other troops, and the musketry fire was prolonged all night. So fierce was the incessant shower of bullets that the bodies of the dead were riddled, and great trees cut away a few feet from the ground. Within the salient the dead were literally piled in heaps, and the combatants fought over a mound of their dead .comrades. Few^ points, if any, on the broad theater of the war witnessed greater carnage than this. Forty bodies, or near one- fifth of the w^hole regiment, lay on the breastwork, in the ditch or the narrow, open space in front. Numbers had crawded awa}- to expire in the woods, and others were carried to the hospital, there to have their sufferings prolonged for a few days more, and then expire. Xo experience during the whole time the Fifteenth was in the service was more destructive than the half hour from ten o'clock to half-past ten, of the morning of May 1 2th. On Saturday, the 14th, the Brigade moved to the left of the army near the Anderson House, and came upon the enemy about noon. The Second and Tenth Regiments were thrown forward as skirmishers across a stream, where they were sur- prised and overcome before they could be re-enforced. Sub- sequently, however, the rest of the brigade was thrown for- ward and the i>osition retaken. From this time until the 24th, the regiment was moved backward and forward, from the cen- tre to the left of the anny — occasionally skirmishing with the enemy and losing a few men. Never did the command so realize the horrors of war. Blood and death were on every side. The regiment had broken camp on the 4th with fifteen officers and fnur hundred and twenty-nine muskets, and now was reduced to six offtcers and one hundred and thirty-six muskets. From May 2 1st to June ist it was kept most of the time in motion, with an occasional loss on the skirmish line, being present at the battle of North Anna and other places of conflict. On the ist it reached Cold Harl>>r al>>ut noon. At three o'clock p. m. the ' FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 217 Sixth Corps charg-ed, and twenty-five of the Fifteenth were killed and wounded — ^Sergeant-Major A. V. Wyckoff being among the former. In the charge, the Fifteenth and Tenth Regiments reached a position on a hillock which they held when the line was broken on either side of them, and which thev be- gan to intrench upon at sundown. On this little hillock they remained for the greater part of the next ten days, and from it many never came alive. The firing from the enemy was almost constant, and whenever a man raised his head above the surface he was almost certain to be struck. The men, in fact, were obliged to burrow in the ground, and communication was kept up with the rear through a long ditch dug to hide those passing- from sight of the enemy. The dust, the great heat, the confined space and the dead bodies buried just under the surface, soon ren- dered the place most offensive. Day after day passed, line after line of works were constructed, the number of dead and wounded increased, but still the regiment was not taken from this horrible place, till, on the night of the 12th, it marched for the Janies River. On the 19th it reached the outer-defences of Petersburg, where it remained, w'ith the exception of a march to- Ream's Station, until the night of July 9th, when it proceeded to the James River and took steamer for Washington, going thence to the Shenandoah Valley. Nothing of particular importance oc- curred until August 15th, when it was assaulted at Strasburg,. on the Shenandoah, and lost nine' men. On the 17th, it skir- mished all day through Newtown and Winchester, the brigade forming the rear-gtiard of the army. At six o'clock p. m. one mile and a half south of Winchester, the enemy assaulted with \^igor, the brigade of nine hundred men and one regiment of cavalry, the Third New^ Jersey, sustaining the shock of an over- whelming- force, estimated at five thousand. In this action the Fifteenth lost sixty-one men in killed and missing. On the 21st, the enemy assaulted our lines at Charlestown, whither our troops had retired, and a number of men were lost. At midnight, the Fifteenth (and other regiments) fell back to a position near Bolivar Heights, where it was stationed for several days. On the morning of the 19th of September, the regiment broke camp before day, and after marching eight miles, halted at 218 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. eleven o'clock within two miles of Winchester, in a ravine covered by the fire of the enemy. About noon the Brigade, under Colonel Campbell, moved out and the action became gen- eral. Soon the Third Division of the Sixth Corps was thrown into confusion, and at this moment the greatest disasters of the day occurred. General David A. Russell, commanding the First Division, was killed while rallying the broken line. The Fif- teenth suffered severely, losing nearly fifty in killed and wounded. Orderly-Sergeant Charles H. Mulligan, of Chester, was shot through the head. He had been absent wounded, and returned just a week previous. Only the night before his voice had been heard in the Sunday evening prayer-meeting. His readiness for every duty, his gentle manners, his cheerful face had endeared him. to all who knew hini, and though used to scenes of slaughter, his comrades wept as they laid him in the hastily-prepared grave. In the general advance, later in the day, the Fifteenth acquitted itself bravely, and in the pursuit of the fiying enemy, shared with the brigade the elation which the vic- tory everywhere occasioned. Ojii the 21st, the regiment had a skirmish with the enemy, in which two men were killed and fifteen wounded. On the 22d, Sheridan again delivering battle at Fisher's Hill, whither Early had retreated, the brigade (with other troops) moved to the right and at four o'clock p. m. as- saulted and captured the rebel works, the Fifteenth (under Cap- tain Cornish) displaying great gallantry. The enemy again re- treating, our forces pushed forward in pursuit as far as Staun- ton, whence, having laid waste the countiy, they retired across Cedar Creek, north of Strasburg, Sheridan going to Washington and lea\ing General Wright in command of the army. The night of October i8th was intensely cold, and in conse- quence many men of the Fifteenth, as well as of other regiments, were astir at an earlier hour than usual on the morning of the 19th. The night previous there had been some firing on the right, but now it came from the opposite direction. At five o'clock a. m. picket firing was heartl far away to the left, but attracted no great attention at the iK)int occupied bv the First Brigade. Presently an order came down from Brigade Head- quarters for the men to get breakfast; this, however, was soon FIRST NEW JBRSEV BRIGADE. 219 followed by the command to- stand to arms. And now the sounds of approaching conflict showed that the enemy was ad- vancing in force. The order came, "move out at once." Colonel Campbell at once led out the regiment, bullets meanwhile flying into the very camp, and the confusion on all sides increasing. With difficulty the tents were packed and the baggage got off in the wagons. The Eighth Corps, as it now appeared, had been surprised and the rebels were thronging their camps, bayonnet- ing the men before they were awake. The Nineteenth Corps soon gave way before the assault on their flank, and the Sixth was called to bear the burden of the terrible onset. The volleys of musketry were terrific, and tO' add to the perils of the situa- tion, our artillery, as soon as captured, was turned upon our forming ranks. The Fifteenth, with the First Brigade, after the first shock, bravely maintained its reputation for steadiness and courage. Major Lambert Boeman was killed, and many of the best men of the regiment fell. The color-guard were all killed with three exceptions. Peter Gunderman, Color-Sergeant, who bore the National Colors, was struck by a fragment of shell which first broke the staff and then, striking him in the side, bore him to the ground. Corporal John Mowder fell dead with the State Colors, and the enemy seized them as they came up. This was the only flag in the Fifteenth ever lost; but it was re- taken that night and returned next day — Generals Torbert and Custer visiting the regiment to- restore it, and saying in short speeches, not only that the flag was not lost by any fault of its own, but that the Fifteenth had ever done its duty. During the action, Colonel Campbell was struck by a bullet which shattered his left arm, but he kept command until the greatest danger was over, when, weak from the loss of blood, he was forced to mount an orderly's horse and leave the field. The word flew along the line, "Colonel Campbell is wounded," and even in the excitement of the hour the men turned from the observation of the enemy to follow him with their eyes. As he rode away he lifted his injured hand and motioned to- them, which they interpreted to mean, "hold on." After falling back a mile and a half, at eight o'clock the ad- vance of the enemv had been checked by the Sixth Corps, which 220 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. held some ridges of ground from which it was difficult to drs- lodge it. But the Eighth and Nineteenth Corps were disorganized masses. The Eighth had lost all its artillery, most of its camp property and wagon train. The Nineteenth lost heavily, but not all. Thirty-one pieces of artillery were gone, being as many,, within two, as had been captured in the Valley during the opera- tions herein recorded. But the end was not yet. At ten o'clock. General Sheridan came in sight, a little man on a large black horse, riding at full gallop ahead of his staff. The road for several miles was filled with stragglers from the broken corps, but when Sheridan came in view they waved their hats (the men of the Sixth wore caps, and the others hats), and a prolonged shout arose along the road. The great mass of men hurrying to the rear, turned about and moved the other way as rapidly as they had been flying before. But their enthusiasm was nothing- compared with what it was when the brave commander dashed in front of our lines, waving his hat and shouting, "We shall be in our old camps to-night." Then what peals of cheering rolled along the ranks I •Now all l^ecame quiet except a slow cannonading. Early's men were gathering their plunder and drinking whiskey from the captured trains till four o'clock p. m., when the army, having regained its composure, a general advance was made, resulting in the utter discomfiture of the rebels, who were driven at all points until they crossed the creek, crowding in haste to get away, and onv infantry re-occupied their old camps. Then, finally, Custer, with his cavalry, rushed upon them in the streets and the narrow defile south of Strasburg and gave them a more complete overthrow than was ever experienced in the Valley. In this grand assault, we captured nearly two thousand prisoners and forty-five pieces of cannon — fourteen more than we had lost. Some of these were abandoned in the creek, or became immovably wedged in the streets of the town. At nine o'clock at night the body of Major Boeman was brought in, and was shortlv after sent to Flemington for burial. He was at the time of his death in command of the Tenth New Jersey Volunteers. A deep sorrow at his loss filled the hearts of all, the men grieving as for a personal friend. His influence FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 221 as a Christian had been very happy upon the command, and did not cease with his death. The Brigade had suffered heavily, and not a field officer was left. In the Fifteenth there were hardly any non-commissioned officers, and the number of those who belonged to the regiment at the time of its formation was dwindled to a mere handful. Most of the dead were stripped of their clothing, and the wounded robbed of shoes and outer gar- gamients. In general the wounded were treated with much in- humanity, though some instances are known where they received kindly treatment. This battle closed the fighting of the year in the Valley. On the I St of December, the Sixth Corps rejoined the Army of the Potomac, and the Fifteenth settled down before Petersburg for the winter. It was never again heavily engaged. In the final assault upon the enemy's works, in April, 1865, it carried itself with conspicuous courage, but suffered only trifling loss. Upon Lee's surrender, it was sent to Danville, whence, late in May, it proceeded to Washington, and subsequently to Trenton, where it was finally disbanded. In all the qualities of courage, en- durance and devotion to duty, this was among the foremost of New Jersey regiments; to have fought in its ranks on the ghastly fields where it won celebrity, may well be counted an honor at once lustrous and imperishable. 15 F B 222 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The Twenty-third Regiment. On the 4th of August, 1862, President Lincoln ordered that a draft of 300,000 volunteers be immediately called to the ser- vice of the United States to serve for nine months unless sooner discharged. The quota of New Jersey was designated as 10,478, and the regulations for the draft were announced, providing that an enrollment be immediately made of all able- bodied male citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 years, and that the draft be made on the 3d of September. The State authorities at once took the necessary steps to meet the require- ments of this order, but a general desire being manifested by the people of the State to fill the quota by voluntary enlist- ment, it was announced that volunteers in lieu of drafted men would l>e received up to the ist of September, but that the draft would positively take place at the time appointed in any town- ship which should not by that time have furnished the full num- ber of men required. Everywhere throughout the State the utmost enthusiasm and energv were exhibited, not only by those liable to the conscription, but by citizens of all ages and classes. For several days previous to that fixed for the draft, men poured into camp by the thousands, and by the evening of the second of September the five camps contained 10,800 volunteers. This number was subsequently reduced, by medical examination, to 10,714, being 236 more than the number called for. The camps N\ ere as follows, viz. : Camp Xo. I at Trenton — Brig.-Gen. N. Halstead, Commander. Camp No. 2 at Beverly — Brig.-Gen. G. M. Robeson, Commander. Camp No. 3 at Freehold — Lieut.-Col. Height, Commander. Camp No. 4 at Newark — Brig.-Gen. Van Vorst, Commander. Camp No. 5 at Fleminqton — Brig.-Gen. Alex. Donaldson, Com- mander. On the morning of the third the State authorities had the satisfaction of announcing to the Adjutant-General of the United Violet, the Daughter of the Twenty-third N. J. Vols. and her Mother, Mrs. E. Burd Grubb. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 223 States that the quota of New Jersey was in camp, without a single drafted man. As rapidly as possible, after being received in camp, the men were organized into companies and regiments, clothed, uniformed, equipped and placed under instruction, and by the loth of October all had left for the field. The Twenty- third, commanded by Colonel J. S. Cox, was mustered into the United States service on the 13th of September, 1862, and com- prised 39 officers and 955 enlisted men, making a total of 944, which left the State on the 26th day of September. Let us now look at the condition of the country at this time and the condition of the army which the Twenty-third New Jersey joined. These were what might be called the darkest days of the war. In June, McClellan had floundered through the Chickahominy, leaving half of his magnificent army dead, wounded or prisoners ; in August, Pope had offered himself as a target for the victorious legions of Lee, and Lee made a bull's- eye of him. The veterans of the Army of the Potomac had crowded in front of the victorious rebels on northern soil, and onW a few days before the Twenty-third New Jersey joined the Sixth Corps the very doubtful battle of Antietam had been fought. The regiment after leaving New Jersey proceeded to Wash- ington and went into camp at East Capitol Hill; a few days after this it moved to Frederick City, Md., where it remained until the 8th of October, when it started for Bakersville to join the First New Jersey Brigade, with which it was ever after identified. Remaining at Bakersville until the 30th the regiment marched with the brigade towards New Baltimore, and while here Colonel Fox was relieved from command by Colonel Tor- bert and Lieutenant-Colonel H. O. Ryerson of the Second New Jersey Regiment was placed in charge of the Twenty-third. On the 1st day of November the march was resumed, and on the 9th the Potomac was crossed and the regiment pushed on with the army in the march towards Fredericksburg. At this time, Major Thompson and Aidjutant Winans left the regiment, Lieu- tenant Perkins of Company G being promoted to the place of the latter. On the i6th the regiment broke camp and proceeded to Catlett's Station. and thence to Stafford Court House, where 224 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. it remained a fortnight, drilling actively. While here, Captain E. Burd Grubb of the Third New Jersey, then serving on the staff of Colonel Torbert, was commissioned Major of the Twenty-third in place of Albert Thompson resigned, and joined the regiment on the 3d of December on the march to Falmouth, \'a. The regiment approached the river on the afternoon of the loth of December and lay along the bank about a quarter of a mile back of it. and on the evening of the nth witnessed the cannonading and bombardment of the city and the heroic crossing of the river in the face of the enemy's fire by the Mich- igan regiment, one of the most magnificent sights in all the war. At early dawn on the 12th the Twenty-third was ordered to cross the river. The men had been aroused an hour before day- light and coffee had been made. The daylight broke with a thick fog hanging over the river and city of Fredericksburg, and as they climbed down the bank and almost groped along the slippery pontoon, doubtless the thoughts of many there were made more sombre by the death-like pall of mist that hung aljout them. On crossing, the regiment was formed in column of division in its place in the brigade and went out into the mist, which was so thick that one division could scarcelv see the other in its front. After marching out about a quarter of a mile from the river bank the brigade halted and line of battle was formed ; here they remained in line of battle, unable to see anything and hearing nothing except muffled sounds in the fog around them, not a shot, not a challenge, nothing, until 1>etween nine and ten o'clock. in the rear of the Twenty-third was heard the trampling of horses, and some of the ofiicers, upon investigation, reported a very heavy line of Union cavalry just in our rear. Some of the officers had also been in front of our line a short distance, and they immediately reported to the commanding ofiicer that there was a ravine running parallel with our line of battle, which was extremely decj) and with ver}- precipitous sides. A short time after this, and very fortunately before the fog lifted, the column withdrew across the river; l^efore, however, they did succeed in crossing, the lifting of the fog permitted their enemy's artillery to see them. It was here that General Bavard, the commander FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 225 of the cavalry, was killed by a cannon shot. About lo o'clock the fog lifted, and being- dispersed by the rays of the bright De- cember sun, was soon rolled up, and the day was clear and bright. With the first lifting of the fog came the sounds of battle from the right and left, and when tlie veil of heaven was lifted from the spires of Fredericksburg, the veil of battle rose and took its place. With the chances and mischances and the management and mismanagement of that terrible battle, beyond what hap- pened to the Twenty-third New Jersey, we have nothing to do. When the fog lifted, and just in front of the Twenty-third, about fifty yards away and on the edge of the deep ravine, stood a small cedar tree, probably about thirty feet high, and, flying from its top was a red and white rag, which for a few moments no one paid any particular attention to. Suddenly, from the hill directly in front of the regiment and about 1,200 yards away, came a puff of smoke, and the Twenty-third New Jersey felt the thrill of the first hostile shell it had ever heard. The shell struck the ground within ten feet of the root of the cedar tree, and bounding over the heads of the men, exploded in the rear. In the next three or four minutes half a dozen other shells were fired, and it became evident that the cedar tree was the range which the rebel cannoneers were using. Having received per- mission from Colonel Torbert, Colonel Ryerson crowded the regiment forward into the ravine in order to protect them from what was becoming very good artillery practice. As the regi- ment passed over the edge of the ravine in line of battle, two shells were fired, one of which took of¥ Colonel Ryerson's hat, without injury to- its ow'ner, and the other exploded just over the regiment and a piece of it went through the arm of Private Elias Gibbs, of Company A, of Burlington. As soon as the regi- ment marched into the ravine it was entirely sheltered from this annoying artillerv fire, which was replied to by that time by Hexamer's Battery on our side. The batteries on the left, a mile or two away, were actively engaged with the enemy's batteries on" their front, and a hot fight was going on at Fredericksburg on our right. In the woods on our left was Franklin's left grand division. We remained in this ravine about two hours, when 226 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. we were moved by the right fiank out of the ravine to the front and ordered to He down in a corn-stubble field, in line of battle. Directly in front of the Twenty-third some companies of the Fifteenth New Jersey Regiment were deployed as skinnishers and were engaged in picket firing with the enemy's skirmishers. About opposite the left flank of the Twenty-third was a ravine running perpendicular to our line of battle and at a distance of about 2CO yards from us a railroad crossed by means of an em- bankment and culvert, and along the bottom of this ravine and through the culvert trickled a little rivulet. I will now again take up Foster's narrative, which says: ''At this time the battle was raging all along the line, but the brigade was not actually engaged until three o'clock, when Colonel Tor- bert was ordered to advance one regiment, supported by a second, for the purpose of drawing the enemy from a position which it was important to occupy, two regiments of the Third Brigade being at the same time placed under his orders. Colonel Tor- bert at once ordered Colonel Hatch, of the Fourth Regiment, with about 300 men, to advance and take the position, simulta- neously directing the left of the picket line with its reserve, under Major Brown, of the Fifteenth, to support the movement. Tliese troops promptly advanced in the most handsome manner, under a severe fire of graj^e and canister, and then, reaching favorable ground, led by the gallant Hatch, charged the enemy's position, driving them from it with great loss, and capturing twenty-five prisoners. Rallying, however, the rebels again returned to the fray, and the position becoming critical, the Twenty-third Regi- ment under Colonel Ryerson, and two regiments of the Third Brigade, were hurried forward as a support — six companies of the Twenty-third becoming immediately engaged in fighting bravely. At this moment, however, when everything was favor- able to our arms. Colonel Torbert was ordered to halt the re- mainder of the supports and fall back from the railroad, holding it by pickets only." The charge of the Fourth down the ravine and up to the rail- road was very handsome, the firing and fighting being veiy hot. The Twenty-third looked on for a few moments at the first fight they had ever seen, which was taking place within 200 yards of REV. WILLIAM H. ABBOTT, Chaplain of the Twenty-third Regiment. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 227 them, and nearly opposite their left flank. By the time the blue- coats of the Fourth Regiment disappeared entirely from our view, driving the rebels back through the underbrush which fills the ravine, the order came for the Twenty-third to rise and fix bayonets, and immediately afterward the order was given, left face, column right, double quick, and away they went along the right bank of the ravine and in column of fours, directly on the railroad embankment. They had hardly risen before they were opened upon by eighteen guns, and from that moment until they reached the shelter of the railroad embankment, driving the enemy helter-skelter before them, they were subjected to a most terrible fire of artillery and small arms. Just before the regi- ment changed formation from column to line of battle, one shell burst in the ranks of Company K and wounded ten men, and but for the fact that the aim of the rebel artillerists was a little too high, I do not believe it would have been possible for the regiment to have made the magnificent charge that it did. Just as the left of the regiment reached the embankment, the order was given, right face, left wheel, which brought the regiment by wheel up to the railroad embankment, and in making this wheel they drove out and scattered before them all the enemy who were on our side of the embankment. Just before our line of battle reached the embankment, and when they were probably within fifty yards of the plunging fire of the artillery from- the hills, which was very severe, and also the rifle fire from the enemy on the embankment, which was very deadly, some con- fusion ensued, and in fact a slight momentary panic, the line wavered and fell back probably forty or fifty steps, and the right of the line crowded in towards the left so much as to force four companies down into the ravine. Almost instantly rallying they turned again, and in this turn Captain Jos. Ridgway, of Com- pany G, was instantly killed, and Captain Samuel Carr, of Com- pany C, Lieutenant James F. Budd, of Company F, and twenty- five men were wounded. Very steadily and very gallantly, and under a heavy fire, the six companies which were on the right of the ravine advanced to the railroad embankment which was the position which they were ordered to take. The left of the six companies rested on the culvert and the officer in command^ 228 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Major Griibb. went there instantly to communicate with the officer in command of the Fourth Regiment. Colonel Hatch, his senior, who was, of course, then in command of the Twenty- third and the Fourth, they acting togetlier. Colonel Hatch crossed the culvert, walked through the rivulet to communicate with the commander of the Twenty-third, and as he did so several shots came tlirough the culvert from the other side. In the conference which ensued between the two officers, Colonel Hatch stated that he liad just received orders from Colonel Tor- l>ert to retire, as it was not desired to bring on a general engage- ment at that point. The two officers then agreed to withdraw their respective commands, one on one side of the ravine and one on the other. As Colonel Hatch turned to go to his com- mand across the culvert, and just as he was in the middle of it, he was shot through the thigh and fell bleeding into the water. Friendly hands lifted him tenderly, though at a cost of two more wounded men, before lie was beyond the reach of shot, and car- ried him to Falmouth, wliere he died soon after. By the fall of Colonel Hatch the command of the detachment of the Fourth and Twenty-third devolved upon the commander of the six companies of the Twenty-third, Major Grubb, to Avhom an aid of Colonel Torbert immediately brought an order directing him to withdraw, and this was done along the sides of the ravine, time being taken to pour one well-aimed solid volley at close range into two small regiments of the enemy which had crossed the railroad below the ravine, and coming up expected doubtless to capture easily those within. This volley, aided by a similar one from the Fourth \^eiTnont, which had been moved up below the ravine, l^roke the enemy and caused them to retire beyond the embankment. The Twenty-third was con- ducted back to its position in the cornfield and remained that night on the edge of the deep ravine through which it had marched in the morning. On the following morning the men were relieved and fell back to the shelter of the bluff, where the line was re-formed and marched to the place of bivouac. Here the command remained until the night of the 15th. when, with the brigade, it re-crossed the river, and on the i6th encamped out of the reach of the rebel JOHN P. JONES, Of the Twenty-third Regiment, Executive Committee. ISAAC SHIVERS, Of the Twentv-third Regiment, Executive Committee. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 229 fire — on the 20th reaching White Oak Church and going into winter quarters. The regiment encamped in a pine woods, which was gradually cleared away for the purposes of the camp, and remained there in shelter tents, beneath which the men made themselve more comfortable by digging holes in the ground, some of which went down a distance of seven and eight feet. The regiment rapidly perfected itself in drill discipline, in bri- gade drills and brigade dress parades, which were here origi- nated by General Torbert, and in which the Twenty-third soon exhibited marked proficiency. On the 8th of January, 1863, orders were given to strike camp, and the regiment being drawn up in line of battle had General Burnside's celebrated battle order read to them and proceeded to join in what is known as the "mud" march. After moving up the river beyond Falmouth, the regiment went into bivouac be- tween four and five o'clock in the afternoon, in a pine woods alongside of the road. As night fell it commenced sleeting, rain- ing and snowing, and for the next two days the regiment had a most miserable experience, and the exposures and hardships of those two days in the sleet and snow in the pine woods without tents, caused the death and disablement of many a good man. On the morning of the second day the weather cleared up but did not get cold, and the mud on the roads seemed to be practi- cally fathomless. The Twenty-third was detailed to do duty in pulling the pontoons back, not from the river but from the roads near the river where they were stuck in the mud, and it will appear almost incredible, but it is, nevertheless, true, that the average possibility of 400 men on the ropes pulling one pon- toon, was to move it 100 yards an hour. In several cases it was found necessary to give the men rations of whiskey when they had, by almost superhuman efforts, succeeded in pulling the pontoons to the top of a small hill. General Brooks and some of his staff attempted to cross the road where the Twenty-third was working, but the General was thrown from his horse into the mud and very narrowly escaped drowning. Lieutenant-Colonel Milnor, a few minutes after- wards, had almost precisely a similar accident. The mud holes through which the pontoons were dragged were in some in- 230 FIRST SEW JERSEY BRIGADE. stances eight feet deep. The men worked from early morning until after the middle of the afternoon, when the task was ac- complished, and the regiment was marched back to its old camp at White Oak Church. It was dismal work trying to make themselves comfortable by cleaning the snow and sleet out of the holes that had been comfortable quarters until their shelter tents were removed and they were open to the weather; how- ever, this was soon made better, and the regiment re-commenced its daily routine of drill and picketing down the Rappahannock toward the left of the army, and furnishing details for cordu- roying the roads which, during that time, were being made down towards the river. At this time, on the 9th of March, E. Burd Grubb, who had been promoted to be Lieutenant-Colonel on the 24th of Decem- ber in place of Lieutenant-Colonel George Brown resigned, was made Colonel of the regiment, Colonel Ryerson having been transferred to the Tenth New Jersey then doing provost-guard duty at Washington. On the 29th of April the Twenty-third Regiment crossed the Rappahannock with the brigade two miles I:)elow Fredericksburg and took position in a line with the rifle- pits facing the enemy, and a little below the Bannard House, in which position it remained under occasional shell and picket lire, but without any serious engagement, until the morning of the 3d of May, when the Sixth Corps moved to assault the Heights of Fredericksburg. The following description is taken from Foster's narrative : "Here, says one who participated in the engagement, the men at once became exposed to a shower of missiles, and all the horrors of desperate battle were revealed to view. Soon the terrible fire of the enemy began to take effect in the ranks. Captain Severs, of Company C, being badly wounded, and a number of the men more or less seriously in- jured. On the right the storming party was seen steadily ad- vancing up the Heights, and soon l^reaking into a run, the whole line swept over the works, and, turning the gims upon the flying rebels, commanded Fredericksburg and the Heights. The enemy thus driven from his position, the Twenty-third, with the bri- gade, was ordered to advance, and moving rapidly through Fredericksburg, proceeded some three miles along the plank road FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 231 in the direction ,of Chancellorsville, steadily pushing the enemy before them." At this time the Twenty-third was in column on the right of the brigade, and led going up the road which was fringed with thick pine trees. Suddenly the right of the regiment emerged from these woods. Here the road passed through wheat fields then clad in the early verdure of spring, and on the left-hand side of the road, about 500 yards from the edge of the woods, stood a farm house. General Brooks, who was sitting on his horse in the middle of the road, directed Colonel Grubb to place his regiment in line of battle on the left of the road with the right of the regiment resting on the road. Colonel Grubb gave the order, column left, on the right by file into line, and on rid- ing into the field where his men were coming into^ line, he saw directly in front of them, and at a distance of probably 800 yards, a line of battle of the enemy, and in the garden of the farm house mentioned he noticed several field pieces. The men came up rapidly into position, the colors and general guides were thrown out on the line, and j.ust as the two' wings of the regiment were deployed the enemy opened fire with his artillery. The first shell killed the horse of the commander of the regiment, killed one of the color guard and severely wounded another, also wounding Lieutenant Budd and several of the color company. Undismayed by this, the men came quickly into line, and the order being given to move forward, went on a double quick. As soon as the regiment moved towards the artillery it was lim- bered up and driven along the road to a line of battle. The enemy moved back slowly and sullenly and disappeared in the thick pine woods leaving only its skirmishers, who then briskly engaged the skirmishers of the Second which overlapped the front of the Twenty-third. The regiment passed a hedge where it was halted, and then moving forward again, was halted and given a moment's breathing spell just at the edge of the woods into which the enemy had disappeared. Each man holding his piece at a "ready," they plunged forward into the underbrush and pine which was so thick that it was impossible to see into it at any distance at all. Going through this perhaps twenty yards they came suddenly upon a line of battle of the enemy standing 232 I'IRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. ready for them at a distance of not over sixty yards away. It is difficult to say exactly which fired first. The Colonel of the Twenty-third gave the order to fire the instant he saw the enemy, and he thinks, and always has thought, that his men fired a frac- tion of a second Ijefore the rebels did. Charging instantly for- ward the line rushed up into the smoke of their own pieces and were met by a steady fire from the enemy, and here the battle raged with varying fortunes, the Twenty-third striving to reach tlie church which was full of the enemy, and enemy who were behind the church and thoroughly protected by a rifle-pit, driving them back with great loss every time they approached it; this was carried on for some twenty-five minutes. The dust and smoke, shouts, cheers and groans, made a battle picture that none of those who were there will ever forget. Twice the men of the Twenty-third reached the front of the church, and some there are alive to-dav who placed their hands on the lintels of the windows, but to enter the church would have been certain death. They fell back a few paces until some came up who were ready to try the desperate game. Thus the battle swayed to and fro, when, finally. Lieutenant S. H. McCarter came to Colonel Grubb, and, placing his mouth close to his ear, shouted to him that the left of the Twenty-third had been turned by the enemy; 1)efore the lieutenant had uttered the last word a bullet from the church pierced his heart, and he fell dead. At the same time an officer from the right company called to the colonel that the right had been turned. The colonel went to the left of the regi- ment, ascertained that the One Hundred and Twenty-first New York, which had been on the left of the Twenty-third, was not in its place, and, seeing imminent danger of capture, ordered the Twenty-third to fall l)ack. This retreat was made in as orderly a manner as ix)ssible under the circumstances. The enemy did not advance immediately, Init by the time the fragments of the First New Jersey Brigade had reached a distance of lOO yards beyond the woods in their retreat, the enemy came to the edge of the woods and opened a deadly fire upon them. The colors of the Twenty-third were shot down twice; Lieutenant Sibley, of Company A, was shot dead while taking the colors up. Stead- ily and sullenly, and firing in the face of their pursuing foe, the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 233 men of the Twenty-third withdrew along the road until they reached a battery of light artillery perhaps 500 steps from where the battle had been fought, and here they halted and turned. The Second Division of the Sixth Corps came up, and the enemy, which did not approach beyond the fringe of the woods, retreated into them, being probably prevented, as much as anything else, from pursuing, by the fact that the woods having caught fire from the battle were burning hercely in their rear. On the fol- lowing morning, the 4th, we fell back, with batteries in line of battle and infantry in support, ready for the coming fight. All day we lay here, our part of the line not being attacked until late in the afternoon, when a fierce assault was made, with which, how- ever, we had nothing to do. In this assault the enemy suffered terribly from our guns, his line seeming to melt away before their discharges until nothing was left. Just before dark one company of each regiment was ordered to be deployed as skirm- ishers and thrown out 100 yards in advance of the line. This detail was intended to be sacrificed, if necessary, to the safety of the corps, for, just after dark, orders to begin the retreat were given. The Twenty-third was among- the regiments honored with this detail as rear-guard. After the rest of the corps had proceeded the required distance we saw the artillery, which had been stationed with us, limber up and go to the rear at a round trot, disappearing presently from view. At length, our orders came, and at a double-quick we moved from the field. Once we were halted, deployed, and preparations made for a combat in the dark, but the rebels gave up the pursuit, being probably fearful of an ambuscade, when our retreat was resumed and con- tinued until we arrived in the vicinity of United States Ford. Here the enemy came up with us, and during the remainder of the night maintained a desultory fire, but without any serious effect. So exhausted were the men on their arrival at the ford that they threw^ themselves on the ground without shelter or blankets and were almost immediately asleep. Just at dawn on the 5th we crossed the river, and about eight o'clock halted for rest, still in full view of the enemy, who soon opened fire, continuing it until noon — happily without inflicting any damage. Late in the afternoon we received orders to return 234 FIRST \EIV JERSEY BRIGADE. to the river bank to prevent the capture or burning of the pon- toon boats, which, though swung to our side, it w-as impossible to remove from the water, owing to the sharp pursuit of the enemy. Soon after taking position rain began to fall, continuing during the entire night, and gradually increasing in volume until it seemed a very deluge. The men, of course, suffered the greatest discomfort, but with the morning the storm ceased, and a regi- ment appearing to relieve us, we marched to our starting point, whence on the following day we proceeded to White Oak Church, in the vicinity of which we encamped, and for a brief season were permitted to rest. The loss of the Twenty-third in this action was, officers, four killed and seven wounded ; enlisted men, twenty killed, fifty- seven wounded and thirty-one missing; a greater loss than that of any regiment in the brigade except the Fifteenth. On the last day of May the regiment went out for a final tour of picket duty, returning to camp on the 3d of June. All thought was now turned homeward, and we were hourly in expectation of receiving orders from Washington, the term of service of the regiment expiring on the 13th of June. But hardly had we returned from picket when it was rumored that we were again to be sent across the Rappahannock; at first this was deemed incredible, but the inevitable "three days' cooked rations" were prepared and orders came to march at da}-light the following day. The regiment then proceeded to the banks of the river, where it remained until the following day, when it crossed, and under cover of the ensuing night threw up breastworks extending along the entire front of our position in front of the city and Heights of Fredericksburg. The enemy, immediately upon discovering us, opened fire, but without inflicting any loss. Each day still further strengthened our w^orks, and a couple of sandbag bat- teries for the mounting of some heavy guns were fast approach- ing completion, when finallv orders came for our return to Bev- erly to be mustered out. Accordingly we re-crossed the Rappa- hannock, and marched directly to Falmouth, going thence by rail to Belle Plain Landing, and from that point by steamer to Washington. In due time Beverly was reached amid general CAPTAIN E. H. KIRKBRIDE, Of the Twenty-third Regiment. U. S. MARSHAL THOMAS ALCOTT, Of the Twenty-third Regiment. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 235 acclamations, and the men separated on furlough, awaiting the completion of the preparations for muster-out. But the Twenty-third was to see further service before it was finally disbanded. Late in June the country was startled by the news of Lee's advance into Pennsylvania, and the supposed danger of Harrisburg, the Capital of the State. Then a few days later came the stirring proclamation of Governor Parker, appealing to the people and regiments not yet disbanded, or in process of formation, tO' hasten to the aid of a sister State. When this appeal was issued less than half of the members of the Twenty-third were in camp, but Colonel Grubb promptly ordered the "assembly'' and asked all who would follow him to step two paces to the front. Not a man hesitated. Transporta- tion was at once telegraphed for, but it was late in the day before it was furnished. In the dusk of the evening the regiment landed at Walnut street wharf in Philadelphia, and, preceded by a band, marched through the crowded streets^ greeted at every step by peals of cheers, to the Harrisburg depot, whence, it being impossible to procure transportation, it proceeded to the corner of Twenty-seventh and Market streets, where it was quartered for the night. On the following morning, after some delay and a great deal of trouble. Colonel Grubb succeeded in procuring a train of coal cars in which the men were stowed as comfortably as possible, and so carried to Harrisburg, now supposed to be closely menaced by the rebels. Reaching the city, however, the men, who had been so eager to get on, found no excitement what- ever, much to their surprise. The Twenty-third was the first regimental organization to reach the city, but, strangely enough, it was cooly rather than enthusiastically received by the people whom it had made such haste to defend. Soon after arriving the regiment was taken out to the river front and set at work in throwing up rifle-pits to prevent the passage of the river, which at this time w^as very shallow. Here the men worked steadily, from the Colonel down, but before the labor was com- pleted orders were received directing the return of the regiment to Beverly, and, accordingly, the command, without regret, quitted the inhospitable capital. Reaching Beverly, it remained until the 27th of June, when it was finally dissolved, and the 23G fIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. men who had fought and suffered in its ranks went their several ways. New Jersey mav well be proud of the record of the gallant regiment whose services are here but imperfectly narrated. In every action in which it was called upon to take part it exhibited distinguished gallantry, and in the ranks, sadly thinned by the casualties of the field, Avere soldiers whose names deserve to be written side by side with the best and noblest of the Republic. Many of the officers and men again, in other organizations, met the nation's foe, and fought through the war, some attaining high and deserved promotion. The Thirty-seventh New Jersey was largely composed of meni'bers of the Twenty-third ; the Fortieth also drew many of its members from the same noble organization. The Third Cavalry took many more, while num- bers still re-enHsted in the older regiments and earned fresh dis- tinction on later fields. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 237 The Battle of Salem Church. General A. P. Alexander told the writer that he knew of no instance in which so few troops had won a victory so important as that at Salem Church, the result of which was to save Lee's army from an assault in the rear by some 20,000 fresh troops under Sedgwick — an assault that had it not been arrested miglit have been disastrous to our arms. To appreciate the importance of this engagement the situation should be understood. The Rappahannock above Fredericksburg trends southeast, until it turns, half a mile above the town, to the southward. From Fredericksburg the plank road runs straight out in a westerly course to Orange Court House. On May 3d, Hooker, who, with his army, had all the winter confronted Lee from Banks' Ford, twenty miles down the river, had already by a clever "pas" moved the bulk of his army across the river, some twelve to eighteen miles above Fredericksburg, thus securing a position to the rear of Lee's left and nearer to Richmond than we were; and he had left Sedgwick with his corps still opposite Fredericks- burg to cross and attack Lee in his rear, if Lee should dare to fight at or near Chancellorsville. Lee's situation when he found that Hooker was to his left and rear, was critical. But leaving Early with about 7,000 men to guard the river, opposite Fredericksburg and below, and Wil- cox's brigade (ours) on guard for three miles above, General Lee had swiftly moved with a portion of his army to confront Hooker at Chancellorsville, and had detached Jackson to make his celebrated attack on Hooker's right. Hooker had divided his army into two parts, and Lee had divided his into three; one. Early and Wilcox to guard the crossings near Fredericksburg, another, under himself, to confront Hooker at Chancellorsville, the third, under Jackson, to swing around Hooker's right flank. This remarkable division of his force was in the presence of an enemy who had more than two men to his one. Jackson's attack 16 F B 238 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. had bfeen successful. Hooker's right wing- had been doubled back on his main body ; but that main body, larger than Lee's whole army, was in its breastworks in the ^^''ilderness, in front of Lee, near Chancellorsville. On that morning, the 3d of ]\Iay, Sedg- wick, having crossed the river, had, after two repulses, succeeded in capturing Maryes' Heights in front of Fredericksburg, with a number of prisoners and seven pieces of artillery. Barksdale's brigade and Hay's brigade, of Early's division, thereupon re- treated from their position near Fredericksburg, south to the Telegraph road in the direction where Early was. This left Sedgwick in possession of the Fredericksburg end of the Plank road which ran straight to the rear of such of Lee's forces as confronted Hooker, ten miles away at Chancellorsville. There was nobody now to prevent SedgAvick from marching along this road to Lee's rear, except Wilcox, W'ith only our brigade, four pieces of Lewis' battery and about sixty cavalry. The brigade, as stated, had been guarding Banks' Ford, three and a half miles iKirthwest from Fredericksburg, and General Wilcox, when noti- fied of the attack on Maryes' Heights, had marched towards the fight. But when he neared Fredericksburg he found the enemy already in possession of Maiyes' Heights. To delay them we were put into line with skirmishers in front and with our artillery in place, two pieces on each flank. The Federals advanced a heavy line of infantry with skirmishers in front and six pieces of artillery; and now, in the skirmish that followed, near Stans- bury's house, the gallant Captain McCrar>% of Company D, with two or three men, had already fallen when General Wilcox dis- covered a heavy body of the enemy advancing up the Plank road. In a few moments they would surround us here in the bend of the river. 'J'his discovery was followed by a prompt order to withdraw. While in sight of our adversaries we retreated in comnion time, but very soon a w^ood, that w^as on our left as we fell back, obscuring us from view, we made double-quick time. General Wilcox in his report of this battle (O. R., Series I, Vol. X.W. I 'art I. J)]). 854-861) does not mention our accelerated mo\ement, but it is a fact that never were legs more valuable than when we were making a straight line for a point on the Plank road some three-quarters of a mile beyond where were FIRST NBW JERSEY BRIGADE. 239 our friends, the enemy. We reached "the plank" and stopped to get breath. Soon we continued on up "the plank road" to Salem Church, where General Wilcox selected a position for battle. Wilcox had previousl}' sent Major Collins with his fifty or sixty troopers of the Fifteenth Virginia Cavalry down the Plank road, with instructions to dismount his men and deploy them as skirmishers to delay the enemy's advance. This duty, hand- somely done, had given us time to^ do our double-quicking and reach the Plank road. Before Major Collins had re-called his skirmishers, in order to secure time for the arrival of re-enforce- ments that General Lee had been asked for, we were marched back from the church toward the enemy, say twelve hundred yards or more, to the toll-gate on the Plank road. Here we were aligned across the road and with our skirmishers well out in front firing, and our four pieces playing on the enemy, we secured a further delay. General Wilcox now learned that General Lee had sent us re-enforcements, and with General Sedgwick's people still not close enough to- seriously annoy us, we faced about and marched tO' the position near the church which had just been selected for the coming battle. DISPOSITION OP TROOPS. It is not within the scope of my present work to give complete descriptions of battles, but an exception is made as to^ SWem Church, because of its importance and because of "the attack being directed mainly against General Wilcox." (General R. E. Lee's Report, O. R. Series I, Vol. XXV, Part i.) Salem Church is on an eminence generally called in Federal re- ports "Salem Heights," sloping down towards Fredericksburg. A wood surrounded the church and grew thicker as it extended down the slope for about 200 yards, to where were open fields, unin- terrupted for quite a distance, except by Guest's house, say a mile away. The woods around the church stretched far away to both the right and the left, thus concealing from view the re- enforcements which had been aligned on our flanks. The Federals thought there was nobody between them and Lee's rear except Wilcox's brigade, a few cavalrymen and four pieces of artillery. 240 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The Plank road runs east and west, with the church close to the road and a schoolhouse thirty yards in front (east). The Tenth Alabama, with its left resting- on the church, was south of the road; the Eighth was on the right of the Tenth, and the Ninth in reserve behind the Tenth, though one of its companies was in the schoolhouse and another in the church. On the north side of the road (our left) were, first, the Eleventh and then the Fourteenth Alabama, with Semmes' brigade on the left of that, and Mahone's occupying our extreme left. Kershaw's brigade was on the right of ours, and later Wofford's came up and took position on the right of Kershaw; but these two brigades were in the woods, unseen by the enemy, and neither of them fired a gun. They were not in the line of attack. The disposition of the Federal forces I take from Series L Vol. XXV, Part i, O. R., citing- that volume simply by pages, for both Federal and Confederate reports. Sedg*wick had taken account of our strength when we were drawn up in the open field before him, near the toll-gate; he saw. too, the front we covered as we drew back into the woods, and now to cover this front he formed his lines, extending part of Newton's force beyond the left of our brigade, fully expecting it to meet no enemy, and to overlap and flank us. The surprise which awaited them when their flanking force encountered two brigfades concealed in the woods on our left, was one element in their coming defeat. Wilcox had out-generaled Sedg^vick. The latter was in possession of the heights at Fredericksburg l>efore 12 o'clock. He did not attack at Salem Church, three and a half miles away, until 5:00, or 5:30 p. m. By that time if Sedgwick had made the best use of the force at his command he could have swept Wilcox awav and been assailing the rear of Lee's lines at Chancellorsville. General Sedgwick, in his official report says: "Brooks' divis- ion formed rapidly across the road and Newton's upon the right." Here General Sedgwick conveys the impression that the whole of these two divisions were eng-aged in the attack. This ex- pression led the writer of this into a mistake which he elsewhere made, and now regrets. Examination of reports of subordinate officers shows that the following troops were not engaged : FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 241 Twenty-seventh New York, Eighteenth and Thirty-second New York, and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania, of Brooks' division; Scaler's brigade (five regiments) and Thirty-seventh Massa- chusetts, and Thirty-sixth New York of Second Brigade of New- ton's division, making altogether eleven regiments of the two divisions that did not take part in the attack which General Sedg- wick had said was made by two divisions. General W. T. H. Brooks, commanding his division, says (p. 568) he placed on the south of the road (our right) the Fifth Maine, Sixteenth New York, One Hundred and Twenty- first New York and Ninety-sixth Pennsylvania of his brigade, and the Twenty-third New Jersey of his First Brigade, alto- gether six regiments. But the Colonel of one of these regiments, Sea'ver, Sixteenth New York, says (p. 586) that while he was for a time on the south side of the road, he was later ordered to the north side and advanced in the woods there. This left five regiments of Brooks' division south of the road. The Ninety- eighth Pennsylvania and Sixty-second New York of Newton's division were, however, also on the south side of the road (Gen- eral Wheaton's report, p. 618). These seven regiments on the south side of the road opposed the Eighth and Tenth Alabama, which were supported by the Ninth. The One Hundred and twenty-first New York and the Twenty-third New Jersey were in the front of the attacking column. On the north side of the road, our left, there were, of Brooks' division, the First, Third and Fifteenth New Jersey, One Hun- dred and Nineteenth and Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania, making five regiments, with the Sixteenth New York added, six. Add also three regiments of General V/heaton's brigade (Wheaton's re- port, p. 617) and three of Newton's Second brigade, and we have twelve regiments attacking the front occupied by the Eleventh and Fourteenth Alabama, Semmes' brigade, and Ma- hone's, which was partially engaged. The Union troops were in high spirits. Hooker, they under- stood, had been successful; they had themselves just captured Maryes' Heights, with seven pieces of artillery, and Wilcox's brigade, that had retreated before them for two and half miles, 242 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. they were now about to brush away or destroy. As Sedg^vick told Guest at his farmhouse, where he made his headquarters, they "were after Cadmus (Cadmus Wilcox) and were going- to pick him up." Three batteries of Federal artillery stationed some fourteen hundred yards off opened the battle. Lewis' four pieces replied bravely for a time, but their ammunition was soon exhausted. Then for perhaps twenty minutes shells came crashing and howl- ing through the woods, hunting for our positions, but w'e were hugging the ground closely, and the Eighth received no damage. Artillery fire ceased, and now. bravely, with banners flying, in- fantry lines come forward, their alignment perfect. As they advance we have no artillery to check them, for Lewis' four pieces have retired. Our skirmishers at the edge of the woods fall back before them. Now, they near the little schoolhouse, whose doors and windows are shut. A rush is made for its shelter. From the cracks between the logs, made by knocking out the chinking, shoots a deadly flame of fire. A gigantic lieu- tenant, in the effort to batter down the door, falls across the steps ; a musket ball coming through the panel has pierced his heart. But the brave fellows in blue are too many for the lx)vs in the little log hut. They push forward, they crow'd around the house, and for a few moments the inmates are prisoners. Still the assailants press forward, until at some points they are forty, and at others only thirty, yards w^ay, and then a volley makes great g-aps in their ranks. The firing now extends from our right front far away to the left. The enemy returns our fire, first by volley and then promiscuously. In the first firing Colonel Royston is Ijadly wounded, and the command of the Eighth devolves upon Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert. For a few moments everywhere along the line the enemy are staggered, but do not retreat. The battle for a time seems hanging in the balance, and then the momentum of the attack is such as to break our lines. The Tenth Allabama is forced back upon the eight companies of the Ninth, that lie some thirty yards behind. The One Hundred and Twenty-first New York has passed the left of the Eighth, as, on its right, has the Twenty-third New Jersey, which had captured tlie company of the Ninth Alabama in the schoolhouse, and is FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 243 now also south of the church.- But the Eighth Alabama stands fast. The enemy in its front are held at bay, while the charg- ing column of gallant blue coats is sweeping by its left. By great good fortune Company K, the largest company of the regi- ment, had been on the picket line, and when it fell back to our line of battle this company could not get into its place on the left of the regiment because the Eighth and Tenth were already in touch, and so' Company K had taken position in rear of our left. And now at the very moment when the One Hundred and Twenty-first New York and Twenty-third New Jersey Regiments reach and are on the line that has just been occupied by the Tenth Alabama, Company K faces to the left and the company in its front also makes a half-wheel back, and together they pour ter- rific fire into the flank of the charging column. The marks of musket balls on the south side of the old brick church still tell, after forty-five years, of this fatal fire from the left companies of the Eighth Alabama on that day. The slaughter of the advancing line of the enemy is terrible, for the Ninth Alabama has now risen from the ground, and, with the Tenth, which has rallied upon it, is mowing them down by a fire in front, while the two left companies of the Eighth are firing into their flank. The Ninth rushes forward with a yell, and in less than five minutes after our line is broken, the Federals are in full retreat, leaving the extreme point to which they have gotten beyond the church distinctly marked with their dead and wounded lying in a line. Promptly as the Ninth Alabama comes forward, the whole brigade advances, and with it, on our left, two regiments of Semmes' joins in the connter-stroke. The carnage was awful. The enemy were in confusion, and all the efforts made by their gallant officers to keep them in lines were unavailing. We followed them till they had neared the toll-gate where were their reserves of infantry and artillery. These, of course, were not in sufficient force to attack, and we were ordered back, the enemy making no attempt to follow. The Tenth and Fifty-first Georgia had charged with us. The following is from the interesting report of Federal Divi- sion Commander General Brooks : 244 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. "Immediately upon entering- the dense growth of shrubs and trees which concealed the enemy, our troops were met by a heavy and incessant fire of musketry, yet our lines advanced until they reached the crest of the hill in the outer skirts of the woods, where, meeting with and being attacked by fresh and superior numbers of the enemy, our forces were finally compelled to with- draw." The only fresh troops they met were eight companies of the Ninth Alabama, and Compan}^ K, of the Eighth, which was im- mediately in rear of our left. General Brooks says : "In this brief but sanguinary conflict this (his) division lost nearly 1,500 men and officers." Major-General Newton made no report, but his losses were also great. General Wilcox reports (p. 861) that the brigade buried on our front 248; that 189 wounded were left in our hands, and that we captured three flags. The losses of our brigade near the church were severe, but while in pursuit were very few. Besides the wounded lying thick along our way, prisoners were taken in the w^oods and in the little gullies in the open field. Some of the Federal officers in their reports say the Con- federates were strongly entrenched. General Wheaton says (p.. 617) that we were not only strongly entrenched, but had abattis in front of our entrenchments. But there is no truth whate\^er in either of these statements. It w^as an impromptu battle. Our lines \\ere suddenly formed at a point w4iere no fight had been anticipated or prepared for. The next morning, however, after the fight of the 3d, thinking the enemy might attack again, we did dig rifle pits with bayonets, the men scraping up the earth with their tin plates. Brooks' division had four batteries of artillery, under Colonel John A. Tompkins, and Newton's division three, under Captain Jeremiah McCartney, which, counting six pieces to the batteiy, would aggregate forty-two guns. Only three of these batteries, however, were actively engaged — Williston's, Rigsby's and Hexa- mer's. One section of Hexamer's was across the Plank Road, FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 245 the other two sections tO' the left. Rig-sby's and Hexamer s were on the rig-ht of the road, says Colonel Tompkins (p. 566). General Brooks in his report (p. 568) says: "The lines were re-established near the batteries of Rigsby, Parsons and Williston." General Lee was with us at Salem Church 011 the next morn- ing after the battle, and went over the lines. He had, too, of course received all the reports of his subordinates before he made his report, September 21st, and in this report he says: "The enemy's artillery played vigorously upon our position for some time, when his infantry advanced in three strong lines, the attack being directed mainly against General Wilcox, but par- tially involznng the brigades on his left. The assault was made with the utmost firmness, and after a fierce struggle the first line was repulsed with great slaughter. The second then came for- ward, but immediately broke under the close and deadly fire which it encountered, and the whole mass fled in confusion to the rear. They were pursued by the brigades of Wilcox and Semmes (only two regiments of Semmes'), which advanced nearly a mile, when they were halted to' re-form' in the presence of the enemy's reserve, which now appeared in large force. It being quite dark, General Wilcox deemed it imprudent to push the attack with his small numbers, and retired to his original position, the enemy making no attempt to follow." (O. R. Series, Vol. XXV, Part I, p. 811.) It was the One Hundred and T\venty-first New York, under Colonel Upton, and the Twenty-third New Jersey, Colonel Grubb on its right, that broke through our lines, driving the Tenth Alabama back for a time upon the Ninth, and neither of these gallant officers claims, in his report of the battle, that we had overwhelming forces that came up to our help. Colonel Upton says specifically : "The enemy opposite the centre and left wing broke, but rallied again twenty or thirty yards to his rear." So far from seeing "overwhelming numbers" that were not there, as did many others. Colonel Upton did not even see the eight companies of the Ninth, upon which the Tenth rallied, and these constituted our only "re-enforcement." 24C FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The Eighth Alabama was subjected to the supremest test of courage and disciphne when it stood fast and held the enemy in its front at bay, while the two left companies wheeled to the left and fired down the flank of a line passing the regiment only a few feet away. It was this flank fire and the simultaneous fire received in their front that strewed the ground with a long line of our gallant assailants; and it was this cross-fire that turned the tide of the battle. No troops could have stood against such a fire, and when the advance line was driven back over their supports and closely followed, all were naturally thrown into- confusion. The company of the Ninth that was in the church, and protected by its thick brick wall, did effective work. One of these, an Irishman, afterwards said : "Faith, and I delivered the weight- iest doctrine that ever went out from that pulpit !" Shoes, that were so much needed, were among our spoils. An officer reported that during that night, while searching the woods for the wounded, he found "Old Robinson," an Irishman of Company A, sitting on the ground by the side of a badly wounded Federal officer, quietly smoking his pipe. "What are you doing here, Robinson?" The gruesome reply was: "I'm waitin' on this man here. He's got a bit of a job to do. I took him for a dead one, and was after pulling the boots off of him, when he said he was dyin', and asked me to wait till he was dead. And, faith, he's very slow about it !" We buried the Federal dead in a long trench, near the church, and allowed General Sedgwick to send surgeons to assist us in caring for his wounded ; but we had not allowed him to "catch Cadmus." The loss of the regiment in this battle was forty-four killed and wounded. In Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert's repyort of the battle, Lieutenant C. R. Rice, Captain W. W. Mordecai and Lieutenant W. Sterling were mentioned as conspicuous for gallantly, and all were said to have acted with steady brave^^^ The "soldiers lately enlisted," conscripts, were specially men- tioned. General Wilcox, in his report of the battle (O. R. Series, Vol. XXV. p. 860), says: "Colonel Royston, Eighth Alabama (and, after his severe wound, Lieutenant-Colonel H. A. Herbert, who commanded the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 247 Eighth Alabama) ; Colonel Pinckard, Fourteenth Alabama ; Colonel William, H. Forney, Tenth Alabama; Colonel J. C. C. Sanders, Eleventh Alabama, and Major J. H. J. Williams, Ninth Alabama, were intelligent, energetic and gallant in commanding, directing and leading their men." The men's roll of honor was : Private Allen Boiling, Company A. Private J. N. Howard, Company B. Sergeant Robert Gaddes, Company C. Sergeant P. H. Mays, Company D. Sergeant T. A. Kelly, Company F. Private Patrick Leary, Company I. Private James Reynolds, Company K, killed. The next day, May 4th, General Lee had planned an assault on Sedgwick, but the troops sent to connect on our right with Early, who was still on the left of Sedgwick, were slow in getting into line, and the attacks they made were largely unsuccessful, although about dark it was ascertained that Sedgwick had all day been retreating over a pontoon bridge at Banks' Ford. Gen- eral Wilcox, having asked permission to send a regiment in pur- suit, ordered forward the Eighth. We double-quicked in that direction. Nearing the enemy, we could hear the rumble of artillery, and the "shouting of the captains" as the rear of the command was being hurried in the darkness over the river. Everywhere in the woods we picked up prisoners. Captain Fagan, whose figures may always be relied on, records that the prisoners captured by our Brigade were 1,020, and the rest of our troops engaged brought in others, the total being about 2,000. (Signed) Hii^ary A. Herbert, Lt.-Col. Eighth Alabama.. 248 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. General D. D. Wheeler's Account of Salem Heights, then Captain, General Brooks' Staff. Fredericksburg, Va., April 6th, 1910. My Dear Grubb — I have your two letters, the last enclos- ing- a letter from Colonel Herbert and his account of the action at Salem Heights, Virginia, May 3d, 1863, the first asking me lo write a letter to correct some statement of Colonel Rich- ardson regarding "the Twenty-sixth New York" — I presume you meant the Twenty-sixth New Jersey — also to state which brigade your regiment, the Twenty-third New Jersey, belonged, and the number of brigades of the First Division, Sixth Corps, General W. T. H. Brooks commanding, that were engaged in the action of Salem Heights, to which I take pleasure in replying The Twenty-sixth New York did not belong to the First Divi- sion, Sixth Corps, nor did the Twent3^-sixth New Jersey — the latter belonged to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Sixth Corps. The Twenty-third New Jersey belonged to the First Brigade — Torbert's Brigade, First Division, The First Brigade, four regiments of the Second Brigade and two regiments of the Third Brigade of the First Division took part in that action. Brigadier-General D. A. Russell, with three regiments of his Third Brigade and one of the Second, was extended to take in that part of the field south of Deep Run, vacated by the First and parts of Second and Third Brigades, when the other troops of the division were withdrawn and placed in march to take the head of the column on the plank road leading to Salem Heights. After the action. General Brooks sent me to bring General Rus- sell's command to the front. I found him withdravving his troops in the direction of Fredericksburg in anticipation of orders to rejoin his division. He was very much put out that General Brooks attacked with what was practically only two small brigades. He said General Brooks would have the reputation of having made the attack with the full strength of his division, that if he, Russell, had l)een there with his command it would have made all the difference in the world, and I think so too. I thought, at the time, and have ever since thought, that our FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 249 people underestimated the num-ber of the enemy in our front and on our jflanks at the time of the attack, about 5 P. M. The Second and Third Divisions should have been pushed forward immediately after the capture of Marye's Heights, instead of waiting for General Brooks to take the lead. Know- ing' our troops were to charge I went to the north side of Deep Run to a point near Hazel Run and saw the troops of the Second and Third Divisions as they charged up Marye's Heights ridge. It was a beautiful sight. It was after that charge that General Brooks was ordered to leave troops to occupy the ground his division then occupied and with the remainder to move to the plank road. From, their position south of Deep Run these troops marched at least two miles to reach this road, four miles farther to Salem Heights, loaded down with eight days' rations. It took time for General Russell to deploy his troops to cover the division ground and to get the other part of the division in column and to march the two miles. When General Brooks reached the plank road with his command he was directed to take the advance in the direction of Salem Heights. It was a slow march from south of Deep Run ; valuable time was lost in many ways. You know personally some of the troops "got lost and went sight-seeing through Fredericksburg." If the Second and Third Divisions had pushed forward as they should have done, and General Brooks had followed instead of losing so much time for him to take the advance and then to march four miles farther, the action would probably not have taken place at Salem Heights and the battle of Chancellorsville would have been a different story. General Lee says, in his report of that action, that General Sedgwick's command consisted of the Sixth Corps and part of another — the part of a corps referred to by him was all or part of the Second Division, Second Corps, General Gibbon com- manding, who withdrew his troops and recrossed the river after Marye's Heights was captured. I have rarely read a report of a battle or action in which I had taken part that I did not think contained errors, nor listened to a paper prepared for children, friends or re-unions that was what I considered quite honest. They are sometimes highly colored, often contain remarks that 250 FIRSl^ NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. are incorrect, which modest men would not utter and brave men do not care to listen to. The great mistake the enemy made on the third of May, ahnost unpardonable it seems to me, was that their zvhole line did not advance after we were repulsed. If their zvhole line had ad- vanced I am sure we would have been captured. The troops we had fought, and immediately upon our troops giving way, did make an effort to capture Williston's Battery, but when he turned double-shotted canister upon them they were obliged to retire; those that attacked his left front got pretty close to him. But their charge lacked vim and fire; they acted as if they had had enough. It was then and there.that I won my ]\Iedal of Honor. The enemy should not have allowed us, the First Division, to remain practically idle all day the 4th. We should have been captured ; we should not have been allowed to recross the Rai>- pahannock at Banks' Ford, the enemy should have prevented our crossing. When we were dri\en back from Salem Heights we re-formed on General Newton's division. I have always thought that the reason wdiy General Brooks was brought from such a distance, causing so much delay, and placed in advance to follow and press the enemy on the third, was to give him a chance ! Newton and Howe had had theirs at Marye's Heights. When our troops broke, General Brooks turned to me and said ''Twenty- five years in the army, Mr. Wheeler, and ruined at last." It was pathetic. I have never felt such pity for anyone as I felt for him then and ever since then. General Brooks and some members of his staff went into the fight with Colonel Upton's One Hundred and Twenty-first New York. The regiment lost over two hun- dred and fifty men. General Brooks did not know that the Third Division was so near, aiid when I told him and that we could re-form on it, his face took on a different expression. But, oh! why didn't Newton push his division forward to our support? All of the above would have been a different storv if General Grant had been in command of the Army of the Potomac. While we. including "our friends the enemy," lost thousands of men l^efore he assumed command, I do not consider we had real war, real hell, as General Sherman said, until after he took conimand of the .Army. A few words more and I will close this long letter. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 251 One evening, not long after the war, I was sitting in front of our Headquarters on the Rio Grande, when I saw a pretty tough mihtary looking man coming up the walk carrying a thin, lean, old-fashioned carpet bag. I rose from my seat; he asked if these were General Getty's Headquarters. I told him they were, but the General was absent, that I was his adjutant-general, and I asked if I couldn't attend to- his business. His reply was, ''I am General Cadmus Wilcox, late of the C. S. A., one of the last Ditchers. I'm one of those wdio went to Mexico, but I've had enough of it and have come back tO' God's country. The United States will never have a more loyal, faithful citizen than I will be in the future; I haven't anything; I w^ant to get to New Orleans, where, I think, I have some friends." I said "Great Scott, is it possible. I would rather see you than anyone in the world. I was an aide-de-camp to your old friend General W. T. H. Brooks, and you whipped us so badly at Salem Heights that I would like tO' show you how much we think of you and how much we desire to make you comfortable ; now, you be m.y guest until the steamer leaves Brazos next week and I'll fix you out all right." Tears canie into his eyes and he said he would accept my offer gladly ; that I little knew how happy I had made him'; that it was the first real soldier talk he had heard for a long time and he was happy to be back. General Getty, who called him Cadmus, and the other officers met hini' in the same spirit. He remained with me about a week. I assisted him, and got him transportation to New Orleans. Of course, we had a great deal to say of the fight at Salem Heights. He told me that when, from captured prisoners, he learned that General Brooks was in his front he determined to whip Bully Brooks (General Brooks was known at West Point and in the Army as Bully Brooks) if it cost him every man of his command. He also told me that General Lee supposed that General Sedgwick had two corps under his command and that General Lee sent a sufficient force to hold that number of troops in check, and to whip them if they could; that General Lee fully realized the necessity of repulsing General Sedgwick and was there in person and gave his personal supervision. What was of far more importance to our corps, what was its salvation in fact, was the splendid vie- 252 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. tory of the Second Division, General A. P. Howe commanding,, on the 4th of May, over the troops of McLaws, Anderson and Early, fighting under the eye of General Lee, who was on the ground in person. Had General Lee's attack been successful the whole corps should have been captured. (Read the reports of General Howe, Colonel L. A. Grant, Fifth Vermont, command- ing the Vermont Brigade, and the report of other officers of the action of the 4th of May.) I have always had a similar feeling for General Lee on account of his repulse at that time that Lve always had for General Brooks for his repulse at Salem Heights, though there are far better reasons for the latter's repulse than the former's. H General Lee had massed his troops against our right, the right of the First Division, cut us off from Banks' Ford, driven us back over the Marye's Heights ridge, and on down to and across Deep Run, it w^ould have been different. We expected him to attack tis, not the Second Division, for it was the proper thing for him to do, but we were practically unmo- lested all during the 4th of May. Our First Division retired to Banks' Ford in good spirits and without anv confusion \vhatever beyond the fact that it w^as night, otherwise it would have been like returning from dress parade. It always makes me weary, in fact quite tired, to listen to a lot of old Yanks or old Rebs talking of the war. They all find fault and criticise, just as T am doing. You always tried to draw me out about that fight and at last you have succeeded, but it's the last time, for I do not like it. We all did the very best we could ; we all won victories and we all made mistakes and suffered defeats. There are so many nice cool bottles, so many Scotch and sodas and straight whiskies to be drunk, so many good things to eat. so manv pipes and cigars to smoke, so much business and scandal to talk about when wc old fellows meet, that I would say. leave the war to military students, who treat the whole matter in a business way, without fear or favor to any person or to either side, coloring nothing, and who possibly will learn something that will be of benefit to the whole country in any future war. As a matter of fact the corporals, sergeants, lieutenants, captains and colonels know mighty little of a cam- paign or fight, beyond acts of heroism of their little commands; FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 253 they fight or run, thinking little of what is going on on their flanks or in their rear. Nearly fifty years after the war I have no doubt thousands of people are wondering why their fathers were not better treated and appreciated, for they have listened to their father's talks, read his wonderful description of battles in which he took part — the leading or most important part, or if he didn't his friend John Doe did — fathers who knew and understood mighty little of what was going on at the time, but having spent a great deal of time in reading reports and talking with old fellows, he is able to talk like a military genius and give his remarks any kind of coloring he desires. Pardon this letter, my dear old comrade. I'll never do it again, not even for you. It is written for you only. Many thanks for your kind' invitation to visit you at your charming home and meet your Yahoos on the 3d of May. I appreciate your kindness. Give them all my love, and tell them I hope we will meet in the great Hereafter and fight the Salem Heights fight over again, when we surely will have General Russell and his troops with us, the Third Division will give us better support, and we will make the Johnny Rebs run like . I am, going west the first part of May. Please send the Italian greyhound, male or female, female preferred, as soon as you can. I'm waiting. Mrs. Wheeler joins me in love for Mrs. Grubb, yourself and children, a great deal for that fine lovely boy of yours. Last Sunday, the 3d of April, was the anniversary of our entrance into Richmond, where as Assistant Adjutant-General to the Commanding General I issued the first order issued by a Yankee in that city. Always yours sincerely, D. D. Wheki-ER, Brig-General U. S. A., Retired. A. D. C. on the Staff of General Brooks at the battle of Salem Church. General E. Burd Grubb, Edgewater Park, New Jersey. 17 E B 254 FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. Report of Colonel E. Burd Grubb, Twenty=third New Jersey Infantry. Hdqrs. Twenty-third New Jersey Voeunteers, May 10, 1863. Sir : In compliance with orders from brigade headquarters, I have the honor to report that my regiment left camp, near White Oak Church, at 3 P. M. April 28th, and bivouacked upon the bank of the Rappahannock, which we crossed at daylight on the morning of the 29th. My regiment was deployed on the front at sunrise on the 29th, relieving the One Hundred and Twenty-first New York. On Thursday the regiment was relieved. Nothing special occurred on Friday or Saturday. On Sunday (May 3) was again ordered to the front, and had one officer and two men wounded from shells. About noon was ordered to follow the brigade, and marched through Fredericksburg and about three miles out on the Plank road, when I was again ordered to the front to support the Second New Jersey Volunteers, skirmishing. As soon as my regiment emerged from the woods, I was opened upon by a battery posted in the road, the second shot from which wounded an officer and kiUed a man. Under the immediate orders of General Brooks, I advanced, keeping but a few paces in rear of the skirmishers, and came upon the enemy, posted in a thick woods and in a brick church. The nature of the ground was such that my line was somewhat broken up on entering the woods. Nevertheless, my men engaged the enemy with great spirit. Together with Colonel Upton, of the One Hundred and Twenty- first New York, immediately upon my left, I made several efforts to drive the enemy from their position in and around the church, but (such was the severity of their fire) without success, and, se\eral regiments upon my left giving way, I was compelled to fall back. Upon emerging from the woods, the fire was exceed- ingly deadly, and some confusion ensued, but I succeeded in re-forming in rear of a battery some soo yards from the wosers, to obey the officers in command over us," who was bound to us by ties of intimate association and friendship, ties as soft as cords woven of silken threads, but, oh, God, stronger than bands of iron, who had fallen in the battle, had answered "here" to the roll-call of the mystic angel, and had passed to the grand army above. God grant we may never have such a con- flict again in this land of ours. Let us go from here to our homes, wherever they may be, or whether we be veterans of the Blue or the Gray, full}' resolved that we will teach those around us that the old flag that hangs from that monument means some- thing; that it means liberty, union, happy homes, God's country; that it means a land of brave, intelligent men, and fair and noble women; that it means a land of churches, where everyone can worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience; that it means a land of grand schools scattered all over this coun- try, one of which, I am proud to say, is directly opposite this monument — schools in which half a million of teachers are daily throwing the shuttle back and forth weaving the character and habits of the future sons and daughters of this great Republic, who are soon to come upon the stage of active life to take your and my place. Yes, men of the Blue and men of the Gray, men of the North and men of the South, it means all this, and more. It means that should a foreign foe attempt to trail it in the dust, or rob us of our lil>erties, a million men from all sections of our land would defend it with their lives. And now, on behalf of the Trustees of this Regimental Association, I receive from your hands this beautiful monument, and pledge you that so long as a survi\-or of the same lives it will l:)e cared for. and tliat a fund will be placed in the hands of some institution and so invested as to protect it for all time. HON. SAMUEL ROBBINS, Member of Monument Commission. FIRST NBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 271 Legislative Action by the State of New Jersey Authorizing Erection of Monument at Salem Church. An Act to authorize the erection of a monument on the battle- field of Salem Church, in the State of Virginia, to com- memorate the services of the twenty-third regiment, New Jersey volunteer infantry, in the battle of Salem Church and other engagements of the Civil War, and tO' appropriate money toi pay the cost of erection and dedication of the same. Whereas, The Twenty-third regiment, New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, rendered valiant and distinguished service in the bat- tle of Salem Church, in the county of Spottsylvania and State of Virginia, fought on the third day of May, eighteen hundred and sixty-three; as well as in other engagements of the Civil War; and Whereas, In order to perpetuate the memories of said battle of Salem Church and other engagements in which said regiment participated, as well as to promote the spirit of patriotism in their descendants and others, the surviving members of said regiment formed themselves into an association known as the "Association of the Survivors of the Twenty-third Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers," which association, upon each re- curring anniversary of said battle of Salem Church, meets to revive the memories and associations of said battle; and Whereas, The land whereon said regiment fought in said battle and on which the lines of battle were formed; where said regi- ment sustained and delivered the most severe charges of the day; where the greatest victories of the battle were achieved and the greatest losses sustained by said regiment, consecrating it as historic ground and endearing it to the memory of all who trod its soil, has been purchased by Edward Burd Grubb, then Colonel of said regiment, and by him deeded to trustees for said association, to be held by said trustees and their suc- cessors as a perpetual memoTial of said battle of Salem Church ; and 272 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Whereas, The said association is desirous of erecting upon the land so- held for them in trust, a suitable monument com- memorative of the said battle, but are without means where- with to accomplish the same and desire State aid in the premises; therefore, Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of Nezv Jersey: 1. The sum of six thousand dollars is hereby appropriated, when included in the annual or supplemental appropriation bill, for the purpose of erecting and dedicating, a monument on the battlefield of Salem Church, in the county of Spottsylvania, in the State of Virginia, to commemorate the services of the Twenty-third Regiment, New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in said battle and in other engagements of the Civil War; said sum to cover all expenses incident to the erection and dedication of said monument. 2. The Governor shall, upon the making of such appropria- tion, appoint a commission to consist of three survivors of said regiment, members of the association of said survivors, to select a design, contract for, erect, finish and arrange for the dedication of a suitable monument on the lands at Salem Church, in the State of Virginia, now held in trust for the association known as the "Association of the Survivors of the Twenty-third Regi- ment of New Jersey Volunteers," and also to grade the ground immediately surrounding said monument; said commissioners shall receive no compensation for their services and the Governor shall fill all vacancies that may occur by death, resignation or otherwise. 3. The Comptroller of the State shall draw his warrant in payment of all bills approved by said commission, and the Treas- urer of this State shall pay all warrants so drawn to the extent of the amount appropriated by the Legislature. 4. After the monument shall be completed and dedicated and the grounds properly graded as aforesaid, the commission shall make report to the Governor of this State, to be laid before the Legislature on the first day of the session next succeeding the completion of the work, and then the duties of the commission shall cease and the care and supervision of said monument shall FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 273 devolve upon and be vested in the trustees for the association known as the "Association of the Survivors of the Twenty-third Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers/' and their successors in said trust. 5. This act shall be deemed a public act and shall take effect immediately. (Signed) E. C. Stokes, Governor of Nezv Jersey. Resolutions Adopted by Camp of United Confederate Veterans. Lynchburg, Va., June 14, 1907. General B. Burd Gruhh, My dear GeneRAI. — At the recent Confederate Reunion in Richmond, Va., on the occasion of the unveiling of the Stuart and Davis monuments, I had the honor to offer a resolution oi which the enclosure is a transcript. It was unanimously reported by the committee on resolutions and unanimously adopted by the Camp of the United Confederate Veterans. I presume that an official copy will be sent forward in accord- ance with the provisions of the resolution, but take the liberty to send you a copy, or rather a transcript, which I offered in token of my profound appreciation of the noble conduct of yourself and your brave regiment. I know of nothing more striking, or more chivalrous. The hearts of the old Confederates were warmed by this exhibition of respect and good feeling, and you and your gallant boys would be cheered by them whenever they could have the pleasure of meeting you. Let me renew to you, dear General, the expressions of the friendship with which I have long regarded you, and which has been most delightfully refreshed by the incident referred to in the resolutions. Most truly yours, (Signed) Jno. W. DaniEES. Whereas, on the 3d of May last, the Twenty-third Regiment of New Jersey Infantry, of the Army of Potomac, held a re- 274 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. union on the battlefield of Salem Cl^urch where their courage was nobly exemplified and many of their comrades fell ; and whereas, they there erected a monument to the memory of those comrades who gave their lives to their cause, and on one tablet engraved the following legend : ''To the brave Alabama Boys, our opponents on this field of battle, whose memory we honor, this tablet is dedicated ; And whereas, so splendid an exhibition of soldierly honor and chivalrous feeling deeply touches our hearts, and has scarce a parallel; And whereas, we can only say in the language of one of our public journals that "Nothing could be finer, nothing more chivalric, nothing could testify more eloquently to the nobility of soul of these New Jersey soldiers" ; we salute them with admira- tion, gratitude and homage,* and send to each and all of them our fraternal regards. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted to General E. Burd Grubb, who was an officer of the Twenty-third New Jersey Infantry, with the request that he communicate them to his fellow soldiers; and we assure him and them that nothing could make us happier than an opportunity to reciprocate and cherish the generous sentiments which have inspired them. Mount Holly, N. J., February 8th, 1908. Dear Sir — I see by the newspapers that Senator Taylor of Tennessee is to deliver a lecture iov the benefit of a monument to be erected to the Confederate dead at Arlington, aiid that former Senator I^'aulkner and vourself represent a committee having the matter in hand for the Arlington Confederate Monu- ment Association. I am a memter of the Twenty-third New Jersev Regimental Association and its secretary, and write you in their behalf to know if an appropriation of one hundred dollars from them \\\W be acceptable for this tribute to the memory of the brave l)oys that wore the gray. General E. Burd Grubb is the President of our Association, to whom vou wrote a beautiful E. BURD GRUBB, Jr. Who Unveiled the Monument at Salem Church. General E. Burd Grubb making his Address at the Dedication of tlie Monument at Salem Church. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 275 letter in regard to a tablet to the Ijrave .\labama boys on our monnm-ent at Salem Church, Va., which we dedicated last May. Hoping- that we may have the honor of contributing toward this worthy object, which has our most cordial approA'al, and that your efforts may be crowned with rich success, I remain yours sincerely, E. H. KiRKBRIDE, Late Capt. B Co. B^d Regt. N. J. Vol. HowKi^iv C. Featherston, Attorney and Counseeeor-at-Law, LY^^CHBURG, Va., May 13th, 1907. Gen. B. Bitrd Grubh, Philadelphia, Pa.: * Dear GenERAEi — I have read with deepest interest an account of the unveiling of a monument on the battlefield of Salem Church, near Fredericksburg, Va., tO' commemorate the deeds of the Twenty-third New Jersey Volunteers in the battle of Salem Church, fought during the progress of the battle of Chancellors- ville. I especially note the inscription on the third plate : "To the brave Alabama boys, our opponents on this field of battle, whose memory we honor, this tablet is dedicated." For this display of chivalry I salute you and your comrades. I doubt if history has recorded such a generous commemoration of the valor of a foe. I was a member of that (Wilcox's) brigade — a captain in the Ninth Alabama Regiment. The brigade w^as composed of the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Fourteenth Alabama Regiments.- This was the same brigade which took such an active part in the, re-capture of the "Crater" in front of Petersburg, Va., on July 30th. 1864, as well as other memorable hotly contested fields. Permit me to thank you and those who co-operated with you in thus honoring foemen who fought you "hilt to hilt" so desper- ately as did the "Alabama boys" in that bloody battle. None but 27G FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. a brave and magnanimous people could thus honor a former enemy. As before stated I doubt if your chivalrous act has a parallel recorded in history; certainly not in the history of the Civil War. It is the most convincing evidence that I have seen that ''the war is over." I well remember the deeds of heroism displayed on 1x)th sides around Salem Church on that May day. So hotly was the ground contested that at one time during the fight your men were at one end of the church and ours were at the other. We had literally converted the House 6i God into a charnel house and had pushed aside the Book of Life and were using the instruments of death. We had four sharpshooters in the pulpit firing through the window in its rear, one of whom' was an Irishman, who, after the battle, said : "Captain, I was being after sinding out from that pupit some of the most forcible argumint that any morf iver sint from it before.'' An officer who inspected the field closely told me a few days after the battle that parallel lines drawn from each end of the church included some of the dead from both sides — Federal and Confederate. If it were possible for the "Alabama boys" to re-assemble, that act of yours and your comrades would receive such recognition as it justly merits, but that, alas! can never be. The results of the war forced the survivors of that noble band to seek their fortunes in places W'idely divergent, but the majority uf them are sleeping on the field of honor. All of themi that are now living. I can safety say, feel as do I : that words are inadequate to express our appreciation of your chivalrous act. Indeed, it wall touch a responsive chord in the hearts of all Confederate soldiers. New Jersey has set an ex- ample that, if followed by others, would do more to restore good feelings over the entire nation than all efforts of the press and orators can ever accomplish. They are theorizing; Xew Jersey is performing— "showing her faith by her works." I hope that at some future time we may meet again, but not as of vore, and in kindlv words fight over our battles "in these piping times of peace." FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 277 I regret that I was not aware of the time of the unveihng of your, yes, our monument; otherwise I should surely have been present. In our hearts is your monument. With kindest regards, I am, Yours most truly, (Signed) John C. Fe;athkrston. 278 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The Twenty-Third Regiment at Harrisburg in 1863. The term of service in the United States Army, for which the Twenty-third Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers had enHsted, expired on the 13th day of June, 1863. The regiment was at that time attached to the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, and, on the day after the expiration of their term of service, they were sent across the Rappahannock River, below Fredericksburg, and faced the enemy, and had an officer and two men wounded. They then were ordered to proceed to Beverly, N. J., for muster-out, and transportation was furnished them from Acquia Creek for that purpose. I had given special attention to the muster-out rolls of every captain in the regiment, and they were in perfect condition with the exception of the sutler's accounts, with which, of course, I had nothing to do, and the sutler caused considerable delav in getting his accounts on the rolls properly. In the meantime, the regiment was in camp, in tents, on the commons at Beverly, between the railroad and the city hall. Upon ascertaining that there would be some delay in the muster-out, I allowed furloughs to about one-half of the men at a time, and that accounts for the fact that on the day of w-hich I am going to speak, June 17th, 1863, there were not more than 400 men present for duty in the camp. On the morning of the i/th of June I went up to Trenton and called upon the Governor, Joel Parker, and upon Adjutant- General Robert F. Stockton, and urged upon them the advisa- bility, for many reasons, of hastening the muster-out of the regiment. There were two other regiments at Beverly waiting to be mustered out, also a military hospital, and I felt nervous about the danger of any contagious disease being contracted by my men. I may add that the discipline of my men up to the last moment of our military connection was perfect, and the fact that their term of serxicc had expired made no difference in their con- duct as soldiers, either at Beverly or afterwards at Harrisburg. The Governor and General Stockton said they w^ould take immediate steps to hasten a muster-out ; and General Stockton • FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 279 asked me to go to his house and take lunch with him, which I did. At the table, in his dining-room, were General and Mrs. Stockton, and the two Misses Potter; one of whom afterwards married Mr. Carter, of Orange, and the other Mr. Green, of Trenton; I think that Mrs. Dayton, General Stockton's daughter, who was then Miss Maria Stockton, a little girl, was at the table. When the lunch was half over, a telegram was handed General Stockton, which he opened and read, and then said, "Grubb, this is terrible news, Lee's W'hole army is advancing on Harris- burg, and Governor Curtin asks us to- send every available man to the assistance of his State." After a few moments he said, "Will your men go?" I said, "Of course they will." I did not think then what a great responsibility I was taking by making that reply, but I had the greatest confidence in my regiment, and the result justified it. We arose from the table at once and went over to the capitol, where Governor Parker was. Upon reading the telegram he asked me the same question that General Stockton had, and I made the same reply. He then directed . General Stockton to order a locomotive to take us down to Beverly, where w^e arrived in not much more than a half-hour's time. The three regiments had been informed of the coming of the Governor, and were drawn up on the commons in three masses, close enough together to hear what was said. There w^ere probably about 1.500 men present there in the three regi- ments. Governor Parker then, taking off his hat, made one of the most impassioned speeches that I ever heard. He praised the men for their conduct in the service, told them that they had fulfilled their time of service and that neither the country nor the State had any claim upon them, but the capital of Penn- sylvania was in imm.inent danger from the same enemy whom they had fought so well and so long. He then read Governor Curtin's telegram to them and besought them on every plea that any man could think of, and most eloquently and forcibly, to go at once to the assistance of Pennsylvania. At the end of his speech he said, "Now every man who will go to Harrisburg to-night, step three paces to the front." Every man of the Twenty-third Regiment stepped three paces to the front, and not one of the others. 280 FIRST XFJV JERSEY BRIGADE. I immediately ordered my men to get their knapsacks and muskets and issued twenty rounds of cartridges to each man, which was all I had in the camp, and by the time this was done, which did not take many minutes, one of the trains for Phila- delphia came along and was stopped by the Governor, and the Twent}-third Regiment Iwarded it and arrived in Philadelphia just about dusk that evening. In those days the landing wharf of the Amboy Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad was at the foot of Walnut street, instead of Market street, where it now is. We marched up Chestnut street to Broad street and thence to West Philadelphia, by Market street, where I was told trans- portation to Harrisburg would be waiting for us. Arriving there I found nothing of the kind and no preparation for trans- porting us at all. At th-e request of the chief of police, or the mayor of the city, I am uncertain which, the regiment marched to the police station house, a large building at the corner of Twenty-seventh and Market streets, where it was quartered for the niglit, and 369 rations were served to the men, this being the exact number of the Twenty-third Regiment who were with the regiment at Harxisburg. I have, of course, mentioned previously that a number of men were absent on furloughs at their homes, and twenty-five men. under the command of Captain E. H. Kirkbride — who, it happened, was officer of the day — I had left in charge of our camp at Beverly. Earl)^ on the morning of the 1 8th of June, after a great deal of trouble. I succeeded in getting a train of open coal-cars, and in these the Twenty-third Regi- ment, officers and men, went to Harrisburg, arriving there about one o'clock in tlie afternoon of that day. It is my recollection that a battery of light artillery, commanded by Captain K. Spencer Miller, of Philadelpliia, went to Harrisburg with us in the same train. They liad. I think, ^four small guns. I reported at once to General Darius X. Couch, whose head- f|uarters were in the Capitol building. He was an officer who had commanded a division of the Army of the Potomac, and was then commander of the department in which Harrisburg was. He told me there were no organized troops in the town, and he did not know when there would be, and asked me how much ammunition I had, and also said that as my muskets were smooth-bores that he did not have anv more for me. He then PIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 281 said that there was a ford just above the Cumberland Valley Railroad bridge, and that if the brido-es were burned, he thoueht the enemy would attempt to cross at that place, as the river was very low. He then directed me to take my regiment to the Harris Park, just opposite this place, on the bank of the Susque- hanna, and throw up a rifle pit of Demilune kind, and to pierce the cellars of all the houses that abutted on the river in that vicinity for musketry. This I did, and the whole regiment, officers and men, worked at this during the whole of that after- noon and nearly all of the night. By the next morning we had a tolerably good rifle pit, extending nearly the whole length of the Harris Park, and just back of the fence, which was on the river side; the fence was not thrown down, so that the rifle pit was masked from the river. At the end of three days of our occupation here, I received orders from, General Couch to take the regiment back to Beverly for muster-out. I called upon him to say "Good-bye," and to tell him that the men were ready and willing to go wherever it was necessary, and he said that the acute strain was over, that the rebels had fallen back some eighteen or twenty miles, that the Army of the Potomac was coming up on their rear and that there was no further necessity for our services. He spoke in the highest terms of the conduct of the men of the Twenty- third Regiment. We returned to Philadelphia and were put on board a curious boat called the "Burlington," a freight boat, with the wheels near the bow, and an extraordinary long body behind the wheels. We were mustered out of the United States service at Beverly, on the 27th day of June, 1863. At the last dress parade, and on the commons at Beverly, there was present and saluted by the regiment, Miss Harriet Lane, the niece of ex-President James Buchanan, and who was the Lady of the White House during his administration. I refer in connection with this article to Official Records, Series i, Vol. 27, Part 3, pages 446-1078 and 1079; also Foster's New Jersey and the Rebellion, pages 512 and 513; al^o to History of the Reunion Society of the Twenty-third Regi- ment, New Jersey Volunteers, pages 21 and 22. . E. BuRD Grubb, Colonel 2sd Regt., 1863. 282 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The Fortieth Regiment. The Fortieth Regiment was organized under the immediate superintendence of Colonel Stephen R. Gilkyson, under General Orders No. 243 (series 1864) of the War Department, and for- warded to the field by companies, the last company being mus- tered in on the loth of March, 1865. Upon reaching- the field, the companies were attached to the First Brigade, the regiment proving courageous and efficient in all the engagements in which it participated. In the last fight before Richmond it displayed conspicuous gallantry, the men fighting with the steadiness of veterans. Its record here is brief, since its term of service cov- ered only the latter period of the war; but, in the estimation of Jerseymen, it deserves a place among the best and worthiest of our regiments. The original roster of the regiment was as follows : Colonel, Stephen R. Gilkyson; Lieutenant-Colonel. Samuel J. Hopkins; Major, J. Augustus Fay, Jr.; Adjutant, George W. Breen; Quartermaster, J. Warren Kinsey; Surgeon, Charles E. Hall; Assistant Surgeons, Harmon Heed, Elias Wildman. Company A — Captain, John Edlestein ; First Lieutenant. Charles A. Galluba; Second Lieutenant, Gustavus L. Freche. Company B — Captain, Samuel W\ Down; First Lieutenant, Jonathan Maguire; Second Lieutenant, Edwin Hedden. Company C — Captain, George Eggers ; First Lieutenant, Henry C. Wood- ward; Second Lieutenant, Joseph F. Mount. Company D — Captain, Maurice C. Stafford; First Lieutenant, Harrison Shaff; Second Lieutenant. Samuel Phillips. Company E — Captain, Joseph A. Schnetzer; First Lieutenant, George \\'. Breen; Second Lieutenant, James Phillips. Company F — Captain. Charles E. Grant; First Lieutenant, Chauncey Holt; Second Licnitenant. T. Fletcher Jacobs. Company G — Captain, Elwood Lippincott; First Lieutenant, John B. Lyman; Second Lieu- tenant, John M. Peters. Company H — Captain, Andrew J. Mandeville; First Lieutenant, Samuel W. Downs; Second Lieu- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 283 tenant, Georg-e A. Beldin. Company /—Captain, Ezra Stewart- First Lieutenant, William H. Stiles; Second Lieutenant, Stephen H. Marsh. Company /C— Captain, John W. Goodenough- First Lieutenant, Walker A. Newton; Second Lieutenant, ' Peter Rudranff. 284 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Battery A, First New Jersey Artillery. Battery A, First New Jersey Artillery, Captain William Hex- amer, was mustered into service August 12, 1861, at Hoboken, which place it left eight days after for Washington. Captain Hexamer had for months impatiently awaited an opportunity to enter the service, and only failed to reach the field with our first contingent, because of the indisposition of the Govern- ment to accept of volunteer artillery. Whether it was supposed that this arm of the service was already sufficiently strong, we cannot tell ; but it is certain that so far as New Jersey was con- cerned, it was found for a time altogether impossible to secure the acceptance of artillery organizations. Many men. having encountered the rebuffs to which Captain Hexamer was exposed, would have abandoned the effort to obtain recognition as utterly useless ; but he was not to be so shaken off ; pertinacious, earnest and animated by a sturdy and invincible patriotism, he pursued his purpose with ceaseless and importunate determination, and at length, as we have seen, achieved success — being mustered in as a participant in the grand struggle for the vindication of the flag he loved. Reaching Washington on the 21st of August, the battery, after being filled up and supplied with the necessary horses, equipments and arms, proceeded (September 6th) to Fairfax Seminary, where it was attached in Kearny's brigade. The battery at this time numbered one hundred and fifty-one men and five officers — one Captain, two First Lieutenants and two Second Lieutenants. At a later period, the number of men was increased to one hundred and sixty-four, several being trans- ferred to the battery from the First Regiment of Infantry. The first battle in which the batter}- was engaged was that of West Point, on the 7th of May, 1862, where it displayed great gallantr}-, winning the highest encomiums. The official report of the engagement shows that at nine o'clock on the day named. Captain Hexamer, under orders from General Newton, placed the left section (howitzers) of his battery in position opposite FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 28.> the woods near the landing- — the right and centre sections being' soon after placed on the right of the line of battle formed by Franklin's division. What followed is thus told in the report: "Skirmishing between our troops and the enemy had already commenced in the woods directly in front when I reached the designated ground. General Newton ordered me not to begin firing until the enemy should show himself outside the woods, which was done at twelve o'clock by the Fifth Alabama Regi- ment, who fired on my battery with rifles, wounding some of my men. I then opened fire with my ten-pounder Parrotts, and threw spherical case into the lines oi the enemy, causing the retreat of the Alabama troops. I then commenced shelling the woods in the direction where I knew the enemy to be located (guided by the smoke rising 'from the discharged muskets), until the firing of the infantry in the woods in front of us' ceased entirely. * * * The effect of our fire must have been good, judging from his speedy retreat and the reports of some men of our brigade whoi were pursuing him in the woods. The men behaved well, executing all movements as accurately as on the drill-ground." The battery was next engaged at Mechanicsville, before Rich- mond, on the 31st of May, 1862. On the 27th of June, it partici- pated in the severe engagement at Gaines' Mills, having re- ported to Colonel Taylor, commanding the First New Jersey Brigade, and being by him placed on the right of the Brigade — Prince de Joinville, of McClellan's staff, accompanying the com- mand to its position — in an open field some two hundred yards from the woods occupied by the rebels, and in which an infantry fight was in progress. Immediately upon the battery coming into position, the enemy opened upon it, killing and wounding seventeen horses before it was able to fire a single shot; the men, however, received the fire without trepidation, and as soon as possible replied with vigor. Captain Hexamer's report of the day's action, as made to Colonel Taylor, says of the operations of the battery subsequent to this assault from the enemy : "After half an hour's rest, during which tim.e the musket balls of the enemy reached us in great numbers, I received an order by Adjutant de Joinville from General Porter, to advance fifty 19 F B 280 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. yards towards the woods and open fire at eleven hundred yards distance, where the rebels were supposed to be in line. We threw about thirty rounds, when the musket fire in our front ceased ,and I received an order by the same Adjutant to dis- continue firing. We were kept in rest about twenty minutes, when suddenly the firing in our front and all along the woods was renewed and raged for about half an hour with the greatest fur\-. The musketry came nearer every moment, and finall}- our infantry left the woods, followed closely by the enemy. At this moment I received your order to open fire with spherical case and canister, which was at once complied with. Simul- taneously the battery on my left opened fire, and after about fifteen minutes' firing, we had silenced entirely the musketry of the enemy in front of us. The smoke hanging over the field now rendered it quite impossible to observe any movements of the rebels. Suddenly we received a volley of musketry from our left, followed by an incessant firing of the infantry, which had already advanced upon the battery on the left of us, taking it with the bayonet. Not being supported, I found it necessary to limber and retire to the next hill in rear of our position. One driver of the left section was shot down, while two horses of the same pieces, three of the caisson horses, and one sergeant's horse, were disabled. The piece, the horses of which were shot, could not be brought forward, and fell into the hands of the enemy, who took possession of it immediately. Besides the driver, four other men were wounded in this engagement. Reaching the hill before mentioned. General Slocum ordered me to go into battery and fire to the rear, which I did, answering the firing of a rebel batter}- brought into action about one thou- sand yards from us. We continued firing until the battery op- posite us ceased, and at eleven o'clock I received orders to return to camp. During the day we fired one hundred and sixty-five rounds — spherical case, shot and shells. During the whole day my men st(X)d well to their work — nothwithstanding we were for hours under the heaviest musketry and cannon fire — maneuvering, loading and firing, quite without excitement." The testimony here borne by the gallant commander to the courage and endurance of his men, was no more than just. FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 287 Throughout the entire battle, they displayed the utmost coolness and indifference to danger, eliciting from all who witnessed their conduct the warmest commendation. Prince de Joinville, wit- nessing the intrepidity with which the battery met the rebel attack, spoke in glowing terms of their braver}-, and in a letter afterwards published in a Paris journal, declared that he had never seen, anywhere, soldiers who^ received an attack so coolly as the German battery which was under his orders during the battle of Gaines' Mill. The services of Battery A in this campaign did not end with this engagement. When, our army being driven back, the enemy pushed fonvard in pursuit, this was the first battery w'hich opened fire upon the pursuers, and it was in no small degree owing to its active services that the advance was checked and •opportunity given to our exhausted infantry to make good their escape. During the retreat, so great was the confusion, and so entangled were the infantry and artillery, that Captain Hex- amer was obliged to dismount his drivers, and use them, when he again opened, together with the officers, in serving the guns.. Upon the withdrawal of the army to Harrison's Landing, the battery went into camp, where it remained until about the 26th of August, when it embarked for Alexandria, where it arrived on the 29th, marching on the same day with General Franklin's troops to Fairfax Court House. Pope was at this time des- perately engaged with a large force of the enemy. Hexamer at once found active work, being posted during the fight at Chantilly on the road between that place and Fairfax Courthouse, on the right of General Kearny's division. After the battle, the bat- tery returned to its old camp near Alexandria, whence it marched on the 3d of September into Maryland, reaching Sugar-loaf mountain on the loth. Thence it followed the retiring rebels through Burkettsville to Crampton's Pass, participating in the attack upon the enemy at that point, and winning fresh honors by its gallantry. Reaching the top of the mountain, the battery remained until the 17th. when it proceeded to Antietam, where it again performed distiguished service. At the time when the battery was ordered into action, the battle on the right had be- come desperate to the last degree, the contending armies strug- 288 FIRST XBir JERSEY BRIGADE. gling with a courage scarcely paralleled for the position about the Dunker church. Near this church, standing on the edge of a woods skirting the east side of the road running north from Sharpsburg, the enemy had several batteries which seriously annoyed our infantry, who held another belt of woods several hundred yards west of the church. In front of this latter woods, stretched an open field, across which our columns had already advanced, only, however, to be repulsed. It was three o'clock in the afternoon (of the 17th) when Hexamer was ordered to advance and take position in this field, at a distance of some seven hundred yards from the church, behind which the enemy were gathered in force. At this time a battery of heavy rifled guns (twenty pounder Parrotts) was in position and throwing shells and shrapnel among our infantry, posted about one thou- sand five hundred yards distant. Hexamer at once opened upon this battery with shells, and so accurate was his aim, that after firing one hundred and fifty rounds, he effectually silenced it, the operation occupying less than half an hour. Soon after this, a second batter}- (of twelve-pound howitzers) came into position in front of Hexamer, and commenced unlimbering at a distance of seven hundred yards. He at once opened vigorously upon the intniders, firing some thirty rounds of shrapnel, when, with- out firing a gim, the rebel, finding himself in hot quarters, re- considered his purpose to attack and hurriedly withdrew out of range. About this time, Hexamer received orders to report to Gen- eral Hancock, and proceeding to the position designated, was ordered to fire upon two rebel regiments, drawn up about one thousand yards distant. At once opening with shell and shrap- nel, and pouring a rapid fire into the rebel flanks, he speedily caused them also to retire, leaving, however, not a few of their number behind, dead and wounded. The enemy now fell back to an orchard, which Hexamer shelled vigorously for about half an hour, when a battery opened upon him on the right flank at about nineteen hundred yards distant — the enemy at the same time advancing and opening with musketry at a range of two hundred yards. Thus sharply assailed. Captain Hexamer ordered the left-half battery to direct its fire also against the . FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 289 report, "to fire with canister in the direction of the infantry, and the right-half battery to fire with shells towards the battery on the right flank. This was immediately done, causing the infantry to fall back a second time from their position. I then ordered the left-half battery tO' direct its fire also against the battery on our right, which had our exact range and was throw- ing shells and shrapnel among my men and the infantry in our rear, killing two of my horses, and wounding and killing many of the infantry. I continued firing until we had expended all the ammunition contained in the limber-chests of the pieces, whereupon I was relieved by another battery. I used, during the action, two hundred and eighty shells, two hundred shrapnels, and fifteen canisters. The ofiicers and men behaved extremely well." During the night of the i8th, the. battery was again ordered to the front, where it remained until Lee had withdrawn, when it joined in the pursuit. Subsequently it went into camp. at Bakers- ville, where it was considerably strengthened. Company K, of the First Regiment Volunteers, also from Hbboken, being trans- ferred to the battery, and the men in hospital returning to duty, giving it the full number of effective men. After some weeks, moving with the Sixth Corps to Warrenton, and thence to the vicinity of White Oak Church, the battery went into camp until the nth of December, when it advanced with the infantry to the Rappahannock, crossing on the following day with General Brooks, of the First Division of the Sixth Corps. The rebel batteries on the heights in rear of Fredericksburg opening on the position held by Hexamer, he vigorously replied, firing until nightfall. During the three following days, he remained in the same position, doing effective service, finally withdrawing on the 15th, with the rest of the army. The battery was now unemployed until the 12th of January, 1863, when it participated in the "Mud Campaign." In this movement Hexamer's was the only battery which came punc- tually into position at the front. It was also the only battery which effected a return to camp without the aid of infantry, all the others finding it necessary to call in assistance to move the heavy pieces over the miserable roads. The promptness and 290 • FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. efficiency exhibited by the battery in this movement eHcited the warmest praise from General Brooks and others. The battery now remained at White Oak Church in winter quarters until the 28th of April, when/ Hooker initiating the Chancellorsville campaign, it moved to the Rappahannock and went into position to cover Franklin's crossing. Engaged in this duty until ]\Iay 2d, it crossed the river and took position with a view of engaging the rebel batteries on Marye's Heights. On the morning- of the 3d, the engagement opened with great vigor, the artillery on lx)th sides displaying tremendous activity. .\bout noon, the enemy having been driven from the Heights, Battery A advanced through Fredericksburg, and over the Heights, some three miles in the direction of Chancellorsville. Here, in the vicinity of Salem Church, where the First Jersey Brigade had encountered the enemy in force, the battery at once took position, and becoming engaged, fought until nightfall with its accustomed gallantr}- and efficiency. On the following- day, being posted on the left of the turnpike, Hexamer was again actively engaged, falling back, however, at night to Banks' Ford, where it covered the crossing of our troops who. despair- ing of victory, were quitting the bloody field where they had so bravely but vainly fought. At midnight, the battery also crossed, and after remaining three days near the river, proceeded to its old camp — having- in the several engagements fired about twelve hundred rounds. On the 1 2th of May, the battery was transferred from the Sixth Corps to the Artillery Reserve, remaining in camp until the 5th of June, when it moved to a new position near the Rap- pahannock, whence, however, it soon after marched to Fairfax Court House, where it remained until the army commenced its movement into Pennsylvania in pursuit of Lee. Reaching Ed- ward's Ferry, on the Potomac, on the 24th (after a march of thirty-two miles on that day), the battery assisted in covering the crossing of our troops, when, on the 27th, it marched to Frederick, Maryland, and thence with the army to Gettysburg, where it arrived on the morning of July 2d, going into position on the turnpike, but not becoming engaged, although exposed to the shells of the enemy. On the 3d, changing position to the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 291 left centre O'f the line of battle, upon which Lee was concentrating all his artillery, the battery opened and maintained a heavy fire, fighting until evening. The contest on this part of the line was of the most desperate character, the enemy advancing to the very mouths of our guns, and struggling with the most stub- born intrepidity to gain possession of the elevation occupied by our troops. At one time during the engagement, the rebels, pressing impetuously forward, were within ten yards of Hex- amer's pieces, but not a man flinched for a moment. Indeed, never before had these sturdy German artillerists exhibited a grander courage, or a sublimer indifference tO' danger, than on this occasion, when menaced, apparently, with utter destruction. So terrible was the rebel fire that one of their shots killed two men and wounded seven others serving one of Hexamer's pieces. Upon the retreat of Lee, Battery A joined in the pursuit, and crossing the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, marched to Warrenton, proceeding thence to Culpepper, where it encamped until Octo- ber nth. It then participated in the various movements of the army, finally encamping on November 8th, near the Rappa- hannock. Subsequently it participated in the Mine Run demon- stration, returning to camp at Brandy Station, where it remained during the winter, receiving before the spring campaign some eighty recruits. On the 4th of May, 1864, General Grant having matured his plans for an advance against the enemy, Battery A marched to Chancellorsville, moving on the following morning to the right of that point, passing Robertson's Tavern. Thence it was moved on the 7th to Pine Grove Church, where it remained, in reserve, until the loth, when^ it marched to Tabernacle Church, and thence to Fredericksburg, returning to the Sixth Corps. On the i8th, it again advanced, and on the 19th reached the river Po, where it participated in a heavy fight. In the advance from this point, the battery covered the rear of the Sixth Corps — passing the North Anna on the 24th, the Pamunkey on the 28th, and reaching Cold Harbor shortly after noon on June ist. Here it was at once sent into position, taking part in the bloody en- gagement of that day — firing in all five hundred and ten rounds. In the evening it advanced some two hundred yards, and early 292 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. on the following morning renewed its firing, keeping it up, though greatly annoyed by sharpshooters, for several hours. About noon, the rebels making an attack, the battery suffered the loss of Lieutenant Jaeckele wounded, Quartermaster- Sergeant Hagelber and another sergeant killed — several horses being also killed. Towards evening, being ordered to report to the Eighteenth Army Corps, Hexamer withdrew his com- mand, but on the following day was again engaged with that corps — the fighting being of the heaviest description. In this engagement, a division under General Brooks being driven out of the woods temporarily occupied by them, the rebels sharply followed, opening fire with canister. Hexamer was ordered to check the enemy's batteries, and did so, although exposed to a canister fire at a distance of only two hundred yards. During this day's fighting, five hundred and seventy-seven rounds were fired. Captain Hexamer had one of his shoulder-straps shot away, but escaped actual injury. During the evening, the camp of the battery was under the fire of the enemy, several horses being killed and two men w'ounded. On the 4th, the batter)'^ again moved to the front, being posted behind earthworks under the fire of the rebel sharpshooters, but was not again actively engaged until the night of the 5th, when, the position being attacked, fire w-as opened and continued at intervals until the evening of the 9th, when the command retired to camp. Here it remained until the 12th, when, after a brief engagement, it marched with the army to the James River, crossing on the morn- ing of the 15th, and reaching the front of Petersburg on the night of the i6th. On the 19th, going into position at a pecul- iarly exposed point, with rebel batteries on the right, left and front, and rebel sharpshooters only one hundred yards distant, it became hotly engaged, three men being wounded and four horses killed. In this position the battery remained, fi.ring from time to time, until the night of the 21st, when it marched to the left of Petersburg and went into camp. During the following week, though several times sent into position, the command w^as not called into action. On the 30th, it marched to Ream's Sta- tion, returning two days after and going into camp. Here it remained until July 9th, when it proceeded to City Point, re- fIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 293 maining until the 26th. Upon returning to Petersburg. Captain Hexamer was placed in command of the Sixth Corps Artillery Brigade — Lieutenant A. Parsons taking charge of Battery A. This, on the 31st, was ordered to return to Trenton for muster- out, its term of service having expired. Lieutenant Parsons, however, remained with a portion of the men, and during the winter the battery was again filled up, but was not afterwards actively engaged. Upon the termination of hostilities it returned to the State and was finally dissolved; but the record of its gal- lant services still remains, and while valor and constancy in duty are appreciated and esteemed, will desei-vedly be held in honor among men. Composed largely of adopted citizens — of Ger- mans in whose breasts the love of Liberty amounted to a passion — it fought from first to last with a heroism, a loftiness of pur- pose, and a spirit of noble consecration which none, among all the volunteer organizations of the war, ever surpassed; and its survivors, in whatever spheres of action they may now be em- ployed, may well wear their scars with pride, and rejoice in the memories of their service as in hidden treasure. 2!)4 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. Reports of Movements at Battle of Crampton's Pass. Report of Colonel A. T. A. Torbert, First New Jersey Infantry, Commanding First Brigade. Hdqrs. First Brig., First Div., Sixth Corps, Camp in Crampton's Pass, near Burkettsville, Md., September i6. 1862. Sir — T have the honor to report the following as the part taken by the First Brigade in the action on the 14th at Cramp- ton's Pass, Md. : It being decided to attack the enemy posted in the pass, the division was ordered to advance in six lines, two regiments front, the First Brigade being in rear. About 3 o'clock I marched my brigade in two lines by the right flank under cover till we gained the open ground, when the advance was made in line of battle as follows : First line, First and Second Regiments New Jersey- Volunteers; second line, 150 paces in rear. Third and Fourth Regiments New Jersey Volunteers. They advanced about a half mile with great regularity through clover and corn fields, inter- sected by high wood and stone fences, being exposed the greater part of the time to the enemy's artillery fire. Arriving within supporting distance of Colonel Bartlett's Brigade, which was engaging the enemy, I halted. Soon after I ordered the Second Regiment New Jersey Volunteers forward to relieve one of Colonel Bartlett's regiments, which was out of ammunition, which they did with promptness. The enemy was posted behind a stone wall at the base of the mountains, with a wood just behind them. At this time the distance between the contending parties was between 300 and 400 yards, an open field intervening. Thinking the distance too great. General Newton ordered me to charge for- ward to the wood. ^Accordingly, I ordered forward my second line, Third and Fourth Regiments New Jersey Volunteers, to charge across the open field into the woods. The front line was FIRST NEW JBRSEV BRIGADE. 295 ordered to cease firing. A cheer, and the men went forward at double quick in a most gallant manner, jumping the fence on the way, behind which our men had been fighting. When they had advanced about 150 yards, I ordered the second line, First and Second Regiments, to charge in the same manner as the first, which they did in a handsome manner. The enemy, although holding a very strong position, and having the advantage of ar- tillery, could not stand these charges, so broke and fled up the mountain side in great disorder, closely pursued by our men, who drove them through the pass, and some distance in the valley on the other side, wdien night put an end to'^the pursuit. Too much cannot be said in praise of the bravery and gallantry of both officers and men, for they certainly did credit to them- selves and the State they represent. I am pleased to make particular mention of Lieutenant-Colonel Collet, Third Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, commanding First Regiment New Jersey Volunteers ; Colonel Buck, Second Regiment; Colonel Brown, Third Regiment, and Colonel Hatch, Fourth Regiment, for their bravery, coolness, and the admirable manner in which they handled their regiments. Where officers and men all behave with such gallantry, it would be invidious to particularize. A great many of the enemy were taken prisoners, and among them several officers. The brigade captured nearly enough Springfield rifled muskets to arm the Fourth Regiment New Jer- sey Volunteers, who were before armed with the smooth-bore musket. I am happy to state that the Fourth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, which lost its colors before Richmond, captured two colors during the engagement. I take great pleasure in making honorable mention of my staff. Lieut. Henry P. Cook, Second Regiment, acting assistant ad- jutant-general; Capt. James G. Fitts, brigade commissary, and Lieut. Charles Wilson, Third Regiment, acting aide-de-camp, for their bravery, coolness, promptness and correctness in carry- ing my orders to dififerent parts of the field. I regret to mention the death of Josiah S. Studdiford, first lieutenant and adjutant, Fourth Regiment New Jersey Volun- 296 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. teers, who fell while gallantly cheering on his men, just as we had gained the top of the pass. The loss to the brigade has been as follows : One officer killed, 9 officers wounded ; total, lO. Thirty-nine non-commissioned officers and privates killed, 125 non-commissioned officers and privates wounded; total, 164. Aggregate. 174. I cannot pay too high a compliment to the medical staff of the brigade for the manner in which they performed their duty. The chaplains of the different regiments deser\'e great credit for their assistance in conveying the wounded to the rear and administering to their wants. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. T. A. TORBERT, Colonel First Kcgiiiicut Nezv Jersey J'ols., Coinutdg. Brigade. Major Rodgers, Assistant Adjutant-General. Report of Lietenant-Colonel Mark W. Collet, Third New Jersey Infantry, Commanding First New Jersey Infantry. Hdqrs. First Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, September 16, 1862. Sir — I have the honor to report : The First Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, with the Second Regiment New Jerse)' Volunteers, was in the first line of the brigade. The advance across the fields, under a heavy fire of shell and solid shot from the enemy's batteries, was steady and unwavering. When the order was given to "Charge, and drive the rebels from the hill," the regiment, with cheers, started, and halted only when the enemy was driven from the hill and entirely dispersed. Where officers and men all behaved with such distinguished gallantry, it is impossible to single out one for particular mention. MARK WILKES COLLET, Colonel First New Jersey Volunteers. Killed at the Battle of Salem Church. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 297 The killed and wounded in the First New Jersey, as far as yet ascertained, are as follows : ********* I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, M. W. C01.1.ET, Lieut. Col. Third N. J. Vols., in command of first N. J. Vols. First Lieut. H. P. Cooke, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, Nezv Jersey Brigade. Report of Colonel Samuel L. Buck, Second New Jersey Infantry. Hdqrs. Second Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, Camp in Crampton's Pass, September 16, 1862. Sir — The movements of this regiment previous to, and in action of, 14th instant are as follows : Marched from camp near Buckey's Station at 6 a. m.. Second Regiment in column; arrived at Jefferson at 11 o'clock; biv- ouacked about one hour; then advanced within 2 miles of Cramp- ton's Pass; there rested one hour and thirty minutes; advanced by the flank under cover of rising ground until within musket- range of the enemy; formed in line of battle (having the left of the advance line of the brigade), and moved forward to relieve one regiment of Bartlett's brigade, posted in rear of a rail fence. We occupied the same position which they had left, and opened fire on the enemy. After firing about twenty minutes, the Fourth Regiment of the second line advanced through our lines and made a charge across an open field, followed immediately by us, both reaching the stone fence about the same time, behind which the enemy were in position. The enemy broke and fled, we pur- suing them up the hill and through the pass. As we advanced, the regiment wheeled to the right, the left resting on the crest of the hill on the left of the road. At this point the enemy were re- inforced by fresh regiments, but they could not withstand our fire, and, without getting into position, broke and fled, we fol- lowing them down the hill and along the road a distance of about 298 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. a quarter of a mile, where we could see the baggage train of the enemy, protected by two pieces of artillery, in full retreat. As we appeared, they opened on us with grape and canister. If our men had been fresh at this point, we could easily have taken the artillery and part of the baggage train, but the men were so fatigued, and darkness coming on, the enemy made good their escape. Being relieved by the Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania Volun- teers, by order of Colonel Torbert we fell back about a quarter of a mile, encamping in a field on the left-hand side of the road, which position we occupy at the present time. As regards the conduct of officers and men. I would state that it was all that could be desired or expected. Where all exhibited so much detennination and gallantry, it would be invidious to particularize, but I cannot close without calling your attention to the brave conduct of Color Corpl. Joseph Donovan, of Company A, who bore our colors through the thickest of the fight in the most gallant manner, and justly merits promotion. Herewith find list of casualties : Trusting the above will meet your approbation. I am. very respectfully, your obedient servant, Saml. L. Buck, Colonel, Commanding. Lieut. H. P. Cooke, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. Report of Colonel Henry Brown, Third New Jersey Infantry. Hdqrs. Third Regiment New Jersey Voluxtekrs, Camp in Crampton's Pass, Md., September 15. 1862. Sir — On Sunday morning, the 14th instant, about six o'clock, we left our bivouac, and marched through a pass over the moun- tain to Jefiferson, where we halted in a field by the town for some time. A little before noon we again marched to a point about a half mile to the rear of the village of Burkettsville. where we formed a line of battle on the slope of a wooded height, a little FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 299 on the right of the enemy's position. After remaining a few minutes, we moved forward into a swampy hollow, and there remained until 4 o'clock p. m., when we marched by a flank side by side with the First Regiment, followed respectively by the Fourth and Second, keeping as well concealed as the nature of the ground permitted from the fire of the enemy's artillery, which was strongly posted on a road which leads nearly parallel to the hillside from Burkettsville, and turned suddenly to the left through the gap (artillery was also posted on the steep, rocky, and woody height), until we came directly in front of the enemy's position, where we halted. The First and Second Regiments moved forward, forming the first line of the brigade. The Third and Fourth followed to the front at a distance varying from 100 to sometimes only 30 paces in rear, according to the nature of the ground. We moved thus over an open country intersected by high fences, the men clamber- ing over as best they could, and quickly regaining their position in line, marching with great steadiness and precision, and so through a corn-field, still exposed to a hot fire of shell from the enemy, for a distance of one-fourth of a mile. At the verge of the corn-field we were ordered to halt. Here we lost some men from their shell. Ten minutes after, we were ordered forward, and moved rapidly and steadily across a grass field under cover of a slight rise in front. The men were here ordered to lie down in line. The first line was now hotly engaged, as we could hear from the incessant fusillade intermingled with the roar of the enemy's guns, now throwing grape and canister as well as shell. In five minutes the Third and Fourth were ordered in to relieve the first line, and the men, springing up, went in with a cheer up to, over, and through the high fence held by the enemy at the base of the Avooded heights and strongly lined by his sharpshooters, who delivered their fire with great rapidity. But nothing could with- stand the onset of our men. The enemy broke and fled, pur- sued by our men without halt up the sides of the mountain, climbing up the shingly sides of the hill until they reached the road before mentioned. 300 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Here it was observed that a battalion of the enemy were form- ing on the right of our Hne, now become the first line of the brigade, when we changed front forward and delivered a de- structive fire on his half-formed line, followed up by a renewal of the charge, when he broke utterly and the pursuit continued. A party of my regiment, under command of Lieutenant Fairly, my acting adjutant, and Lieutenant Hufty, consisting of about 20 men, moved off from the regiment by my order, and circling round by the road to the right, got in rear of and around the heights up which the body of the regiment was pursuing the retreating foe. They moved with such rapidity that many of the party fell out exhausted, and on their arri^■al at the point de- scribed in rear the adjutant found he had but five men. With these he succeeded in capturing 4 of the enemy's officers and many of their men. This party, being out of ammunition, was obliged to abandon the pursuit, though they delivered their last remain- ing fire into the enemy's artillery, now in full retreat, and which could easily have been captured had there been cavalry to pursue. Tlius ended a sharp and well-contested action, in which tlie enemy had every advantage of numbers, position and artillery In his utter and complete rout, my men showed here what they could do wdien they had a fair chance, and they liere well sus- tained the honor of New Jersey on this field. I have not to regret the loss of any officer killed. Captain Stickne}-, of Company F, and Second Lieutenant Lambson, of Company E, are both slightly wounded. ]\Iy officers and men behaved most gallantly. Those officers who had received their commissions on the pre- vious day (all in command of companies) showed by their con- duct how well they had deserved their promotion. Lieutenant- Colonel Campbell, of the Fifteenth Regiment New Jersey Volun- teers, late captain of Company E, in my regiment, and of the acceptance of whose resignation I have not yet received official notice, was my only acting field officer, and though \\ here all have distinguished themselves it might seem invidious to particularize, I should be acting unjustly did I not mention how nobly he as- sisted me. T must also mention First Lieut. David Fairly, my acting adjutant, for his promptness in repeating my command, as well as for his perfect coolness and daring intrepidity. Lieu- tenant Hufty also behaved remarkably well. FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 301 One of my officers captured the colors of the Cobb Legion at the same time with a private, but seeing the man belonged to the Fourth Regiment of our brigade, he gave up his claim to the colors, and gave Colonel Hatch the sling in the evening. Both color-bearers of my regiment. Sergeant Haggerty, of Company A, and Corporal Westcott, of Company B, behaved with dis- tinguished gallantry, waving their colors continually in advance, and I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of Acting Sergeant- Dalziel, of Company D, who accompanied my acting adjutant with the party detailed and brought down many of the enemy with his unerring rifle. My entire loss was ii killed and 28 wounded. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient ser- vant, H. W. Brown. Colonel, Coinnianding. LiKuT. H. P. Cooke, Acting Assisfan,f Adjutant-General. Report of Colonel William B. Hatch, New Jersey Infantry. Crampton's Pass, Md., September 16, .1862. Sir — I have the honor to report that in compliance with orders received on the i6th instant from Col. A. T. A. Torbert, then in command of the brigade, I took position with the Fourth New Jersey Volunteers in rear of the Second Regiment, forming part of the second line of battle. The Second Regiment had engaged the enemy, who held a strong position behind a stone wall at the foot of the mountain with a large force of infantry. I then re- ceived orders to charge the enemy. I advanced across a plowed field of 400 yards in extent under a heavy cross-fire from the enemy's artillery, which was planted on the mountain slope, driv- ing him from e\'ery point in front of us. We leaped the walls and continued in pursuit over the mountain into the gorge and up the next ascent to its summit, the enemy retreating in disorder into the valley below. We took many prisoners, including a large 20' F B 302 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. number of officers, among whom was Col. Lamar, wounded, and his adjutant; also two stand of colors. In the eagerness of pur- suit we ran over two other rebel flags, which were picked up by a New York regiment. Among the spoils of the engagement obtained by us were a sufficient number of Springfield rifled mus- kets to equip my whole command, who were previousl}- armed with an imperfect smooth-bore musket. Where officers and men fought with such determination it is impossible for me to make an exception for brave and gallant con- duct during the engagement. Aly officers bravely cheered on their men, who advanced with unflinching steadiness, and main- tained their alignment with almost the precision of a battalion drill. On the list of casualties of the day the most to be regretted is Adjt. Josiah S. Studdiford, who was instantly killed after we had reached the gorge between the mountain cliffs. He had borne himself gallantly, everywhere cheering the men to victory. Ten killed, 27 wounded ; total, T^y. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W-M. B. Hatch. Colonel Fourth Nczc Jersey Vohmteers. Lieut. H. P. Cooke, Actmg Assistant Adjutant-General. First X. J. Brig. Report of Brigadier=Qeneral Howell Cobb, C. S. Army, Com- manding Brigade. General S. McLaw's Brigade Headquarters, Opequon Crossing. September 22, 1862. General — On the 13th instant I was ordered by you to take and hold possession of Sandy Hook, near Harper's Ferry ; which was done, without serious opposition. On the 14th my command was ordered by you to return to our former camp, at Browns- ville. This order was received about i o'clock p. m., and the brigade was immediately marched to that point, reaching there about 4 p. m. I had been in camp about an hour when I received message from Colonel IMunford. at Crampton's Gap. distant about two miles, recommending the removal of my command to FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 303 that point, as the enemy were pressing the small force at the gap. I immediately ordered my two strongest regiments to march to their support. Before, however, the head of the column had filed into the road I received a message from Colonel Parham, who was in command of Mahone's brigade at the gap, to the effect that the enemy was pressing him hard with overwhelming numbers, and appealing for all the support I could bring to him. I imme- diately ordered the remaining two regiments to march, and ac- companied the command in person. As I was marching the last of the column, I received a message from you, through your as- sistant adjutant-general (Major Mcintosh) that I must hold the gap if it cost the life of every man in my command. Thus im- pressed with the importance of the position, I went forward with the utmost dispatch. When I reached the top of the mountain. I found that the enemy had been repulsed and driven back in the centre and had been pursued down the other side of the mountain bv Mahone's brigade. I soon discovered, however, that the enemy, by their greatly superior numbers, were flanking us both upon the right and left. Two of my regiments were 'sent to the right and two to the left to meet these movements of the enemy. In this we were successful, until the centre gave way, pressed by fresh troops of the enemy and increased numbers Up to this time the troops had fought well, and maintained their ground against greatly superior forces. The Tenth Georgia Regiment, of General Semmes' brigade, had been ordered to the gap from their position at the foot of the mountain, and participated in the battle with great courage and energy. After the lines were broken, all my efforts to rally the troops were unsuccessful. I v^as enabled to check their advance by momentary rallies, and. the night coming on, I made a successful stand near the foot of the mountain, which position we held during the night, and until a new position was taken about day-daw^n the next morning, in the rear of Brownsville, which position was held until the sur- render of Harper's Ferry. General Semmes' brigade and Wil- cox's brigade, under the command of Col. Cumming, of the Tenth Georgia Regiment, had been ordered, the former by Gen- eneral Semmes, the latter by yourself, to my support. They came up to the position I occupied during the night: they could not have reached me sooner. The whole number of troops engaged 304 FIRST XnW JERSEY BRIGADE. on our side did not exceed 2,200, whilst the force of the eneniy was variously estimated from 10,000 to 20,000 men. It could not have been less than 10,000 and probably reached 15,000. It is impossible for me to report the casualties, as the fate of onlv a few of the large niunber missing is certainly known. Of tlie number who went into battle there are now missing and un- accounted for over 800. The larger potion of this number is be- lieved to be prisoners, as we were flanked on both the right and the left by the enemy, and, thus surrounded, our men were com- pelled to surrender. For the most successful rally made on the retreat from the crest of the mountain I was indebted to a sec- tion of the Troup Artillery, under Lieutenant [Henry] Jennings. The}^ had been ordered forward, and had reached a point where, under the terrific fire of the enemy, their pieces were placed in position, and, by their prompt and rapid firing, checked for a time the advance of the enemy. One of the pieces was brought off safely ; the other was lost by an accident to the axle. When I reached the gap I found l^oth Colonel Munford and Colonel Par- ham active and energetic in the discharge of their duty, which continued to the end of the fight. Shortly after the lines were broken, and I was endeavoring to rally the troops. General Sem- mes appeared on the field, and. at great exposure and with great coolness and courage, gave me his cordial aid and co-operation. All of the members of my staft' were on the field, and did all that could be done under the circumstances. One of them. Col. John B. Lamar, of Georgia, volunteer aide, whilst near my side, earnestly rallying the men, received a mortal wound, of which he died the next da}'. No nobler or bra\cr man lias fallen in this war. There were many other acts of personal courage which circumstances prevent me from mentioning at present. The rem- nant of my brigade marched with the rest of your division frc^m Harper's Ferry, and was engaged in the battle of the 17th. at Sbarpsburg. I was necessarily absent for two days from the command, and reached it the morning after the battle, and the present absence of the officer then in command of this l)riga(lc prevents a report at this time of that day's operation. I am. very res|:)ect fully, yours. &c.. HowELi, Cobb. Brigadier-General . FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 305 Report of Brigadier=QeneraI Paul J. Semmes, C. S. Army, Com= manding Brigade. Major — I have the honor to submit herewith the report of JNIajor Hok, commanding the Tenth Georgia Vokmteers, of the conduct of his regiment in the battle of Crampton's Gap, on the 14th instant, together with a list of casualties in his regiment; also Captain Manly's report of the part taken l)y his l)atterv in the same action : By order of Major-General McLaws, a picket, consisting of a company, was posted in Burkettsville Gap, wkich, by my orders, was afterward increased to three regiments and five pieces of artillery, thus employing all the regiments of my brigade, except the Tenth Georgia, which had been previously sent to picket the Rohrersville road and other avenues leading dowMi Pleasant Valley in the direction of Harper's Ferry. On the 13th instant. Colonel Parham, commanding Mahone's brigade, reported with his command to me by order of Major-General McLaws, with directions to post one of his regiments as a picket in Solomon's Gap. Having soon become more familiar with the roads and passes, on the morning of the 14th instant I ordered Colonel Parham. with his three remaining regiments and battery, to Crampton's Gap, for the purpose of guarding that pass; and directed him, if he should need support, to call upon Major Holt, commanding the Tenth Georgia Volunteers, for his regiment, then posted on the Rohrersville road. On the morning of the 14th instant, Brigadier-General Cobb, with his command, was ordered up the valley to his old camp near mine, by Major-General McLaws, General McLaws informed me that General Cobb would take command of Crampton's Gap, and directed that the troops under my command should be withdrawn therefrom. When General Cobb returned to his old camp, I called on him, and communi- cated General McLaws' orders, and soon after set out to visit the picket guard in Burkettsville Gap. While on the mountain, the enemy engaged Colonel Parham's troops w^ith artillery and infantrv at the base of the mountain. I immediately dispatched 306 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. this information to General Cobb, with the request that he would hurry forward his troops to Crampton's Gap, to the support of Colonel Parham, and in a few minutes I followed hurriedl}' on horseback, for the purpose of offering General Cobb whatever assistance it might be in my power to render him. Arriving at the base of, and soon after commencing the ascent of, the moun- tain at Crampton's Gap, I encountered fugitives from the battle- field, and endeavored to turn them back. Proceeding farther up the mountain, the troops were met pouring down the road and through the wood, in great disorder, where I found General Cobb and his staff, at the imminent risk of their lives, using every effort to check and rally them. I immediately joined my eft'orts, and those of my staff wdio were with me, to General Cobb's, and co-operated with him for a considerable time in the vain eft'ort to rally the men. Finding it impossible to rally them so near the enemy, it was determined to post artillery about half a mile far- ther to the rear and bring up two of my regiments from Burketts- ville Gap, which had been previously ordered forward, and make a stand there to arrest the further advance of the enemy during that night. Line of battle was finally formed here. The enemy made no further advance. Colonel Parham, commanding Mahone's brigade, and Colonel Alunford, of the cavalry, as I was informed, jointly made the dispositions for the battle, which was conducted under their orders, and the troops under their command had been thrown into disorder and were retiring from the field before General Cobb's command came up. Major Holt's report shows that up to the tirne he was disabled his regiment behaved well, and I can testify from my own ob- servation that Captain Loud, upon whom the command devoh'ed, conducted himself most gallantly. A section of Captain Manly's battery, and three pieces of the Reserve Artillery, under com- mand of Captain Macon, which had been ordered to Burkettsville Gap by myself, did good service in breaking the enemy's lines, checking his advance, and inflicting loss on him. I am, major, ver}' respectfully, your obedient servant, Paul J. Semmes, Maj. James M. Goggin, Brigadier-General. Assistant Adjutant-General. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 307 Report of Colonel Thomas T. Munford, Second Virginia Cavalry, Commanding Brigade. Headquarters Robertson's Brigade, October 3, 1862. Major — I have the honor to report that on September 14 the enemy drove in my pickets at Burkittsville, and, in accordance with the orders received from Major-General Stuart, I assumed command at Crampton's Gap (as I was the senior officer), and instructed the officers commanding the two fragments of regi- ments (infantry) of Mahone's brigade to hold the post at all hazards. I posted the infantry behind a stone wall, at the base of the mountain, and running parallel with it ; the artillery — Chew's battei-y and a section of the Portsmouth Battery (boat howitzers) — about half way up the mountain, in the most eligible position I could find. I dismounted all the cavalry, and posted them on the right and left flanks. Finding that the artillery could not reach the enemy from the position selected, with effect, I retired the two rifle pieces to the crest of the mountain, and from that elevation poured an effective fire into their advancing columns. The enemy first advanced his skirmishers and made a demonstration as if he intended attacking the gap held by Gen- eral Semmes, but, as both his and my artillery played upon him with effect, he retired and moved his whole force upon me. As soon as his skirmishers were deployed, he advanced one regiment of infantry in line of battle, which was immediately followed by four others. In half an hour five other regiments appeared on their left and advanced in the same way, and in a very short time another brigade appeared in the rear of those who had pre- ceded them. Soon after the skirmishing commenced, Colonel Parham, commanding Mahone's brigade, came up with two very small regiments (Sixth and Twelfth Virginia), scarcely 300 men, which he soon got in position. General Semmes certainly knew the condition of things, as his artillery had been used, and he could see what was going on from his gap. I also sent dispatches to General Cobb, informing him of what was in front of us. For at least three hours this little force maintained their position 308 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. against Slocum's division. (See General McClellan's dispatch of i6th.) After much delay, and some four couriers had been sent. General Cobb, with two regiments of his brigade, came up to my support. When the General himself came up. I explained the i)osition of the troops, and, of course, turned over to him the command. At his request I posted the two regiments. The first troops, having exhausted all the ammunition, began to fall back as soon as their support came up, Colonel Parham ha\ing alread}- partially supplied them with ammunition. When the other two regiments of General Cobb's brigade came up, he again requested me to put them in position, but they behaved badly and did not get in position before the wildest confusion commenced, the wounded coming to the rear in numbers and more well men com- ing with them. General Cobb attempted to rally the men, but without the least effect, and it would have been as useless to attempt to rally a flock of frightened sheep. Had General Cobb's brigade given the support to the first troops engaged which the}- deserved, the gap would have been held. The cavalry horses were on the road leading- to Boonsborough, and. having pre- viously retired the artillery on the Harper's Ferry road ( every round of ammunition having been fired for some time before), I formed my command, and moved down the mountain, the in- fantry still running in great disorder on the Harper's Ferry road, followed a short distance by the enemy, who were then between them and the cavalry, who had to go for the horses. The enemy was at the forks of these roads before many of the cavalry, who were the last to give up their position. The Second Virginia Cavalry lost i man killed ( Peter Bird, Company D) and 2 men wounded. Had General Cobb come up in time, the result might have been otherwise. There were two stone walls at the base of the moun- tain parallel to each other, and one commanding the other, which could have been held against great odds had the troops been in position. It affords me great pleasure to commend Colonel Parham as a gallant and efficient soldier; he did everything in his power to hold his position, and his little command fought splendidly. Captain Chew used his gims with great coolness and eft'ect, and his batterv onlv retired when he had exhausted everv round FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 309 of ammunition. The guns of the Portsmouth Battery were of too short range to be effective. The cavah-y (Second and Twelfth) behaved splendidly under the fire they were placed, and did good service with their rifles. Colonel Parham's loss must have been heavy, as they were a long time engaged, and the firing was as heavy as I ever heard. I have the honor to be. Major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Thomas T. Muni^ord, Colonel, Commanding Brigade. Maj. J. T. W. Hairston, A ssistant A d jut ant- General. 310 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. The Seven Days' Battle on the Peninsula as Seen by a Lieutenant on the Staff. Camillc Baqiiet, Esq.. Historian of First Nen^ Jersey Brigade, Elizabeth, N. J. Dear Sir — In accordance with your request I give you here- with my recollections of the Battle of Gaines' Mills. In order to give a minute description of this battle, it may iDe well to de- scribe where the New Jerse}- Brigade started from' to go into it, and how it came to be where it did start from. The brigade had been at the village of Mechanicsville, shout three and a half miles from Richmond, on the northern side of the Chickahominy, during the latter part of the month of May. It was moved up from Mechanicsville about a mile and a half west up the Chickahominy near the Meadow Bridge, but was not on picket at that bridge when Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry at- tacked the picket of the United States Cavalry commanded by Captain Royal and killed a number of his men and desperately wounded that officer. Captain Royal was well known in Bur- lington, New Jersey, he having married a sister of Admiral John Howell, of that city. The brigade was witlidrawn soon after that and nio\e(l ddwn the Chickahominy, taking the road on top of the northern ridge and stopping near Dr. Gaines' house. On the 31st of May the brigade was under orders to move at a moment's notice and the battle of Fair Oaks was in progress on the southern side of the river. Part of it could be seen and a good deal of it heard. On the morning of the first of June the brigade moved down across the Chickahomin}- and out on the battlefield of Fair Oaks. General Taylor informed me that we had been held in reserve through the morning and were considered the support of the second line. We were not engaged, because the fight was practically over before we reached the field, but Captain George Wood, whose mothei- lived next to my father's house in Bur- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 311 lington and who was captain in a Pennsylvania regiment, was carried by and spoke tO' me while I was sitting on my horse with General Taylor at the edge of the battlefield. Captain Wood w'as shot through the leg. The brigade ^^■as encamped on tnis battlefield along the eastern side of the road running to Rich- mond, having crossed on what was known as the Grapevine Bridge, across the Chickahominy, and while there I visited the Second Brigade, many of whom, particularly in the Fifth Regi- ment, came from Burlington. George Burling, afterwards Gen- eral Burling, commanded a regiment. They had had a very desperate fight and many of them had been killed and wounded. They were camped directly on the spot where they had fought, and for many reasons it was the most disagreeable camp I ever saw, dead men and dead horses having been only covered with perhaps six inches or a fqot of earth, and the stench and the flies exceeded anything I ever saw before or since. We re- mained here until the morning of the 27th of June. All through the afternoon of the 26th up to nine o'clock that night there had been a heavy battle raging at and around Mechanicsville, and the roar of the guns and the flashes of the shells had been very continuous. Early in the morning of the 27th the Brigade was moved down with the rest of Slocum's division near the Grapevine Bridge and over the small hill from which the north side of the Chickahominy River could be vtry well seen. It is my recollection that the tents, which were of course shelter tents, and the knapsacks of all the brigade, were left in the camp when we moved out that morning, and the reason I think so is because I was in charge of the detail which buried, the knapsacks of the entire Fourth Regiment which were in their camp when we returned late on the night of the 27th after the battle. These knapsacks were buried 011 the morning of the 28th of June, 1862, and while I have never been at the place since, although I have visited the battlefield of Gaines' Mills twice, I have always thought that I could find this place, if the members of the Fourth Regiment have not already done so; of this I do not know. About eight o'clock in the morning General Taylor directed me to goi over the river and get some idea of the topography of 312 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. the ground upon which we would probably fight. After cross- ing the river, riding across. I went to the westward, crossing a field or two, and came to a barn on the top of which were some signal officers, one of whom I knew, he being from my own regiment. He asked me to come up on top of the barn and I climbed uj). and from there about half a mile away through a small gap in the woods, I watched a solid column of the enemy ])assing from left to right, until I was sure that a very heav}- body of infantry was making that movement. I then went to the northwestward until I came to our line of battle. The men were lying down along the edge of the pine woods and, so far as I saw, there was no rifle pit or attempt of any shelter of that kind. I rode along for certainl}- the length of the entire (li\-ision and got a fair idea of the lay of the land, and I saw a place which has considerable lo do with mv account of this battle. It was a swale or shallow ravine possibly, where it came through the i)ine woods, about six feet deep and one hundred feet wide. Oil the northwest side of it there was a i>each orchard and high grass, and from the configxiration of the country I judged that the swale was formed from the water-wash through that or- chard towards the Chickahominy. There was no creek or rivu- let going through it, but there was quite a deep ditch running along in the fields to the eastward, perpendicular to the direc- tion of the swale. Onr line of battle was not in the ditch but considerably to the westward of it, say one hundred and fifty yards. I do not remember what troops were there, but I think that at least some of them were Regulars. Mv reason for think- ing so is because I sjwke to and saw reg'ular officers whom I knew. The line of battle was not extended across this swale when I saw it in the morning, nor was it in the afternoon when 1 saw it again. I extended mv observations along the line of battle for probabl}- a mile, to which this swale was nearly a central point. 1 made careful observations because I could not tell where our ]>rigade would go in. I made a pencil .sketch of the line as it api>eared to me and returned to General Taylor with as much information as I could gi\-e him, together with the sketch. The swale and ditch were marked upon the sketch. FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 313 as was also the barn where the signal officers w'ere, and the g-eneral direction and the distance from the bridg-e-head as near as I conld g-ive it. I do not know why it occurred to me that the conrse of the brigade should be to the left after we crassed the bridge, but it was so, and the reason I did think so was because I saw immediately that that was the weakest part of our line oi battle. About two' o'clock in the afternoon we had not vet crossed the bridge. It will be remembered that one of the names of this battle of Gaines' Mills, is the "Noiseless Battle." At four o'clock in the afternoon there were nearly sixty thousand men engaged, having a great number of cannon, firing an immense number oi cartridges (of course at that" time loaded with black noisy powder), and it is a fact that persons within two miles of that battle never heard a sound of it. Ordinarily the noise of that battle would easily have been heard for fifty miles. I remember afterwards that although the smoke of the guns and of the musketry and the bursting of the shells in the air was distinctly visible to all of us, yet there was exceedingly little or no noise where we were until after we crossed the bridge, although we were within three-quarters of a mile from wntre the battle was going on. I think there are only one or two occasions in the history of the world in which such peculiar conditions of the atmosphere existed at the time of battle. About three o'clock one of Gen- eral Slocum's aides came to General Taylor with orders to cross the bridge at once. We moved down and crossed, and were directed to move obliquely to- the left and take position in a large field which was a clover field, in echelon. The battalions were closed in mass on the centre, with intervals of one hundred and twenty paces between the battalions. The Fourth Regiment was the left rear echelon; the Third was the next; then the Second ; then the First. The field was a very large one and sloped both ways, first the rise from the river to the top of it, then a slope towards the pine woods which I have spoken of on the northern side. In forming the echelon, all the brigade passed over the crest of the hill. As soon as the brigade was in this position General Taylor ordered arms in place rest. 314 FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. In front of us and about five hundred yards away there was g-oing on a very severe battle, and many bullets came up from the woods and some cannon balls and shells. In a few moments the General sent orders to the brigade to lie down. Just as we came into position, a brigade which had been fighting in the woods right in front of us and which contained Duryea's Regi- ment of Zouaves, of N'ew York, fell back out of the woods, not in very much disorder, but breaking both to the right and left. Their place was taken by Sykes' brigade, of the regular army, which passed into their place coming from the left and which went into position just about the time that our men lay down on the hill. The regulars took up a fight Avhich com- menced to rage again with great fury; their line pressed into the woods and disappeared from our sight. The bullets com- menced to come out of the \\-(3ods and came in where we were in a very disagreeable manner, which I distinctly remember, as I sat on my horse with much more apparent coolness than I really felt, alongside of the General, who certainly was very cool. In a few moments a very great many wounded men be- gan to come back from the woods, some being carried, some being assisted, and some limping back themselves; and before very long an aide of General Slocum's came to General Taylor and ordered him to put his brigade in line of battle and advance. At this moment an incident occurred of which I was personally cognizant and part of -which I was an eye W'itness to. I may digress here for a moment, and say that on the crest of the hill of which I have spoken, and which we passed, lying between the Fourth and the Third Regiments, was a batterv of seven machine g"uns, the first that were ever tried in battle, I believe, and the only ones I think at that time in any anny of the world. They were called the "Union Cofifee Mill Guns," and consisted of a single rifle-barrel with an arrangement like a hopper at the butt of the barrel, into which cartridges were put, and the turning of a crank did the rest. I have also called to mind the fact that at the battle of Gaines' Mills the first New Jersey Brigade used a cartridge in which the powder and ball were enclosed together in some inflammable paper, it not being neces- sary to bite the cartridge, but merely to put it in the rifle and FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 315 ram down. I do not think they were ever used after the Penin- sula Campaign, but the brigade was furnished with from sixty to eighty of these cartridges per man at the battle of Gaines' Mills. I think the "Union Coffee Mill Guns" had this same kind of a cartridge, but I am not sure of this. Sergeant Dalzell, of the Third New Jersey Regiment, in the writings of this battle, was for a time in charge of this battery, and I think that finally all the guns were lost. The reason that I speak about this battery so particularly is because it was at a trial of these machine guns some weeks previous, at which I was present by General Taylor's orders, I met for the first time the two French officers now known as the Comte de Paris, the Bourbon Pretender to the throne of France, and his cousin the Duke de Chartres. These officers I subsequently met on several occasions Avhen I was sent with messages from General Taylor to General McClellan while the brigade occupied the extreme right of the army above Mechanicsville near the Meadow Bridge. I knew them by sight and from introduction, and they did not very much resemble each other. Immediately after General Slocum's aide had given orders to General Taylor to advance his brigade, and before the brigade had gotten into line of battle from the massed formation, an officer, riding very fast and coming down the line from the east, rode up to General Taylor and commenced speaking to him very rapidly in French (both of these officers whom I have mentioned spoke English perfectly well). General Taylor neither spoke not understood French, and he turned to me and said : "Who the devil is this, and what is he talking about?" I said to him: "This is the Comte de Paris, serving on General McClellan's staff, and he has come to you by General Porter's orders, under which vou are to give him one of our regim.ents." General Tay- lor said to me: "Do you know him?" I said, "Yes, sir, I do." He said : "Very well, then, give him the Fourth Regiment and go and see where he puts it and come back and report. ' These last fews words saved me a trip to Libby Prison. We started up at once after the Fourth Regiment, where we arrived in a few jumps of our horses. The French officer was a good deal ex- cited. He was a young man, probably about twenty-five or six 316 FIRST XEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. years of ag'e. I do not think that he said anything to me as we were riding, but T do remember that his horse shied at a dead man who lay in our way and xery nearly threw him over his head. Arrived at the Fourth Regiment, whose Colonel Simpson, a West Point officer, was just beginning to form his line of battle, I introduced him. Colonel Simpson spoke French very well and their conversation was in French. I understood it. and heard him tell Colonel Simpson just what I had told General Taylor, and he said that if Colonel Simpson would get his regiment in columns of fours he would conduct him where he wanted to go. The regiment was put in columns of fours and went off to the left front, with Colonel Simpson, the French officer and myself riding at the head of it. Colonel Simpson on the left of us and the French officer between us. We had not gone far before I saw that we were approaching the swale that I have spoken of before, and soon we arrived at it. To mv great surprise there was no more line of battle than there was in the morning, al- though there was a very heavy battle going on on the right, on the eastern side of this swale. Mv recollection is that there was not much going on on the left or western side, but 1 cannot say that I remember distinctly about that. At the mouth of this swale, apparently waiting for the Fourth Regiment, was the Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiment, also in columns and also ap- parently under the orders of this French officer: for as soon as the Fourth came up IxDth regiments moved off together through this swale. The rest of this is soon told. The last I saw of the French officer and Colonel Simpson and the right of that regi- ment was a swarm of grey-coated soldiers, with their rifles in their hands, within no more than thirty yards from us. and with Gen- eral Taylor's words in my ears to "Come back and report." I lay flat down on my horse, put both spurs to him and did so. I rode up the line until I came to some wounded soldiers of the Third Regiment, and right here I saw Colonel Tucker, of the Sec(^nd Regiment, carried out of the woods and put on a stretcher and then shot dead after he was on the stretcher. I asked some "f the Third men where General Taylor was, and they said ''With the Third Regiment,"' of which regiment he had been colonel before he was promoted. I dismounted and tied mv horse to a FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 317 little mulberry tree at the edge of the woods, and to which tree General Taylor's horse was also tied — which tree is still alive, or was so within the last four years, as I saw it. I then went up through the woods about one hundred and fifty yards and same upon the line of battle and soon found General Tajdor, parading up and down the line like a wounded lion, and in the midst of one of the most terrible battles I ever saw. As soon as I came close to him and he saw me he said : "Where is the Fourth?" I said: "Gone to Richmond, sir." I shall never forget how the old fellow's eyes glared, as with his sword in his hand he turned to me and said : "Young man, this is no place for levity." I said : "They are captured, every man of them." He said : "My God, My God/' and fairly wrung his hands. Now, this is an incident of the capture of the Fourth Regi- ment as witnessed and participated in by a staff officer. The identity of the French officer who conducted the Fourth Regi- ment into the woods where it was lost has been a subject of ques- tion ever since. Colonel Simpson, in his report of the battle and his capture, mentions the name of the Duke de Chartres as having been his conductor. When I joined General Taylor he was near the left of the com- panies of the Third Regiment; the smoke was so thick that it was impossible to see twenty yards. The afternoon was very hot and the air close, and probably the peculiar condition of the atmosphere of which I have spoken had something to do with it, for I never saw smoke so thick in any battle as- it was at Gaines' Mills. The firing of the enemy in our front was very constant, rapid and heavy, and while a good many of our men were being hit it appeared to me that the bullets went high and the bark and the chips fell off the trees over our heads. All of the men of the Third Regiment were lying down on the ground, loading and firing from that position, and the same was true of the First and Second Regiment, who were 'on the right of the Third. The first and only order that General Taylor gave me after I joined him in the woods was given within two or three minutes after I came up to him. and after my report of the Fourth Regiment, 21 F B 318 FIRST KEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. which 1 have detailed above. He said : "Those men are not firing- at anything. It is too thick to see. Go to the regiments and give the orders to cease tiring and let the smoke rise." I went along the line, gave th.e order to every officer whom I saw — captains, lieutenants and held officers. There were a great many of the poor fellows dead and hurt, and my dear cousin, Penrose Buckley, Captain of Company C, of the Third Regiment, with whom I had enlisted in May, 1861, was lying on the ground among his men, several of whom were dead and a number w(junded, and he was pressing a bloody handkerchief to his left hip as I passed along. I said to him : "How is it with you, Penn?" and he said : "Not bad, Ned, onlv a buckshot in my hip." That is the last I ever saw of him. He was shot through the lungs a few minutes afterwards, and la}- on that spot four days in agony and died there. Before this last mortal wound he had a hand-to-hand encounter with two of the enemy, one of whom he killed, and the other shot him through the lungs. This is the testimony of John Stewart, Sergeant of Company C. who was lying on the ground beside him with his right arm shot off at the wrist, and who is still living at this day. After having com- municated the order to cease firing I returned along the line, look- ing for General Taylor. As T reached about the centre of the Third Regiment the smoke had risen from the ground, as a curtain rolls up, slowly, and there was no firing on the part of the enemy. Our men. doubtless glad to be reliexed from their cramped posi- j tions, arose from the ground, some on their knees, and some standing erect peering through the smoke. As we know now, the enemy were in the sunken road which passed through the woods parallel with the line of the brigade, where undoubtedlv our line of battle should have been formed in the morning. This sunken road was deep enough to cover a man to his arm-pits, and therefore onU- the head and shoidders of the enemv were above the level of the ground, and the enemy was distant only about forty-five yards when what I am speaking of occurred. I have paced the distance more than once since on that spot and believe this to be accurate. Both General Taylor and I distinctly heard the clear order. "Aim," come out of the smoke at the front, and instantlv the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 31!» order, "Fire!" The volley that fell upon the brigade was the most withering I ever saAv delivered, for the men were totally imprepared for it. Under that volley the New Jersey Brigade broke all to pieces. I do not know whether before this there was any break in the line of battle to the left of the New Jersey Bri- gade. History is somewhat misty about this, but I do know that the brigade fell back in great disorder upon receiving this volley. General Taylor and several of the officers attempted to rally the men, but this was impossible. The General said to me : "We must get in front of them. Where's my horse?" It happened that I knew where his horse was, for I had tied my own beast to the same mulberry tree and he \\'as no more than fifty or sixty yards from where we were. James Morrow, of Company C, Third Regiment, who' is still living, helped me to find these horses, and directly at the edge of the woods and right in the midst of the retiring brigade, General Taylor ordered me to get in front of the men, w'hich would be to the rear, for he was com- ing back to rally them. We had gone but a few steps when we came to a ditch which I ha\'e spoken of previously, and my horse, which was the black stallion so well known to our brigade, cleared the ditch easily at one bound. General Taylor's horse l>alked just on the edge of it and General Taylor very nearly went over his head. Seeing that the horse would not leap, I dismounted, went through the ditch and then led him up on the other side, upon which General Taylor put spurs to his horse and galloped oft', swinging his sword and calling to- his men tO' rally. One of the curious incidents of my life happend just here. My horse was very much excited by the noise and confusion, and just as I put one foot in the stirrup he swung around so that I had great difficulty in getting my other leg up; finally I did so, and -was just starting to rejoin General Taylor when a very tall and handsome young man came to me and put his hand on the pom- mel of my saddle; he had in his other hand a National Regi- mental color. The lower part of his face and his chest were covered with blood. He said to me. "Vm hit so hard that I don't think I can go any further, so I turn this over to you." I took the colors, put my horse to full run, went through the crowd of retreatino- men and found Gjeneral Taylor, who was forming 320 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. a line about quarter of a mile in the rear of where we had been fighting, and found a small patch of the Second Regiment, which was the nucleus around which that regiment was rallying, and gave the colors to them. The curious part of this matter is that I do not remember that I ever had occasion to mention this incident in public until the year 1888, when I was Department Commander of the G. A. R. in New Jersey, and at a campfire in Freehold, in the Opera House; before a very large audience and an attentive one, I related it. Upon stating just as I have now, and saying that T turned those colors over finally to the rallying regiment, a tall, white-haired man with a long, drooping white moustache, rising from the centre of the audience said: ''That is exactly true; I am the man, and here is the wound," and drawing aside his moustache he showed that his lips had been almost entirely cut off, which was the wound of which I have spoken, and he was the color-bearer of our Second Regiment, who had turned the colors over to me at the Battle of Gaines' Mills. An account of this curious incident was published in the Freehold papers the following day. As the Brigade retreated from the woods we saw the melan- choly sight of our guns of the artillery of our division being cap- tured, and we also^iad a glimpse of the rushing to and tro of a small body of cavaliT, which is known to be Rush's Lancers, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavaliy. Twenty-one of those guns were lost right there, and I wish to say that our brigade was not at any time placed in support of these guns directly. The last I saw of the ''Union Coffee Mills" guns they were m a mass together on a little rise of ground about two hundred yards back of our line, and this was when we were retreating. I have alwavs understood here that Sergeant Dalzell, who was the color-bearer of the Third Regiment, was with these guns at that time. After returning the colors to a group of the Second Regiment, which was the nucleus of the new line and which line was form- ing very rapidly, for the men were not running away in a panic at all, and after General Taylor got in front of them and called them to rallv, thev did rallv and at once. It was then getting FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 321 quite dusk and on the right of our brigade there came up a brigade from the direction of the Chickahominy, and this I found to be General Meagher's Irish Brigade. This brigade went into position on the right of our hne, and I want tO' say that our hne was formed before that brigade came up, and of this I am positive. While our line was forming, men came in from the front and took position, regardless of what regiment they belonged to, and in that line there were a great many men of other regiments besides the Jersey regiments. General Taylor told me to go to the left and help anybody form the line down tO' the river, and this I did assisting several general officers whose names I did not know, and about dark there was quite a good line formed, the left of which extended almost to the river if not quite there. There were a few pieces of artillery in this line on the left and some few cavalry. The enemy came out of the woods immedi- ately after the brigade retreated through the woods, a very solid, good formation, but after taking the guns which I have spoken of, for some extraordinary reason they did not come on any further, and why, I have never been able to ascertain from any account of this battle that I have ever read. There was no mili- tary reason that any one can see why a charge by the enemy along the line, or at any part of it, after General Porter's line of battle was broken, should not have been entirely and absolutely successful. There is no question that our brigade and others would have fought on that last line, but I think that it would have been a forlorn hope. The battle was totally lost, and every man knew it. The enemy did not advance, and after dark the troops com- menced to retire across the bridges in our rear. These bridges were small, frail things, not much wider than to allow four men to march abreast. In the rear of the entire left of the new line of which I spoke, there was only one of them. The orders to withdraw our brigade camie to General Taylor about quarter of nine o'clock. The enemy had been firing slowly with artillery and undoubtedly en- deavoring to strike the bridges, and many of their shot came 322 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. close to the bridge-heads, but I do not think that any of them struck tlie l)ridge itself. Just at nine o'clock, as the Third Regiment was going over the bridge, and the General and myself were riding with it, just before we came to the bridge-head. Lieutenant Howell, of Com- pany I, of the Third Regiment, who was one of mv dearest personal friends, came out of the ranks and shook hands with nre, saying how glad he was that we were both alive. He walked a few paces and turned to say something else to me or to some of his comipany, and a round shot that was fired by the enemy s gim struck him full in the breast and literally tore him to pieces. The brigade crossed the bridge and returned to its camp which they left in the morning, not far from the Fair Oaks battlefield, which it reached about ten o'clock that night. This was one of the most sorrowful nights that I ever remember. We had lost a great battle, which every man and ofificer knew should ne\er have been fought in that way, and at that place, and everv one of us lost dear friends and companions, and, what was worse, .their mangled l)odies were at the tender mercy of the enemy. Only a few wounded men escaped, and what few we did get away were taken to the field hospital at Savage Station and fell into the hands of the enemy there. This battle was a stupendous military error from Ijeginning to end. History shows now, and our mili- tary leaders should have known then, that after the battle of Mechanicsville, the day before, in which the enemy suffered severe repulse, the right wing of our armv should have been with- drawn that night to the south of the Chickahominy River, and under no circumstances should have been allowed to wait in that false position, in which they met the fierce assault of the forty thousand fresh troops of Stonewall Jackson, who was then com- ing through the A-alley, and was known to l>e coming, and who struck us hard in the place where we were without intrenchments and without support, on the afternoon of the 27th of June. Any one who reads history cannot fail to see that General McClellan's fatal mistake in his Chickahominy campaign was that he did not advance with his whole force on Richmond after he had practi- cally won the battle of Fair Oaks. The next morning the sorrowful dutv of biu}ing the knapsacks of the Fourth Regiment, to which T have alluded, was performed. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 323 and I was detailed to see that this was done, and 1 (hd so, and I think I can tind the place, although I have never tried to. The next day the Brigade moved to Savage Station, and after a short halt moved on towards White Oak Swamp. During this halt at Savage Station many of us \dsited the field hospitals in which were the wounded whom we had been able to bring from the Gaines' Mills fight, and many wounded men who had been in that battle W'Cre in tents scattered around the ground of the station house, and here I paid a last farewell to many a dear friend, among them Lieutenant Wm. Evans, of Company B, of the Third Regiment, one of the most devoted friends of my life, who was shot through the upper part of the left lung- and died within twenty-four hours after we left him. I pushed into- his jacket, as I said good-bye, all the money I had, not more than six or seven dollars, except one silver ten-cent piece, and this also I parted with near Malvern Hill, as I shall relate. When the brigade reached the first bridge from the White Oak Swamp it was halted, and General Taylor was told by an aide of General Slocum's that we were to^ be the rear division of the anny, and that he must keep himself in touch with Division Headquarters wherever they were. This order caused me to ride a great many miles, for I had twO' horses and they were both kept pretty busy. As we reached the bridge-head (of course, it was a very small bridge), there was a very heavy cannonade apparently across our froiit, about half a mile away. I was sent to see what it was and found that the enemy had opened a bat- tery, or several batteries, on a pack of our wagons which had in some way become exposed to them. The hill country was covered thickly with trees and underbrush. There were very few clear- ings and scarcely any high ground, and it was very difficult to see what was going on. I could see, however, that there was a great panic among the teamsters and that the wagons were being- deserted and the wagoners riding off on the mules and horses of the teams. Presently our line of skirmishers appeared facing the southwest, and at that time the head of our column w^as fac- ing east, so the position was very much fixed. The skirmishers advanced towards the Rebel batteries very rapidly, and while I was looking on, the batteries withdrew. I went back and re- 324 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. ported to General Taylor and drew a diagram of what I had seen and gave it to him, and told him I was utterly unable to under- stand the positions, but that these were facts. An aide of General Slocum's came up with orders to cross the bridge and turn sharply to the right, which would cause us to march about due south. This we did for probabh^ a mile or more and then came to a fairly- good bridge across White Oak Creek, and this the brigade crossed. After crossing, the creek here ran through a ravine the sides of which were quite precipitous, the road down to the bridge on one side and up on the other being very steep. An aide of General Slocum's told General Taylor that our brigade was now the rear of the army, that there was a piece of our artillery on the north side of the creek, that he expected General Taylor to look after it when the pickets and skirmishers were withdrawn. After a\\hile, probably half an hour, some of the pickets com- menced to- come across the bridge, and having nothing to do I thought I would go across the bridge and see where that piece of artillery was. I found it on top of the hill about five hundred yards from the bridge, in good position, commanding the road. Th& officer in charge was a lieutenant of Williston's battery whom I knew very well. He asked me if I had any orders for him; when I said no, he said he would like to have an order. So after a little while I went back to the brigade. The pickets and skirmishers were coming across the bridge and after a while a few of our cavalry came across, and after that the pioneers commenced to destroy the bridge by hewing through the timbers. We were lying down and resting on the top of the hill on the south side of the ravine when I saw the pioneers commence to cut the bridge to pieces. I said to General Taylor : "Why. that gT.in is over on the other side." He said, "How do you know it is?" I said, "Why I saw it half an hour ago." He used a very strong expression, pulling his moustache, and told me to tell our lieutenant to "get out of that as quick as the Lord would let him." So I ran down and stopped the men from cutting the bridge, ran up the other side and told the officer of the gun what the General had said. They were all ready and sitting on their horses but had had no order to move. The enemy's skirmishers who were coming on had fired several shots at them, and I must say that I FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 325 never saw a gun go down a hill more rapidly than that did. To make a long story short, they got the gun over all right, and the ■enemy's skirmishers shot at our pioneers while they were cutting the bridge. This was a curious, but, as it turned out, a very fortunate occurrence, for history shows that these 'were Stone- wall Jackson's men, and that Jackson with a heavy force was behind them. They reported that this bridge was held strongly wath artillery and infantry, and this report made such an impres- sion upon Jackson that he did not attempt tO' force the passage of the creek at that place. Why he did not cross the creek at a ford about a mile further up, of which he should have known, historians on both sides have never discovered; but that Jack- son's delay on that occasion, at that spot, and his counter-march g-ave McClellan the opportunity tO' withdraw his armies success- fully to Malvern Hill, is the opinion of all authorities whom I have read upon the subject. This was about two o'clock in the afternoon. It must be re- membered that this was when the days were long and also very hot. In half an hour we received orders tO' march and move south along the White Oak road t^owards Charles City cross-roads. After marching about two miles we were halted and the men were directed tO' rest along the east side of the road, which was well wooded on the east side, and on the west side were several quite large clearings. I am sure that General Taylor was not informed that we were occupying the line of battle, and I am sure that General Torbert, who was then colonel of the First Regiment, did not know this until sever?,! years after ; but it is a fact that we were a part of the line, and an exceedingly im- portant part. While we were lying down along the edge of the road an aide of General Slocum's rode by and told General Taylor that General Slocum's headquarters were in the field on the left or east side of the road about five hundred yards ahead of us, and that was all he said to him, for I heard it, and he then rode away. In about fifteen minutes the enemy opened with about sixty pieces of artillery, firing across the road in front of us and gradu- ally increasing the rapidity of the firing until it was the most tremendous cannonade I had ever heard. No enemy was visible to us an v where — the smoke of those guns came over the edge of 326 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. the woods probably eight liunch'ed yards from the road, and a few hundred yards further along the right of the brigade. None of those shells came across where we were. While the cannonade was at its height, and of course such a cannonade as this is always the precursor of a charge of a line of battle, General Taylor said that he must have some orders from General Slocum's head- quarters, as he did not know what was wanted of him, so he said : "Grubb. ride to General Slocum's headquarters and ask him what he wants me to do." I had then one of the most terri- ble experiences that I ever had under artillery fire, and what is niiore, I had twO' of them, for I rode down that road across that line of firing, and I think I came nearer being killed by the flying pieces of fence rails and pieces of trees than by the shells. T found the oak tree, but I did not find General Slocum. and I came back to General Taylor, really very much bewildered by the terrible fire, and told him that General Slocum was not where he said. He merely said : "Go back and find him.'' And I had to do what I should have done, of course, at first. It must be remembered that I was only a little over nineteen years of age. I finallv did find General Slocum. more than half a mile from where I was told he would be, and a very heavy infantry fight going on in front of him. I told him what General Taylor had said. He did not even look at me, but simply said : "When I want him I will let him know." Which I had the pleasure of repeating to General Taylor, word for word. The last time I came down the road the cannonade had almost died out. and the infantry fighting about opposite to- where I had seen General Slocum was very severe. The corps engaged, it turned out. was the Third Corps, and the division on its left, which was. of course, next to our right because we were right in front in column and had been marching south when we halted, was General Phil. Kearny's division and commanded by General Phil. Kearny in l>erson. Now. it will l>e seen that our brigade being in column of four right in front, under the old tactics to have formed a line of Imttle the order would have been given front, and all the men would have turned to the left, which would have brought their backs to the enemy, as the enemy was on our right or west side. To have formed the line of battle we would have had to have FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 327 faced by the rear rank, and while that did not make much (Ht- ference in merely forming the line, only so- far as the file closers were concerned, any subsequent maneuvers froni' that formation would become exceeding-ly complicated ; and I doubt whether any of the regiments of the First Brigade at that time could have successfully performed those maneuvers. These were some of the difficulties which the Upton's tactics subsequently adopted, aimed to obviate, and did so. General Kearny was the idol and hero of our brigade from the time we first saw him. He and all his staff were well known to every man and officer of us; and wdien Captain Moore, of Kearny's staff, came riding down the road waving his hat and calling out that General Kearny had lost a battery, and wanted the Jersey Brigade to help him' get it back, it seemed to me that the whole brigade heard himi, because I am sure that no orders were given to do that which occurred, and I had barely time to scramble on my horse and join in the rushing throng. General Taylor called toi me as I passed him : "Keep ahead of them and keep them from going too far. The enemy's line is in the woods right in front of our guns." Captain Moore, who- was talking to him. had probably told him this. The gims that had been captured were not more than three hundred yards from' us, a little advanced to the west of the road. I had noticed that they were not gone w^hen I passed along on my ride to General Slocum's, but the melee w^as so confused that I have not and ne\-er had a very clear idea of it. When I got to where the guns were the road was somewhat sunken, and, as the bank was so steep that I could not ride my horse up. I jumped off and scrambled up. There were a good many men among the guns before I got there, and the guns were being re-captured. But I do know that wdien I passed near a gun, a sergeant of the First Regiment, whose name was either Hollins or Hollister, had a Rebel prisoner by the neck. The man, though captured, had not surrendered, and as I passed him in carrying ont the order which I had, to stop the men from going beyond the guns, he ^thrust at our sergeant with his bayonet, missed him, and gave "Be.' a prod, the scar of which I carry to this day, though it did not disable me then or now, as it was on the inside of the thigh. I passed the order to 328 FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. halt to several of the officers of our brigade. It is my impres- sion that there were lots of Kearny's men from his own division who were there almost instantly, but I do not think they were there when we first came up. I expected that we would receive a withering volley from the wood, which were only across a small field, m which the General had told me the enemy would be. For some blessed reason that vollev never came; and in a few minutes our men were recalled to the road and continued our march, and towards nightfall we went into line of battle along the side of the road, not more than twentv yards from the roadside. On the west side our skirm- ishers' were thrown out perhaps fifty yards more and we en- o-ao-ed with the Rebel skirmishers until dark. There was a good deal of artillery firing along the roads which intersected the road on which we were marching; but most of the shots went ^tkrough the tree tops and .>nlv a few of our men were mjured. The line we were holding, and which we held there from dark until twelve o'clock that night, was the gap in the line into which the enemy had charged and captured Major-General McCall and a large part of his division. Vbout nine o'clock that night I, having been constantly en- o-ao-ed unger General Tavlor's orders, in passing along our skir- mish line and getting reports from the officers, came up to where the General was. in a fence-corner, and found him utterly exhausted. Neither he nor I had had any nourishment, except a cup of cofi'ee for breakfast, since the night before, and that coffee had been given to us bv some of the men of our head- quarters. The wagon with all our rations was with the train and we did not see it for thirt>'-six hours afterwards. I said to him : "General, the brigade is very much mixed up and ought to be straightened out." He said : "Very well, sir go straighten it out." And so I went, but I had not gone more than twentv steps before I came to the conclusion that that was too much'of a contract for a young man of my age, so I went to Colonel Torbert. of the First Regiment, and stated the case, just what the General had said, and that I l>elieved that General Tay- lor was entirelv exhausted, and that the job was too big for me. He said: "Never min.l. sonny. T will fix it up for you." So we FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 329 went together, and Colonel Torbert arranged the brigade that night. Some of the companies of the Second were mixed up with the Third, and some of the Third were mixed up with the First until we straightened them out. The men were lying down, some of them asleep, all of them cross, and it was no easy job to shift them around, but we finally got it done about eleven o'clock. I got back to my old colored man, James Huggs, who had a blanket for me in the same fence-corner where the General ^vas, and I had about twO' hours' sound sleep. A little before one o'clock an aide of General Slocum's gave us marching orders. We found an entire brigade in the road ready to take our places, and passing through them to the road we continued our march in column, going somewhere, we did not know where, but headed, we all knew towards the James River on the way from Rich- mond. This last fact was heart-breaking to the men, for from the moment that we landed at West Point in May our faces had been towards the Rebel Capital. Although the battle of Gaines' Mills had been lost just the day after we were much nearer Richmond than Ave were now, and it was only the night of the battle of Charles City Cross-roads that our men realized" that we were retreating. We marched until about seven o'clock in the morning, and then the brigade was given about three hours' rest along the road. The General and I had some coffee which the men of the Provost Guard gave us, and I went down into my old Company C, of the Third Regiment, and got from Richard Poole, a private in that company, who was a painter in Burling- ton, three hardtack, and after he had given them to me, just one- half of all he had, I searched in my pocket and found the silver ten-cent piece, that was the last thing I had. Richard refused to accept this in exchange for the hardtack, but I finally pressed it upon him as a souvenir, and he showed it to me many times afterwards. x\bout twelve o'clock the brigade was assembled and marched along the road towards Malvern Hill, which we did not then know by that name or any other name, but it was a high and commanding position and we saw a great many of our batteries already in position upon it, and very readily came to the conclusion that our army was going to make a stand there. I think the Jersey Brigade was at that time in the rear guard, and 330 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. the reason I think so is because after our brigade passed through the pickets which were at the edge of the hill nothing came be- hind us but some cavalry, and I have a good reason to remem- ber that. Within about half a mile of the hill on the left-hand side of the road was a fine farm, and near the fence were two fine cherry trees full of cherries. As we passed along, the Gen- eral and myself being in the rear of the brigade, he said: "I would like to have some of those very much." So I imme- diately said, "I will get you some." I got over the fence and climbed up a tree, dropping my sword and belt in the clover at the foot of the tree as I went up. I broke off a good many branches and proceeded to fill myself as quickly as possible. A scouting party of some of our cavalrv came by, going toward the hill, and an officer told the General that there were some rel^el scouts not very far behind him, upon which the General recalled me from the tree, and we proceeded to rejoin the brigade, which had gone up Alalvern Hill. When the brigade was halted and arranged upon the line which had been assigned to us near the top of the hill, I instantly noticed that 1 had not my sword and belt, and remembered that they were in the grass at the foot of the cherry tree, a half mile outside of our lines. I asked the General for permission to go back and get them and he pro- ceeded to read me a lecture on carelessness, saying, among other things, which I distinctlv remember and always have, that "A soldier should lose his head rather than his sword." So I went back to the picket line, and, very fortunately for me, I happened to know the captain very well who commanded a cavalr}' troop that was on picket on that spot, that is to say, near the base of the hill. He said to me that he had not seen any rebel scouts for half an hour, and that he would send two of his men with me to get the sword, which he did. and we all got back safely with- out seeing anybody, and the cavalrv also got a lot of cherries. I mention this incident so particularly, because it has a very par- ticular bearing upon a very extraordinary occurrence that hap- pened that night. There was an immense park of our wagons not very far from the hill the night before the battle of ]\Ialvern Hill, and while the brigade was on the hill in line of battle and sleeping behind the breastworks which they had made of logs and FIRST NEIV JERSFA' BRIGADE. 331 €arth — a \ery flimsy sort of breastworks, but wbich by reason of the admirable position on the hill would have been very effective if assaulted — General Taylor received an order inform- ing him that the wagon trains of the army would be burnt that night, and he, accompanied by some others and my old servant, James Huggs, went down into the wagon park and took out a small quantity of their personal belongings, among other things a small handbag- of mine containing some underclothing, my mother's letters and a few other things of that kind. I did not go with them, as I was asleep at the root of a tree, and when the order came the General told my man he did not wish to disturb ine. I saw the printed order the next morning. It was in the same form and apparently the same type as that which we re- cei\'ed from the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac. Gen- eral Taylor returned to where he had placed his headquarters, under a great \\'hite pine tree, and my old servant, James Huggs, sat at the camp fire, for, although it had been a hot day, the nights were cool and the fire was lighted. Huggs says that about eleven o'clock, while the General was walking up and down between the tree and the fire, the orderly on duty came lip to the General and said that a messenger from General ]\Ic- Clellan's headquarters wanted to see him outside of the rifle-pit, and Huggs says that the General walked straight down that way, he, of course, not going with him. The next morning at grey daylight I awoke with the most intense gnawing hunger that I had ever experienced in my life. I had had nothing to eat but three hardtack, two cups of coffee and some cherries for two days, and I had ridden probably fifty miles in those two days. I had, moreover, been in a pretty severe fight and had an ugly wound in my leg, which hurt me every instant I sat in the isaddle. As soon as I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes I saw within about twenty-five yards of me a small pig rooting along on the ground ; I also saw right close to me a rifle of the orderly's leaning against the tree, it being the custom then for an orderly merely to have the ramrod in his hand while he was on duty. I knew there was a positive order against the discharge of any firearm without permission, but I was very hungry and there was the pig, so I took deliberate and careful aim. and killed 332 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. that pig. Simultaneously with the crack of the rifle came the voice of General Taylor : "If you had missed him, sir, I would have put you under arrest." He was standing on the other side of the tree and had not lain down all night. The pig was cooked and eaten at once. The battle of Malvern Hill, which took place that day, was a magnificent pageant for those of our brigade who could see it — the coming down of a great mass of the enemy on the open plain to their utter destruction by the awful artillery fire. It was indeed a cruel and bloody sight, but after it was all over many of us felt that we were avenged for what had happened at Gaines' Mills. Those of us who can remember can even see to-day, in our mind's eye, knapsacks, hats and even bodies of men thrown up in the air by the explosions of our shells in the serried masses of the enemy. Our brigade was not engaged at all — some men were hit by spent shots and bits of shells — but I think our casual- ties were twenty-eight in all. During the day on more than one occasion my attention was called to the fact that General Taylor was not wearing his own sword, but the sword that he was wear- ing belonged to his son. Captain Taylor, w^ho had been partially disabled in the battle of Gaines' Mills. I noticed this because the two swords were not alike at all. and, moreover, because I had been the object of a lesson on carelessness the previous after- noon; but, of course, I did not say anything. . The morning after the battle of Malvern Hill our brigade marched into a great wheatfield at Brandon, near Harrison's Landing, and went into camp in the mud. As soon as the wagons were up and our tents were pitched, General Taylor directed me to mount my horse and accompany him. We went straight down to the James River and up along the river bank until we came to Berkley Mansion, which was General Mc- Clellan's headquarters. We had an orderl}- with us and both dismounted and left our horses with the orderly. I accompanied the General into the house and upstairs to the second floor. There were a number of wounded men in the house, lying on the floors, and the house was crowdetl with officers of all grades. General Taylor went into a room on the second floor, which I afterwards found was General McClellan's private headquarters. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE.- 333 and in a few minutes came out and said to me : "I shall be here for some time, you may make yourself comfortable, and when I want you I will call you." So I went out of the house, for it was indeed a gruesome place. It was raining- hard, and after telling the orderly to spread an oilcloth blanket, which I had, over my horse, I looked around for a place to make myself comfortable, and found a chicken coop with some bright dry straw on the floor (there were no chickens in it), so' I lay down and went to sleep. In about an hour an orderly called me. The General was standing on the porch. Mounting our horses we rode off towards camp, I riding, of course, a horse's length behind the General, After going about two or three hundred yards he checked his horse and said : "Ride up alongside oi me." Which I did. He then said : "Did you notice that I did not have my sword when I went to General McClellan's head- quarters?" I said: "I did, sir; I noticed that you had neither sword nor belt." He said: "You see I have got them now." I said: "I do, sir." He said: "Well, I got them at General McClellan's headquarters." He said: "Last night while you were asleep an orderly told me that a messenger from General McClellan wanted to see me outside the rifle pit; I went there and two men on gray horses met me, one of whom was dis- mounted. This man presented a pistol at my head and instantly demanded my sword. Believing that I was captured and a prisoner there w^as nothing else for me to do but to give him my sword, which I did. Upon taking it he immediately mounted his horse and rode off." That is all that General Taylor ever told me on the subject, and it is all I know about it. (I may add that General Mc- Clellan's bodyguard always rode gray horses.) The fact is that this occurred, on my word as a gentleman and a soldier, exactly as I have stated it. As the brigade was marching in to the great wheatfield at Berkley, where the army was then commencing to encamp, sud- denly and without any idea that the enemy was in the vicinity, several shells came in and exploded among the wagon trains which were in the road alongside of which our men were march- ing. :My recollection is that not more than a dozen shells came. 22 F B 334 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. A regiment of Zouaves, which I think were the Fifty-fifth, of New York, went l)ack in (l()ul)le-(juick, and 1 understood captured two guns which the enemy had run up ck)se to our encampment without any supports whatever. The official records wdll show the circumstances of this. I remember that one of the shells exploded within a few^ feet of General Taylor's horse. Some incidents of interest occurred during our encampment at Malvern Hill. It was hot and uncomfortable and sorrowful, for there were many deaths, and bands playing the Dead ]\ larch were continually heard through the day — deaths from sickness, and many wounded. One night, a few nights after we encamped, we were roused at midnight by ai very lively cannonade from the opposite side of the river — our camp was about a quarter of a mile back from the river. The long roll was beaten throughout the army and the brigade turned out and stood in line. I do not think there were any casualties in the brigade, though there were some in our division from its shells. One man I remember as Dr. Oak- ley asked me to go and see a man in the field hospital who had his entire stomach carried awav by shells and li\-ed four clays afterwards. This w-ound is reported among the curiosities of the war. I saw the man twice, and, strange to say, he appeared to be suffering no pain except through hunger. A few days after our arrival at the camp, President Lincoln came down and reviewed the army. I presume by reason of the small space in which it was necessary to hold it, each brigade was drawn up on the northern side of its own camp in double columns, closed en masse, and the field officers were dismounted. My clothing, all except the one suit which I had during the seven days' battle, had been lost, and it happened that the only coat I had was a short jacket coming to the waist, and the only trousers I had were those which I had worn since the 27th of June. Mv saddle had been hit twice with pieces of shell, once while I was in it and once when I was not. It was not torn nuich, but the screws were all loosened in it and one of them had worked up and from day to day had torn my trousers to such an extent that I can only say they were not fit to appear in review; so upon seeing my condition General FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 33r, Taylor excused me from going in the review and I sat in the door of my tent next tO' General Taylor's and within a few feet of it. President Lincoln rode a large bay horse and ^v•as dressed in a black frock-coat and a high silk hat and rode at the head of the cavalcade with General McClellan and his staff- of prob- ably a hundred officers immediately behind him. They passed down from east to west along the front of the army, the Presi- dent taking off his hat as he passed the colors of each brigade. When they arived in front of our brigade they halted and Gen- eral Taylor and the President came up to General Taylor's tent; no others were with them. The President dismounted and my servant, James Huggs, who is still living, brought camp stools and they sat down under the fly of General Taylor's tent; it seems that the President w^anted a drink of water, the day being very hot. James Huggs went to the spring a few^ yards away and got some water and the President drank heartily of it ; as he got up to go away he saw me standing in the position of a soldier, facing him at my tent door, and he said tO' General Taylor: "I suppose this is one of your staff: I hope that he has not been wounded?" General Taylor called me to- them and told him that I was Captain Grubb, on his staff, and told one or two' very pleasant things about me to the President which caused my cheeks to tingle, and then taking me by the shoulder, he said : "He would have been in the review but his clothes were not good enough to- allow him.'' President Lincoln put his hand on my shoulder. I shall never forget the kind expression of his magnificent eyes, as he looked me in the face and said : *'My son, I think your country can afford to give you a new pair of breeches." As these were the only words that President Lincoln ever said to me they impressed themselves very deeply on my mind. I have never forgotten them, and never shall. The rest of our stay at Harrison's Landing is filled with un- pleasant memories for me. I had contracted typhoid fever, although I did not know it, and tried to fight it off, and did so until the morning the brigade marched from Harrison's Land- ing, when in the wind and dust of that morning I mounted my brown stallion with great difficulty, fell over the other side of him into the dust, and the next thing I remember was waking 336 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. up in New York harbor in the hospital ship, some ten days afterwards, with two Sisters of Mercy taking- care of me, and my old servant, James Huggs, standing at the foot of the bed. He had hired a colored man whom he found and helped him carry me down to the water's edge and succeeded in getting me on board the hospital ship "Spaulding'' in a little dug-out canoe, for the anchor of that ship had been raised and she was the last hospital ship to leave, filled with sick and wounded. I did not know that the brigade had been most dreadfully cut up and General Taylor killed at the Bull Run Bridge until after I had been sent from the hospital ship to my father's house in Burlington, where I found a letter from Colonel Torbert, com- manding the brigade, and asking me to serve on his staff. T joined the brigade just before the Crampton's Pass battle. We saw the battle of Antietam and were under a terrible artillery fire, but we were in the reserve, and I am sure that I need only say that it was the opinion of every man and officer in our brigade that if the Sixth Corps had been thrown for- ward that afternoon over the Burnside bridge after Burnside crossed it and placed across the right flank of the Confederate army, which were all there lying in the wheatfiekl (Opposite us, the result of that battle would ha\-e been far different from what it was. After Antietam we marched to Bakersville and encamped there, and were joined by the Twenty-third New Jersey Regi- ment, into which I was promoted as Major a few days l^efore the battle of Fredericksburg-. The Episode of the Surgeon of the Third Regiment. The surgeon of tlie Third New Jersey Regiment was ap- pointed by Governor Olden about ten days after the regiment arrived in Camp Olden. His name wag Lorenzo Louis Cox, a man about twenty-five years of age. He had a fine appearance, was well educated and an excellent surgeon. He was a grandson of Mr. Redmond Cox, of Philadelphia, a member of a well- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 337 known family. Redmond Cox was an intimate friend of my father, but my father had nothing whatever to do with the appointment of Dr. Cox, and did not know of it until after it was made. After the battle of Bull Run, and during the early autumn, the Third Regiment was engaged in erecting Fort Worth, one of the defences of Washington, about a mile west of Alexandria Semi- nary. Probably the uncovering of so much fresh earth which had to be done in erecting the Fort, which was quite a large one, caused an outbreak of malarial fever, most of it ordinary chills and fever. The sick call was sounded at half-past six every morn- ing and a very large proportion of the regiment filed up to Dr. Cox's tent and received a drink of whiskey and some quinine pills. Those of the Third Regiment who read this will probably remember two very ridiculous occurrences in this connection. Dr. Cox had an Irishman who was a private in one of the com- panies and who was his assistant. The Doctor had a barrel of whiskey in his tent from which he served the rations every morn- ing; he noticed that this whiskey became exhausted more rapidly than in his opinion it should ; he therefore poured into the whis- key-barrel a very large quantity of quinine, and the consequence was that the next morning his man Patrick was so drunk that he had to be taken down to the creek to be soused to bring him to, and he could not hear for two or three days. The other occurrence was that one morning on guard mount the adjutant, whose name was Fairliegh (an Englishman and the youngest son of Lord Fairliegh), appeared on his horse, which was a light bay and which had been striped with white paint on the ribs during the night and every hair on his tail shaved off. It transpired at the regimental court-martial that Dr. Cox's Patrick was very largely responsible for the damage to the adjutant's horse. During the months of August and September and also during- the whole winter of 1861-1862 the First New Jersey Brigade picketed in front of their lines, and during August ana September these pickets were not very far from and in front of Alexandria, not more than three miles at the utmost. The enemy's pickets were very close to ours and a number of skir- mishes along the Little River turnpike and the cornfields adjacent 338 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. thereto occurred. Gradually our picket lines were advanced until, about the^latter part of September, we took in ]\Irs. Fitz- hugh's plantation and picketed almost up to Annandale. Dr. Cox and his assistant were out along- the picket lines almost every afternoon. Many of the men would be ailing and there was an occasional gun-shot, wound that would have to l)e looked after. Dr. Cox rode a very handsome cream-colored mule, and Patrick had an army horse. Patrick carried the knapsack of medical stores and surgical instruments strapped on his Ijack. One afternoon Dr. Cox, who had visited Mrs. Fitzhugh's planta- tion several times — at that time a little outside of our picket lines — started to go there again, when he was pounced upon by six of the Louden scouts. Confederate cavalry, and, although he tried to make his mule run away from them he could not do so and was captured. Patrick jumped off his horse and ran into the woods and succeeded in getting back into our lines with his medical knapsack. He reported Dr. Cox killed, as there had been several pistol shots tired ; Cox was not armed. On the evening of the next day Dr. Cox returned to the camp of the Third Regi- ment and reported the facts, about as I have related them here, to Colonel Taylor, and also to all of the officers of the regiment, wdio were his friends and who w^ere interested in the occurrence. He told us that he had been taken to Manassas Junction and had been for some time in the tent of General Joseph E. Johnston, the commander of the Rebel army that then faced us. . Every- body was glad of his release, which was of course because of his being a non-combatant. He resumed his duties and I do not remember that the incident was spoken of again in the regiment until the following very curious occurrence took place. When the army advanced on Manassas Junction in March, 1862, the Third New Jersey Regiment was in the extreme front. The skirmishers of that regiment captured a train of cars loaded with provisions, and were also the first in the Rebel encampment at Manassas, Some of the memljers of the regiment entered General Joseph E. Johnston's tent, which had been evacuated so suddenly that a number of his papers and his jmilitar^- sash were left, which these men obtained. They naturally examined the papers and were surprised to find a report taken down by a mem- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 339 ber of General Johnston's staff of the conversation had with Dr. Cox of the Third New Jersey Vohinteers. This report stated that Dr. Cox had given General Johnston all the information regarding the troops at and around Alexandria that he desired and. that he (Cox) had particularly stated the number of men which General Montgomery commanded at Alexandria. For- tunately for Cox, the aide stated this number at 10,000, which was what Cox did say, and which was twice as many as Mont- gomery had. These papers were forwarded to Washington, whether through the headquarters of the regiment or not I do not know, but a few days after that a scjuad of the United States Cavalry came to the Third Regiment and the officer in command arrested Dr. Cox and took him to Washington, where he was immediately incarcerated in the old Capitol Prison. He re- mained there for a very considerable time, my impression is for several months. I wrote to my father in regard to this and he W'Cnt to Washington and had an interview with Edward M. Stanton, who was then Secretary of War. Mr. Stanton had been my father's counsel before the war, in Lancaster, and was an intimate friend of his. He had great trouble to get Mr. Stanton to take up the matter at all, but when he finally did. Cox was found to be innocent, but foolish. He returned to the regiment, but only for a few days. The men and a number of the officers would not receive him, and he resigned and took a position as surgeon on one of the Pacific Mail steamers, in which position he contracted the chargres fever and died. The occurrence w^as a very sad one. Cox was entirely innocent. He was a perfectly loyal and true man. He was one of the very best surgeons in the army at that time and almost certainly would have had a brilliant career. His military life was cut short, and probably his actual life also, from having talked too much. He told me himself, that in the interview^ in General Johnston's tent he had purposely given him all the false information that he could thmk of, and that he had purposely stated Montgomery's troops to be twice their actual strength. The correspondence in regard to this will be found in the official record, see general index, page 211, Lewis L. Cox 13845. 340 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. I have read the correspondence, but the vohime in which it is, I do not now find in my collection. I was First Lieutenant of Company D, Third Xew Jersey Vol- unteers, and Aide-de-Camp on the Staff of Brigadier-General George W. Taylor, First New Jersey Brigade, during this campaign, E. BuRD Grubb. APPENDICES. (341) Appendix A. Brigadier-General George William Taylor. Brigadier-General George W. Taylor, who gave his life in defense of his country, was a native of Hunterdon county. New Jersey, and was born near the village of Clinton, in 1808. He was the third son of Archibald Stewart and Anna Bray Taylor. He early exhibited a predilection for military pursuits, and after spending two years at Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J., his father sent him to the celebrated military school of Colonel Alden Partridge, in Connecticut, which at that time had much the reputation that afterwards attached to West Point. He remained a cadet there until the school was transferred to Norwich, Vermont, where he graduated in 1827. On November ist of this year he entered the navy as a mid- shipman, and made a cruise up the Mediterranean on board the sloop-of-war ''Fairfield.'' under command of Captain Foxhall A. Parker. On return of the ship to the United States he tendered his resignation, which was accepted December 13th, 1831. After this he engag^ed in mercantile pursuits. When the war with Mexico was declared, he ofifered his services to the government and received a lieutenant's commission in the Eighth United States Infantry, March 8th, 1847. April 9th, 1847, ^16 ^'^'^s transferred to the Tenth Infantry and promoted captain of same regiment September 13th, 1847. In 1848, after the close of the war, the Tenth Infantry Avas mus- tered out of the service and Captain Taylor went to California, where he remained three years. He was a Whig in his political opinions before the dissolution of that party, and subsequently became an uncompromising Republican. To the President's call for troops made May 3d, 1861, Captain Taylor w^as among the first to respond. He was offered the colonelcy of the Third (343) 344 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. New Jersey Regiment of Infantry. Unhesitatingly accepting the commission, he at once addressed himself to the task of reduc- ing his new levies into a state of discipline, and on the 8th of June, 1 86 1, accompanied them to Washington, where with the rest of the New Jersey troops they were ordered to take station near Fairfax Seminary, Virginia. On the 2 1 St of July he assisted with the other regiments in rendering efficient services in arresting the flight and restoring order after the battle of Bull Run. Upon reorganization of the Army of the Potomac, the First, Second, Third and Fourth Regi- ments were brigaded and placed under the command of General Phil. Kearny and assigned to Franklin's division. The promo- tion of General Kearny left Colonel Taylor, being the senior officer, in command of the brigade. On June loth, 1862, he re- ceived his commission as Brigadier-General. His brigade formed a part of the Army of the Potomac under General McClellan, and was engaged in the series of encounters that took place on the Peninsula, particularly those of West Point, Gaines' Mills, White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill, where it distinguished itself for its courage and coolness. The last fight of the subject of our sketch was on the plains of Manassas, August 27th, 1862, where he encountered the enemy in superior force, and, while disputing the passage of Bull Run bridge, received a fatal wound. He was removed to the Mansion House Hospital, Alexandria, Va., where he died September ist, 1862, in the fifty-fourth year of his age. As a soldier, General Taylor's prominent characteristics were courage, intelligence and inflexible devotion to duty. As a disciplinarian he was stern almost to harshness. In i>ersonal manner he was reserved, seldom unbending even when among his intimates, but under all the hard crust throbbed a nature at once noble — a nature which scorned injustice, and held unyieldingly to convic- tions honestlv and deliberatelv formed. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 345 Appendix B. The sketch of the First Regiment of New Jersey, which ap- pears below, was written by Lieutenant Thomas T. Tillou, of Elizabeth, and appeared in the Jonrnal, as follows : "While stationed at Vienna, Va., we received orders from General McDowell to advance on Bull Run. We started imme- diately for this point on a forced march, and arrived on the field of battle the afternoon of the first day's fight, and remained there until midnight before we retreated. The road between Vienna and Bull Run, where the stampede took place, was im- passable owing to the wagon-trains and all conceivable equipage belonging to the same blocked the road. The fight on the battle- field was a frightful one to behold — the dying, the wounded and the dead. I shall always remember them, and the Old Stone Church at Centreville was filled with wounded and those who died. Each pew and aisle had many dear ones in the last throes of death pleading for help. We found in that church one young- man who hailed from Massachusetts, and had worked in a drug store, trying to aid and comfort the wounded. Our surgeon, Taylor, of the First New Jersey Regiment, we left to care for and relieve their wants to the best of his ability. When the rebels advanced after our retreat they took possession of the church and denied Surgeon Taylor the right to assist and relieve the wounded. They took away from him all of his instruments and tools, and also stripped him of his coat, vest, hat and his shoes, and made him walk a number of miles barefooted with the bayonets prodding him at every stop to rest. This I got from Surgeon Taylor when he was exchanged as a prisoner of war. He never recovered his health and from the treatment at the hands of the rebels. He was very much emaciated until he passed the great divide. "The First Regiment of New Jersey was under the command of Colonel Montgomery, and was the last troop that left Bull 34(3 ' FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Run battlefield, and should have been credited in history with cov- ering this retreat. We retreated towards Fairfax Court House, and from there had a volley fired into us by the Union forces from Fairfax Court House, thinking- we were the rebels advanc- ing on them. Wt finally reached Arlington Heights next day, and were put in charge of the long bridge, when an order came from Washington for us to throw^ out a picket line. My company, A, was ordered out to guard Vienna Railroad, and after reaching there was sent out at night to the chaparrals to lay in wait for the enemy, but before they made their appearance the grand rounds came to my outpost and requested me to get ten volun- teers of my company and go out on a scout for the rebels and to find and ascertain their positipn. I got my company in line, and stated the duty w-hich we were expected to perform. 'T want ten men to accompany me on this trip. Those who are willing to go with me can step three paces to the front.' I said. The first man without a murmur that stepped out was Chauncey Clum. Others followed until I got the number needed. "The first halt was made on the road that leads to Bailey's Crossroads. We thought, though quite dark, we could see a gun or rifle standing against a tree out in the field. I crawled very cautiously out and found the guard asleep. I took the rifle and then awoke the Union sentinel, who was German. He was very much alarmed and yelled at the top of his voice. There was a small building on the left of us. and here his captain and other guards came rushing out, firing off their rifles in all direc- tions. I turned this sentinel over to his captain, then started for the Crossroads. We decided, after reaching there, to take the left-hand road up towards Munson's Hill. I left four guards at the crump house prior to reaching the Crossroads to watch what was considered a bad and treacherous position. We nearly reached the crest of Munson's Hill, when from behind an en- trenchment came a volley from the rebels into our ranks. We returned the fire and retreated in good order. I made a sketch of the roads, with diagram, stating the facts in my report after reaching camp. "The following day I was sent out with my company to hold the enemy in check, and w^e took our positions at the foot of the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 347 hill at the Crossroads, and while Lieutenant Martin and myself M^ere in the log cabin partaking of hoecake and honey, some of our company found a portion of a rackrigging while we were in the cabin. They took the two rear wheels and a short log attached and placed it in the center of the road, then put a long- stovepipe on the center of it and pointed it up toward the rebel earthworks. "It was not long before the enemy discovered, as they thought, a cannon, which they tried to dismount. They opened fire, and the first ball that came down our way struck the corner of the log cabin and lodged' in the woods directly opposite. The ball was found and sent on to Elizabeth and put in charge of the Blhaheth Journal. What became of it I am at a loss at present to answer . ''After the first battle of Bull Run there was considerable feel- ing regarding who should command the First New Jersey Bri- gade, and Governor Olden, knowing these facts, had to act very carefully in appointing a general to command the First New Jersey Brigade. General Phil Kearny was suggested, and was looked upon as the ideal one to choose for that ofiice. Then Colonel Montgomery was made provost-general of Alexandria, Va. This seemed to satisfy and straighten out the feeling which existed at that time. "We were then ordered to report to General Kearny's head- quarters to form the First Brigade of New Jersey, which com- posed the First, Second and Third Regiments. This was the original First Brigade of three regiments. "The First Regiment started for his headquarters to report. Being a very warm day, the men were permitted to march at will. They were not making a very soldier-like appearance when they came to Kearny's headquarters, which was surrounded by a beautiful peach orchard. George Forsyth, a member of Company A, espied the peach orchard, and made a break for it. That move was enough, as all the men then broke ranks and got in the trees, and when Kearny came out on the porch and saw them, the words which he expressed cannot be found printed in any vocabulary or dictionary, and he said many times afterwards, 'Give me the Jersey Brigade, and say to them, "Boys, a peach 348 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. orchard lies on the other side of Richmond," ' and he would have no trouble to march through the ideal spot of the Confed- eracy. "I very often think of the order he sent to Company A to have twelve men selected and sent to his headquarters to do provost guard duty while he had other commissioned officers as guests to dine with him. "I had the pleasure of picking out my best men for this pur- pose, and prided myself on the show they would make. I was very much attached to all of the men — loved and honored each one alike. They were the pride of my heart, and I had reasons to believe it was reciprocated. I got them ready and sent them with great expectations that the general would forward me words of thanks, but, to my consternation, amazement and surprise, orders came for me to appear before him at once. "This was the trouble: After the men arrived there one of them conceived this idea and carried it out to perfection. The tables were all set for the general and his guests. My men took the advantage of the cooks and gagged them. They then sat down and partook of the best the land could afford, and after eating their fill, arose, and, with the rifles pointed at the cooks, directed them to fix things up quick. The cooks did not quite finish their labors before the general got uneasy and made his way to the festal board. The rest you can imagine. Things looked blue for awhile. The general tried to find out who the originator of the plot was, but each man stood firm." C. A. Pettie's (Private Company G, First Regiment, New Jer- sey Volunteers) Account of liis Experience at Crampton's Pass, Md. At Crampton's Pass, the order to "right face, forward march," as I understood it, meant to go straight up the mountain, believ- ing all the boys were on the way up. Thinking myself only a little in advance, about half way up a Johnnie aimed at me and I at him. He fell. Jake Dehart was about twenty paces to my left. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. P,40 A large fallen tree was right in front c.f me. I climbed ii. and to my surprise saw two Johnnies behind it. 1 called on them to surrender, disarmed them, looked back expecting to find the boys close up, but could see no one in my rear. The two prisoners at that moment also discovered my position and drew their bayonets and resisted me. Having the advantage of them, being on the fallen tree and bayonet fixed on my gun, inverted same and told them if they did not throw away their bayonets I would stab them. Made them crawl over the fallen tree and sfo on in advance of me dowai the mountain, at the foot of which was a small stone wall, behind wdiich I found our boys. Continued on with the tw'o grays until we met one of General Torbert's aides, who' ordered me to a clump of very tall trees and there report, where I was ordered to keep guard over the grays. Later on, more prisoners were brought in. Let me state here that high up in one of those trees three large turkeys roosted all night. C. A. Pettie's (Color Sergeant First Regiment New Jersey Volunteers) Account of Charge on June 7th, 1864, at Cold Harbor. At about 9 A. M., an aide from some general at headquarters came rushing over and cried "Charge." Some of the boys said our time has expired, others said it was not a proper order, not being given to us by our commander. A few of us, however, jumped over the little earthwork and charged. I had gone about half the distance to the rebel line and found myself alone. Just then a charge of canister struck the earth a short distance in front of me. throwing the coarse gravel in my face and eyes, blinding me for probably two hours or more. I fell on my face, knoAving that every move could be seen by the rebels, and lay quiet. When I regained my sight and noticed the condition of the soil (coarse gravel which had been ploughed)-, I began burrowing myself in the soil by slowly pushing the earth away from my head and body. When sufficiently protected, took my tin plate, using it as a shovel, and finally had quite a good pro- tection from the shots which were coming in both directions. I 23 F B 350 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. had to wait for an opportune moment to rush back to our Hne, expecting darkness to cause a hill in the firing. I intended, if the rebels charged, to take my chance and fly for our line. Shortly after dark a charge was made by a brigade of Union troops on the left, which was repulsed. Then the entire rebel line fired rapidly, making a continued whiz of bullets over my head. The firing gradually ceased, and I made a run for our line at such speed that I fell headlong, colors and all, inside the earthworks, on top of the boys I had left early in the morning. The next morning we left the front to return to Trenton to be mustered out of service. As to the movement of the brigade at the Wilderness, the right was flanked and the crush came upon us from the brigade on our right. I went obliquely to the left, and when somewhat free from the jam, called for support to the colors. About one thousand men from the different regiments of the division rallied and formed regimental front, and remained there for two or three hours. Sometime after dark a commissioned officer came to me and asked me who was in charge. I told him no one. : Hospital Steamer Western ^Metropolis. This is to certify that Pierson M. Walton, First Sergeant, Co. H, 1st New Jersey Vols., was taken from a raft in the Poto- mac off Belle Plain. Va., on Monday evening, 30th instant, and placed on board this steamer. He reports himself as wounded in the wilderness, and that he has since escaped from the rebels WMth whom he was a prisoner. W. M. HoDSOX, Ace' r Ass' t Serg. U. S. A. May 31, 1864. Copy of Letter, June 2, 1864. U. S. A. Fairfax Semixary, Va. Dear Parents — I take this opportunity of writing a few lines to let you know how I am getting along and A\here I have been. FIRST NEW JBRSBY BRIGADE. 351 On the 4th of May, we broke camp and crossed the Rapidan River at Germania Ford, and took the road to the Wilderness. On the 5th our regiment engaged the enem}^ nearly all day with a loss of ten officers, and no men. We were still under fire on the 6th until nearly night. When the enemy made a charge on our right flank, and I was shot through the loins, the ball entering above the left hip, and passing around the back bone coming out above the right hip, making nothing but a flesh wound. The enemy held the ground when I fell and I was taken to a field hospital one mile from Robison tavern on the road to Fred- ericksburg and for 3 or 4 days was very weak from loss of blood, but after that I gained strength very fast. As soon as we became able to walk we were sent to Orange C. H., a distance of 20^ miles, and thence south by way of Lynch- burg ; on the 29th there was a squad sent, and the Doctor wanted me to go. I put on a long face and was let off with the under- standing that I must go next time. I then determined to make my escape so about 9 o'clock on the morning of the 29th I left the hospital going toward Fredericksburg and passing the rebel pickets near Chancellorsville by crawling between them in a sort of a gulley. W^hen I struck the road about two miles below Chancellors- ville on the road to Fredericksburg, I then found that the rebel scouts were in the town, and our force had vacated. Then I left the road striking the Rappahanock River four miles above Banks Ford. I made a raft by lashing two small logs together with a piece of grape vine, crossing the river in safety and skirting the river bank down to the Ford, and halting for the night. In the morning, after dressing my wound, I started for Bell Plains Landing on the Potomac, getting my breakfast with a family by the name of Blake. After crossing the railroad the country was much infested with Rebel scouts. I managed to escape all but one and he, being a gentleman, after examining my wound, bade me Godspeed, and told me to keep out of the way of the rest of the Scouts, which advice I followed, and arrived at the river about 2 P. M. and tried to make signals to attract the attention of some passing vessel. 352 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Failing in this, and seeing the scouts on the distant hills, I c<:)n- strticted a raft of plank and crossed the mouth of the Potomac creek to Windmill Point and skirting the river banks until I reached Aquia Creek Landing, when I spent some time in trying to attract the notice of the passing vessels, but in vain, as the ri^•er was four miles wide at this point. There being a large gang plank on the wharf, such as is used in steamers, I determined to launch this and cross the river or get to the channel and get picked up by some vessel. After working over one hour, I got my raft afloat, and seeing the scouts along the edge of the roads I shoved off, with a piece of board for an oar, at about 6. P. M., and had made nearlv the Maryland shore when I heard the puf- fing of a steamer, and I made signals and stood for the channel. As soon as she came up to me she hove to and lo\A-ered a boat and took me aboard, where, when I told my tale, some could hardly believe me, but some of our men being on board soon proved my identity and where I was missing. The doctor soon examined my wound and dressed it, and handed me in charge of the steward, w'ho soon showed me some water to have a wash and what w^as equally agreeable a good drink of old brandv and a good meal included, something I had not enjoyed for some time, but the excitement that had kept me up was fast dying out and I was fast becoming helpless, but a good night's rest soon refreshed me and in the morning we made Alexandria, it being a hospital steamer. I was sent to this hospi- tal and as soon as I get over mv severe trip I will be north. 'Give my love to all the family. From }-our son, P. :\I. Walton. COLONEL TICKKK. Second Rc-viinioiit, Xew .Krscy Volunteers. Killed :a Battle of (".aines" .Mills. FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 353 Appendix C. The First, Second and Third Regiments. THREE-YEAR MEN AT CAMP OLDEN. I enlisted as private for three years in a Burling-ton company, known as the Knowlton Rifles, in May, 1861. This company, it was originally intended, should be a part of the fotn" regiments that went out first from New Jersey, and served three months around Washington, their service and their presence there prob- ably being, at that juncture, of more importance than they ever received credit for. Our company was too late to get in the three- months men, and when it was announced in the little upper room over a beer saloon at the corner of Broad and Main streets, Bur- lington — which room and saloon are still there — that, if we wanted tO' gO' we would have tO' enlist for three years instead of three months, some of the men went away, but not many, and, in a short time the company was filled to^ loi men and officers. We enlisted under the call of President Lincoln on the 3d of May, 1 861, which called for thirty-nine regiments of infantry and one of cavalry, to serve for three years or during the war, and three of these thirty-nine regiments, on the 17th of the month of May, were requisitioned from New Jersey. We were mustered into the United States service in the Capitol at Trenton, by A. T. A. ToTbert, then lieutenant in the Fifth United States In- fantry. Eighteen months afterwards he was colonel of the First Regiment and commanding our brigade at Crampton's Pass and Fredericksburg, and was later on chief of cavalry under Sheridan. He was one of the dashing cavalry oI"ficers of the war. He was shipwrecked and drowned many years after the war, while taking a message from General Grant to the President of Mexico. I shall never forget the appearance of Camp Olden as the ragged members of Company C, of which I was one, marched into it in the afternoon. All the men had their worst clothes on, because they knew they would get uniforms, and they did not know that they would get their clothes returned to them, and I do not think they ever did. The First and Second Regiments were on the o-round before us, and as we came in they were hold- 354 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. ing, or attempting to hold, a dress parade. Their unifonns had not been issued to them and their rags were fluttering in the breeze just as ours were. It was not what might be called an encouraging sight, and I know that some of the officers — my cousin Penrose Buckley who was first lieutenant of our company, and who had been persuaded to leave the Washington Grays in Philadelphia, of which he was a member, to com'e over and take a position in our company — were very much downcast indeed. However, our tents had been pitched and some straw thrown in them and we slept our first night under the stars, not unhappily. Alas! how many there were of those brave and jolly good fel- lows who were doomed never to see their native State again after they left it. The routine of drill and discipline commenced the next morn- ing. Our colonel, George W. Taylor, afterwards Brigadier- General commanding the Brigade, who was killed at the second battle of Bull Run, was a very strict disciplinarian, though not a very good drill-master. Our Major, M. W. Collet, afterwards colonel of the First Regiment, and who was killed at Salem Church, was a West Pointer and one of the best drill-masters I ever knew. The routine was not monotonous, I think we all found it very interesting, and after awhile the boys began to feel their cats, and I think there are many still alive who will remember well what was called the "Bread Riot." Exactly what caused this I do not know, for we were certainly w^ell taken care of in the way of food, although at that time very few knew how to properly prepare it; but one morning, without any warning at all, as the bakers' wagons — of which there were several, who brought the bread into the camps — were going through the dif- ferent camps, a sudden rush was made upon them and the con- tents of every wagon was taken out and scattered upon the ground. The guards of the various regiments appeared in double-quick time. I never knew whether the bread was picked up or not, and the crowd, which was in entirely good huni'or, dispersed at once. I never knew what the cause of this was. or w'hat the result of it was. The newspapers paraded it as "A Dangerous and Mutinous Bread Riot at Camp Olden," but it certainly was not. £ Burd Grubb, 2d Lieut. Co. C, 3d N. J. Vol. in 186 1. FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. ■ 355 Appendix D. An Account of the Movements of the Third Regiment during the Advance to Manassas in March, 1862. Left Fort Worth, Friday, March 7th, aljout 4:00 P. ^L, marched to Burk's Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Rail- road. On March 8th, marched to a point one mile east of Fair- fax Station and camped. On March 9th, left camp on a recon- naissance with about twenty (20) members of Companies A and H of the First New York Cavalry. Returned to Fairfax Station at about noon. A short time after, Colonel George A\'. Taylor received order from General Kearny to take the companies not on picket and march to Sangster Station. About a half mile this side of Sangster the enemy appeared. They fell back as Ave advanced until we reached Sangster. We were there formed in line of battle on the top of a hill to the right of the railroad. There were with us at this time Lieutenant Hiddin, one corporal and sixteen (16) men of the cavalry. The cavalry advanced into the open field and charged the enemy, who were in greatly superior num- bers, and drove them into rapid retreat, leaving their arms, knap- sacks, blankets and camp equipage. Lieutenant Hiddin was killed at the first fire. The corporal took command and returned with thirteen prisoners, one lieutenant and one non-commissioned officer of the First Maryland Rebel Regiment. On March loth, eight companies of the Third Regiment marched to Union Mills and camped for the night. On March nth, at 4:00 A. M., marched for Bull's Run, where we found the bridge partly burned. After repairs had been made, started on a rapid march for Manassas Junction, where we arrived at 9 :30 A. M. Company B, under command of Captain Gibson, as skirmishers, was the first to enter the works of the enemy. The regimental flag was hoisted on the flag-staff of one of their 3-:.0 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. works. We found the place deserted, except for a few citizens, who had two or three wagons loading the spoils left by the rebels. General Kearny arrived just as the flag was being pulled to the top of the pole, and complimented the officers and men of the Third Regiment on having the honor of hoisting the American flag upon the notorious stronghold of the rebels. The same dav the reg'iment marched to Centreville and arrived at sundown. On March T2th. returned to Fairfax Station, then to Fairfax Court House, where we remained until the 14th. At 6:00 P. M. we fell in and marched to our old camp at Fort Worth. While we laid at Fairfax Court House, General Kearny was offered the command of a division, but refused it because he could not take the Jersey Brigade with him. General Franklin objected to the proposition and Kearny remained with the Brigade. When the Brigade was in Camp Seminary, Va., the)- were inspected by General Kearny in person. He would make his rounds on Sunday mornings, inspecting one regiment each week. On one occasion, while inspecting Company D. of the Third Regiment, the General came to a man with a very dirty and ragged pair of pants. "You are a pretty looking soldier," said the General. "You would not make good breastworks. You are too dirty. Is that the best pair of pants you have?" The man replied that he had a new pair, but some one had stolen them. "A h of a soldier that cannot steal a pair of pants." At the next inspection of the Third Regiment, Kearny came to tb.is man. who had a bright new pair of officers' pants on. The general looked him over, front and rear, then looking him in the eye he said, "Where in the h ■ did you get th^m pants?" 'T stole them," he replied. "W'hy you , they are my pants, my best pants." "You are the man that told me to steal a pair," replied the soldier. "Not mine, not mine," said the general, and the incident closed. There was a hedge around brigade headquarters. This man had watched and saw Kearny's servant put his uniform out on a hedge to air. Going over to headquarters it was easy to go on the side away from the house, take the pants, roll them up, go to camp, take the stripes off the side, and put them away for the next inspection. John W. Bodine. FIRST NEW JBRSEY BRIGADE. 357 Report of Colonel Henry W. Brown, Third New Jersey Infantry, Commanding First Brigade. Headquarters First Brigade, First Division, Sixth Arr^^y Corps,, Ma}' 4th, 1863. Sir: I have the honor to report that in obedience to orders, on April 28th, I marched the First Brigade from camp near White Oak Church to a point near to that at which the Left Grand Division crossed the Rappahannock in December last, and there bivouacked. At 5 A. M. on the 29th, crossed the river with my brigade in pontoon boats, and remained on the south bank, taking my tour of picket duty without advancing until Sunday, May 3d, when, at daylight, I sent the Fifteenth Regiment New Jersey Volun- teers, in accordance with orders received, to take post at a point where the Richmond and Fredericksburg road crosses the ravine, and act as rear guard to the division. At 6 A. M. I was ordered to post my brigade in this road, on the left of tlie division line, toward the burnt house, and we remained there under a very hot shell fire from a battery posted in front of my position at about 800 yards distant, and from which I lost some men in the Fif- teenth and Twenty-third Regiments New Jersey Volunteers. I had also some casualties from the fire of the enemy's pickets, to which I did not reply. At 11 A. M. I was ordered to move rapidly tO' my right along the road toward Fredericksburg, leaving my picket line out and one battalion (the Fifteenth) in support. We marched through the town and up the Plank road toward Chancellorsville, and halted for five minutes on the south side of the heights, which had been gallantly carried at the point of the bayonet by Newton's division in the morning. We were then in the advance, and I foniied my brigade: six companies of the Second, under Colonel Buck, as skirmishers on either side of the road, the First and Third, under Colonel Collet, on the right of the road, in line of battle, and the Twenty-third, under Colonel Grubb, on the left, at about 200 yards in rear of the line of skirmishers, and so moved about half a mile, when we were met by a fire of shell from a battery in position on the 358 FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. crest of a hill at about 300 yards distant. Our skirmishers still advanced gallantly, and by their fire drove the enemy to a pre- cipitate retreat, our batteries, which had now come into position, contributing- to this result. Our advance continued about one and one-half miles farther, the enemy still retreating and fight- ing, using their batteries at every advantageous point. I should here state that I ordered out two companies of the Third Regi- Ment as skirmishers, finding that the detachment of the Second was not sufficient to cover my front and flanks. When we arrived at this point, we found the enemy in strong position, and also that he had received re-enforcements. I here received orders to send in a regiment to clear some woods on my right flank, and, as the advance seemed to be checked, I went with the Third Regiment, commanded by Major Stickney, which I ordered on this duty. I was accompanied by Captain H. P. Cook, Assistant Inspector-General of the Brigade, Lieutenant Abeel. aide-de- camp, and Adjutant Fairly, of the Third Regiment, whom I had attached to my staff as acting aide. The regiment advanced gallantly, but was met by an over- whelming fire from the enemy, concealed in some trenches and behind a fence, to which it replied with vigor. The Fifteenth Regiment had now come up, and I directed it to advance to the support of the Third Regiment. It came into its position in beautiful order, and I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which this regiment was fought by its gallant commander. Col- onel Penrose. He relieved the Third, almost worn out b}' its long march and fight, and held the enemy in check, who, having had fresh troops come up, were preparing to attack both in front and on our right flank. After a few minutes' rest, and having re-formed his regiment, slightly disordered by the march through the thick wood and undergrowth, in line of battle. Major Stick- ney gallantly led it (the Third) in again to the support of the Fifteenth, and so we held the;m until about 6:30 P. M., when, having been severely wounded, I was carried to the rear. The First Regiment, under Colonel Collet, moved forward into the woods on the left of the Third, a few minutes after its advance, and was nobly fought by its commanding officer, whose death, at the head of his command, I have to deplore. The Twenty-third FIRST NEW JERSEV BRIGADE. 359 advanced on the left of the road about the same time with the First, under Colonel Grubb, and, although a nine-months' regi- ment, its heavy loss shows how obstinately it was fought by its brave young commander. I cannot distinguish between my offi- cers without injustice, yet my thanks are eminently due to the commanding officers of regiments, Colonels Collet, Buck, Pen- rose, and Grubb, and Major Stickney, for their coolness and intrepidity, as also the judgment with which they fought their respective commands. Of the members of the staff, including Lieutenant [David] Fairly, of the Third Regiment, 1 can only say that they fully sustained their reputations won on other fields, and I am glad to say that they have all escaped uninjured, ex- cepting Captain H. P. Cook, w^ho was wounded severely in the neck. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient ser- vant, H. W. Brown, Colonel Third Nezu Jersey Volunteer Infantry, Commanding Brigade. Capt. A. K. Parsons, A. A. G., First Division. Death of John Ellis, of Company li. Third Regiment. On July 1 6th, i86i, the Third Regiment broke camp. The camp guard was left to care for the sick and camp equipage. Orders were very strict as to the manner of doing guard duty. If any one approached from the front, the guards were to call "Halt," and if the party did not stop, they were to shoot. On the night of July 17th, John Ellis, of Company H, was on post, with Samuel Middleton, also of Company H, on his right. The camp guard was startled about eleven o'clock P. M. by a cry of "Halt," then a shot. Middleton called for the corporal of the guard, and when the squad reached the post they found Middleton standing over Ellis, who had been shot through the head. Middleton was placed under arrest. Middleton was asleep on post, and being suddenly aroused, saw Ellis walking his beat and called, "Halt." Ellis kept walk- 300 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. ing- toward him, when he shot, kilhng him instantly. This was the first man killed of the Third Regiment, Xew Jersey Vol- unteers. The next day, July i8th, arrang^ements were made and the body of John Ellis was sent home to Germantown, Pa. Middle- ton was afterwards released from arrest and returned, to duty. At the battle of Gaines' ]\Iills, Aliddleton was badly wounded, and was discharged for disability on account of his wound. Ellis Post, No. 6, Department of Pennsylvania, G. A. R.. was named for John Ellis. A Brief Account of the Part the Third Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, took in the Wilderness Campaign on May 8th, I864. We arrived on the field at Alsop's farm about 3 P. M., were ordered by General \\'arren, to whom we had been sent, into a piece of woods to feel the enemy's position. To reach these Avoods there was a field of about a thousand yards to cross. The Third Regiment, in command of Captain Duboise, was deployed as skirmishers, with the Fifteenth Regiment, New Jersey Volun- teers, in command of Colonel Campbell, as supports. The line advanced to witliin fifty yards of the enemy's line. ^vhen the enemy opened fire, but the two regiments pressed on into the woods and found an impregnable position. \\'ithin five minutes the line was flanked on both flanks and compelled to fall back. Both regiments lost very heaxily. The Tenth Regiment was not engaged at this time. I would refer you to Foster's History, pages no, in. He will corroborate this statement. T have none of the ofticial reports to refer to, but I think you can verify this if you wnll refer to them. I was wounded in this fight while falling back. I think if you change the regiment number from the Tenth to the Third, in Nour manuscript, that it would be satisfactory. Yours respectfully. John W. Bodine, Station Master, Pcnna. Railroad, Camden, N. J. COLONEL JAMES TL SIMPSON, Fourth N. T. Vols. FIRST NBJV JERSEY BRIG. IDE. 3G1 Appendix E. xA.n extract from the diary of Captain John P. Beach, Fourth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, gives the following: "Ji-iiie 27th, Friday. Heavy fighting still going on on our right. "Our division was moved two miles nearer the Chickahominy to guard against a flank attack on our left. At i P. M. we marched back to camp, when the rebels commenced tO' shell us pretty lively, and we skedaddled into the woods, out of range, where we lay for about fifteen minutes, when an order came to move our' division double-quick to the support of our force on the right. The day was terribly hot, but we kept up double- quick nearly all the way. Arriving on the field at about three o'clock and near one of our old camp grounds at Gaines' IMill. we found our forces hard pressed (a zouave regiment had ap- parently just retired and were rallying). The brigade was im- mediately formed in two lines, the Third and Fourth Regi- ments in the first line, the First and Second in the second line. The rest of the brigade was soon taken away from us ( the Fourth Regiment) and sent into some woods. Our regiment advanced in line of battle into the woods, relieving- a Pennsyl- vania reserve regiment (Eleventh Pennsylvania) which retired. "We advanced with a yell a short distance, halted and opened and maintained a most murderous fire. We were armed with the new Springfield rifle with patent cartridge (no biting of cartridges). Our fire was rapid and incessant. Line after hne of the enemy was broken, as admitted by them later. "About seven o'clock, after several requests from Colonel Gallagher, of the Eleventh Pennsylvania, he was allowed to re- lieve us, our ammunition being about expended. We marched out of the woods, faced to the rear into the clearing about fifty yards, the ground having a gentle decline from the edge of the woods. To the left, on higher ground, was an old bush-camp. 362 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. about a hundred or a hundred and fifty yards distant. A long line of battle was drawn up facing us. Out of the woods to their left a column of troops, at double-quick, was going into the line on their right. The smoke of burnt powder was so dense that it was hard to tell whether they were our supports or the enemy. Lieutenant Josiah Shaw, of Company B, of the Fourth, undertook to find out and proceeded towards the line of battle, running. He had advanced about half way when he was fired upon, the bullet cutting his sword belt. This was sufficient tO' show that they were the enemy and in our rear. Colonel Simpson attempted to take the regiment past the enemy's right flank, through the bush-camp, but the enemy at once prepared to deliver a volley. The order to lie down was promptly obeyed, and the volley passed harmlessly over them, but caught the Eleventh Pennsylvania in the rear. This was the first the Pennsylvania regiment knew of the enemy being in their rear, and almost at the same moment their foes charged them in front. This regiment was forced back from their line, into and over the Fourth New Jersey. Still another line of the enemy were back of the old bush-camp. It being certain that escape was impossible, the Fourth Regiment surrendered to the Fourth Texas, of General Whiting's division. We had been fighting for over an hour after all the other regiments of the Union army had been withdrawn, at least ten times our number, and had kept the enemy from advancing to the capture of the bridge. We went into the fight with less than 600 men, and our losses were 52 killed outright or mortalh' wounded, 103 wounded and 437 captured." Extracts from the Diary of J. P. Beach, Company B, Fourth New Jersey Volunteers. IN FRONT OF PERTERSBURG. 1864. December 8th. Sharp artillery duel lasting two hours on our right to-day. December 9th. Sharp picket firing last night. Four P. M. an order to pack up, ready to move out. Ouv Brigade, and parts FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 363 of other brigades were moved to the right and distributed by so many comipanies to each fort, with orders not to take ofif our equipments. The Second and Fifth Corps and part of our corps are on a movement tO' the left and rumor sa)'s have met and defeated the enemy. December loth tO' i8th. Several large squads of recruits and convalescent wounded men returned. Usual amount of picket firing and artillery duelling. December i8th, Sunday. Sharp picket firing last night; pickets quiet to-day. A shotted salute of one hundred guns fired at the enemy to-day in honor of Sherman's very triumphant march to the sea. December 24th. (Note.) — ^Changed our quarters to-day on account of their taking the First Regiment men out of each company with which they have been serving and forming them into a separate battalion. Plenty of rum: around to-night, it being Christmas eve. December 26th. At 8 : 30 Aj . M. an order came around stat- ing that Sherman had captured Savannah and 180 pieces of artillery and 25,000 bales of cotton. Usual amount of firing. December 28th. Turned in our knapsacks, cartridge boxes and belts and received in exchange some of Colonel Man's (so- called) patent ones. Heavy artillery firing all day and to-night on the right in vicinity of Fort Hell. December 29th. Quiet to-day. From' seventy-five to one hun- dred recruits came for the regiment to-day. December 30th. The rebels surprised and captured some of our pickets. Decemjber 31st, Saturday. About five o'clock this morning the rebels stole upon the Third Brigade pickets of our division, sur- prising and capturing quite a number of them and also fourteen of the left of our regiment before the alarm was sounded in camp, when we were soon under arms and sent out two companies as skirmishers, who restored the line, the Johnnies having fallen back. Everything as usual the rest of the day. Among the captured were Chas. H. Severs, Phillip Landeman, Ed. Ludwig and Thos. G. Peachy, new recruits out of Company B. 364 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 1865. January 3d. Order read off against wearing- boots, also one to hold no communication with the enemy except by flag- of truce aiid all prisoners to be sent direct to Corps Headquarters, first stating the circuni'stances under which they entered our lines. January 6th. The whole brigade fell in and marched about one mile to the left and outside the breastworks, where the whole division was drawn up to witness the shooting of Peter M. Cox, Company A, of our regiment, for desertion. The day was rainy and mud knee-deep. At 12 M. seated on his coffin he was driven past the division. He fell dead at the first fire. He was caught on a blockade runner and he was the only non-German in Com- pany A (German Company) and a very intelligent man. January 9th. The rebels made a dash on the pickets about 5 A. M. We were out in line until daylight. A private of Com- pany G, Tenth Regiment, drummed out for desertion, sentenced to one year at hard labor on the Government works. January nth. Picket detail went out at 8 A. ^I.. when the rebels opened on our pioneers who were pulling up abattis in front of our picket line, wounding two men and the lieutenant in charge. Januai-v 15th. About two hundred recruits came to our regi- ment from City Point; (Hir Company. B, got thirty-three of them. January i8th. Promoted to Sergeant. An order stating that Fort Fisher was captured with 40 pieces of artillery and i.ooo prisoners. January 19th. ^^>nt out as sergeant with the picket detail at 8 A. 2^1.. with orders to communicate with the enemy if possible and circulate an order among them to the effect that all deserters who wished would be employed in the quartermaster's depart- ment, so as not to be exposed to capture and all who brought in their horses would be paid for them. The rebels would not exchange papers. January 20th. The captures at Fort Fisher were 72 pieces of artillery and 2.500 prisoners, including General Whiting and Colonel Lamb. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 365 Jaiuiar}^ 26th. Lieutenants Anderson and Hill mustered out. First Regiment moved into their new quarters. February ist. Turned in Colonel Man's patent equipments and received the old style. The new recruits all got vaccinated. February 4th. Sergeant of the guard to-day. Had consider- able trouble in arresting seven prisoners for robbing a tent mate of two hundred dollars. February 5th, Sunday. Reveille at 6 A. M. Guard mount at 9 A. M. General inspection at lOi A. M. Picket detail sent out at II A. 'M. Orders tO' be ready to move at a moment's notice, no man tO' leave the camp. Took up the line of march at 7 P. M. Marched about eight miles to the left and halted at 9 P. M. and threw up a line of rifle pits ; sharp fighting on left to-day. February 6th. Lay still until i P. M., when our division moved about two^ miles to the left, crossing Hatcher's Run to the support of the Fifth Corps. Our division arrived on the ground about 5 P. M. and stacked arms. In about ten minutes, the Fifth Corps was driven out of the woods pell-mell, but did not stop at the breastworks; our division quickly seized their muskets, advanced double-quick, and took possession of the works. The Second Brigade on our right were slightly en- gaged, but the Johnnies seeing the breastworks were defended, fell back. The Fifth Corps was rallied and about ten at night came up and relieved us, and we moved about two miles to the right and lay down for the night. On account of the thick woods the Fifth Corps were only able to get two batteries into position and were handled pretty rough. February 7th. About 5 A. M. it commenced to rain. At 9 A. M. we moved out of the open field into a piece of woods, where we remained until about 3 P. M., when we moved about two miles to the left to the support of the Fifth Corps. We stood in line until about 6 P. M., when we moved into a piece of woods and lay down for the night. February 8th, At i A. M. we took up the line of march for the camp. We left on the 5th, ariving there about 4 A. ^I. Roads in awful condition. 24 F B 366 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. February loth. Another company for the Fortieth Regiment arrived to-day, imder the command of Captain Schnetzer, of Trenton. February 12th. Picket detail went out to twenty posts, six men and a corporal on each post, with orders not to communi- cate with the enemy. Three men out of the picket detail de- serted to the enemy — Taylor out of B, and two others out of H Company. February 13th. Howard and six other sergeants got their commissions to-day. February 17th. Five deserters came into the Fifteenth and about forty in front of Ninth's Corps. February i8th. Two- more of our substitutes deserted to the enemy last night, one out of F and one out of Company I. Eight Johnnies came into the Third Brigade on our left. February 21st. Detailed to drill a squad of men for an hour before breakfast as punishment for them "shy sting" out of fatigue details yesterday. A salute fired in honor of Sherman's triumphant entry intO' Columbia and the capture of Charleston with all its heavy gtms. A detail out of each regiment, of 51 men, three sergeants, and six corporals, stationed in the rifle- pits in expectation of an attack. February 23d. Rifle-pits again manned to-night. February 25th. Thirty-two. Johnnies came in front of our division last night, 1 1 of them to- our regiment. ]March 5th. Orders read off complimenting General Sheridan and the men of his command for their brilliant achievements in the Valley, especially at Cedar Grove, in turning defeat into glorious victory. March 8th. Heard of General Sheridan finishing up Early's remnants, amounting to about 1,800, at \\'aynesboro in the Valley, capturing some 1,300 prisoners, including some 40 com- missioned officers and Early's staff officers. March 12th. Went out with a picket detail of 150 men and five commissioned officers. Orders not to communicate with the enemy. General Grant, of the Second Division of our Corps, paid our pickets a visit. About twelve o'clock to-night I took three men and going outside the abattis deployed them as skir- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 3G7 mishers, patrolled the whole length of our regimental front, which was a large open field ; the object was to pick up any of our men attempting to desert, or any of the enemy. The moon made it almost as light as day and I expected to hear the Johnnies open fire. March 13th. A rebel deserter came in at 5 A. M., and said my detail almost walked over two lieutenants and ten men last night, and had we been aware of it we would have taken them without firing a shot. ]\Iarch 15th. About 11 130, the bugles blew to fall in double- cjuick, and we took our position behind the breastworks: every man in the regiment was compelled to take a gun. It amounted to nothing, and I guess the object was to see how quick we could man the works. ^March 19th. Fell in. Brigade received white gloves; marched to Hancock Station to^ be reviewed b}^ Generals Meade and Wheaton. March 20th. Our division reviewed by Generals Meade and Wheaton. General Meade highly complimented the Brigade for its appearance. March 21st. Two more substitutes out of our regiment de- serted ofif vidette post to the enemy. March 22d. Saw in a Trenton paper the death of Sergeant Eugene Forbes, at Florence, South Carolina, where he died of systematic starvation. He was the soul of honor and a more patriotic man never lived. He was an orphan and enlisted at the outbreak of the war in the three-months men then in our Company B for three years. He was captured on the 6th of May. 1864, in the Wilderness, when the rebels got around our right flank. He was of frail build and many a time on our long marches some of the boys would help him to keep up by carrying his gun or knapsack. He could have had a commission but re- fused it. He was a printer and kept a diary, seeing which prompted me to do so. :\Iarch 25, Saturday. About i A. M., the pickets on the right began to fire quite briskly, when about 4 A. M. the rebels made a dash upon our lines in front of Petersburg, penetrating them and capturing Fort Steadman and about five hundred of our 368 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. men. Our forts on the right and left concentrated their tire in Fort Steadman, and Hartranft, with the Ninth Crops, after about four hours hard fighting, retook the Fort, forced the enemy back, capturing about two thousand prisoners. About II A. M. our division moved up towards Petersburg, where we la)- in reserve until 12 M. When everything being quiet we returned to camp and stacked arms and broke ranks; when in about ten minutes the bugle blew to fall in, we fell in and marched about three miles to the left and lay in reserve at this time and until 5 P. M. There was some brisk fighting in front of the Second Corps and Fifth. In the latter part of the afternoon, the Second and Third Brigades of our division became engaged in front of Fort Fisher and drove the rebels over a mile, capturing about five hundred prisoners. At 5 P. M. our Brigade moved about two and a half miles to the left and took position in front of Fort Fisher, on ground that we had gained. We stacked arms, everything being quiet except our skirmishers. At 10 P. ]\I. a new line having been established we returned to camp, arriving there at mid- night. Only an occasional shot fired by the skirmishers during the night. The number of prisoners captured along the line to- day is estimated at 3,000. Our loss is estimated at from 500 to 1,000 in killed, wounded and missing. March 26th. Regiment fell in line at 4 A. M. and remained until 6 130 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 130 A. M. Brigade fell in twice during the day, caused by the pickets firing in front of our Brigade. Some little cannonading- during the day. Inspection at retreat. At dark our pickets raised the devil, firing some- times in volleys. Our picket line was advanced several hundred yards. The loss in the Ninth Corps yesterday is estimated at 68 killed, 338 wounded, and. 506 missing. They captured about 1,800 prisoners. The Second Corps lost 51 killed, 462 wounded, and 177 missing. They captured about 700 prisoners. Geiieral Humphries estimates the enemy's loss in his front at four or six times his own. General Wright in our front at twice his own. Our loss is estimated at 47 killed, 400 wounded and 30 missing. The Second and Sixth Corps captured the enemy's intrench- ments and turned them against them ; the Johnnies in tr}-ing to FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 369 re-take them lost heavily and prolonged the fighting until late at night. On the right the rebels sent in a flag of truce to collect their dead, which was granted. March 27th. Regiment fell in at 3 130 and marched out to the picket line, as a precaution against a dash of the enemy. At 6 130 A. M. returned to camp. All quiet during the day in our front. At 5 P. M. a detail of 170 out of the regiment, 18 out of Company B, to put up abattis in front of the pickets and dig holes for the videttes. March 28th. But few shots fired on the picket line last night. Got the abattis all up and returned to camp at daylight. Brigade dress parade. At 2 P. M. orders to be ready to move ; drew two days' more rations to make five on hand. March 29th. Regiment out and in line at 3 130 A. M., and remained until 6 130. Doctor's call at 7 130 A. M. Brigade guard mount at 8 130 A. M. Orders to have everything packed up except the tents, and no man to leave camp. Inspection at retreat. About ten o'clock to-night the long roll was sounded all along the line, caused by some heavy mortar shelling on the right; there were as many as twenty shells in the air at a time; remained in line about two hours. March 30th. Regiment under arms from 4 A. M. to day- light. We have had everything packed up all day, ready to move. Inspection at retreat. Heavy fighting on the left to-day At 9 P. M. our company went on the breastworks. At 10 P. M an order came to move, but we lay still all night. March 31st. Regiment up and in line at 4 A. M. for an hour., when, it commencing to rain, we broke ranks. Severe fighting on the left. Inspection at retreat. April 1st. At 4 A. M'. the regiment moved out to the support of the pickets, remaining until daylight. Sergeant of the guard to-day. Brigade guard mount at 8 130 A. AI. At tattoo addi- tional guards were put on around the camp with orders to allow no one in or out without first calling for the officer of the guard. At 9 o'clock P. M. our forts along the entire line opened a terrific fire of shell upon the rebel line. It was a grand sight to witness. At 10 P. M. our division took up the line of march towards the left, and at two o'clock this Sunday morning, April 370 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 2d, we went into position in front of Fort Fisher in rear of our picket line and in the following order : Fortieth Xew Jersey in first line; Fourth New Jersey in second line; Tenth in third line; Fifteenth in fourth line. In this position we remained until 5 A. M., when the signal to charge (two cannon-shot tired in quick succession) was given from Fort Fisher. At the signal we moved forward, but the most of the Fortieth refused to move, and we passed over them. ^Ve had nearly reached the rebel works when the fire in our rear was so severe that I had to go back and try to stop their firing upon us. At this time the rebel artillery in a little redoubt on our right was sending an enfilading' fire of shell down the length of our line. As we saw the flash we dropped, and in a moment we were on our feet, and before they fired many shots we were up to and over their works in double-quick order, capturing the guns with quite a number of prisoners, without much oppiosition and with comparativelv little loss. Our division (First) were the first to penetrate the enemy's works, capturing three two-gun redoubts and two battle-flags. The Johnnies in our front retreated towards the Petersburg' front, in front of which the Ninth Corps were ha\"ing hot work Our corps re-formed, and, swinging to the left, marched in line of battle about five miles to the left, when we found our troops had carried the enemy's entire line to the left. The rebel troops to the left of Petersburg were in full retreat, so our corps coun- termarched back towards Petersburg, arriving there about i P. Al. After a fatiguing march, without any rests of importance, and after a good deal of maneuvering back and forth, all the time subject to the fire of the enemy's artillery, we took up a position with our left resting on the Appomattox River and our right connecting with the left of the Ninth Corps. At one time in the afternoon the rebels on the opposite side of the river brought a piece of artillery to bear on and enfilade our line, but they only fired two shots when our skirmishers made it so hot for them that they soon limbered up. While we lay in this position, which was in an open field, a rebel sharpshooter, who was a good distance away, kept up an annoying fire, but doing no execution until finally one of his shots struck, wounding James Jones, of my company (B), in the FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 371 hip. Sergeant Bamford and myself carried him out of the hne of fire and laid him down. There was nothing but artillery firing and skirmishing until 5 P. M., when we threw up a tem- porary line of breastworks. The Second Division of our corps captured three pieces of artillery this afternoon. Barzilla Errickson, Company B, of the First Regiment, who has been serving with the others of Com- pany B, was killed this afternoon on the skirmish line. The rebels still occupy two or three forts directly in front of Peters- burg. Note. — In the early morning charge a portion of our regiment, under Major Hufty, after passing over the works continued on nearly to the South Side Railroad, far in advance of any other troops. The only commissioned officer of our regiment killed in the charge this A. M. was the gallant and brave Lieutenant Ackley, of Company K. He fell while in the act of laying his hands on one of the guns in the redoubt. He was formerly our color sergeant and had lately received a commission. He was one of the bravest and best-liked men in the regiment. When I went back to stop the fire of the Fortieth, I saw a man on his knees, knapsack in front, who seemed to be changing his shirt or putting another one on. I thought it a very queer place and time to change a fellow's linen. The loss in our (B) company to-day was eight men wounded : Elias B. Helm, both ankles, severe — he has been previously wounded at Spottsylvania ; Walter Lang, in ankle, severe ; Anthony Hellistine, in arm ; Thomas Kelly, in back with shell ; Jos. Katzenberg, in side ; Wil- liam Hamill, shght, in thumb; John Myers, in hand; James Jones, in hip. I do not know if all these men were wounded by the enemy's fire, as we were almost at the works when the fire from the rear was so severe that I had to go back and stop them. It was the first time the Fortieth was under fire, mostly all recruits, before the signal to charge was sounded. The rebel skirmishers opened fire, and some of the Fortieth broke, including two com- missioned officers, and lay down in the rear of our company, and had it not been for the fact that the men were falling in our com- pany ranks (two-thirds of whom were also recruits and substi- tutes) somebody would have been clubbed back to his position, 372 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. but our new recruits were steady as veterans, made so by the firm and encouraging words and example of our sergeants (the file- closers). April 3d. At 5 A. M. the Mayor of Petersburg came out and surrendered the city to the major of the Fortieth Regiment, who was on the skirmish line. The rebels having left during the night, he rode into town and took possession, and shortly after a divi- sion of the Ninth Corps entered from the other side of town, who, I understand, claim the honor of being the first to enter the city; but it belongs to the Fortieth, of our Brigade. At 7 :30 A. M. the bugle sounded the Forward, and we took up the march after the Johnnies. Marched until 5 P. M., when we halted for the night, having made but ten or twelve miles to-day on account of the woods and swamps, which compelled us to have frequent halts. April 4th, Tuesday. Took up the line of march at 5 A. M. At 10 A. M., and during a halt, an official order read off from General Grant announcing that Richmond, the capital of the Con- federacy, was evacuated and our troops took possession yester- day. Our Brigade was sent along with our wagon train to build roads and bridges. During a halt our company (B) and two others were sent on a scout, but found nothing but two sick rebels, whom we did not molest. Very little forage to be got, we rejoined the regiment about 8 P. M., five miles from where we left them. The roads are in a very bad condition. April 5th. Took up the line of march at about 8 130 A. ]\I. Marched about five miles, when we halted for two hours and drew one day's rations out of the Fifth Corps' train, as our train was not yet up. At one P. M. our corps moved off, leaving our Brigade to wait for the train. Our regiment marched to where our train was to park, and stacked anus, with orders to be ready to move in two hours. The rest of the Brigade moved on. April 6th. Took up the line of march with train at 5 P. ^I. Marched until 5 130 P. M., when we came up to where our Brigade lay. drew three days' rations, and at 8 P. ]\I. resumed the march. The countrv^ is srettinsf better as we advance, but the roads are terrible. We marched like the very devil all night. During the march the Fortieth got frightened at something and FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 373 formed line of battle, and had the whole Brigade to about face, but nothing was to be seen. Resuming the march, we continued on all night, arriving at Sailor's Creek Friday morning, April 7th, at 5 130 A. M., where Sheridan's cavalry and our corps had a hard fight yesterday, which ended in the capture of General Ewell's entire corps, estimated at from six to ten thousand men, with sixteen pieces of artillery, thirty-one battle-flags and wagon train. The field presented such a spectacle as we have never seen before; small arms and accoutrements lay strewn all over the fields and along the road. We found our corps at 6 A. M., where we remained until 8:30 A. M., when General Custer passed us with thirty-one stand of captured rebel colors flying. We re- sumed the march, and at 4 130 P. M. halted about one mile from Farmville, where the rebels were in line of battle, resisting our cavalry, who had given them no rest night or day. Before dark our cavalry drove them back, and at 8 P. M., after the rebels burned the wagon and railroad bridges. We marched through Farmville and encamped for the night a mile beyond. Farmville seems to have been a thriving inland town. April 8th. Resumed the march at 9:30. Marched about a mile, then halted two hours to allow the Second and Third Bri- gades to draw rations. At 12 M. resumed the miarch and marched as w^e never marched before, for all there was in us, till midnight, when we went into camp, having made about eighteen miles to-day. All the men were very foot-sore. Our oflicers kept urging us on and a despatch was read that w^e had the enemy surrounded and we must be up to take a hand. Our cavalry are capturing large numbers of prisoners and seem to drive the enemy quite easily. Last night the rebels burned a large wagon train and their route is strewn with materials of war. One of our regiment while on picket last night picked up a rebel flag, a relic of 1776. It was a small red flag wnth a single star in the middle, and was presented to the North Carolina Regiment in 1863. April 9th. Resumed the march at 5 130 A. M., our division on the right of the corps. We had frequent rests. Our cavalry followed up the enemy all last night, giving them no time to rest and were pegging into the Johnnies at 7 A. M., driving 374 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. them before them. \\'e marched until i 130 P. M., when the whole corps was halted and it was rumored that a flag of truce had gone to the front and hostilities ceased, and it soon became known that General Grant and General Lee were having an in- terview looking tO' the surrender of the Rebel Army of Northern V'irginia. About three o'clock the glorious news was brought to us that Lee had surrendered. A large portion of our corps, in- cluding our Brigade, had halted in an immense field, artiller}'- and infantry together — the men were perfectlv wild with de- light. The batteries belched forth salutes, and the air was rent with cheers and black with caps thrown high in the air. It was a sight never to be forgotten. As to myself, personally, there seemed to rise before me a full realization of all the surrender implied, our sufferings and our sacrifices for the last four years, and as I tried to cheer, a lump seemed to rise in my throat, and it was some time before I could give vent to my delight. The pursuit had been a relentless one, and the fate of the rebel army was sealed as soon as they left the defenses of Petersburg and Richmond, and the surrender was hastened by the brilliant cap- ture of Ew^ell's corps at Sailor's Creek by the cavalry and our corps (the Sixth), all under command of the irrepressible and invincible Philip H. Sheridan. At 5 P. M. the troops went into camp and a ration of zvhisky zvas served. The conference between Grant and Lee was held at the house of Mr. McLean, at Appomattox Court House, a small insig- nificant village situated in a sort of a valley, with rich slopes of land rising above and beyond it on every side. There are about twenty-five dwellings in the town, two streets, but few inhabitants are left in the town. Rising conspicuously above every other building is the court house, which is a two-story plain brick structure of somewhat pretentious height, with a dome-like roof and of an ambitious yellow color. The McLean house, where the terms of surrender were drawn up, is evidently the best private residence in the town. It is built of brick, as nearly all the houses are, and has the inevitable portico in front and rear. General Ord purchased the table on which the terms of sur- render were signed, for fifty dollars. General Custer purchased the other table, on which the minutes were made out, for twenty- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 375 five dollars. The only trophies left Mr. McLean were the chairs, and he would not take pay for them, as he desired to keep them, but some cavalry officers seized them and made off with them. Lee's force which he surrendered is estimated at between 25,000 and 30,000, some say more. Rosser's cavalry made their escape before the surrender took place. Elder's regular Battery B fired the last shot at the enemy before the surrender took place. April loth. All sorts of rumors about the surrender. Drew one day's ration of hard-tack, no coffee or sugar. Some of our stragglers got up to-day. April nth. Marched twenty-three miles. April 12th, twelve or fifteen miles. April 13th, marched to Burksville Junction, now our depot of supplies. Drew two days' rations of hard- tack, coffee and sugar. April 14th. We have been faring poorly for rations. April 14th. Got a mail to-day. First since leaving Peters- burg. Made out a requisition for clothing to-day for company, on which were seventy-two pairs of socks, thirty-four pair shoes. We were only able to get seven pairs of socks and fifteen pair of shoes. April 15th. Drew twelve more pair of socks and some shoes. April 1 6th. A despatch came to headquarters stating that President Lincoln was shot and not expected to live, also Sec- retary Seward and his son, but Seward himself was considered out of danger. The shooting took place at Ford's Theatre, Washington, by a man named Booth. Sergeant of the guard to-day. April 17th. A despatch came stating that Lincoln was dead and the troops are much incensed and depressed in consequence, coming, as it does, just as the skies are brightening and peace is dawning. A large squad of exchanged prisoners returned to the regiment. April 1 8th. Dress parade at 3 P. M., at which time we were presented with a new State flag. General Penrose making the presentation speech, in which he gave the regiment great praise for their gallantry in sustaining for four long years their own and the Nation's honor, and he said that in the late charge at Petersburg, when the Fourth New Jersey were heard from, they 376 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. were clean over on the South Side raih-oad, which was about two miles from where we charged in. Colonel Hufty received the colors on behalf of the regiment in a short but appropriate speech, in which he said, if called upon again he would lead the regiment in the future as he had done in the past, where any dared to follow. It ended with cheers for General Penrose, Colonel Hufty and the State of New Jersey, and lastly, by the Major of the Fifteenth and his command, proposing three cheers for the old Fourth, which were given with a will. General Pen- rose in his speech said, the "First Division" was surpassed by none, it having- passed through the bloodiest battles the world €ver saw. April 19th and 21st. Minute-guns fired at noon to the mem- ory of President Lincoln. April 20th. Several recruits came to the regiment to-day. Rumor says Johnson has surrendered to Sherman. At tattoo to- night the camps are all illuminated with candles, from ground to tree-top, in honor of Johnson's surrender to Sherman. It was a magnificent sight. April 23. The sergeants were awakened at twelve o'clock last night to draw rations (two days') and clothes, which took until 5 this A. M., when we took up the line of march towards Dan- ville with Sheridan's cavalry, keeping along the line of the rail- road, our regiment on the right of the corps. As we advanced, we sent safeguards to every house to remain until the division was passed. Marched until 6 P. M., when we halted at a small village called Keysville, sixty-six miles from Danville. Marched twenty-three miles to-day at the very least. The country through which we passed is quite open and laid out in fine farms and more thickly settled than some parts of the State. Met any num- ber of paroled prisoners. Heard of the surrender of the guerilla Mosby and his command in the valley. Sergeant David Polk Avent home on a twenty-two days' furlough. April 25th. Resumed march at 6 A. M. Crossed the Stanton River, halted for night near Halifax Court House. On march to-day we halted for an hour at i P. M. The weather is hot and the marching severe. We made fifteen to twenty miles to-day and manv fell out exhausted. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 377 Alpril 26th. As we resumed the march at 6 A. M., Richard Campbell, of our company, was brought into camp more dead than alive. Seeing that he was almost played out yesterday, I told him to fall out, but his ambition would not let him till he fell exhausted in the ranks. He was a new recruit, a mere boy (Trentonian), but full of grit. We left him at a house in Hali- fax and in a short time word came that he was dead. Had he fallen out when I requested him to, his case might not have proven fatal. April 27th. Marched into Hanville. Resumed march at 6 : 45. Rested an hour at i P. M. for dinner. Resumed the march at 2 P. M. At 3 : 30 P. M. crossed the river into Danville (none of the bridges destroyed) and marched through the city, com- pany front, with bands playing and colors flying. Went into camp about two miles beyond the town. Our Brigade was in the rear to-day. Danville is a pretty little place and the main street a fine one. April 28th. Reveille at 5 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 A. M. Guard mount at 8 130 A. M. Cleared the brush and dirt away and camped in column of companies. The military authorities have started a paper in Danville called the Sixth Corps. It is printed on a half-sheet Confederate paper. Jos. Richardson, a private in our Company B, though on detached service with the train, was mortally wounded in the bowels by a shot-gun in the hands of a citizen. Joe was after forage; the farmer ordered himi to leave it alone; he refused; the farmer shot him. Salutes were fired here yesterday in honor of Joe Johnson's surrender to Sherman. A despatch also came announcing the killing of Booth, Lincoln's assasin, by one of Baker's detectives. April 29th. Reveille at 5 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 A. M. Guard mount at 8 : 30 A. M. Sergeant of the guard to-day. Twelve men on a relief, with orders to allow no citizen into camp without a pass. Slight fall of rain about sundown, lasting an hour. The men are faring poorly for rations, not getting half their allowance. April 30th. Reveille at 5 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 A. M. Relieved from guard at 9 A. M. Muster and inspection at 11 A. M., by Major McNealy, of the Tenth Reginrent. Company 378 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. inspection at retreat. Tattoo at 8 P. M. Several trains left here last night bound for Johnson's army, among them ]\Iajor Johnson and another of General Wright's staff. The road is reported good for thirty-five miles. This completes data up to April 30th, 1865. May 1st. Reveille at 5 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 A. M. Guard mount at 9 A. M. All the guards to be called in, as there are orders to be ready to move. The talk is, we are to ho. stationed at various places along the railroad. Purchased and sent home a copy of our paper, called the Sixth Corps, and published on my twenty-first birthday. It contains General \\'right's congratula- tory order as follows ' Headquarters, Sixth Army Corps. Danville, Va., April 27th, 1865. General Order No. 9. The Major-General commanding desires to e.xpress his great gratification at the accomplishment of the late march of the corps from Burksville Junc- tion in four days and four hours, not less than one hundred miles have been traversed — a march almost unprecedented in this or any other war. even under the most favorable auspices. Without the excitement of anticipated victory, without the hope of even meeting an enemy or of adding aught of glory or reitozcn to the already brilliant career of the corps. It is by the exhibition of such qualities as have been shown during the last few days — patience, endurance, fidelity — that the true soldier creates and sustains his own reputatiort and the pride and admiration of his commanders. While endeavoring to bestow all merited praise upon the command at large, the General commanding cannot conceal his regret and mortification at the con- duct of those men, few as they may be, who. regardless of orders as to decency, have, by their ruthless plundering and marauding among peaceful citizens, shown themselves utterly unworthy the name of soldiers. The disgraceful acts of these few men have made them the sole exception to the general commendation. Let these men remember that they have but to follow the noble example of their comrades to enable them to bear their share hereafter in the good name which history will not fail to award this corps. Bv command of Major-General Wright, C. H. WHITTLESEY. Asst. Adit.-Geitcral. Tuesday, May 2d. Reveille at 5 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 A. M. Guard mount at 9 A. M. Lay still until retreat, when we had company inspection. Nights rather cool for the season of the year. The Second and Third Bridgades broke camp. The Second embarked on cars, the Third go to-morrow. FIRST XEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 379 May 3d. Reveille at 5 A. AI. Doctor's call at 7. Guard mount at 9. A. AI. Company inspection at retreat. Saw the confirmation of the death of Booth (the President's assassin) at Garrett Farm, on the Rappahannock river. May 4th. Reveille at 5 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 A. M. Guard mount at 9. A. M. Orders to pack up and strike tents and to hold ourselves in readiness to move at a moment's notice ; but we did not get off. May 5th. At 7 A. M. we marched to the depot and took cars for Burksville Junction, distance of eighty-seven miles, where we arrived at 7 P. M. We averaged about ten miles an hour, on account of the poor condition of the road. The inhabitants along the road have undergone a great change in their sentiments, and appear to be perfectly satisfied to return under the old flag once more. 'Drew four days' rations. May 6th. Reveille at 5 A. M. General Penrose and staff, the Brigade Guards and the Pioneers took train for Sutherland Station; distance, forty-two miles. Lay still all day, not l>eing able tO' get transportation. Sunday, May 7th. Reveille at 4 A. M. Took up the line of march at 6 A. M. for Sutherland Station. Marched until 5 P. M., when we went into camp, after a march of t\venty-fi\e miles. Weather very hot, the Colonel of the Fortieth in command. Officers and men denounced his fast marching. May 8th. Reveille at 4 A. M. Resumed the march at 6 A. M. Marched until i P. M., when we halted for dinner Avith five miles further to go. My feet are in an awful condition and I am terribly chafed. The doctor have me a pass for the ambulance, the first since being in the service. Halted at the station and went into' camp. May 9th. Reveille at 6 A. M. Doctor's call at 7 : 30. Guard mount at 9 A. M. Pitched tents in column of company this A. M. At 2 P. M. orders came for our regiment to go back to Ford's Station; distance, ten miles. Drew two days' rations of soft bread. At 5 : 30 took up the march. Arrived at the station at 9 P. M. and encamped. May loth. Patrols sent up and down the roads and into the country to prevent pillaging. Great demand for safeguards. I 380 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. May nth. Patrols sent eight miles up and down the road. Orders for 6 roll-calls a day and no man allowed half a mile from camp without a pass from headquarters. Inspection at retreat. Tattoo at 9 P. M. May 13th. Policed up the camp. The men allowed to-day to prepare for inspection to-morrow. Company inspection at re- treat. Tattoo at 8 P. M. Heard of the death of Jos. Richard- son, of our company, who was shot by a citizen near Danville. May 15th. Division headquarters went down this P. AL Major Tyler told the men of the capture of Jeff. Davis and his private secretary, near Macon, Ga. They also left orders to move. Company inspection at retreat. ^May i6th. Any quantity of niggers, white men and women in camp to gather up the old clothes. All our safeguards were called in yesterday. An order came around to be ready to move, and at 1 1 o'clock we took up the line of march to Sutherland's Station; distance, ten miles. May i8th. Took up the line of march at 4 A. ^[., and at S A. M. we reached the outskirts of Petersburg and halted until 9:30 A. M., when we resumed the march, marching through the city of Petersburg in columns of platoons. Petersburg had before the war been quite a thriving little place. Halted for dinner two miles beyond the town, and alx)ut 3 P. ^l. resumed the march five miles further and encamped. May 19th. Took up the line of march at 4:30 A. M., and at 8 A. M. we passed the outer line of the defenses of Richmond, whicli are about nine miles from the city. At 10 A. ^1. we passed the second line of defenses, and at 10:30 A. M. we halted and made dinner. Resumed the march at i 130 P. ^L, and marched about one mile and encamped inside the second line of the defenses and two miles from the city. The defenses of the city are very strong and consist of three lines of works, the outer one nine miles from the city and the inner one two miles. Rumor says that a despatch came to corps headquarters that the Fifth Corps of our army had an altercation with some of Sher- man's men about our corps (the Sixth), and a fight ensued in which three hundred were killed and wounded. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 381 May 20th. Policed up the camp and lay still the rest of the day. Orders for the men whose terms expire before the first of October to be mustered out immediately. May 2 1 St. Sunday. Got a pass and took a squad out of the company over into Richmond. The principal part of the city is in ruins, and bridges connecting Richmond and Manchester de- stroyed. The park is a nice place, but small. It contains a fine statue of Washington. Whisky is supposed not to be sold to the troops, so entering a shoemaker's shop we inquired if he could tell us where w^e could get a drink. Mr. Shoemaker (this was not his name) produced several bottles, and those who drank took one or more cirinks at the modest price of twenty-five cents a drink, but Bamford, one of our party, whose thieving propensities were bound to show themselves, could not resist the temptation to crib one, which tended to equalize the price of our drinks. We then went around to a hotel and got our dinner, which consisted principally of pork and greens and bread and coffee — ^not a very elaborate bill of fare — for which we paid one dollar a dinner. Returned to camp at 5 P. M. A terrible thunder storm set in, lasting all night and drowning us all out. May 222d. Thirteen passes granted in company to-day to visit Richmond. James Connors, of the company, who has been straggling since the charge at Petersburg, returned to-day. May 23d. Fifteen passes issued to-day to visit Richmond. Lieutenant Brewin secured a leave of absence. May 24th. Took up the line of march at 6A. M. Our march through Manchester and Richmond was principally at carry arms, owing to the Twenty-fourth Corps being drawn up in line in the streets through which we marched. Got through with the D. P., and on the Charlottesville pike at 10 A. :\I. At 7 P. M. halted and camped at Hanover Court House, having marched about twenty-five miles. May 25th. Reveille at 2:15 A. M. Took up march at 4:30 A. M. Crossed the Pamunkey River at 7 A. M. Marched like the devil was after us from 8 A. M. to 2:30 P. M., when we went into camp. A great many fell out from exhaustion, caused by the heat and rapid marching. Several reported to have died. May 26th. Reveille, 4 :30. Bugles blew to pack up at 6 A. M., but owing to it raining very hard at the time, we did not 25 F B 382 FIRST XmV JERSEY BRIGADE. resume the march until 9:30 A. M.. and marched until 4:30 P. M.. when we went into camp, having made but ten miles to-day, on account of the mud up to our knees and wading streams and wet to the skin. It outrivalled Burnside's famous mud-march for "the distance we marched. Still raining. May 29th. Reveille at 2:15 A. M. Doctor's call at 4 A. M. Took up the line of march at 5:15 A. M. Our division in the centre, our regiment right of brigade. May 30th. Tuesday. Took up line of march at 5 A. M. Our division on right our Brigade, left of division, marched through Fredericksburg and saw the effects of our several engagements in the perforated houses. Marched very fast until 1 130 P. M., when we went into camp at Acquia Creek, having marched al)out twenty miles to-day with but two rests. Weather hot. May 31st. Reveille at 3 A. M. Resumed the march at 6 A. M. Marched very fast until i 130 P. M., when we went into camp, having marched about 18 miles to-day. June 1st. Resumed the march at 5 A. M. At 11:30 A. M. halted at Fairfax Station until i P. M., when we marched to within one mile of Fairfax Court House and went into camp, having marched about sixteen miles. Our division rear of corps crossed Wolf Run shoals at 8 A. M. June 2d. Resumed march at 5 A. M., and at 12 M. went into camp at Hall's Hill, near Munson's. Our division on the right of corps. Marcus L. \\^ard. of New Jersey, down to see the Jersey troops. June 3d. Regiment went into camp in column of company. Order to raise tents 18 inches from the ground and all to be the same height and width, and we have no axes to do it with. The men are faring poorly for rations. June 4th, Sunday. A requisition made out for all the clothing re(|uired 1)\' the men in the Brigade, to make them appear well on parade. \\'eather very hot. Many of the men fell out while on dress parade, from the effects of the heat. jniic 3th. Great preparations going on for the grand review of the corps. Insi>ection at retreat. An order read off about enlistinc: in the Resfular Armv. Also about rations. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 383 June 6th. Weather very hot; drew a haversack full of pickles from the Sanitary Commission. The men are raising the devil, rallying on and tearing out sutlers. Tune /th. Cleaned up with new caps, pants and blouses, and new numbers and bugles for the corps. General Penrose in- spected the Brigade this P. M., and found everything except haversacks satisfactory, and the order to carry them on review was countermanded. Retreat at 6 130 P. M. June 8th. 1865. Oitr last review. Reveille at 2 A. M. Took up the line of march for Washington at 4 A. M., passing over the long bridge up Maryland avenue to the Capitol, where our corps formed, and at 9 A. M. with our regiment (Fourth Jersey) on the right of the corps. Took up the line of march, passing down Pennsylvania avenue in column of company at full distance. The day was very hot, and the march to Wash- ington, then on review and back to camp, made it almost as severe a march as we have had; very few men came into camp together. June loth. An order read off regarding men who have been prisoners of war in rebel prisons. They are to be mustered out immediately and receive three months' extra pay. June nth. Great dissatisfaction exists among the veterans because they are not mustered out before the recruits. June 1 2th. The order regarding prisoners of war applies only to those captured in 1864, but the officers appear to be in no hurry to comply with the order. June 13th. Orders to build shades over each company's tents and to build them to correspond. The men at work all day cutting poles and brush, crotched sticks. Slight rain. Retreat at 6 130 P. M. June 15th. Drew a lot of sanitary supplies, such as fine and coarse combs, pins and needles and thread and handkerchiefs and suspenders, pens and pencils, books and tobacco. June 1 6th. Drew some more shirts, suspenders, socks and drawers from the Sanitary Commission. Tune 19th. When the guards marched out on the Brigade parade ground and had the Brigade guard mount, additional guards were put on, whose orders were to allow no man out- 384 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. side the bounds of his respective regiment without a pass from regimental headquarters. June 2oth. The Fourteenth New Jersey went home to-day. Our officers took a vote to see who wanted to go home and who wanted to remain in the service. Captains Howell and Skillman and Lieutenant Abrahams and Letzworth, I understand, are in favor of remaining, A severe thunder storm set in this P. M., lasting three hours. June 2 1st, Wednesday. Policed up the camp. Regimental dress parade at 6 P. M. Men all raising the devil with sutlers' shops. June 22d. Fifteenth Regiment mustered out, and also some recruits of our regiment — fourteen of my company. The men made a raid on the Fifteenth Regiment sutler and cleaned him out. The First Battallion and our regiment out during the night. Inspection at retreat. June 23d. The Fifteenth and the men of our regiment who were mustered out went home to-day. Orders came for all of the First, Third and Tenth Regiments to be mustered out imme- diately. Our regiment had a torchlight parade after taps to-day. Colonel Hufty and the officers tried to stop it but it was no go. We had a transparency bearing the inscription, "We zvant our rights." About two hundred had candles stuck in their bayonets and the rest marched in the rear. The whole drum corps was out. We marched through the Brigade, passed headquarters, cheered for some of the officers, and groaned others. We then marched back to our regiment, w^here Colonel Hufty and Cap- tain Howell, the Brigade officer of the day. were standing with others. We gave three cheers for the Fourth Regiment, three for the Second, and three groans for Colonel Hufty and three more for all the officers who signed the roll to remain in the service. The parade was then dismissed, after which the Second Division fellows had a parade and made more noise and racket than all of the corps put together. James Jones and Edward Campbell, of my company, recruits, mustered out to-day. June 24th. Policed up the camp. Considerable fatigue duty to-day. Inspection at retreat. Tattoo at 9 P. M. We had another grand parade to-night ; went over to division head- FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 385 quarters; General Wheaton not being there, Colonel Lincoln made a brief speech, after which we went to Brigade head- quarters and called on Colonel Hufty for a speech, when the Adjutant of the Fortieth made a brief one about going home, when Kelly, who had command of us, made a comical and humorous speech. We then went to the Fortieth, and Lieu- tenant-Colonel Spain made a brief speech. We then went to the Tenth, and the Colonel made a short speech. It being mid- night, we then dismissed. June 25th. Detailed as Brigade commissary sergeant, in place Russell, of the First Battalion, who goes home. I was averse to accepting this, as I had never been on detached service from the company since I enlisted, but as it was the desire of Colonel Hufty, Major McElhany and Captain Howell, I accepted. Ser- geant Morton, of Company C, detailed as quartermaster-sergeant of Brigade. Five men of the Second Battalion detailed as my assistants in the department. Issued five days' rations. June 27th. Lay still all day. Very unconcerned. This is a lazy job; no excitement. The First and Third Battalions and Tenth Regiment are making out their muster-out papers. June 28th. Everything very quiet. I sent into headquarters an account of stock on hand. Third Battalion mustered out to- day. June 29th. An order read off at regimental dress parade to resume company and battalion drills, and all torchlight parades are prohibited. First Battalion mustered out. June 30th. The First and Third Battalions started for home at 8 :30. Issued three days' rations. July I St. The Tenth New Jersey went home to-day. July 2d. Moved commissary department to-day. alongside of Brigade headquarters. July 3d. Everything very quiet. Orders came to-night to commence to make out the muster-out rolls of the Fourth Regi- ment immediately. July 7th. Everything quiet. My company have two hundred and eleven names on the rolls, which includes all who were ever • assigned to it, many of whom never reached the regiment. 386 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. July 8lh. Not mustered out yet, but got relieved from the commissary department. July 9th. Sunday. At 3 130 o'clock the regiment was mus- tered out of service and at 8 P. M. I was taken with terrible cramps and came very near receiving my final muster-out. I was so bad. Orders for reveille at 3 P. AI. and to move at 5 P. M. to-morrow. July loth. Reveille at 3 A. M. Packed knapsacks at 4 P. M. Loaded them in wagons, and at 4 130 fell in line and took up the march for Washington, homeward bound. Arrived in Wash- ington at 7 A. M. Lay around until 10 A. Al , when we boarded the cars for Baltimore and continued on. Arrived in the city of Philadelphia Tuesdav morning, July nth. at 6 A. M. Disem- barked and marched to the Cooper-shop, soldiers' rest refresh- ment saloon. Got a' good breakfast and a good wash and brush- ing up. I visited a barber-shop and got my mustache dyed, but it took the barber so long to find the several hairs that the regi- ment left me behind ; but I took another train and beat them to Trenton. The streets were crowded to receive the boys. On the 17th of July we signed the pay-roll at Kay's hotel, and on the 1 8th received our discharges and were paid off, which made us free once more. The interval between our arrival home and final discharge was occupied by the boys in sporting around and in general enjoyment, glad to return to the paths of peace and with a record as a regiment which they, the Nation and State, might well feel proud of. : - o . 3 6 7 8 9 ,_Coloi-s of the Fifteenth New Jersey Infantry. 4-Colors of the First New Jersey Infantry. 6-Colors of the Third New Jersey Infantry. 8-Colors of the Fonrth New Jersey Infantry. 9_State Standard of the Tenth Regiment. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 387 Organization of the Fourth Regiment Infantry, of New Jersey, July 22, 1861. The Fourth Regiment Infantry of New Jersey was organized under the provisions of an act of Congress, approved July 22(1, 1 86 1, as set forth in an official letter from the President oi the United States, dated Washington, D. C, July 24th, 1861, and from War Department, Washington, D. C, dated July 29th. 1861. The regiment was fully organized, equipped and officered by the nineteenth day of August, at which time it was mustered into the service of the United States, for three years, at Camp Olden, Trenton, N. J., by Captain Alfred T. A. Torbert and Captain David B. McKibbin, United States Army. It left the State August 20th, 1861, with a full complement of men- officers, 38; non-commissioned officers and privates, 871 ; total, 909. Upon arrival at Washington, the regiment was assigned to the brigade of Brigadier-General Phil Kearny, then consisting of the First, Second and Third Regiments, New Jersey Vol- unteers. Under the provisions of General Orders No. 191, War Depart- ment, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, D. C, June 25th. 1863, the greater part of the regiment re-enlisted in the field for three years or during the war. Those who did not re-enlist and who were with the regim-ent were mustered out at expiration of service, in the field, at various dates and places, by Captain A. M. Tyler, Assistant Commissary of Muster, First Division. Sixth Army Corps; while those who were absent by authority, reported by order at Trenton, N. J., and were mustered out by Captain James W. Long, United States Army. During the fall and winter of 1864-65, the strength of the regiment was greatly augmented numerically, but the esprit de corps of this magnifi- cent regiment almost ruined by the forwarding of a large number of recruits and substitutes. The regiment continued its organiza- tion and remained in active service until the close of the war, when it was mustered out at Halls Hill. Va., July 9th. 1865, by Major A. M. Tyler, Assistant Commissary of Musters. First Division. Provisional Corps, in compliance with orders fronrthe 388 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, D. C, July I St, 1865. The regiment constituted one of the four regiments composing what was generally known as the First Brigade, New Jersey Volunteers, and was first attached to the First Brigade (Kearny's), Franklin's Division; afterward to the First Brigade, First Division, First Army Corps, Major-General McDowell; then to the First Brigade, First Division, Sixth Army Corps, and at the close of the war was assigned to what was known as the Provisional Corps, Army of the Potomac. Some Historical Data and Reminiscences by Frank W. Gaul, of the Fourth Regiment. General Philip Kearny was our ideal of a soldier. He con- tributed very largely from his private fortune to the comfort of the sick in hospitals and was untiring in his efforts to make us all comfortable. I will give a few reminiscences that came under my immediate notice. He would unexpectedly appear at our cooks' quarters just before "dinner call" and demand that the cooks give him a taste of whatever they might have to serve the boys for that day — and woe betide the cook that had his shack untidy or his grub not well cooked. The following little inci- dent actually occurred at the kitchen of Company I, Fourth Regiment, while we were living at Camp Seminary : Company I's cook was a comical old son of Erin, who happened to be named Carney, though possibly no relative of the General. Well, one day just before "dinner call'' the General dropped in on Carney, very much to the surprise of the said Carney, but for- tunately found things spic and span and the cook singing, and apparently quite contented with his lot. Happening to turn around, imagine his consternation, if you can, when he beheld his visitor, General Kearny) Well, our cook gathered himself together the best he could, assumed the position of a soldier, with his sleeves rolled up and a big dipper in his hand. He saluted the General, who returned the salute and said, "What have you for dinner, my man?" "Vegetable soup, sor," Q < < :^ o w Pi W w o > pa tn Pi w ^ w o o Q < CO w Pi Q :^ o CO (ii W W 2: o > >^ CO > o O to FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 389 answerd our cook. "Give me some," said the General, which the cook promptly did. The General tasted it and remarked: "That's pretty good, my man. What's your name?" "Carney, sor," with a salute and a broad Irish accent. "Kearny, Kearny," repeated the General; "are you any relation to me, sir?" Well, our cook was entirely too much rattled to reply, but the General said, "When your dinner is served report to my headquarters, I want to see you." Well, the upshot of the whole matter was that Carney the cook came rolling into camp at about 5 P. M. gloriously jiggered and very hilarious indeed. Kearny the General had produced a bottle and given Carney the cook an invitation; and Carney the cook and the bottle did the rest. But this little episode doesn't end here. When our friend Carney the cook started for camp he unfortunately fell right in the path of Colonel Simpson, who, seeing his condition, ordered the sentinel on guard at his headquarters to call the corporal of the guard with a file of men, who promptly put Carney the cook in the guard house. That pretty nearly broke his heart; so he told his story tO' the boys at the guardhouse and it finally reached General Kearny's headquarters, when the General went over to Colonel Simpson's tent and told the Colonel how it all happened, asked the Colonel's pardon, and requested as a per- sonal favor that when Carney the cook got sober that he might be released from arrest and that no charges should be preferred against him. General Kearny was only in command of our Brigade on one "New Year's Day," that was January ist, 1862, when he issued a general amnesty proclamation releasing everyone in his com- mand from arrest who had any charges preferred against them, saying he desired to start the New Year right. During our campaign under Kearny against Manassas, Bull Run and Fairfax, among the spoils that were captured were several barrels of whisky. The men had knocked the head in one of them but were hesitating whether to take any of it or not, when the General rode up and said, "What have you there?" They answered, "It looks and smells like whisky. General, but we are afraid it's poisoned." The General remarked that no Southern gentleman would so far forget himself as to do that; 390 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. then ill his impetuous wa}' said, "Give me some, give me some."' At once there were several tin cupsful handed to him. He smelled it, then tasted it, then took a good big swig of it, and handed the cup back to the man who gave it to him, saying, "If I am not dead in fifteen minutes drink all you want, drink all you want." Another anecdote of Kearny that, of course, didn't come under my immediate notice, though it did come prettv straight, and being so characteristic of the man and so flattering to the Jersey Brigade, we all believed in it religiously. Goes like this : Mr. Lincoln was very fond of General Kearny, and at a func- tion at the White House in the winter of 1861-2. where Kearny was a guest. Air. Lincoln drew him apart and asked his opinion of the movement on to Richmond. Kearny after telling the President what he thought of it, said to him : "Mr. President, give me a division of Jerseymen and put a peach orchard or a lien roost the other side of Richmond, and I'll take it in spite of hell, sir; in spite of hell !" The Fourth Regiment, New Jersey Veteran \^olunteers, was mustered mto the United States service on the 17th day of August, 1 861, and on the 19th started for Washington to join the First, Second and Third Regiments, who were already in the field and encamped at Fairfax Seminary. A'a.. about seven miles from Washington, D. C. The regiment, under command of Colonel James Hervey Simpson, reached Philadelphia, Pa., on the 20th and marched to the "Cooper Shop" N'olunteer Refreshment Saloon, where we were provided with a good, square meal. The Cooper Shop was situated at the foot of Washington street and still lingers in the memory of many a hungry and foot-sore soldier of the 6o's. as it remained open during the entire four years of the great strug- gle, supported by voluntary subscriptions of loyal Philadel- phians. The doors were never closed, day or night, and there was at all times a cup of good hot coffee, a .square meal and a loving, loyal hand to give it to any stray "Boy in Blue," or any FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 391 number of them, who might call for refreshments. They fed single soldiers, squads, companies, battalions and regiments, no matter when they called, night or day, rain or shine, summer or winter, and never in all that four years did they turn awav a single soldier. All honor to Philadelphia, the Fourth Regiment having partaken four times of their magnificent bounty — once when they first started to the front, August 20th, 1861 ; again on the 2d day of January, 1864, after they had re-enlisted as a whole and were on their way home on a thirty-day veteran furlough ; again in February, 1864, on our way back to join our comrades of the Jersey Brigade at Brandy Station, Va., then finally on the 1 6th day of July, 1865, o^"^ our way home, after four years of service in the field, tO' be finally mustered out. And right here I desire to say to dear, loyal old Philadelphia [the city that I am proud to claim as my birthplace] for my comrades of the glorious Old Fourth Regiment, "We salute you with a "Hip, Hip, and Hurrah.' " After arriving at the Cooper Shop our regiment was drawn up in line and stacked arms, and a sorry old mess we made of it, too, never havino- tried that stunt before ; the most of our bovs never had a musket in their hands until the day before, and our officers were nearly as verdant as the privates were. We had a few among us who could handle a musket. Our Colonel Simp- son was a Regular Army officer and a graduate from West Point. Our Major, the gallant William B. Hatch, who afterward be- came our Colonel, and who was mortally wounded at Fredericks- bury, Va., December 13th, 1862, was a born soldier. He had held a commission in the Russan cavalry as captain of a troop, but was home at the breaking out of hostilities in 1861, and at once went out as Adjutant of the Fourth Regiment three-months' men, so was one of the first defenders. After stacking our arms we marched in companies to the wash-room, took a good and very much needed wash, then in to supper, as it was about 5 :30 P. M., after which, the regiment being re-formed, the boys were ordered to take arms, which they did just about as gracefully as they had stacked them about two hours before. Then Colonel Simpson read us an account of the Massachusetts boys* little venture marching through Baltimore and being attacked by the 392 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. mob. He then ordered the boys to load but not to cap their pieces. A modern soldier would laugh at our equipment of that period, all muzzle-loaders, the most of them altered flint-locks. After loading and being admonished to be careful, keep together and obey orders implicitly, we boarded a train of cars that was awaiting uS. We were, as was the custom in those days, drawn through Philadelphia by horses until we crossed the Schuylkill, when a locomotive was attached to our train and we proceeded on our way. We finally reached the outskirts of Baltimore just about daylight, disembarked, formed the regiment and were then ordered to "prime." That began to look like business. There was quite a mob of people of all classes there awaiting our arrival, as we were about the first troops to attempt to march through Baltimore since the attack on the Massachusetts boys. Well, the Baltimoreans didn't give us as warm and hearty a reception as that accorded us in Philadelphia, though we were of the opinion they would liked to have made it a great deal warmer. We got along without being molested, marched clear through the city, then'^re-embarked again for Washington. The only occurrence out of the ordinary from Baltimore to Washington was that an Irishman in Company G fell off the steps of the car. He had gone to sleep with all his harness on and with his musket m his hands, and if he could only have timed his nods with the rocking of the car he would have been all right, but fate willed it other- wise, and Toe took a header and plowed up some of the sacred soil of Maryland, My Maryland, with his head; but his injuries were slight, the jar woke him up, and he made a break for the train, which was not going as fast as our fliers do now, and had little difficulty in clambering aboard again. We reached Washington all right, about 10:30 A. M., August 2 1 St, and at once set out on our march for Fairfax Seminary and joined the First New Jersey Brigade, which was further augmented by the addition of Battery A, First New Jersey Ardllerv, "Hexamer," and two troops of the First New York Cavalrv (Lincoln), and never was a more magnificent brigade in uniform. With our gallant one-armed general, who was just as proud of us as we were of him, no wonder we came home veterans, with such a superb soldier for our commander. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 393 Our routine being the same as that of the rest of the Brigade, it is not my purpose to repeat what has already been recorded by our historian, a much abler reconter than I, but my mission in this History is only to add what the Fourth Regiment did outside of what was done by the whole Brigade. In November, 1861, our regiment was ordered to go to the navy yard in Washington and exchange our old antiquated arms for what were then up to date; and to show what can be done when you buckle right down to business. When we marched down old Pennsylvania avenue in Washington we were led by our Second Regiment band, Reinhart, the most famous volunteer band in the army at that time, and afterward our Brigade band. The Fourth Regiment drum corps was acknowledged and complimented by general officers, as well as by the rank and file, to be the best drum corps in the army, bar none, either Regular or Volunteer. Well, Colonel Simpson always said, "Good music makes good soldiers," and this volunteer regiment of green Jersey boys passed through the main thoroughfare of the nation's Capital, where the people saw regidars every day, in less than three months after their muster into the service inarched and drilled like regulars. Quite a number of spectators who asked what troops we were could hardly believe we were ^'olunteers. Now I skip everything from November, 1861, to June 27th, 1862, because our service during that time was in conjunction with the rest of the Brigade, but on June 27th, 1862, at the battle of Gaines' Mills we were engaged independently of the other three regiments, an account of which, coupled with their imprisonment and exchange, I shall recount from what I per- sonally know of it. I take exception to General Grubb's account of the Battle of Gaines' Mills in one particular, and that is where he says after General Taylor, or Colonel Taylor it was then, commanding the Brigade, had found out what the "Comp de Paris" wanted, and ordered Grubb to "take the Fourth Regiment and go with him, see where it was placed, then come back and report to hmi." Grubb says, when he reported to Taylor, that the Fourth Regi- 394 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. nient was tlien prisoners of war. / zcont to correct that state- ment this far: The Fourth Regiment did not surrender until they had completely exhausted their full sixty rounds of am- munition. Colonel Simpson turned to Adjutant Studdiford, after ascertaining that the men were out of ammunition, and said, "Send someone out and report to General Taylor that I cannot hold this position any longer without support or ammunition." I w as standing" right near and heard this conversation. Studdi- ford turned to me and repeated what Colonel Simpson had said, and told me to find General Taylor and report that to him. I immediately started for the rear and met the Eleventh Pennsyl- x'ania Reserves coming tO' our support. The firing was not so sharp in our immediate front as it had been, but we were getting it on both flanks and the Eleventh Pennsylvania had hardly formed in line of battle -before it became apparent that both regiments were entirely surrounded. I had just about time to get back far enough to escape capture, and finally found Gen- eral Taylor, with the First, Second and Third Regiments, sup- porting Hexamer's battery, and when I reported to him Colonel Simpson's request the minnie-balls were beginning to patter- patter quite lively right around there, and my recollection of that is that the Confederates charged Hexamer, who met them with canister. Then the Brigade rose uj) — they had been lying down behind the battery — and the battery fell back and the Brigade became engaged in a heavy musket-fire. I don't know how long that lasted, as having deli\'ered Colonel Simpson's message to General Taylor, and the stampede having actually l.>egun. I felt that I was at liberty to see that just one Boy in Blue, in whom I had an abiding interest, was justified in hunt- ing a more salubrious atmosphere, thinking that perhaps my acci-unt of the battle of Gaines' Mills might be interesting at some time. So I just changed front to the rear and went with the mol) — it had ceased to be an amiy — back to our camp at Fair Oaks. Then everything looked blue. There was no neces- sity for sacrificing our two regiments without accomplishing something. I want to say right here that when T found Taylor, he and the Brigade were at least three-quarters of a mile from wliere our regiment was left fighting, to the left and rear of FIRST Xmv JERSEY BRIGADE. 395 our position, and there were no org-anized troops in thai interval. I remember we were armed with old muzzle-loaders and used black powder, and the smoke that would gather during and after firing, either by infantry or artillery, was worse than a heavy fog, making it almost impossible to see anyone twentv l^aces in front of our lines or on either flank for any considerable distance. Our first engagement of any importance was at Gaines' Mills, _'7th of June, 1862, in McClellan's Campaign on the Peninsula, wliere our regiment with the Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserves were sent in as a forlorn hope to cover the retreat of the army, and where both regiments were captured, entire, after using sixty rounds of ammunition, all they had, and were sent to Richmond as prisoners of war, where they remained for forty-two days. General Longstreet opposed us that day. He was a classmate of Colonel Simpson's at West Point ; after hearing that Simp- son's command had been captured, he sent an aide to invite Simpson to share his quarters that night, which was very indig- nantly declined. We remained on the field nearly all that night under rebel escort, and were escorted to Richmond, being the first two regiments of the Union army to enter Richmond, not voluntarily however. In going through the streets of Richmond with our escorts we were subjected to all sorts of indignities, the worst of which was trailing our colors through the streets in front of us. The enlisted men were sent on Bell Isle and the officers were confined in Libby Prison, an old tobacco warehouse which became famous during the war as a prison. We rejoined the Brigade at Harrison's Landing, just two days l)efore McClellan's final move from the Peninsula. From there we went to Washington, and were engaged in the second battle of Bull Run, on the 27th of August, 1862. Our regiment was exchanged about the lOth or 12th of August, 1862, and rejoined the Brigade at Harrison's Landing just about two days before McClellan's final move off the Peninsula. The remnant of the regiment, about fifty all told, who had escaped ca])ture at Gaines' Mills, had been detached from the Brigade headquarters, where we had been doing duty, and sent to divi- sion headquarters of General Sl<>cum by request of General I 396 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Kearny. The day we went there General Slocum received his commission as Major-General. He received us personally and made a characteristic speech that put the boys in good spirits. They celebrated the General's promotion that night at division headquarters, and were so hilarious that we didn't get much sleep. We got even with them, however, as the next day our regiment was exchanged, and it was our time to celebrate, which we did with a vengeance. We were finally re-united, re-organ- ized and ordered back to the Brigade. We participated at Bull Run Second, 27th of August, 1862, with the Brigade; from there to Chantilly, where our "ideal," Major-General Phil Kearny, was killed, on September ist, 1862. His death was a great blow to the whole army, and we of the Fourth Regiment felt that we especially had lost a friend, he having demonstrated his friendship on more than one occasion. The condition of affairs at this time was truly alarming. We had suffered humiliation, not defeat; because there was not a battle fought on that ill-fated Peninsular Campaign of 1862 that, if it had been pressed, would not have landed us victorious in Richmond. But we fought and fell back without reason — victory was ours even in the last of the Seven-days' Battles at Malvern Hill, where we had the assistance of our gunboats and where we checked the rebs and could have forced them to have taken a back track to their Capital. People in the North were getting discouraged, volunteering had almost if not entirely ceased, and in some places they had resorted to the draft, notably in New York, where they were in open revolt against the authorities; and it was about that time that it was rumored that our Jersey Brigade was to be sent home to assist in quelling the draft riots in New York city. There was also riding at anchor in Hampton Roads a large British fleet that had come over with the avowed purpose of recognizing the Confederacy. But wait. Something was about to happen, and did happen, on the 14th of September, 1862, at Crampton's Pass, on South Mountain, Maryland. We met Lee with his whole army and fought and won and followed up our victory, and again, three days after, on the 17th of Sep- tember, ran up against them and won a decisive battle at An- tietam, completely routing the whole rebel army after great loss; JOHN W. BODINE. W. FRANK GAUL. SHEFFIELD TUESDAY. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 397 and had we followed up our victory we could have captured or destroyed that whole army. In this battle of Crampton's Pass we captured three stands of rebel colors belonging to Cobb's Georgia Legion and enough Springfield rifles to equip the entire regiment, having before that engagement nothing but smooth-bores and altered flint-locks, and gained the applause of the State. By a joint resolution of the New Jersey House and Senate we were awarded a new stand of State colors, costing the State $1,500, with a sketch in oil on the flag of the charge at Crampton's Pass and the inscription, "Presented by New Jersey to her Fourth Regiment for gallant conduct at Crampton's Pass." That victory put new life and hope in our loyal friends in the North. Voluntary enlistments were at once resumed; our visitors, that British fleet in Hampton Roads, thought better of it and decided to keep hands off. I am of the humble opinion that the presence of a "Russian" fleet quite the equal of that British one happening to run into New York harbor had something to do with the change of heart that overcome our British cousins at that time. After Fredericksburg, December 13th, 1862, where we lost Colonel William B. Hatch, Colonel William Birney succeeded to the command; we laid with the Brigade until what we called the Second Fredericksburg, as part of our Brigade held the same position that we did at the first battle, on December 13th, 1862. This second battle is known as Chancellorsville. May 3d. 1863, part of our Brigade, notably the Fifteenth and Twenty-third, were engaged at Salem Church, but the Fourth were on the left of the Union line just about in the same position we held at the first battle. After Chancellorsville we were detached from the Brigade and sent to army headquarters, where we had charge of the army headquarters wagon train and the reserve artillery ammunition train, and remained there until after the battle of Gettysburg, where six companies of the Fourth Regi- ment were on Little Round Top with the artillery reserve, the other four companies in charge of army headquarters wagon train at Westminster, where they narrowly escaped destruction by Lee's army when they were compelled to fall back from 26 F B 398 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. Gettysburg. After Gettysburg we were relieved from duty at army headquarters and again joined the Brigade, finally land- ing at Brandy Station, Va., in November, 1863. After par- ticipating in that terrible campaign to Mine Run, where we suffered with the cold more than on any other of our cam- paigns during the ^Yhole war, we again took up winter quar- ters at Brandy Station, Va., and on Christmas Day, 1863, our regiment re-enlisted entire' for three years more, or during the war, and on the ist day of January, 1864, started for home on a thirty-day veteran furlough. That day will long be re- membered by most of us. We had had some terrible cold weather. The ground had been frozen, but this first day of the new year, 1864, the sun shone beautifully and thawed quite a bit. We had to march to the station from our camp, perhaps three or four miles, and our shoes got quite muddy, and when we got to Brandy Station the only transportation we could get to Washington was a train of cattle cars that had brought a load of cattle down that day, and they had only been about half cleaned and were ver}^ wet. The night was bitterly cold, the distance about forty-five miles, the wind blowing a gale, and we poor boys with wet feet in those cattle cars suffered severely. There were a number of our boys who^ were very badly frost- bitten. One man had tO' be taken out of the car when we reached Washington, being so cold he had no use of himself at all. There were several amputations of fingers and toes from ha\ing been frozen. When we finally reached Washington and jumped out of the cars I was so cold that I had no feeling in ni}- lower limbs, and onl}- felt the jar of jumping out on the frozen ground from m}' l^elt up. We verv naturall}- made a break for the nearest place to get a cup of coffee or anything that would stimulate circulation, and finally managed to get thawed out. Went home for thirty days; had the time of our lives : returned when our time was up, and rejoined the Brigade where we left them, at Brandy Station, and continued in the business of making history. We had been reinforced by the Tenth and Fortieth Ne\v Jersey Regiments, making the Brigade consist of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Tenth. Fifteenth and Fortieth. The Twenty-third had been a part of the Brigade, FIRST NEW JERSKY BRIGADE. 399 but their time had expired in June, 1863, just> before the battle of Gettysburg. The most of the First, Second and Third, not having re-enHsted, left us some time in June, 1864, about Cold Harlx)r. their time having expired. That left the Brigade the Fourth, Tenth, Fifteenth and Fortieth' to keep up the Brigade organization. So you see, while the Fourth Regiment was not at the first battle of Bull Run the First, Second and Third were, but the Fourth took up and continued the Brigade's record from Cold Harbor to and including Appomattox; making the Bri- gade's service a continuous one from Bull Run to Appomattox, with the Fourth Regiment easily the leader in point of sei"\Mce. I want to add right here that any soldier who went through that famous campaign of Grant's, from the Wilderness to Petersburg, certainly gained the right to be called a "Veteran," no matter what command he served in. I could write a whole ^'olume of acts of personal heroism that came under my im- mediate notice in that campaign and would be glad to do so if space permitted. THE WIIvDERXESS CAMPAIGN, 1864. In the spring of, 1864 Grant opened his campaign against Lee of the Confederate army, known as the Wilderness cam- paign, and we were in all of the engagements of that campaign down and including Petersburg. After establishing the lines our corps, the Sixth Corps, of which we were the First Brigade, were sent up to join Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, in the battle of Winchester. August 1 6th, 1864. We lost a number of prisoners, among whom were a number of officers from our Brigade, viz. : Lieutenant-Colonel Charles H. Tay. Tenth New Jersey Volun- teers. Captain William H. Snowden, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers. Captain George W. Hummell, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers. Captain William Todd, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers. Captain Charles V. C. ^lurphy. Tenth New Jersey Volunteers. Lieutenant John E. Pepper, Tenth New Jersey Volunteers. Lieutenant S. A. Steinmetz. Tenth New Jeresey Volunteers. 400 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Captain Samuel M. Gaul, Fourth New Jersey Volunteers. Lieutenant Donnelly, Fifteenth New Jersey Volunteers. Captain Hartman, Third New Jersey Cavalry. The above were all the Jerseymen ; then there was : Lieutenant Dwyer, Fifth United States Cavalry. Lieutenant Church, Fourth New York Cavalry. Captain Sawyer, Third New Jersey Cavalry. Lieutenant Russell. I want to say in this connection, that our Brigade was sent in in this battle of Winchester, August i6th, 1864, as a forlorn hope, and every soldier knows that according to the ethics of war every survivor of a forlorn hope is entitled to a "medal of honor." This made the second time the Fourth Regiment had been left in that way, and now I want to record just what our gallant little Brigade did that day and describe in my poor way what a real battle means. When we were left there we numbered just about 700 in the whole Brigade (not a decent regiment in numbers), but a whole army corps as a fight- ing force. We had the advantage, of course, of being behind some of those old Virginia stone walls, but this little band of 700 Jerseymen held at bay Early's entire army for several hours, repeatedly repulsing them, and at one time, when they assaulted us with three compact lines of battle, we sent them whirling back, while the cheers of our whole 700 were at times drowned by the curses of their officers, who, to cheer their men on. would say, "Why, that is only a skirmish line !" They didn't know at that time how near the truth they were, but they finally, at about dusk, dislodged us and I never heard the "rebel yell," be- fore nor after, that sounded quite so fiendish as on that occasion. This is the battle, remember, in which these officers were cap- lured that were afterward held as hostages, expecting even' day to be hung in retaliation for those rebel raiders that burned Chambersburg, Pa. Colonel Tay, of the Tenth New Jersey, being the ranking officer among the prisoners, the officer com- manding the attacking force of the Confederates asked him what troops had l^een fighting him. Colonel Tay told him the First Jersey Brigade, about 700 strong when the battle began. He FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 401 told Tay that he was in noi mood to be trifled with and wanted to know. Tay repeated what he had said before, when the General blurted out, "That's a damned lie." Tay said to him, ''Well, there is one way to prove it : count your prisoners and see to what they belonged." The next day the General looked up Tay and apologized to him, saying, "Why, Colonel, I never seen such a stubborn resistance by such a small body of men. I have buried over 700 of my men, killed right there, and your whole force was not over that." The Brigade that day con- sisted of the Fourth, Tenth, Fifteenth and Fortieth Regiments.. Previous to this the Confederate General McCausland had made a raid on Chambersburg, Pa., and demanding a ransom from the town of one hundred thousand dollars, which not com- ing soon enough to suit him, he ordered a destruction of the town, and it was partly destroyed by fire, but quite a number of McCausland' s men were captured, and having violated the laws of civilized warfare they were not treated as regular prisoners of war, but Secretary of War Stanton ordered the execution of a number of them. When that news reached Rich- mond, the Confederate authorities, after capturing the officers abo^■e named, ordered that they be sent to Lynchburg, ^^a., and held as hostages. There they threatened to execute two Yankee officers for everyone of McCausland's raiders who might be executed by Stanton's orders. They remained there at Lynch- burg with halters practically around their necks for three months, waiting for this "hanging bee" to commence. In the meantime, General Fitzhugh Lee and General Wise, son of ex-Governor Wise, of Virginia, both being Brigadier- Generals in the Confederate army, had been captured, and were held as prisoners of war; and Stanton gave the authorities at Richmond notice that they might proceed with the hanging, and he would commence with the highest in rank that he held, which would have included these two generals. In my estimation, General Lee, having been unfortunate enough to become a prisoner in our hands at that time, ren- dered the only real service to the Government that educated him that he ever did render. The hanging never came off. These 402 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. officers were released as hostages and sent to Danville. Va., and were finally exchanged on the 22d of February, 1865. After the campaign in the Shenandoah \^alley. under Sheridan, the Sixth Corps again rejoined the Army of the Potomac before Petersburg, and on the morning of the 2d of April, '65, the old Jersey Brigade broke the rebel lines, encountering our old "friends," the Georgia Legion, and putting them to flight, which finally culminated at Appomattox, April 9th, '65 ; l>eing the only volunteer brigade in the United States Armv that had a continu- ous record of fifty-two regular engagements from Bull Run to Appomattox. The Sixth Corps then, after Lee's surrender at Appomattox, was placed in charge of the army of Northern Virginia, Con- federates, until they were finall)^ disbanded and given transporta- tion to their homes. Right here I w^ould like to say that if Appomattox had been fought, as we expected it would be, instead of Lee's surrender, as he did, it would have been the bloodiest battle on record. After paroling and transporting them to their hom'es, we were sent to Danville, Va., about three miles from the North Carolina line, to intercept General Joseph Johnson, who was coming up with his army to re-enforce Lee, but was too late and surrendered to General Wright, commanding the Sixth Corps at Greenville. N. C. We were then sent back to Hall's Hill, Va., where we were finally mustered out and sent home, on the 15th of July, '65. APPOMATTOX, 1865. There are some men living yet who remember Appomattox, April 9th, 1865, the greatest day that ever dawned on civiliza- tion. We broke the rebel lines at Petersburg- on the morning of April 2d, just as the day began to dawn, after that long seige. The Sixth Corps, through some fatality, was the corps to make the first break awav up on Grant's left. We had taken up that FIRST NEW JERSBY BRIGADE. 403 position under cover of darkness, and vou bet we did some euess- ing that night, because we knew wherever the Sixth Corps was ordered she always started for. She knew not to falter, and every man in the corps at that time meant either to carry the Rebel works at that point, at that time, or die in the attempt. At the first gray streak of morning the advance was ordered, and a very agreeable surprise to us all was the little resistance that was offered — and we up against our old time antagonists, the "Georgia Legion." No better troops ever wore the gray, and w^ell we knew it, as we had met them a number of times in our four years. Well, no one knew just what was going to happen, as we started with just three days' rations on that memorable seven days' tramp from Petersburg to Appomattox, and that was all the rations we had from the 2d of April to the 9th. We knew that Lee's army was in pretty bad shape, and, of course, as soldiers will, we all began to speculate on what would be the outcome, until finally on the morning of the ninth we were drawn up in line of battle. There was a clump of woods between us and Lee's lines, sO' we could not see them but we could hear the booming of what w^e soon learned was Sheridan's guns in their front. Word came to- us that Grant had Lee surrounded and had given him four hours to surrender unconditionally. Well, we were hungry, and if we didn't have anything to cook it had become second nature with us, so we took the top rails of a convenient fence; as long as the top rails lasted, and proceeded to build a fire. Then this happened right in the Fourth New Jersey, my regiment — I don't know what happened anywhere else, but believe the sam'e spirit pervaded the entire army : I had been detailed some time previous as mail agent at brigade head- quarters, and of course had a good mount and almost alwa>-s carried a mail pouch, and would take letters at any time and mail them at the first opportunity. Well, I had ridden down to the Fourth Regiment in hopes of striking someone who had a hard-tack to divide, knowing full well if there was one in the regiment I could get half of it. I didn't get any, but we used a canteen of water to wash with and then began to talk over the situation, and in a very short time Lieutenant A. D. Nichols, a comrade of mine, who was one of the original members of Com- 404 PIRSr NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. pany G, a private when he enhsted, but at the time of which I write, a first heutenant, came up to me and handed me his watch, a ring, and some money, with these instructions : ''Frank, we have been talking this matter over, and we find that we have Lee and his army just where we have had them twice before, once at Antietam, Md., September i/th, 1862; again at Gettys- burg, Pa., July 3d, 1863, and again now, and we have decided that if Lee does not surrender, but determines to fight, that so far as we are concerned it shall be a fight to the finish, as we shall neither ask nor give quarter. There shall not be one sur- vivor of the Army of Northern Virginia if it is fight, and God alone knows how many of us will survive. In case I am killed, you know what to do with these things." In less than one hour I had, I presume, at least $10,000 of value in money, watches and jewelry that belonged to the members of the Fourth New Jersey Regiment. They came so fast after Lieutenant Nichols started it, that I had to require them to do up their valuables in some sort of package and mark them. I then put them into the mail- pouch. We were mighty glad when the news came that Lee had surrendered. When our boys were feeling as I have attempted to describe, what a wondrous transformation ! The news came, Lee has surrendered ! Those fiends of a moment before became human once more. Men, who had been hardened by a few years of active military life, wept like children for very joy. Everything they could get hold of they threw up in the air — they yelled themselves hoarse, and it looked like one great blue lunatic asy- lum on a picnic. Our next joy, arrival of our supply train and visions of a square meal, stared us in the face. Then what was our first thoughts? Just this — and I think every man in the army thought alike — it was, well we have fought and marched night and day for seven days on three days' rations ; we are aw- ful hungry, but those poor old Johnnies must be a thousand times worse ofif than we. It was then the Yankee Boy in Blue showed the stuff he was made of, and they said, "We must share what- ever there is in that train with those poor hungry old grey- backs," and they did, but they never dreamed that they were feeding our future generals for the U. S. A. Our true loyal FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 405 comrades, who had roughed it with us for four long weary years, and who had proven their fitness to command either large or small bodies of soldiers, were good enough for us then and are to-day. A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE." While Grant's Wilderness campaign was perhaps the most bit- terly contested campaign in history, and showed greater losses and fiercer fighting than ever had been recorded before, the reader must take into the account the personnel of the two armies. While foreigners of all countries might have been found scattered through both armies, the great bulk of officers and men were Americans "to the manor born." I personally would not give rations to a "soldier of fortune" who would enlist under any old standard, because I have never 3^et seen one who was on the job when the bullets began to whistle or the shells began to screech; but take a full-fledged American, fighting as those two conflicting annies of the 60" s were, each believing religi- ously in his cause, and three never breathed more magnificent destructive factors than those of the Union and Confederate armies of 1861-65. To illustrate, I will give a few personal reminiscences to show the endurance, recklessness and pluck, not only of our Boys in Blue but of our butternut antagonists — the best soldiers in the w^orld, and it would not have been much credit to us if they had not been, because it took us four long, w^eary years to put them out of business, and they had us guessing many times in that four years. To distress a little, I want to go back to June 27th, 1862, and show^ what a "soldier of fortune" did for our regiment, the Fourth. He was a king out of a job. You will remember that during the Peninsular Campaign under McClellan there were a good many "tin soldiers," but that campaign finished the most of them, among the rest this fellow wdio a king would be, and serving of McClellan's staff was the Count de Paris, the Bourbon pretender to the throne of France, and his cousin, the Duke de 406 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Chartres. At the battle of Gaines' Mills the Count de Paris was ordered by McClellan to get a regiment and take it where the line seemed to be weak, and he at once rode over to Colonel Tay- lor, commanding the First Brigade at that time, and made his request for a regiment known, speaking French. Now, the Gen- eral didn't speak French, so turning to one of his staff he said^ ''Who is this fellow, and what the devil does he want?'' Fortu- nately this staff officer did speak French and had met the Count at army headquarters, and informed the General what was wanted. The General then told the aide ''to take the Fourth Regiment and go see where he placed them then come back and report to him." Now here comes the question that has puzzled some who have known these facts, but remains unanswered to this day : Did the Count purposely lead the I^'ourth Regiment in an ambuscade to sacrifice them. The regiment, with the Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserves, were sacrified right there. What were not killed or wounded were captured and remained prisoners of war for forty-two days. The Count was also captured, but just as soon as the Johnnies found what kind of a bird they had they paroled him and sent him back, and he was not seen w^ith our army again during the entire w'ar. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Appendix F. 407 Charge and Death of Lieutenant Harry B. Hidden, First New York Cavalry. One of the most brilliant cavalry exploits of the great Ameri- can war occurred during- these brushes with the enemy's rear guard. This was the charge of First Lieutenant Harry B. Hidden, of New York city, with a sergeant and twelve men of the First New York Cavalry. Kearny had ordered him to "move forward cautiously and feel the enemy's position." On Sunday, 9th of March, 1862, he fell in with the pickets of the enemy, a score in number, and drove them in, till finally he was suddenly surrounded by a hundred and fifty of the enemy. The alternative was to cut his way out or surrender at discretion. ''Will you follow me?" said the unshrinking officer. "To the death!" was the unanimous reply; and through the Rebel ranks they hewed their way, turning- not to the right or left till they emerged from the forest at Sangster's Station, the enemy either fleeing or laying down their arms before them. After this daring action, and while making their way to the camp, with thirteen prisoners, one to each man. one of the "skulking assassins," who had laid down his arms, seized his musket and shot the retiring officer dead upon the spot. The ball entered the back near the top of the shoulder and passed out through the neck under the chin, severing numerous blood- vessels. Profuse bleeding soon closed the career of one of the most promising men of our army. General Kearny had stated that this charge has not been sur- passed in gallantry by any during the war. and it was the general theme of conversation among those cognizant of it in Wash- ington and Alexandria, as well as throughout the army. According to another account, Kearny, who saw the whole movement, declared it to be the most brilliant he had ever seen. and took each man by the hand on his return and complimented him on his braverv. 408 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Following is a complete list of the men who were with Lieu- tenant Hidden, taken from the report of Captain J. K. Stearns, commanding the squadron : Corporal E. Lewis, Company H, since promoted to be sergeant. Private Chas. P. Ives, Company H, promoted to be corporal. Private Robert C. Clark, Company H, promoted to be cor- poral. Private Albert H. Van Saun, Company A, promoted to be corporal. Private Michael O'Xeil, Company H. Private James Lynch, Company H. Private Cornelius Riley, Company H. Private Hugh McSauley, Company H. Private Herman Cameron, Company H. Private John Cameron, Company H. Private Martin Murray, Company H. Private John Bogert, Company H. Private William Simonson. Company A. Private Chester C. Clark, Company A. Private John Nugent, Company A. Private John R. Wilson, Company A. Private Henry Wiggins, Company A. Private Wilson alone captured three prisoners, compelling them to lay down their arms and accompany him from the field. The above report I have taken wholly from the personal and military history of General Kearny, by General J. Watts De Pcyster, to accompany the picture of the death of Lieutenant Hidden so kindly loaned, especially for this publication, by the New York Historical Association. W. Frank Gaul. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. m Appendix G. C. A. Pettie's Account of Kearny's Charge on the Confederate Picket. While in camp at Fairfax Theological Seminary Campus, General Kearny sent J. Snow and myself out on scout to locate the rebel picket line at or near Fairfax Courthouse. We started quite early (cannot recall the date) in the morning, felt our way out and about 3 P. M. came in sight of some small build- ings behind which were a party of rebel cavalry, dismounted, gathered about small fires. While we were watching this party and the different approaches, we discovered horsemen in the dis- tance. On coming up they proved to be General Kearny, an aide and an orderly, and when we met, ordered us to report to him what we had learned. Told him a body of cavalry was dismounted, apparently boiling coffee. The General, regardless of danger and great odds, instantly headed his horse in the direction of the buildings, followed by his aide and orderly and ourselves (Snow and Pettie). When we came out from cover of the woods the rebels, no doubt think- ing we were part of a skirmish line, rushed for their horses, mounted and galloped away, the General, his aide and orderly chasing them for a short distance. We (Snow and Pettie) waited a few minutes while the General apparently examined the conditions about the buildings. 4iO FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Appendix H. Account of Surrender of Petersburg, by James Gallagher, Com= pany K, Tenth Regiment, N. J. Volunteers. The morning of April 2d, 1865, I was on the skirmish line in front of Petersburg. As soon as daylight broke I observed a flag being waved from the Confederate breastworks. While watch- ing the flag, Major Fay, of the Fortieth New Jersey, came out to the line and said to me, "Boy, what color is that flag?" I replied that it was white. He then gave the command to fall in, but before giving the order he used his field-glasses to make sure. The line advanced to what they told us was the Halifax road. When we arrived we found a gentleman standing on the breast- works with a white pillowcase tied on a pole. He stated he wanted to surrender Petersburg to save it from being destroyed, as the Confederate troops had all retreated through the night. He stated he was Mayor of Petersburg. The Major then sent word to commanding general not to open fire as the Mayor had surrendered the town. The Mayor and Major Fay then got into a carriage and pushed the white flag out of the back win- dow. A colored man was on the box. He started and we all fell in behind and proceeded on the Halifax road until we came to some woods where the road ran on both sides. It looked to me like a picnic ground. We stayed there a short time, when we were ordered to fall in ; then our chase commenced after Lee. FIRST NBJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 411 Appendix I. Notes from the Life of Major David Hatfield. Newark, N. J., Oct. 21st, 1910. Born, October 20th, 1830. Died at Elizabeth, N. J., July 30th, 1862, from wounds received in action at Gaines' Mill, Va., June 27th, 1862. Born in Elizabeth, his ancestors being- among the first settlers there in 1638, since which time they were always ready and will- ing to give of their time and energy for the advancement of State and country, serving in the Revolutionary War, the War of 181 2, and he himself a private in Company G, Tenth In- fantry, during the Mexican War. Governor Olden, who was then the Governor of the State, said that the Major was the first man of the State to enroll his name for the volunteer service for three years, or during the war. The proclamation of President Lincoln reached Eliza- beth, N. J., at 7 A. M., and by 8 A. M., Mr. Hatfield had en- rolled several, with his own name at the head of the list. On May i6th, 1861, while marching to the station to take the train for Trenton, the company was halted in front of No. 165 Broad street, when a sword and sash was presented to Captam Hatfield by the citizens of Elizabeth by Mr. C. C. Suydam. On presenting the sword Mr. Suydam said: "Captain David Hatfield, your fellow-citizens are desirous, upon this, the eve of your departure for service in your country's great and just cause, to present you with some substantial token of their appreciation and high esteem. In furtherance of this object they have caused to l3e prepared this sword and this sash, and they request, through me. your acceptance of the same. We are confident, sir. that in bestowing this sword upon you we are intrusting it to no unwilling or doubtful hand, and that wherever glory and honor are to be achieved, there will the name of David Hatfield be enrolled. We have no fear for the safety of our glorious 412 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Stars and Stripes when committed to your care. I need scarcely say to you, sir, that in all your wanderings, in the support of that flag, wheresoever you may go, whatsoever you may do, amid your privations and hardships and amid your triumphs, those whom you leave behind here will, with anxious interest, watch your career, and be most ready to bestow upon you your full measure of approbation and reward. "Accept then these, sir, as an earnest of the full confidence and esteem of your fellow-citizens of Elizabeth, both for your- self and your noble command." Captain Hatfield seemed much affected on receiving this token of regard, and said in response, that he felt that he was going forth to battle in the cause of Divine Right, and that so long as he had a right hand to hold it he would wield it in defense of his country. He touchingly requested that when those present knelt at the family altar they would remember his command. When they gathered in the Sanctuary they would see vacant seats, and asked to be remembered there, as also in the Sabbath School. After expressing gratitude tO' his friends and neigh- bors he bade them farewell and the company then marched on. — (Extract from Letter.) Company A, First Regiment Volunteer Infantry left Eliza- beth May i6th, 1861, for Trenton, N. J., arriving there at 1 145 P. M. We were received by one of the finest companies with a full band and were escorted through the main street to the State House, thence to the arsenal. May 17th left the arsenal and pitched camp just opposite the State prison. I am superin- tending the pitching of tents, and by night expect the men all in camp with guns, knapsacks, equipments, &c.. all ready for house- keeping in the field. Headquarters at Trenton House. Camp Olden, May 26th (Sunday). Rev. Proudfoot. of Xew Brunswick, Chaplain of the Second Regiment, tendered his ser- vices, which were accepted by me. He preached a good sermon (text, Exodus, 14th Chapter), "Speak to the people that they go forward." In the afternoon a sermon from the same text by a Trenton pastor ; f ullv one thousand present. I offered the prayer at both services. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 413 Health good. George Halstead, my valet, has decided to go home; I have in his place a smart colored youth, twenty-one years of age. Our colonel was thrown from his horse this A. M. He is as brave as a lion. May 27th. Weighed down with the care and responsibility .)f furnishing comfort for my command. Our three regiments re- viewed by the Governor on Friday; expect to move nn to Wash- ington. Camp Monmouth, June 30th (Washington, D. C). The enemy lies within a few miles of us. Our camp ground is owned by a slave owner; has some thirty slaves. The house in which he lives is within a stone's throw of our camp. Camp Monmouth, July 2d. Crossed over into Virginia, three miles beyond Arlington Heights, to see the troops. They were well. The enemy is but a short distance away. We expect sharp fighting in a few days. I am happy to report that we are ail ready and willing to fight. Leaving the camp, rode on to Alexandria. A more desolate place I do not wish to see. The men have gone to join the Secession Army. As I rode through the streets I noticed my presence to be obnoxious to the people. Stopped at the house where Ellsworth fell three stories from the roof which formerly flew the secession flag, but which now floats the beautiful Stars and Stripes. Took my horse on a small steamer and returned to Washington. Camp Monmouth, July 3d. This afternoon our three Xew Jersey Regiments were reviewed by the President. At 3 o'clock P. M. we left our encampment for the White House, a distance of two miles; passed in review^ before the President. .Mr. Lincoln looked well and pleasant ; the regiments looked well and marched fine, but I am happy to say that the First Regiment was the largest one out by odds and their marching the best. We have 75.000 noble troops here not pressed into service, but volunteers, eager and ready for the fight. Why the Rebels hold back is a mystery, unless they are waiting for us to advance. They are carrying on an Indian warfare, lying in the bushes shooting off our pickets : two can play the same game. Camp Monmouth, July 6th. Between eleven and twelve P. M. last night, camp was thrown into great excitement by the firnig 27 F B 414 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. of a number of guns. The long roll was beat upon the drums and the battalion formed in short order. It turned out to be a shot from one of our sentries at a man who refused to answer when hailed. He made off as fast as his legs could carr}^ him. After being out one hour, we returned to quarters to sleep, with one eye open. Such is a soldier's life. July /th. Was introduced to President Lincoln. Was soon convinced that he was a very plain man and a perfect gentleman. Witnessed the firing of a battery attached to Governor Sprague's Rhode Island Regiment. They threw bombs down. the Potomac a distance of four miles. Our chaplain preached in the open woods from the 42d Psalm, text, "More Hope in God." Weather very hot; can wring our shirts out every day. One week ago sent a bundle of clothes to a colored woman to be washed; they have not been returned. We do not live as pleas- antly here as at Camp Olden ; however, we can bear all necessary hardship for the sake of our country. July loth. Still in camp expecting orders to move across the river into Virginia. Yesterday I visited both houses of Congress and listened to a part of two secession speeches, which made my blood boil ; the one in the Senate by Mr. Johnson, of Tennessee, and the other in the House by Mr. Vallandigham, of Ohio. Vallandigham was burned in effigy a day or two ago. while visiting one of the Ohio camps, and had to leave in a hurry for fear of being burned himself. Last night our regiment was turned out twice on false alarms. The regiment was formed in five minutes after the drum beat. Have just received orders from General ]\Iansfield to act as officer of the day. \n the woods near Roache's Mill, July 13th. General Mans- field on the nth instant ordered my command to cross the river, and we are now in the woods with axes, at work making a clear- ing to watch the enemy. Bailey's Cross Roads, July 15th. Orders received to guard the road from Arlington Alills to Bailey's Cross Roads, a distance of five miles. Rode out the Vienna road three miles to Falls Church, where the Ohio troops were fired upon by a masked battcrv and a number killed. FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 415 Vienna, July i8th. After being- forty-eight hours at l^.ailey's Cross Roads, was ordered to return to camp, expecting to ha\ e a good rest, but at 3 130 A. AI. was called and ordered to march at 6 A. M. for Vienna, a distance of thirteen miles, to occupy the place or go forward if necessary to join issue with the rebels. We took the town without any loss of life, and Fairfax Court House yesterday without the firing of a gun. The rebels were drawn up in line of battle, but when they saw our forces thev took to their heels and ran away. Our troops burned and de- stroyed Germantown, about two miles from the Court House, a secession hole laid in ashes. My quarters are at the foot of the hill where stood the masked battery that played such sad havoc among the Ohio boys. Arlington Heights, July 23d, 1861. I will now give you a short history from Sabbath morning last. At about eight o'clock in the moirning we received orders from General Runyon to march immediately to Centreville, with the First and Second Regiments, to join General McDowell's division, who had al- readv opened fire upon the enemy. We commenced making preparations at once, and by noon we were on our way. When within about four miles of Centreville we met a number of citi- zens and soldiers who gave us conflicting reports of the battle then raging. Colonel Montgomery, \yishing to learn all he could from the field of action, sent me forward to gather information. I put spurs to my horse and went forward. I had not gone more than a half mile when I saw United States regulars, mounted citizens, soldiers and baggage wagons coming thundering down the hills. I rode' on a little further and found that they were coming thicker and faster, and a more frantic set of people I never saw. Tliere seemed to be a perfectly wild panic among them. Some of them were bareheaded, and the hair standing on their heads. Shovels, spades, axes, bags of oats, boxes of hard bread- in short, all kinds of army stores — were flying out of the wagons. The scene was fearful to contemplate, for everything was in the wildest disorder. A gentleman came running up to me and lifting np both hands, exclaimed, "For God's sake stop them, there is no cause for tWs panic." I turned my horse and gave him the spurs and went flying back to the right of our regiment. 416 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. On my arrival I told Colonel Montgomery to draw up the lines across the road in order to stop their wild retreat, which he did immediately, and such a job as we had to stop those frantic men. We were compelled to draw our swords and pistols and also to charge bayonet on them, and in some instances we had to threaten to shoot them before they would turn back, not only the soldiers but the officers as well, and when they found that we were determined to stop them, some of them jumped from their horses, others who were on foot threw away their guns and over- coats, and started across the fields and through the woods. Some of them we headed off and brought them back. After a long and tedious struggle we arrived at Centreville just at dark. Long before we arrived at Centreville we could hear the cannon roaring, but now it has ceased. When we entered Centreville the moon was shining brightly, but clouds soon gathered over llie sky, and it became quite dark. We groped our way along into a large field and halted the men until we could find some general officer to learn what disposition was to made of us. Otir Colonel rode away to General McDowell's quarters and had a short interview with him. He told him to take the Second Regiment with him and get as good a position as he could for the night, but when the Colonel came to look for Colonel McLean and his regiment he found that thev were missing. On inquiry he learned that they had marched almost to Centreville. when Colonel Mc- Lean showed the white feather and swore that he was not going to have his men killed. So he wheeled his regiment about and started back towards Vienna. He marched back two or three miles to a point near Germantown and there halted for the night. Our Colonel came back and said. "We must seek a place not so much exposed to the enemy in case they should be in condition to pursue us," so we moved to the lo\ver end of the village just beyond a small church, which was filled with wounded and dying, in order to protect them in case of an attack. Colonel Montgomery and myself rode away to see General McDowell and get further information and instructions. After riding about a mile we found the camp-fires all d}-ing out and the General could not be found. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 417 We went on a little further and found two or three regiments drawn up in line ready to move off. We rode up to the right of the Ijne and found one of the colonels and asked him what he was doing. He said that he was retreating to Fairfax Court House. I said to him, "Have you official orders to that effect ?" He said he had, so we watered our horses at a brook near by and started back for our regiment. Immediately on our arrival we formed our men in line and marched in retreat, feeling that it was rather unsafe to attempt to hold Centreville alone. We felt very much worried on leaving so many wounded to the mercy of the rebels, but could do no better. There was but one surgeon to take care of four or five houses full of wounded. Our own surgeon went in to help what little time we were there, and amputated some fourteen legs, be- sides a number of arms and fingers, and also extracted a number of balls. There was still a great deal of work to be done and nobody to do it, for the surgeon who was there said that he would not stay there alone all night, and fall into the hands of the rebels, so our own surgeon volunteered to stay with him, and we are very much afraid that he has been captured by the rebels. We journeyed on and overtook the retreating column about two miles out of Centreville, and covered their retreat as far as Fair- fax Court House. A short distance beyond this we turned off toward Arlington Heights while many others went on to Alex- andria. We arrived at the Heights goon after noon, almost dead with exhaustion. We marched from Simday until Monday afternoon, a distance of forty miles, without sleep or rest, and no refresh- ment except dry bread and water. I sat in my saddle for thirty hours and I became so exhausted that sometimes I laid my head upon the neck- of my horse and dropped into a doze, but my poor horse suffered more than I did, for he had not a mouthful to eat except a few corn-leaves. He looks as though he had been drawn through a not-hole, and his back is chafed in a number of spots, and a number of lumps on his back also, and, to crown it all, it rained all day on Monday. This is what they call a forced march ; for twenty-five miles we were not allowed to halt. 418 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. With regard to the battle more can be learned from the New York papers than I can tell you. However, I will say this, that the retreat was a disgraceful one, the tettle was fearful, and a very large number was killed and wounded on both sides. I suppose that it will be some time before we go forward again,, as many of the regiments have to be re-organized and the army re-enforced. July 24th. My heart was gladdened at the sight of David Richardson ; he stayed all night with me. This morning he ac- companied me to Arlington Mills, four miles distant. Camp Princeton, near Arlington Heights, July 27th ( Satur- day). Last night we were turned out at half-past twelve, but the alarm was false. We fear an attack of the rel^els who are but a short distance from us. I do not anticipate any such thing. We have two large forts here, Fort Runyon and Fort Albany, besides 50,000 troops. The rebels cannot drive us across the river into Washington. Camp Princeton, August 4th. After ten days of comparative quietness, our orders are to march to a place called Cloud's Mills, about eight miles from here and four miles beyond Alexandria. The First. Second and Third Regiments (New Jersey troops), together with one company of artillery. Green Battery, and one company of cavalry, are to form a brigade under General Kearny We are all to meet at Coud's Mills. This time we will be in the advance, instead of the reserve, and perhaps ere long we will smell gimpowder. August 5th. In front of my quarters the Parade Ground is filled with wagons, ready to move us. They have just driven in. We are to have thirty-five wagons. Edge Hill, Va., August 6th. W^e left Camp Princeton yester- day morning about 10 o'clock and arrived here about dusk. We are now stationed on the outposts, there being no regiments beyond us. Should there be any fighting, we must take a hand in it, but it is my opinion that there will be nothing done but scout- ing for a month to come, but in this I may be mistaken. This morning at half after three, the long roll was beat upon the drums, when the regiment was immediately formed into line of battle. After waiting alx)ut an hour it began to be good FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 419 daylight and no rebels to be seen, so we retired to our quarter^ again. Edge Hill, August 12th, 1861. Just received orders fron? General Kearny to send all the men that I can spare down to the Second Regiment to assist in getting their wagons up the hill. and tO' send two companies down on the plain below to bivouac for the night. Seminary Bldgs., three miles west of Alexandria, August 25th, 1861. Yesterday afternoon a captain of the Twenty-fifth New York, stationed near Bailey's Crossing, wished to go out beyond the pickets, notwithstanding the warnings of the pickets to the contrary. So two of the cavalry belonging to our Brigade who were on picket duty at the Crossing volunteered tO' go with him. They had ridden but a short distance towards Falls Church when they were fired upon by the rebel pickets from the woods, and one of the cavalrymen was shot through the head and drop- ped dead from his saddle. The captain was taken prisoner. The other cavalryman returned leading the horse with an empty sad- dle behind him. A flag of truce was sent up this morning and the body recovered. This afternoon it was buried just below the camp. August 27th, 6 : 45 A. M. Just returned from- a three hours' tour. This morning we were turned out at half after three, ordered to take twO' companies and march to the camp of the Third Regiment in order tO' assist them in case of an attack. Most of the regiment had gone out towards Bailey's Cross Roads. We had to trail through about half a mile of woods. I had to walk also as I had given a pass to my darkey reading thus (he being in the habit of getting drunk) : "Pass James Hollis, colored, to Alexandria and return. Should he be found drunk, please confine himi in the slave pen." Last night General Kearny sent out a battalion scouting. They went a little too far and fell in with the rebel cavalry, when the}- exchanged shots. Seminary Hill, August 30th, 1861. One thousand more men have arrived fromi New Jersey. We are still having lively times at the Cross Roads. A number of men were shot to-day on both sides ; none of our Brigade, however, was killed. The First Regi- 420 FIRST NBW JERSEY BRIGADE. ment was relieved for two or three days, but this afternooia Gen- eral Kearny sent an order for two companies to g-o up and join Colonel McLean, wlio had reHeved us. He is afraid to sta^- there alone. August 31st. Our men are all on duty cutting timber and building- a fort to be caled Fort Taylor, after the Colonel of the Third Regiment. Orders this morning- show that our Brigade with one other has been formed into a division under the com- mand of General Franklin. Seminary Hill, September 4th, 1861. General McClellan is getting the Army of "the Potomac in fine condition ; the strictest discipline is enforced in all its departments, ^^'e are building- two large fortifications, besides a long line of breastworks. City Council Chamber, Alexandria, Va., August 31st. So soon as I returned from Alexandria this afternoon the sad in- telligence struck my ear that some of the Xew Jersey Brigade had fallen at the Cross Roads. I learned that two were dead and four wounded. The cause of this was daring rashness on the part of Colonel Taylor. He started out this morning with a party of forty and went by the Cross Roads, notwithstanding he was warned by a guide at the crossing not to go, as a large party of rebels was just a little beyond, concealed, ready to pounce upon them. An accident brought the rebels to their feet (one of the party's muskets went off accidentally), and then the firing began. Colonel Taylor popped one over. However, he had no business there, from the fact that McClellan had forbidden our troops to provoke an attack, as we ^^•ere not quite ready. City Council Chamber, September 6th. Yesterday it rained all day. To-day it is very dull and lowering. No movement has yet been made on either side, but may be expected at any moment. September 7th. jMajor Hexamers' battery arrived here yesterday. They are attached to our Brigade. Seminary Hill, October i8th. Last night the Sergeant-Major of the Fourth New Jersey was shot dead by one of our own pickets. The picket challenged him at a distance of sixty yards with no answer to the challenge, and the picket leveled his mus- ket and shot him through the neck. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 421 Seminary Hill, October 24th. Orders received to take part of the First Regiment and march to a place called Little River Pike, a distance of seven miles and reconnoiter the place. Did not see a sign of the enemy. We arrived home at nine o'clock P. M. Seminary Hill, November 14th, 1861. Grand review to-day by General McClellan, 12,000 troops on the field. We were under arms from ten o'clock in the morning until 3 130 P. M. General Kearny tells me that his ambition is to have the best brigade in the sei-vice. Seminary Hill, November 20th, 1861. This has been a busy day with us and we had one of the grandest reviews that this country has ever seen, 60,000 troops, composed of infantry, cavalry and artillery. Mr. Lincoln and lady were there, also Secretary Chase. Being officer of the day I did not see it. •General Kearny sent for me in the morning and told me that there might be an attack from the enemy during the review, and, therefore, I must take my regiment with eight additional companies, and go to the outposts, that in case of an attack I must fight it out, and that the balance of the Brigade would join me as soon as posible. Fortunately the day passed off quietly, and we returned to camp at 6:15 in the evening. After the review General Kearny rode out to Edsall's Hill, where I was stationed to examine the picket line. After riding around and visiting them, he and I rode intO' camp together. Seminary Hill, November 22d, 1861. Our Brigade is on the advance, in fact nearly the whole Ai-my of the Potomac is on the advance. We form one continuous line from Leesburgh to Mt. Vernon, a distance of twenty miles. Our position is just in front of Alexandria, a city which the rebels would very much like to occupy, but as they are not good looking they can't come in. Our pickets are out six miles in advance of the regiment. Now and then the men go out foraging for grain, but the rebels are too sharp for them and they get cut off before they are aware of it. A few days ago a party of men near Vienna were gathering corn ; they stacked their guns and went some distance in advance of them, when some rebel cavalry came down sud- denly upon them and got between them and their muskets, and it was all up with them. The rascals have the advantage of 422 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. knowing the country better than we do, and that is a very great advantage. Seminary Hill, December 3d, 1861. The rebels captured fif- teen of our men at the skirmish at Annandale, while we captured but five of theirs. Two of our men were killed. Orders have come to move within a half hour. We take the cars for Burke's Station on the Orange and Alexandria R. R. Seminary Hill, December 5th, 1861. Last night at twelve o'clock. Colonel Taylor, of the Third New Jersey, with a detach- ment of fifty men, had a brush with a party of rebel cavalry be- yond Springfield. They went out the day before and lay in ambush for them, as they were known to pass that way in the night. They divided oft' into three parties ; the first was ordered to let the rebels pass, in case they came down the road. By and bye they came along, and when opposite the second party they blazed away at them, when they immediately turned to retreat, and slap went another volley into them from the first party, separating them in all directions. Eight of them were seen to fall from their saddles, two horses were killed, and two of them brought into camp. One orderly Sergeant was shot in the head. Colonel Taylor had one man killed and three wounded. The man killed was at Edsal's Hill with the pickets this noon. Col- onel McAllister was ordered to take two companies out at five o'clock this morning in order to strengthen the regular pickets, as the rebels were getting quite saucy and impudent. A few days ago some of Blenker's Dutchmen allowed the rebel scouts to pass right by them, and even saluted them supposing them to be our own troops. As soon as the rebels had passed, they turned about and ordered the Dutchmen to shoulder arms and forward march for the Court House, to the very great chagrin • of poor Germany. Seminary Hill, December 7th. First Brigade New Jersey with two others reviewed by Governor Morgan. Marched out at I 130, reviewed at four o'clock. General Kearny still quite sick, but improving. Lieutenant Jackson, one of the General's aides, has gone over to the headquarters of General Franklin to be on his stafY. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 423- Sabbath morning, December 8th. Colonel Torbert and I in- spected every man's musket. Company A had the dirtiest. Company I, of Hoboken, had about the same. Seminary Hill, December 27th, 1861. Quite a skirmish at Drainsville. The rebels admit that they were whipped pretty badly. Another good skirmish took place at the left, in which we were successful. The First Brigade commands the centre of the army. Seminary Hill, January i6th, 1862. Miss Dix, the soldier's friend, just drove up to my tent and asked to see Major Hatfield. I stepped out of my tent and into her wagon, which was very . much akin tO' an ambulance. She said, "Here is a bundle for you from the Ladies' Aid Society of New Brunswick. I have also a bundle of caps and mittens for the two companies from New Brunswick and some articles for the hospital. What shall I do with them?" I told her that I would send for Doctor Gor- don, Captain Way and Captain Fouratt, and they would see that they were properly distributed. My card read "For Major Hatfield from the Ladies' Aid Society," and contained a sleeping gown wadded with cotton. God bless the ladies. vSeminary Hill, January 26th (Sabbath). Rev. Dr. Camp, of the Fourth New Jersey, preached in the Chapel a good practical sermon. Dr. Aikman has just called at my tent tO' know if I had a Bible, as he wished to select a text. He selected the 26th verse of the ninth chapter of ist Corinthians. Hall's Cross Roads, March 9th, 1862. We have sent out scouts to reach Centreville, which is eight miles distant. We have a report this morning that the Grand Army of the Potomac is moving forward; look out for some big fighting soon. The sight of the enemy does not frighten our men. They seem eager for the fight. Our division is concentrating at Fairfax Court House in order to move toward Fredericksburg. Fairfax Court House, March nth, 1862. This morning our regiment was ordered to leave Centreville and return to the Court House. When out of Centreville about a mile w^e met General McClellan. Our regiment was drawn up and came to a present. As the General passed, cheer after cheer rent the air. The General took off his hat and smiled very pleasantly. Gen- 424 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. eral Franklin was with him. To-night we are lying in a large field surrounded by thousands of troops. Since Centreville and Manassas have been evacuated I should not be surprised if the whole program would be changed. I thought that we must fight, but the rebels have run. At Centreville there were quite a num- ber of fortifications ; on one I discovered a locomotive pipe, and in the distance it looked like a heavy gun. All their log and board huts were left standing. Centreville looks like a city of shanties. We have a rebel flag and an orderly sergeant belong- ing to a Louisiana regiment. We also found a black flag float- ing, but it was soon torn down. I wish to say that the New Jersey Brigade have shown themselves true blues. Seminary Hill, March i6th, 1862. In answer to a letter that had been received by the Major, he says: "You speak in your letter against General McClellan and ]\lr. Lincoln. The people that speak against them should have gags placed in their mouths. The Army of the Potomac has unbounded confidence in them. The people at home know but little about the management of a vast army. Perhaps when they read General McClellan's ad- dress to the soldiers at the Court House they will feel differently. I saw a skull of a New York Fire Zouave found in a rebel cabin at Manassas. It had on it the following inscription, "This is a skull of a New York Fire Zouave, killed at the battle of Bull Run Plains, July 21st, 1861. 'Sis Semper Tyrannis" (Thus may it always be with Tyrants)," the motto of the Virginians. We have a young contraband here from an Alexandria regi- ment, who says that the rebels actually sawed the skulls of our men in two and used them as drinking cups. He also says that they boiled the meat off their bones and sent them South as trophies. Some made finger rings out of them and wore them Tf these things do not make abolitionists, I do not know what will. Our motto, "Death to the Traitors." Seminary Hill, March 22d, 1862. Our division is to l3e the last one to leave Alexandria; we will not get oft' before Monday. It is a vast job to transport such a large army. There seems to be no end to the artillery and cavalry. General McClellan is to go down the river with i»ur division. General McDowell's army of which we form a part takes the FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 425 centre, which, to use a figurative expression, will be a boiling pot in an engagement. On board the Steamer Hero, three miles below Alexandria, lo A. M., Friday, April i8th, 1862. Left the wharf at 5 P. M. and dropped three miles down the stream, where w^e anchored for the night. We are waiting for a number of schooners loaded with horses and artillery which we are to take in tow. Our Brigade is loaded on four steamers, viz., First Regiment, Steamer Hero; Second Regiment, General Kearny and staff. Steamer Elm City ; Third Regiment, Steamer John A. Warner ; Fourth Regiment! Steamer Arrowsmith. We have in our fleet a nun?- ber of ocean steamers, one new one, the Constitution, a Pacific mail steamship. We have also the Ocean Queen and S. R. Spaulding. 12 : 45, we have just gotten under way, two large schooners in tow. i : 15 P- M. we are passing'Fort Washmgton on the Maryland shore, nearly opposite Mount Vernon. The band at the fort is discoursing sweet music as we pass by, soldiers on the rampart are cheering us loudly, our boys return it heartily. 1 : 30 P. M. all eyes are turned to the home and tomb of George Washington, while our band is playing a solemn dirge. ^ly heart swells and the tears press to my eyes while the thought rolls over my mind, it is a holy cause in which I am engaged. and no doubt if Washington were here his heart would be en- listed for the defense of that Union for which he so noblv fought and won. But he sleeps, and it is for us to preserve what he gained for us, a free, united and happy people. Six miles off Yorktown. Sabbath morning, April 20th, 1862. 9 A. M. We weighed anchor this morning at six o'clock, and steamed into the mouth of the Pequosin river. Our fleet is all here at anchor. We are but six miles from Yorktown, almost within gunshot of the enemy. We expect to land under fire. U so, there will be warm work. The enemy keeps up more or less firincr all the time. I do not know the number of our army here. but tt is upward of 200,000. H the enemy stands, it will be an awful fight. ■ The thing was done in a hurry : we then steamed out ot the Pequosin river into Pequosin bay. distance of two miles, where we anchored and are now lying. I suppose that by to-morrmv 426 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. nig-ht our whole division will be on its way somewhere, ]>ut just where I am not able to say to-night, but in all probability we shall go to North Carolina, land and march inland to cut off the retreating rebels, if possible. It is greatly to be deplored that we did not trap them at Yorktown, which would in all probability have ended the war ; but where the end is now God only knows unless we shall be successful in cutting off their retreat. If this cannot be done we must spend our summer in the South. Nfi doubt, if General McClellan had had his own way about the mat- ter the whole army at Yorktown would have been captured. I learn this afternoon that General McClellan left Alexandria with the distinct understanding that General McDowell's Corps D'Armee was to follow him', and get in behind Gloucester and cut off the retreat of the rebels while General McClellan shelled them out of Yorktown, when they would have been compelled to surrender; but instead of this, on his arrival here, he was in- formed that he could not have General McDowell's Corps D'Armee, as he had troops enough, but that General McDowell must take the line of the Orange-Alexandria railroad, and move on toward Fredericksburg in order to prevent the rebels from returning towards Washington. When General McClellan heard this he immediately tele- graphed to Mr. Stanton that he must have General Franklin's division. Mr. Stanton refused, when Mr. Lincoln then stepped in and said that he must have them, and that settled the matter. At this time, we were at Coltbell's Station, on the banks of Cedar Run. General McClellan had concluded to draw off two divisions from the left of his line and unite them .with ours for the proposed expedition in the rear of Gloucester, but upon ex- amination he found that the rebels had some 30.000 troops in front of his left, which made it impossible for him to do it. It seems that the rebels had anticipated this movement by throwing these troops on his left line. He then resolved to draw off one division and unite it with ours, but before this could be accom- plished the bird had flown, and the General's plans frustrated. No doubt many of the curs in the North will 1>e barking at McClellan's heels for letting the enemy slip from' him. but to such let me sav that GentM-al McClellan is not to blame, tor his FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 427 plans were laid admirably, and could- his plans have been carried out the traitors would have been captured in spite of everything. The responsibility rests with Mr. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, and not with General McClellan. We have ubnounded -confidence in him, and believe him to be a wise and skillful Gen- •eral and the right man in the right place. Virginia is now virtu- ally ours, and in a few days there will not be a rebel soldier on lier soil, but the Cotton States are yet to be brought to terms, and do doubt this will be a work of time, but the thing must and Avill be done. Let us wait patiently. On board the Hero off York Point, April 26th, 1862, 9:30 P. M. We left Hampton Roads with a schooner in tow at i P. M. Arrived here at 5 P. M. As we arrived, quite a number of wounded were brought in from the outposts. The enemy keeps up a constant cross fire, but the great battle is yet to come. Pequosin Bay, Va., May 4th, 1862. It is Sabbath morning, and I again sit down to write, but while I write I suppose that you are pondering over the startling news of the evacuation of Yorktown. It was sudden, but not altogether unexpected. It was but a few moments after I closed my letter this morning that the tidings broke on my ears that the rebels had run from Yorktown, leaving all their heavy guns behind, and large quan- tities of stores. In about an hour after we received the news we had orders to embark immediately, and in two hours more our regiment, camp equipage, horses, etc., were on board the Hero. West Point, Va., May 8th, 1862, 5 :30 P. M. On Tuesday morning we received orders tO' leave Yorktown at 9 o'clock. At the appointed hour, the anchor was weighed, and at 10 o'clock we steamed up the York river to its head, which is at West Point. We arrived about the middle of the afternoon. One of our open boats began to throw a shell or two occasionally into the woods to feel for the rebels, but no response could be drawn from them. General Newton's Brigade was thrown forward into the woods, and soon heavy firing began along our lines. Four companies from each regiment throughout the division were detached for what is called a grand guard to be stationed at various places around the battlefield in order to watch the 428 fIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. movements of the enemy. These were under the command (jf Colonel Torbert, so that it left six companies of our regiment in command of Colonel McAllister. Our regiment was ordered to take the right of Upton's battery and support it. At lo o'clock our battery began to open fire, the gunboats in the river did the same. The sight and sound were grand and awful, "bombs bursting in air, gave prcKjf tiirough the day that our flag was still there." The roar of musketry now became terrific, and the more so because of its being in a dense forest. Our lines were driven back a number of times in consefpience of superior numbers of the enemy and their knowledge of the country. Dead and wounded now^ began to be brought in out of the w^oods in numbers. T looked upon them with stoic in- difference, not because my heart was hard or unfeeling, but because I was determined not to be moved by anything until the enemy of my country were dri\en back and their victorv ours. Our regiment had been at the right of the battery but a short time when we were ordered to advance into the woods and sup- ])ort the New York Thirty-first. Colonel Pratt of the Thirty- first suggested that two companies of our regiment be tiirown out to the right in order to prevent the enemy from turning our right flank. We moved along a line of fence running througli the woods; our forces had l)cen twice (h'iwn hack of the fenci.'. General Franklin sent word to us that that fence must be held. and hold it we did. The left of our regiment began to fall back by order of C(4onel McAllister to the fence, the right began lo do the same, wlicn T screamed out to them to stand fast and hold that hill. The Ijoys did not attempt to move back, but kept up the fire. The firing began to die away, and it was evident that the enemy was retreating. The fight lasted six hours. Our loss is about two hundred killed and wounded. On Thursday morning, at 3 :30, we were all under way again. At 4 o'clock we moved forward in search of the enemy, but found liini retreating. Al)out liall' a mile in advance of where we lay all night was a deep marshy swamp. On the opposite bank were the forsaken camp fires of the enemy. On our side of the swamp we discovered quite a number of our dead. 'I'he first man that we diseo\cred lav with his face in tlie mud: on FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 429 tnrnino- him over we found that he had not only been shot but his throat cut. I saw with my own eyes a number of men that had been bayoneted after they w^ere shot. We moved along- the marsh, and the next that we saw was a corporal, who lay with his hand under his head; evidently he had lived some little time after being wounded. A little further on we found five all lying near together with their canteens beside them. A good story is told of General Kearny when in pursuit of the rebels from Yorktown to Williamsburg. His cavalry did not move fast enough to suit him. and he began to swear at them, saying that his old Jersey Brigade could go faster on foot than they when on horseback. Our general was in a hurry and excited. Our cavalry are out this morning, and we may move at any moment. We are now within thirty-five miles of Richmond. Our division is in the advance and have been for three days. White House, New Kent County, Va., May 13th, 1862. At 7 o'clock we received orders to move immediately, and at 8 o'clock we are in motion. We marched to Cumberland, thence to the White House, where the railroad crosses the river, the bridge as usual burned by the rebels. The farm on which we are stopping belongs to the second son of General Lee. It consists of 6,000 acres. It is now twenty minutes to eleven and we have orders to march at 3 A. M. We must turn out at two o'clock. A rebel flag of truce comes in, brought by Lieutenant Beine, aide on the staff of General Stewart. He came within our lines to get a lady living near the Court House. The officer was detained all night, and the next day I had quite a talk with him. He seemed full of fight. White House, May 14th, 1862. One thousand five hundred prisoners came in and gave themselves up to General Franklin. It seems that they were concealed in the woods, and on Tuesday night our two regiments, First and Second, with one battery, spied them in the woods, and cut off their retreat. After re- maining there until hunger drove them out they came and gave themselves up. The government has seized all the stock on this farm, consisting of 2,000 head of horses, cattle, hogs, sheep, &c. Chaplain Yard bought a sheep from the confiscating quarter- master this afternoon. 28 F B 430 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. White House, May 17th, 1862. Major Williams, of the Sixth Regular Cavalry, is placed under a strong guard for communi- cating with the enemy. This Major Williams and Lieutenant Beine, who came in with the flag of truce, were bosom friends l:)etore the war. While in conversation with Lieutenant Beine he asked where Major Williams was. ^lajor Williams desired to have his whole command captured by the enemy, but in this he was foiled, and is now in safe custody. White House, May i8th, 1862. Orders have come to march at 4 o'clock in the morning. It means go. and that towards Rich- mond. Near Tunstall's Station, May igth. 1862. To-night we sleep within eighteen miles of Richmond ; one good day's march would bring us there, but in all probability Jeff Davis will invite us to halt. Cold Harbor, May 22d, 1862. We got under wav yesterday morning at 9 o'clock and arrived here at four in the afternoon, a distance of seven miles. The fact that the advance had to fix the roads and mend the bridges is what took us so long. Our wagons did not arrive until 9:30 P. M., so that we had neither dinner nor supper, but we had some liard crackers which answered the purpose very well. On the Chickahominy, seven miles from Riclimond. June ist. 1862. Another Sabbath has nearly closed and I am still spared in health and strength. The day has passed amid scenes of ex- citement. The loud roar of cannon has l)een thundering' about my ears. Fighting commenced dtnvn along the left of our lines at an early hour this morning, the enemy fleeing before our fire, but it was nothing compared to yesterday's fighting. Our artil- lery was drawn up in line at an early hour this morning and com- manded the opposite banks of the Chickahominy. Early this morning a rebel battery opened fire upon one of our batteries just in front of our camp; two of their shots fell in front of the battery, the balance falling short. A\'e had about eighty guns in position on the north l)ank of the stream. We could distinctly see the troops and wagon trains passing on the opposite side and quite a number of shots were fired into them. Our troops have been busv building bridges all day across the river under cover of our ouns. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 431 General McClellan sent up a despatch from the left of the line saying that the commands of Porter and Franklin would not move across the river but to hurry up the bridges. There are three corps now across the river, viz.. Keyes', Heintzelman's and Sumner's : two yet remain to cross. Porter and Franklin. Our troops acted nobly in the fight yesterday and to-day, excepting Casey's division, which ran away. General Kearny fired into them and drove them back.. It would not be at all surprising to see them fight like tigers the next time that they are brought into action. That was the case with some of the troops in the INIexican war. I suppose that there is great excitement in the North to-nig'ht, but we are as cool as cucumbers and eager for the fight. General McClellan telegraphs from the left of the line that the number of killed and wounded is heavy on both sides. This evening, at 6 ijo, we had a very pleasant service, the whole regiment being formed in a square, two hymns, two^ prayers and a few remarks. We could hear the rebels rimning cars all night. \\t suppose that they were carrying off their dead and wounded. No doubt Richmond has been a city of weeping and mourning to-day. and the infernal leaders tremble in their shoes. They must know that thev cannot stand before the well-fed. well- clothed and well-disciplined soldiers of the North. June 4th. Yesterday evening things were quite lively about here; the rebels run out a cannon from the woods just opposite us on the hill and opened fire upon us. The balls were well directed ; one of them came right into the Fourth Regiment camp, while another struck within a few feet of our battery, in front of the camp. Our battery immediately replied and threw their shells right among the rebels and they ran for the woods. Mechanicsville, June 7th, 18162. \\'e did not get awa}- from our old camp until about noon, and arrived here about two. \A'e had to pich our camp in the woods, on the same ground that the Ninety-sixth Pennsylvania occupied. The ground was perfectly filthv. We set about to clean it up ; there must have been at least fifty loads of dirt. Our camp is just alongside of the main pike at Richmond, the distance to the city being just five miles. Our ])ickets are within four miles of the city. At 2 : 30 this morning we had all to turn out and stand under arms until good daylight. 432 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. We shall have to do this every morning so long as we are here in the extreme right and exposed to a sudden attack of the enemy any moment. Lying on the outposts is hard business, but highly necessary. Some must be in the advance, in fact, the true soldier craves the position, it being the post of honor. Fair Oaks, June 19th, 1862. Orders came to march as soon as the Fourth New Jersey could be relieved from picket duty by a regiment of McCall's Division. We got under way soon after breakfast and marched nearly back to Cold Harbor, thence to the right and crossed the Chickahominy some two miles below New Bridge, thence up the stream to Fair Oaks which is at the foot of the lines. We now have our position in the line ready for the advance on the rebel city. Our march to-day was a hard one through a broiling sun. We did not arrive here until 6 o'clock this evening, yet we did not march over ten miles. We found our division all over when we arrived. The heavy firing of yesterday was a battle very near the spot where v^-e are encamped to-night ; the rebels came out and made the attack, but were sorely defeated. Fair Oaks, June 26th, 1862. Another severe day of bloodshed has passed and I am still in the land of the living. Yesterday at 1 1 A. M. we went forward and at 1 1 : 30 we moved off to the left, about ^ quarter of a mile on a line with the York River railroad, where we lay until about eight o'clock last evening. Our Brigade was in the Third line and consequently was not in the fight at all. Heavy firing was kept up from right to left of the entire line all day and a considerable of last night, the heavi- est firing being on the left in Hooker's and Kearny's divisions. Brave fellows fell yesterday; one fine-looking young lieutenant of the Nineteenth Massachusetts was carried by our regiment. He was shot through the heart. The Nineteenth Massachusetts lost heavily. They marched into the woods, delivered their fire at the rebel pickets when a rebel regiment rose up from behind an ambush and delivered a deadly fire and then ran. In a few minutes the Nineteenth lost in killed and wounded forty-five. At one time our batteries, just in front of where we lay, opened a brisk fire on the rebels. We began to think that our turn was near at hand. biU the rebels ran and were kept hack by the roar FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 433 of the artillery. It was reported that we lost in killed and wounded about four hundred. Fair Oaks, June 27th, 1862. The last two days have been full of hardship and toil. Yesterday we were detailed to go out at seven o'clock in the evening in order to protect a working party in the wheat fields of which I spoke a day or two ago. The working party consisted of about one regiment, the First Ne^^■ Jersey, and the Second Vermont as a guard. We went out to throw up earthworks. All night long we had to be up, as the enemy was within gun-shot of us and we were not allowed to speak much above a whisper. I was on my feet nearly the whole night, and until 6 o'clock this morning. We threw up earthworks about three hundred yards long. I reckon the rebels were S(;>mewhat surprised when daylight had revealed what we had done. So soon as we got to camp orders came to march immediately to the support of Porter at Mechanicsvillc, as the enemy had attacked. However, we got no further than the Chickahominy when the firing ceased, so we halted and lay there in the broiling sun until 1 1 o'clock and then returned to camp. As I wrote the last word on the preceding page an order came from General Slocum to march immediately. This time it was to the rear in order to get out of the way of bomb shells which were flying- through our camp and bursting over our heads. It is now 3 P. M. The rebels were undoubtedly shelling the earth- works which we built last night. General McClellan sent a despatch through the camp stating that we were driving thq enemy before us, and such a roar of cheering as went up from right to left of the army I never heard before; bands also com- menced playing, a thing that has not occurred for a long time before. Orders have just come to march again; I am almost Avorn out. but I must go. I think that we shall get a fight by and by. These are the last lines penned by the Major, as he was mor- tally wounded the very afternoon of the day that he wrote the above; the letter, unfinished, came home with his efTects.' The fight that he spoke of was his last. He fell in the path of duty. 434 FIRST XE]V JERSEY BRIGADE. At Library Hall, Elizabeth, on the evening- of July 4th, i(S64, the flag that had been presented to Company A by the ladies, on leaving for the seat of war, was returned to them, after being lx)rne through three years of service, the remnant of the Com- pany that had returned being seated on the platform by ^^r. William J. Magie. Mr. Magie spoke as follows: Ladies of Elizabeth, three years ago, on the i6th of May, last, 1 was honored by being invited by some of your number on your behalf to present a National Flag to a company of men jusl then enlisted and about to depart to the seat of war. The survivors of that company, few in number, having l)onie the vicis- situdes of a three-years' campaign, have done me the honor to request me to return that same flag to you. Permit me to say in the hearing of this audience, that the compliment the}- thus pay you is richly deserved, to say nothing of the toil and labor you have given from week to week in the collection of articles for the comfort and benefit of the soldiers in camp and hospital, and of which this room and this day shows another proof there are those among you, and I am sure I need not mention their names, who have canonized themselves already in the hearts of these men. They have cared for their wives and children when they were away, have nursed their sick comrades when in the hospital, have sat by their dying beds, and when they were dead, have found a quiet resting place for their honored remains and given them a respectable burial. All honor to them, their work has been quiet and has not received any fitting recognition, but speaking in the name of these men. T tell you, ladies, that they can never and will never forget you. and they hope that the reward which you all feel in the consciousness of well doing in vour own hearts may be doubled and re-doubled when the Great Captain calls His muster. This Flag has but little history of a personal character: the company to which you gave it was connected with the First Regiment of the New Jersey Volunteers and to each of our regiments the State of New Jersey has given a three-years' resfimental colors. W'lien. however, this req-iment left New FIRST XBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 435 Jersey, the regiment colors were not prepared, and for five or six months the flag you gave the company was carried as the regimental colors, and thus it happened that this was the first one of the Stars and Stripes to be carried through Baltimore after the 19th of April, when the mob of that city, drunk with secession, rage and fury, had barred the passage of the Massa- chusetts regiment and spilled the first Union blood in this re- bellion. This Flag, at the head of the First Regiment, went through lanes of scowling, defiant faces, among men that would gladly have returned their attack upon them as they had upon the Massachusetts men, but who^ knew^ that there were 1,000 loaded muskets, and 1,000 Jersey boys behind them. Thank God,, this was not the last of the Stars and Stripes that Baltimore has seen passing through her streets. So it happened that being carried as the regimental color, it was the first colors of any reg'iment that enlisted for the three years' service, which was carried over the long bridge and planted on Virginia soil. It w^as carried on the battlefield of Bull Run, and shortly after, their regimental colors having been received, it was returned to the company which have carried it with them through all their marches and campaigns. When you presented them this flag three years ago there were ninety-eight men and three company officers composing it. I hold in my hand the original muster roll of that company, but if I would call over the names now, whence would come the response? Of the original number, twenty-seven have returned to their homes, eleven have re-enlisted (in the language of one of their number) to^ stand out still for the flag, our Union and our government. Some have been discharged, some have been promoted, but where are the rest? We strain our ears and we call their names toward the lonely graves down on the peninsula, and upon the slopes of the Alleghanies, but no answer comes back to us. No, because they have answered to the higher roll call, and these, their comrades, must, when we call their names, answer, "died on the field of battle." Of the company officers not one who left this city has returned. Resignations, promotion, discharge or death have removed them all. When I presented this flag to this company it was given into the hands 436 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. of their Captain, David Hatfield. He was soon promoted to be Major, but shortly after wounded and came home to die, now lies in our quiet cemetery. It is not necessary for me to speak his praise, but I could not say anything about this com- pany without mentioning- his name. Governor Parker, who was then Governor of the State, told me that he was the first man in the State of New Jersey, after Sumter was fired upon, and the flame of war flashed over the country, who came to him and said, "I will raise you a company to defend the country." He was struck down while in the prime of life and left, I believe, but one sentiment in this community, that of sincere respect, for his patriotism and braver}-. I wish that I could go through the list of this company and tell you how and where the dead have fallen, but the time alloted me will not permit it. This company has been on nineteen fields of battle, has been under fire in almost all of them, and has been actively engaged in fourteen of the bloodiest and most desperate battlefields the world has ever seen. Upon their flag you may read their names. When I gave this company this flag on your behalf, I en- joined them to bring it back unsullied and untarnished. They do now bring it back to you, and ask you if they have not ful- filled your injunction. To you, ladies, is the sacred charge en- trusted in the hope that you will find some public fitting place where it will be hung, and where they can come and show it to their children with honorable pride, and where the lessons of patriotism that it teaches may not be lost. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 437 Appendix J. List of those who were Killed or Died of Wounds. First Regimen.t. Colonel Mark W. Collet, killed, Salem Heights. Major David Hatfield, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Company Al Corporal Peter Brobson, color guard, killed. Wilderness. Private Ithamer M. Belmer, killed, Gaines' Farm. Marty Cavanagh, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. John Eckard, killed, Gaines' Farm. Tho'S. Gitzgerald, killed, Fredericksburg. Michael Kain, died of wound, Gaines' Farm. Joseph Merrick, died of wounds, Wilderness. John V. Miller, killed. Second Manassas. Jordan Silvers, killed on picket near Alexandria, 1861. Uzal Trowbridge, killed, Gaines' Farm. Hezekiah B. Welton, killed, Gaines' Farm. ConDpany B. Sergeant William Snyder, died of wounds, Salem Heights. Private Daniel Bergen, killed, Middletown. Wm. H. Boun, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Barzilla H. Erickson, killed, Petersburg. Charles Melman, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. George Mendham, killed, Gaines' Farm. John O'Hara, died of wounds, in action. John H. Terhune, killed, Wilderness. Wm. B. Voorhees, killed, Spottsylvania. Peter Wyckoff, killed, Second Manassas. Wm. H. Williamson, captured and died of scurvy Andersonville. 438 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Co)npany C. Captain Ephraim Brevoster, killed, Gaines' Farm. First Lieutenant Lewis H. Thompson, died of wounds. Peters- burg-. Sergeant H. Hallman, killed. Wilderness. C<)r])oral John Fuller, killed, Gaines' Farm. C. H. Roberts, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. William Campbell, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Thos. Conover, killed, Spottsylvania. George Fields, killed, Fredericksburg. Pri\-ate Samuel W. Campbell, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. George W. Conover, died of wounds, Salem Heights. Thomas W. Cooler, killed, Spottsylvania. James Cox, killed, Crampton's Pass. Charles Exner, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. Albert Faver, killed. Wilderness. Arthur Foster, killed. Cold Harbor. Charles Hall, killed, Petersburg. William Hamilton, died of wounds, ^^'ildcrness. Thomas Jones, killed. Wilderness. George Langguth, killed. Wilderness. John Maley, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. John J. Perry, killed. Gaines' I'arm. John Price, killed. Slicker's Gap. Joseph Stafford, died of wounds. Spottsylvania. David B. Tappan, killed, Salem Heights. Company D. Sergeant Wilbur F. Lovel, died while prisoner of war. George W. Creveling, killed. Cold Harbor. C(>r])(iral ^^''inchestcr T. Bennett, killed. Gaines' Farm. Private Jose])h AUman, died of wounds, Second Manassas. Robert S. Beckwith. died of wounds. Second Manas- sas. Barnet Devlin, killed, Gaines' Farm. Tames Flood, killed. Gaines' Farm. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 439 Pri\ate John Ganu. killed, Gaines' Farm. William Georg-e, killed, Salem Heights. Benjamin Hartzell, died of wounds. Wilderness. John Hartzell, killed. Cold Harbor. Robert N. Hough, died of wounds, vSpottsylvania. Thomas Leonard, killed, Salem Heights. James Mallory, died of wounds, Wilderness. John Savior, died of wounds, Cold Harbor. Company B. Corporal John C. Zanders, died of wounds in action. Jacob Bertine, killed, Manassas, Frederick C. Schwarze, killed, Gaines' Mill. Henry K. Patten, died of wounds. Wilderness. Daniel Logan, killed, Petersburg. Private Georg-e Adams, killed. Wilderness. John Brown, killed, Crampton's Pass. Benjamin Budd, killed, Gaines' Mill. Albert Klingman, killed, Gaines' Mill. William Cook, killed. Second Manassas. John Dilks, killed, Crampton's Pass. Daniel Drig-gits. killed. Wilderness. James Gillespy, killed, Gaines' Farm. Joseph Groskinsky, died O'f wounds, Wilderness. Alexander McCaukly, killed, Gaines' Farm. Patrick Nolan, killed, Gaines' Farm. Charles P. Norton, died of wounds. Second Manas- sas, Alexander Oldham, killed, Gaines' Farm. August Schwaze, killed, Gaines' Farm. Charles Yeager, killed, Gaines' Farm. Company F. First Lieutenant Benjamin Moffett, killed, Wilderness. Sergeant Miles Carrigan, killed, Fredericksburg. Corporal Richard Barry, died of wounds, Fredericksburg. Private Price F. Blake, killed, SIpottyslvania. 440 . I'IRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Private Ambrose Boyce, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. James Burns, died of wounds. Gaines' Farm. John Carrow, killed, Gaines' Farm. Alexander Dobson, killed, Wilderness. George W. Hooker, died of wounds, Wilderness. John Morris, killed, Gaines' Farm. David B. S. Prall. died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. William Simcost, died of wounds. Wilderness. George W. Swan, killed. Cold Harbor. George Wilson, died of wounds, Cold Harbor. Company G. Captain Jacob D. Wyckoff, killed, Spottsylvania. First Lieutenant Carley Swan, killed. Wilderness. Color Sergeant Theodore F. Phillips, killed, Wilderness. Private Henr}- Clark, died of wounds, Petersburg. James H. Lilly, killed, Wilderness. William Lloyd, killed, Wilderness. William McDowell, killed, Gaines' Farm. William Meserole. killed, Gaines' Farm. Charles Perdren, killed, Fredericksburg. Charles Stout, killed, Gaines' Farm. Company H. Lieutenant Charles Seagraves, killed. Wilderness. Corporal Charles Graff, died of wounds in action. Private James Haggerty, killed, Wilderness. William Hatwell, killed, Gaines' Farm. Wilson H. Hoffman, killed. Second Manassas. George Homing, died of wounds, Salem Heights. Michael Alurphy, killed, Gaines' Farm. Joseph Purcell, killed, Gaines' Farm. James T. Wetmore, died of wounds. Salem H eighth FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 441 Company I. First Sergeant Allen H. Kirkham, killed, Gaines' Farm, Corporal Julius Houriette, killed, Crampton's Pass. Private Edward BuUerworth, died of wounds, Salem Heights, Kiren Campbell, killed, Crampton's Pass. George J. Kipp, died of wounds, Wilderness, Patrick McGourty, killed, Crampton's Pass, Company K. Captain Richard Foster, died of wounds, Spottsyhania. Corporal John A, Peer, died of wounds, Spottsylvania, James McGory, killed, Wilderness. John Whitten, killed, Spottsylvania. Private Robert Beam, killed, Petersburg, James H. Crane, killed, Wilderness. George Crawford, killed. Wilderness, Thomas G, Davis, killed, W^ilderness. John Fischer, killed. Second Manassas. Ernest Len, killed, Crampton's Pass, Jonathan P, Loree, died of wounds, Wilderness. R, J. McAdams, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm, Phillip Nicklas, killed, Gaines' Farm. Mortimer Roberts, died of wounds, Wilderness. Martin Sivers, died of wounds. Wilderness. William S. VanFleet, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. First Regiment carried on its rolls 1,397 officers and men. 442 FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. SEicx)ND Regiment. Colonel Isaac M. Tucker, killed, Gaines' Farm. Lieutenant-Colonel Charles \\'iebecke. killed Spotlsylvania Court House. Company A. Corpcral George W. Scarlett, killed, Salem Church. William H. Moore, killed. Second ^^ianassas. Private James Callender, killed, Crampton's Pass. David Chichester, killed. Wilderness. Jacob Christman, killed, Second Manassas. Charles C. Davis, killed. Second Manassas. Francis M. Ogden, killed, Second Manassas. William Van Horn, killed, Second Manassas, Bernard Waver, killed. Second Manassas. Charles V. R. White, killed, Spottsylvania. Henry \\'ilson, died of wounds. ]\Ialvern Hill. John A. W^o^bbe,. killed, Gaines' Farm. Company B. First Sergeant Chralse L. Keyte. killed. Wilderness. Private John W. Donnell, killed, Salem Heights. Jacob Smith, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. Henry Vanover. killed, Salem Heights. Company C. Cor])(>ral Hugh ]\IcMonagle, killed, Antietam. Isaac Ardill. killed, Charles City Cross Roads. Private Fenlon Kelly, died of wounds in action. Thomas Kendall, dieil of wounds, Crampton's Pass. James P. Lyndon, killed. Crampton's Pass. John ]\IcMonigle, killed, Crampton's Pass. Samuel Mellor, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. John II. Xicliols. died of woimds, Salem Heights. lohn Ta\lor. killed. Second Alanassas. FIRST NEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. 443 Company D. First Lieutenant Isaac H. Plume, killed, Second Manassas. First Sergeant Herman Dehmer, killed. Wilderness. Serg-eant William Kopcke, killed, Gaines' Mill. John J. Heller, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Corporal Charles Eichenberg-, killed, Gaines' Mill. Charles Huck, killed, Spottsylvania. Private George Enter, killed, Gaines' Farm. Michael Gruber, killed, Gaines' Farm. Christoph Herman, killed, Gaines' Farm. Bernard Konkle, killed, Gaines' Farm. August Mahr, killed, Gaines' Farm. John Seidenspinner, killed, Gaines' Farm. Phillip Tanner, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. Jacob Wendecker, killed, Crampton's Pass. Julius Woerwag, killed, Salem Heights. Daniel Zellweiger, killed, Spottsylvania. Company B. Corporal John C. Hensler, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Private William Schneider, killed, Laurel Hill. Herman Jansen, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass, Hugo Lehlbach, died of wounds, Wilderness. Conrad Reis, killed, Crampton's Pass. Company F. Sergeant Thomas J. Stephens, killed, Gaines' Farm. Private Jerry Carroll, killed, Crampton's Pass. Samuel Jackson, killed, Gaines' Farm. Jared Kennedy, killed, Gaines' Farm. William McVay, killed, Crampton's Pass. Jacob Packer, killed, Gaines' Farm. Henrv Swin, killed, Salem Heights. 444 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Company G. Captain William Bergen, died of wounds, Salem Heights. Corporal Frederick A. Curtis, killed, Salem Heights. Private Basil Dykes, killed. W'iUlerness. John Higgins, killed, Cheesman's Creek. Frederick H. Kronenberger, died of wounds, Fred- ericksburg. David C. Price, killed, Second ^Manassas. Company H. Captain Henry H. Callan, killed. Wilderness. Sergeant Joseph Sealy, killed, Gaines' Farm. Robert Seymour, killed, Salem Heights. Corporal George Somerville, killed, Crampton's Pass. Horace Smith, killed. Gaines' Farm. Private James L. Conklin. killed, Gaines' Farm. Joseph Dunn, killed, Gaines' Farm. John S. Hand, killed, Gaines' Farm. Henry W . Hundertfund. killed, Gaines' Farm. William McClure, killed. Gaines' Farm. George Morrison, killed, Gaines' Farm. Simon F. Wyman, killed, Gaines' Farm. Company I. Captain Charles Dansforth, Jr.. killed. Gaines' Farm. Private William H. Brooks, killed. Gaines' Farm. Sylvanus B. Burnham, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Geo. W. Davidson, killed, Gaines' Farm. Byron Lawton, killed, Crampton's Pass. William McCloud, killed, Crampton's Pass. Jacob Ott, killed, Wilderness. John C. Scott, killed. Spottsylvania. John Zabriskie, killed. Gaines' Farm. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 445 Company K. Captain Jacob Bogert, killed, Wilderness. Corporal Jesse Conover, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Giles R. Rendell, killed, Gaines' Farm. Private Emanuel Boudiette, killed, Crampton's Pass. Samuel Carroll, killed, Antietam. Albert Frederick, killed. Second Manassas. Andrew Hemberger, killed, Crampton's Pass. William Nalborough, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. John S. Skinner, died of wounds, Salem Heights. Daniel K. Vanderhoof, killed, Gaines' Farm. Washington Wilson, killed, Gaines' Farm. William H. Wise, died of wounds. Gaines' Farm. Total strength of Second Regiment, 2,198. Third Regiment. Company A. Sergeant Samuel C. Matt, killed. Fredericksburg. John R. Pedrick, killed, Fredericksburg. Corporal Henry J. Wamsley, killed, Spottsylvania. John D. Scott, killed, Fredericksburg. Joseph Downs, killed, Fredericksburg. Private Joseph T. Allen, killed, Spottsylvania. Charles Beatty, killed. Fredericksburg. John Boyce, killed, Gaines' Farm. James T. Caffrey, killed. Crampton's Pass. Henry T. Clark, killed, Gaines' Farm. William D. Clark, died of wounds, Wilderness. Michael Donnell, killed, Crampton's Pass. John Henthorn, killed, Spottsylvania. William Hewitt, killed, Spottsylvania. George Ostertack, killed. Gaines' Farm. Charles G. Zane, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. William F. Zane, died of wounds. Wilderness. 29 F B 446 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Coinpany B. First Lieutenant William X. Evans, died of wounds, Gaines* Farm. First Sergeant Howard S. Vandegrift. killed, Salem Heights. Corporal Arthur H. Merry, killed, Gaines' Farm. William Ross, died of wounds, Salem Heights. John K. Frankish, killed, Spottsylvania. William B. Smith, killed, Spottsylvania. Private Adam Adams, killed, Gaines' Farm. Edward Browning, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Allen Coull, killed, Gaines' Farm. James Hollingsworth, died of Wounds, Crampton's Pass. Lewis C. Hong, killed. Cold Harlx)r. Elwood Lock, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. John McLees, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Martin McNully. killed. Salem Heights, Stephen Tompkinson, killed in skirmish, near Burke's Station. Alexander J. Walker, died of wounds, Salem Heights Company C. Captain Daniel P. Buckley, killed. Gaines' Farm. First Lieutenant Richard A. Curlis. died of wounds, Spottsyl- vania. First Sergeant William H. H. Reed, died of wounds, Wilder- ness. Sergeant Iknjaniin A. Burr, killed. Second ^Linassas. Corporal Thomas B. Arey, killed, Gaines' Farm. Pri\ate William J. Ballenger, killed, Crampton's Pass. Stephen J. Butler, died of wounds. Gaines' Fann. William W. Miller, killed, Gaines' Farm. John Park, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Thomas S. Palmer, killed. Gaines' Farm. John Rogan. killed, Gaines' Farm. Sanuiel Wilson, killed, Salem HeiirlUs. FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. 447 Company D. Sergeant Robert Banghani, killed, Salem Heights. Corporal John W. Marvin, killed, Spottsylvania. Private William C. Bell, died of w^ounds, Salem Heights. Adam Drake, died of wounds, Salem Heights. William A. Hedden, died of wounds, Salem Heights. Lefferd Haughawout, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. William Moran, killed in action, Second Manassas. William A. Price, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Martin G. Savercool, killed, Gaines' Farm. James Schoonover, Jr., killed, Gaines' Farm. Charles A. Titsworth, died of wounds received in action. Company B. Sergeant James Leiper, killed, Wilderness. Richard M. Jackson, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Joseph Fie, killed, Spottsylvania. Corporal George L. Morse, killed, Gaines' Farm. George J. Macklin, killed, Spottsylvania. Private Joseph D. Haines, killed, Gaines' Farm. William F. Helmbold, killed, Spottsylvania. Robert W. Hopping, killed. Cold Harbor. Henry Oliver, killed, Gaines' Farm. William Purfie, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Geo. W. Rebum, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Jesse C. Ross, died of wounds, Manassas. John Schoppe, killed, Gaines' Farm. William Sutton, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. George W. Veriel, died of wounds. Cold Harbor. Benjamin Ware, died of wounds, Charles City Cross- roads. Thomas Wilby, killed, Gaines' Farm. James Williams, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. 448 FIRST XHIV JERSEY BRIGADE. Company F. Sergeant Sylvester W. F. Randolph, killed, Gaines' Farm. Corporal Enoch B. Pew, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Private Charles H. Bacon, killed, Crampton's Pass. Elias W. Blackson, died of wonnds, Gaines' Farm. Gideon W. Johnson, killed, Gaines' Farm. Thomas B. Keen, killed, Crampton's Pass. William F. Nichols, killed, Gaines' Farm. Henry B. Stockton, killed, Spottsylvania. John M. Tyler, died of wounds. Gaines' Farm. Company G. Second Lieutenant William C. Barnard, Kearny's Staff, killed, Williamsburg. Sergeant Theodore AlcCoy, killed, Crampton's Pass. John S. Judd, died of wounds. Spottsylvania. Corporal Jacob Crater, died of wounds. Spottsylvania. Christopher Hoagland. killed. Spottsylvania. Private John V. Bennett, killed, Spottsylvania. John J. Dietz, killed, Gaines' Farm. Adam Job, killed, Gaines' Farm. John Keiser. died of wounds. John Lederman. killed. Gaines" Farm. William Littell. died of wounds. Salem Heights. Joseph McNear. killed. Salem Heights. William Steinka. killed. Salem Heights. Calel) \\'oo(h-uff. killed. ]\lanassas. C(>iiipa)iy H. Second Lieutenant Richard Duft'y, killed, Spottsylvania. Corporal Thomas Alcott, killed, Crampton's Pass. William W. Scott, killed. Gaines' Farm. Daniel Schuh. killed, Gettysburg. Alfred A\'. Archer, killed, Salem Heights. John Ellis, killed while on guard duty by a comrade. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 449 Private James Belcher, killed, Gaines' Farm. George H. Borton, killed, Spottsylvania. Charles C. Delaney, accidentally killed by comrade. Charles H. Dennis, killed, Gaines' Farm. Charles F. Downs, died of wounds, Gaines' Farai. James F. Farley, killed, Gaines' Farm. George W. Johnson, killed, Salem Heights. Hugh Loughran, killed, Crampton's Pass. Walter Mulford, killed, Gaines' Farm. Charles M. Reid, killed, Gaines' Farm. John Rebairt, killed, Gaines' Farm. Company I. Captam Archibald S. Taylor, killed, Salem Heights. Oscar Westlake, killed, Cold Harbor. Second Lieutenant Thomas J. Howell, killed, Gaines' Farm. First Sergeant John E. Bedell, killed, Spottsylvania. , Sergeant Edward Nolen, killed, Spottsylvania. William Spooner, killed, Spottsylvania. Corporal John Hand, killed. Munson's Hill. Private George Barnes, died of wounds. John G. Coblenzer, killed, Gaines' Farm. William H. Scout, killed while on scout. Thomas Currier, killed, Spottsylvania. Joseph I. Force, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Adam Fowler, killed. Gaines' Farm. Andrew J. Gerven, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. David Harrigan, killed, Crampton's Pass. Ernest Howell, killed, Gaines' Farm. Isaac Jewel, killed, Salem Heights. Conrad Klenn, killed, Gaines' Farm. George Neil, killed, Gaines' Farm. Anthony H. Perry, killed, Crampton's Pass. Tames C. Skellenger, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. 450 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. Company K. Sergeant William Hade, killed, Gaines' Farm. Andrew Forsyth, killed, Salem Heights. William Merrion, killed, Spottsylvania. John Starrs, killed, Spottsylvania. Corporal Thomas O'Neil, killed, Spottsylvania. Daniel Diamond, killed, Gaines Farm. Andrew Jackson Pettit, killed. Private James Connolly, killed, Spottsylvania. Andrew Daily, killed, Mnnson's Hill. James Gaffaney, killed, Spottsylvania. William Garry, killed, Crampton's Pass. Lawrence Kuhan, killed, Gaines' Farm. Patrick Russell, killed, Spottsylvania. William Shroeder, killed, Gaines' Farm. Alexander Spear, killed, Spottsylvania. William Sweeney, died of wounds, Salem Heights Charles Wood, killed, Spottsylvania. Total strength of the Third Regiment, 1,275. Fourth Regiment. Colonel Wm. B. Hatch, killed, Fredericksburg. Adjutant Josiah S. Studdiford, killed. Crampton's Pass. Sergeant-Major Thomas Bonney, killed. Munson's Hill. Company A. Captain Charles Meves, killed, Gaines' Farm. Sergeant Theodore Krugg, died of wounds recei\ed in action. Charles Helmutli, died of wounds, ^^'ilderness. Corporal John Miller, died of wounds, 'Gaines' Farm. Joseph Schlatter, killed. Wilderness. John O'Neil, killed, Petersburg. Private Otto Bender, killed. Gaines' Farm'. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 451 Private John Burghart, killed, Gaines' Farm. John Deild, killed, Cold Harbor. Valentine Hennius, killed, Spottsylvania. John Louis, killed, Gaines' Farm. Jacob Rhode, killed, Gaines' Farm. John Whitte, died of wounds, Petersburg. Company B. Corporal John W. Morris, died of woimds, Spottsylvania. Private Robert Aitken, died of wounds received in action. Andrew Broughton, killed, Spottsylvania. George Carr, killed, Gaines' Farm. Patrick Curran, killed, Wilderness. Joseph B. English, killed, Spottsylvania. Abner Gaskill, killed, Spottsylvania. William W. Hill, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Samuel S. Hull, killed, Crampton's Pass. Robert Pierson, killed, Spottsylvania. Benajah M. Plume, killed, Wilderness. Alexander Smith, killed, Fredericksburg. Amos Voorhees, killed, Winchester. John F. Wilson, killed, Spottsylvania. John H. Wood, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Company C. Sergeant George J. Pettit, killed, Crampton's Pass. Corporal Thomas Ashworth, killed, Gaines' Farm. Private William H. Banks, killed, Gaines' Farm. Samuel Blue, killed, Spottsylvania. Isaac S. Dye, died of wounds, Wilderness. Andrew Flash, killed, Crampton's Pass. Mathew Jackson, killed, Gaines' Farm. George H. Juddy. killed, Spottslyvania. Charles S. King, killed, Spottsylvania. George W. Lee, killed, Slicker's Gap. t ■ 452 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Private Garret L. Roberson,, killed, Gaines' Farm. Henry Speece, killed, Winchester. James Taggert, died of wounds, Cedar Creek. Aaron C. Wolcott, killed, Fredericksburg. Company D. Cnrpf )ral Charles Glassmere, killed, Gaines' Farm. Henry Francis, killed, Gaines" Farm. George Mullenix, killed, Gaines' Farm. Private Eugene Bishop, killed. Wilderness. James Cray, killed. Gaines' Farm. John A. Cray, killed, Gaines' Farm'. Samuel Devine, killed, Spottsylvania. Henry Harris, killed, Gaines' Farm. William C. Jones, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Michael Marritt, killed, Gaines' FaiTn. Philip McKenna, killed, Gaines' Farm. Michael McManus, killed, Gaines' Farm. James A. Mullenix, killed, Gaines' Farm. Cornelius G. Post, killed, Gaines' Farm. William Robins, killed. Wilderness. Anthony Roll, killed. Wilderness. Franklin H. Skinner, killed, Gaines" Farm. John States, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. John \\''arner. died of wounds. Wilderness. Company B. Corpdral Charles W. Ludlow, killed, Gaines' Farm. Stacey Borton, killed, Fredericksburg. Charles C. Hall, killed, Cold Harbor. Private William R. Carson, killed, Gaines' Farm. John H. Crespin, killed. Wilderness. George Hollo well, died of wounds recei^•ed in action. James Henson. killed, Spottsylvania. Andrew J. Joline, killed. Cedar Creek. Elijah B. Walton, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Benjamin Warner, killed, Fredericksburg. John Williams, killed. Gaines' Farm. Henn' Woodburv. killed, Gaines' Farm. FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 453 Company F. First Sergeant John Dimond, killed, Gaines' Farm. Sergeant Charles H. Jewell, died of wounds, Cedar Creek. Benjamin Lenton, killed, Spottsylvania. Private George B; Budd, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. George W. Chew, killed, Gaines' Farm. Jacob W. Clement, killed, Spottsylvania. Joseph C. Dorell, killed, Gaines' Farm. Patrick Dunn, died of wounds, Winchester. Charles Gouger, killed, Gaines' Farm. Richard Lakey, killed, Wilderness. Clement Schey, killed, Gaines' Farm. Jacob Sturges, died of wounds, Cedar Creek. Joseph E. Ware, killed, Crampton's Pass. Compafiy G. First Sergeant Isaac J. Pine, killed, Gaines' Farm. Sergeant Joseph M. Cavalier, killed, Gaines' Farm. Corporal Samuel B. Carter, died of wounds. Wilderness. George W. Thompson, killed, Fredericksburg. Private Conrad Cramer, died of wounds, Cedar Creek. John W. Ford, killed, Gaines' Farm. Wait Gober, killed, Spottsylvania. William A. Goff. died of wounds, Wilderness. Mark W. Johnson, killed, Gaines' Farm. George J. Walker, died of wounds, Spottsylvania. Charles Woodward, killed, Gaines' Farm. Company H. Sergeant Charles W. Lowe, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Corporal Benjamin F. Mitchell, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Private Thomas Clevenger, died of wounds. Wilderness. David Doughty, died of wounds, Gaines' Farm. Jesse G. Eastlack, died of wounds, Crampton's Pass. Edward V. Force, killed, Gaines' Farm. Daniel Kane, died of wounds. Cold Harbor. -to4 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Private Benjamin Kindle, died of wounds, Spottsyhania. William McDowell, killed. Cold Harbor. Charles W. Potter, killed, Gaines' Farm. Christopher Stierle, died of wounds. Wilderness. Leonard Tice, killed, Fredericksburg. William Westcott, killed, Fredericksburg. ) Company I. Sergeant Isaac C. Shemelia, killed, Spottsylvania. Samuel D. Applebee, killed. Petersburg. Corporal Michael Sweeney, died of wounds. Wilderness. Private Joseph Boxer, killed, Wilderness. Walter Chambers, killed, Wilderness. George W. Clark, died of wounds received in action. John Cline. killed, Spottsylvania. Ambrose Cobb, killed, Gaines' Farm. Loyd W. Cook, died of wounds, Manassas. John W. Hooper, died of wounds, Wilderness. John C. Lutes, killed, Manassas. Walter Mitchell, killed, Crampton's Pass. John Muckery, killed, Gaines' Farm. Daniel Nixon, killed, Crampton's Pass. James B. Ross, killed, Wilderness. Job Stockton, killed, Gaines' Farm. Company K. First Lieutenant William Sackley, killed, Petersburg. Second Lieutenant Samuel D. Cross, died of wounds, Spottsyl- vania. Sergeant William W. Palmer, killed, Crampton's Pass. • Corporal Sheppard H. Flannigan, killed, Gaines' Farm. Private Thomas Cobb, killed, Gaines' Farm. Anthony Craupp, killed, Gaines' Farm. Robert C. Curry, killed, Crampton's Pass. Isaac I. Dubois, killed, Spottsylvania. John C. Headly, killed, Spottsylvania. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 455 Private Samuel Orr, killed, Spottsylvania. ' Alonzo Peterson, killed. Wilderness. Isaac Shute, killed, Spottsylvania. Michael Slane, killed, Opegnon. Total strength of Fourth Regiment, 2,036. 450 I'IRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Appendix K. Sketch of General Lewis Perrine, Quartermaster=GeneraI of New Jersey, 1855=1889. General Lewis Perrine was born September 15th. 1815, in Manalapan township, Monmouth county. Xew Jerse>', a son of John and Sarah Ely Perrine. and a descendant of Major John Perrine, of the Revoluti(jnarv Army, who enjoyed the rare dis- tinction of fighting throughout the battle of Monmouth partly on his own farm and in sight of his home. Early evincing a taste for study and the law, he was sent to Lawrenceville School, where he graduated in 1835, ^^'^^^ immediately entered the Sophomore Class at Princeton College, from which institution he was gradu- ated in 1838. In 1888 he attended the fiftieth anniversary of his graduation, when sixteen of his classmates were present. He read law in Princeton for two years, under the preceptorship of Judge James S. Green, father of ex-Governor Robert S. Green of New Jersey, and in 1840 moved to Burlington, X. J., where he finished his course in the ot^ce of United States Senator Garret D. ^^'all, taking charge of his business during his absence in Washington. Admitted to the bar as an attorney-at-law in 1841. he moved to Trenton, N. J., where he remained until his death. In 1844 he became a counsellor-at-law, and practiced law for a number of vears. with great success. Inheriting from his Frencli and American ancestors a true military spirit, while still a college student he joined the Monmouth Rifle Corps, made up of young- farmers" sons, more than a hundred in number. While his masterlv abilities in his profession of the law were widely recog- nized, he was better known to the people of the State for his useful services in public affairs, in connection with the develop- ment of its railroad interests, under the leadership (^f Commodore Robert F. Stockton and Edwin A. Stevens, and in increasing the efficiencv of its military organization. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 457 As a young man, he rendered efficient service to Governor Rodman M. Price, as his mihtary secretary, and in this position developed those quahties which led to his appointment in 1855 as Quartermaster-General of the State, and the extension of his services as such to the remarkable period of thirty-five years, his duties including those of Commissary-General, Paymaster- General and Chief of Ordnance, and to him is conceded the honor of organizing those departments substantially as they exist at the present day. The war of the rebellion coming on in 1861, his duties were rendered extremely arduous, and of great responsibility. He raised, armed and equipped every soldier who went from New Jeree}^ to the war. To New Jersey's everlasting credit be it said, that a New Jersey regiment was one of the first, if not the very first, to reach Washington after the call to arms, and in every subsequent call for troops was one of the very few States that not only furnished the full quota called for, but far exceeded the number asked, a result in no small measure due to General Perrine's untiring zeal and tremendous energy. He not only sent these great bodies of men to the front, but followed them there, visiting many battlefields and being present at many en- gagements with the enemy. He personally attended to the removal of hundreds of the sick and wounded to New Jersey, to be nursed back to health and strength .it Camp Olden and Camp Perrine in Trenton, and at various hospitals and their homes. In the collection of the war debt of the State from the National government, he was very successful, having fewer claims disallowed in proportion than any other State. This was a patient and hard task, and was many years in accomplish- ment. It was largely due to an excellent system of accounts, which he inaugurated and insisted upon having carried out. In 1 87 1 he was appointed one of the three State House Com- missioners, and as such, served eighteen years and until his death, being the only one of the original members, and having had many associates. This commission had the supervision of all the improvements and additions made from time to time to the building. 458 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. He was one of the incorporators and directors of the famous old Camden and Amboy Railroad, and wh.en its control passed to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, in 1871, he became iden- tified as a director of more than a score of the railroads which go to make up this great system. He was an incorporator of the Trenton Horse Railroad Company, and its president until his death. For more than twenty-five years he was president of ' the Trenton Delaware Bridge over which the tracks of the Penn- sylvania Railroad passes. He was president of the Board of Visitors of the West Point Military Academy, appointed by President Andrew Johnson in 1866, composed each year largely by United States Senators and members of Congress. He was one of the United States Commissioners to arrange the Centennial Celebration of the Battle of Yorktown in 1881, and a member of the Commission which erected the Monmouth Battle Monument on that battlefield, laboring many years to bring about this. He was offered the position of I'nilcd States Minister to Rome by President James Buchanan. 1)ut declined because of ill health in his family. He was a life-long member of the First Presbyterian Church of Trenton, and passed away cjuite suddenly while yet in the harness of work, on September 24th, 1889. FIRST yElV JERSEY BRIGADE. 459 Muster-jn Rolls. First New Jersey Volunteers. William R. IMontgomery, Colonel. Robert McAllister, Lieutenant-Colonel. David Hatfield, Major. William Henry, Jr., Adjutant. Samuel Read, Quartermaster. Edward F. Taylor, Surgeon. Charles C. Gordon, Assistant Surgeon. Robert R. Yard, Chaplain. Henry C. Warner, Sergeant-Major. Joseph H. Painter, Quartermaster-Sergeant. Smith G. Blythe, Commissary-Sergeant. Redford Sharp Hospital Sfezuard. Musicians. Abbott, William H., Duffield, George W., Allen, John, Metcalf, James A., Allen, Lewis G., Moss, Thomas, Baker, John A., Schierley, Andrew, Baker, Martin N., Smith, Austin S., Chapman, William H., Watts, William H., Cowan, Martin, Zapf, William. COMPANY A. John W. Brown, Captain. Paul R. Hambrick, First Lieutenant. Thomas T. Fellon, " Luther Martin, Second Lieutenant. Samuel H. Dunham, First Sergeant. Alvan M. Meeker, Sergeant. Joseph C. Martin, " Phineas P. Provost, " Francis Hall, " William H. Meeker, Corporal. William Brant, Jr William G. Russell Ralph P. Baker, William W. Allen Robert G. Lyle, 460 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. William Henderson, Corporal. John G. Parkinson, " Israel C. Townley • ■ Fifer. Daniel H. Brower, Drummer. Edward K. Neal, Wagoner. Privates. Allen, John J., Brobson, Peter, Bonnell, Edward E.. Beaty, James, Boughton. Stephen E., Barton, Robert C, Belmer, Ithamas M., Brant, Joseph, Jr., Clum, William H., Cavanagh, Merty Hor W., Creighton, Hugh T., Curran. Tliomas, Clum. Chancey, Donnelly, James, Debo, Charles, Jr., Daubner, John, Everson, William F., Elwood, James, Eckard, John, Fitzgerald, Thomas, Faror, John, Forsyth, George, Freeman, Alonzo, Green, Nathaniel. Halsted, Isaac W., Haskard, Charles. Haskard, Thomas, Hart, Gustavus A., Herdt, Christian, Keller. Herfl-y. Kain. Michael. Kershaw, Samuel, Kantner, Charles, Lloyd, George K., Lightholder. Patrick, Lobb, Benjamin. Laylor, William T., Lambert, Joseph. Miller, Joseph W.. McGregor, .Vmos B., Mulford. Joseph II.. Merrick. Joseph, McTague, James, McCullough, Robert M., Mapel, David A., McGuire, Thomas, McDonald, James, Morgan, Ashbel, McDonnell, Alexander, Miller, John A., McLaughlin, James, Nicholas, Thomas S.. Nicholas, William F., Nicholas, Alphonzo, Nicholas, Samuel, Oliver, James H.. Ogden, Joseph G., Jr., Onstead, William H., Parker. William H., Penn, David E., Provost, Isaac S., Pester, Charles F., Parker, John, Rhodes, Nathan C. Reeves, Samuel. Reed, Samuel J.. Scott. William. Shen, John, Solomon, Charles, Stansbury, Joseph S., Smith, Richard. Silvers, Jordan, Squier, William W., Thorn, Linton, Trowbridge, LIzal H., Williams, James H.. Wolstenhorne. James, Worrell, Benjamin, Walton, William, Williams. Elijah F., Welton, Hezekiah. Wortley. John. Curley, James, Crosein, Cornelius, Knowlton. Charles W. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 461 COMPANY B. Sylvester Van Sickell, Captain. William H. Tantem, First Lieutenant. John Parker, Second Lieutenant. A. Brainard Jerome, First Sergeant. Henry S. Leggett, Sergeant. George W. Burling, " Thomas Cunningham " Melville Packer, " Nathan Brown, Corporal. Thomas Davis, " William B. Thorn, William V. Corvell, Alfred H. Anderson " William Snyder, " Ellis B. Smith, Henry O'Harra, " Abraham Voorhees Fifer. Peter S. Briest Drummer. George Long, Teamster.' Allen Hopkins, Wagoner. Privates. Abraham, Cornelius, Allen, Silas A., Archer, John W., Barclay, John M., Jr., Bell, Charles, Bown, William H., Berry, Thomas, Barnet, Samuel, Buckalew, James, Connley, James, Coon, Charles, Campbell, Charles R, Connell, Andrew, Conover, Charles S., Cox, James P., Cocks, Andrew, Covert, Nathan, Davis, Charles F., Davis, Lafferd T., De Hart, William, Everham, Joseph, ■Fields, Charles, Feyhel, Charles, 30 If" B Fee, Thomas, Fields, Clayton, Grover, Thomas R., Geary, Peter B. Hutchinson, George H. Hutchinson, Henry C., Hughes, William, Hankins, Samuel W., Hankins, Zachariah, Haley, James, Hulfish, John N.. Heidweiler, Henry K.. Jones, Henry, Justice, James W., Kelley, William H., Kraft, Charles, Kelly, Edward, Kite, John H., King, William, Laird, Francis W., Lanning, Peter, Lamb, John S., Lippincott. Yardley, 462 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Lalor, Thomas, Lake, Israel F., Lindsey, John, Long, Charles H., Long, George, Mclnnis, George, Melman, Charles, Moore, Thomas, Martin, William H., Mundy, Charles, Meredith, James, Morris, John. Mendham, George, O'Hara, John, O'Brien, Michael. Prince, Joseph, Ryall, James A., Redman, William H., Reeder, Charles J., Skillman, Frederick V. D., Smith, James C., Scales, Isaac. Scales, Stephen. Searfoss, Charles, Thorn, Benjamin F., Terhune, John H., Terhune, Cornelius, Vanhart, Sherman, Van Sickel, William, Voorhees, William B., Voorhees. John C, Williams. William, Wikoff, Peter, Willets, Joseph T., Williamson, William H., Whitlock, Jacob, Walsh, Alfred H., Whitlock, John, Whitlock, George W. H. Zink, Samuel. COMPANY C. William Birney, Captain. Samuel H. Parisen, First Lieutenant. Ephraim G. Brewster, Second Lieutenant Joseph C. Jackson, "' William H. Benton, First Sergeant. Edward H. Roberts, Sergeant. James S. Sawyer, Thomas Carmichael James Kearney Smith, '' Edward W. H. Graham Corporal. Philip Stumpf John J. Perry, '' Stacy J. Disbrow " William Campbell, Sr James D. Bown, David W. Martin, Enos Van Marter " Jacob Booze, *. .Fifer. Sebastian Mayer Drummer Howard Snedaker, Wagoner. Privates. Balcoe, Theodore, Bartlctt. Thomas, J.^ Blake, Samuel, Bergeon, Variance, Biedeman, John, Bruch, Thomas, Bush, John L., Campbell, Samuel W. Campbell, William, Ji Campain, William, FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 463 Clark, Thomas, Carrigan, Thomas, Cheeseman, George, Conover, George W., Conover, Ralph M., Conover, Thomas, Cody, Martin, Conner, John W., Connolly, Peter, Cooly, Thomas W., Cox, James, Day, Andrew, Dart, Allen M., Dilling, Henry. Disbrow, William H. H., Donihew, James, Downie, Thomas S., Exner, Charles, Faber, Albert, Fallen, John, Frew, William, Fields, George, Ford, Joseph, Foster, Arthnr, Foster, John, Gray, Henr}', Guinot, Jean F., Hall, Charles, Hallman, Henry,' Hamilton, William, Hamilton, Archy, Holmes, Thomas, Horner, William, luscho, Isaac F., Kenny, Thomas, Jones, Thomas, Longstreet, William H., Longstreet, Stephen, Lott, Thomas, Lyons, Theodore, Mallon, Patrick, Maly, John, Maguire, Patrick, Marks, Augustus, Miller, George, Miller, Henri, Mount, Robert, Murray, Daniel, Newcombe, Michael, Noe, Adam, O'Donnell, Patrick, O'Neil, John, Phelan, Thomas C. Pierson, James L-, Perrine, Thomas J., Price, John, Quigley, James, Reed, James, Reed, Nicholas, Reilly, Michael, Roberts, Charles H.. Renoles, John, Rogers, Bernard, Sharback, William, Swan, Carlie, Stafford, Joseph, Silvers, Charles H., Stafford, Thomas, Sweitzer, George. J., Sullivan, Humphrey. Traffe, Joseph, Tappan, David B., Winchester, Perley F. Wittenberg, Gustav, White, James, Wlhite, George. Welch, Dennis, Willever, Thomas D. COMPANY D. Valentine Mutchler, .Captain. Henrv A. McLaughlin Pi'-'f Lieutenant. Charles Sitgreaves, ^^^««^ Lieutenant. Charles W. Mutchler, ^'>^^ Sergeant. J. B. Woodward, Sergeant. Willard S. Wood, George Beaumont ^^ Edward H. Swayze, 464 FIRST NEW. JERSEY BRIGADE. John S. Dilts .Corporal. Paul Gravet, Wilbur F. Lovell, Samuel B. Mutchler Jacob L. Ricker John S. Ryan, Charles Seagraves John Warner, James J. Krom Fifer. Frank Murray, Drummer. William H. Shrope Wagoner. Privates. Armstrong, Abraham, Allen, Edward H., Allinson, Joseph, Andrews, Thomas T., Allen, Theodore, Barnes, Peter H., Beavers, George B., Baker, Charles, Britton, Charles A., Bender, Zachariah, Beckwith, Robert S., Baylor, Nelson J., Burns, Thomas, Bennett, Winchester T., Corby, Alonzo D.^ Cameron, James, Campbell, Joseph A., Carhart, Theodore, Creveling, George W., Carr, William S., Calkins, Calvin, Dimond, Andrew, Devlin, Barnard, Emmons, William E., Emmons, George, Edwards, Andrew, Fagan, Martin. Flood, James, Frazee, David, Fehr, Edward, George, William, Gano, John, Grant, Francis, Hairie, Philip, Hallock, Josiah M., Heaney, George S., Hoffman, William G., Hoff, Daniel, Hough, Robert N., Hummel, George E., Huff, William, Hutchings, Ezra J., Haley, Thomas, Kinney, Jesse, Kirby, John W., Larkins, William H., Liddle, Joseph, Levers, Jeremiah, Lippincott, Charles. Leonard, Thomas, Linton, Samuel, Merrill, William, Meeker, Melancthon, McGary, William, Myers, John. Miller, Albert J.. Mutchler, Andrew J. Myers, Peter, Neal, William T., Nichols. Isaac W., Nye, Zachariah, Piatt, William E., Price, Charles, Pierson, Wellington, Quigley, John, Rothrock, Edward W. Ross, James, E., Rainer, Alexander G., Rondaham, James. Sweeney. John, Saylor, John, Steward, William A.. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 465 Stockman, James, Schoonover, John, Slack, Ralph R., Stead, Peter, Stern, Charles, Stebbins, Samuel W., Taylor, Peter S., Vanfossen, Barnet, Wesley, Joseph S., Wilke, Henry, West, Daniel, Willever, Edward. Weir, Archibald, Witte, John R. COMPANY E. Charles N. Pelouze, Captain. A. Stewart Taylor, First Lieutenant. James B. Shields, " Francis B. Holt, Seeond Lieutenant. Edward A. Hermon, First Sergeant. William H. Gilbert, Sergeant. Samuel W. Lesenby, " William E. VandersHce,' " Jacob H. Plum, John Fitzgerald, Corporal. Jacob Hill, WilHam Anderson, William L. Hartman, John C. Lyamchus, Emmer K. Ramsey, Jacob Brinisholly, Jacob Ristine, .- " Augustus B. Conrad, Fifer. John W. Wilson, Drummer. Joseph H. Duttan, Wagoner. Samuel Cline, Pioneer. Privates. Anderson, David, Anthony, Charles T., Adam, George, Alfred, Charles J., Allshouse, Stewart H., Brown, John, Bruden, John, Budd, Benjamin, Bechtel, Henry, Cook, WilHam, Cabin, Frederick J., Carney, James H., Clinghman, Albert, Dalton, Thomas B., Driggits, Daniel, Dilks, Jacob E- Dier, Christopher, Fisher, Joseph F., Foster, Joseph W., Groskinsky, Joseph, Gratz, William, Grumn, Peter A., Good, William H., Glespy, James, Hyser, Daniel N., Hills, John, Hopswood, Ralph, Hogust, George, Hook, James, Irwin, William, JoHne, Andrew J., Jacob, Thomas, 466 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Jordan, Andrew, Kelly, John H., Lunny, Edward, Logan, David (or Daniel), Long, CharleSj Mulhan, August, Murray, Charles^ McDonald, John, Miller, Samuel, Mead, Seth. McCombe, William. Miles, Edward, Malin, Alfred, McDowell, Edward, McGanghey, Alexander, McLaughlin, Charles, Mace, Conrad, Neville, William, Norton, Charles, Olt, Joseph, Oldham, Alexander, Osterday, Gotthilf, O'Reagan, Michael, Patton. Henry K., Peter, Simon, Russel, Thomas, Pimlott, James H., Redfield, John H.. Read, Edward, Roby. Benjamin H., Swope, William H., Sparks, Charles, Spond, George, Stowe, John C.,.. Sheila, Adam, Swemy, Peter, Stehr, Edward, Skyrm, John, Schwarz, Frederick, Schwarz, August, Wolf, Nathaniel M., Nolan, Patrick, Whitman, Emerick, Weedman, Cliristopher. Wheeler, Jacob S., Wheaton, William H., Yeager, Nicholas, Yeager, Charles, Young, George W. COMPANY' F. Enos Fourat, Captain. H. C. Warner, First Lieutenant. David Thompson " " John H. Voorhees, Second Lieutenant. Isaac L. F. Elkin First Sergeant. Joseph Ryno Sergeant. Tames W. Dehart " Albert L. Blue George Smith, George Taylor, Corporal. John H. Croken Thomas McElhany, " Miles Garrigan, William S. Hughes, Richard B. Voorhees, Benjamin L. Moffat Lloyd O. Souville John H. Hutchinson Fifcr. James A. Croken, Drtimmer. Tlmmas Carrol Wagoner. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 467 Privates. Archer, George W., Barry, Richard, Britton, Edward M., Boyle, Thomas. Brennan, William. Brabbin, Moses, Burns, James, Blake, Price P., Breese, William H., Burke, Peter. Boice. Ambrose, Cain, Felix, Currie, Thomas W., Chandler, Charles S., Cook, Samuel, Christian, Henry P., Carron, John. Davison. John T.. Denton, James, Dunn. George W., Dunn, Patrick, Dobson, Alexander, Dobson, Henry, Engster, John Jacob, Finegan, Edward, Ferguson, Daniel, Ferguson, Philip. Fleming, Christopher, Ferry, James, Frank, Charles, Gaisbauer, Charles^ Gack, Jacob, Gansey, Silas, Heward. Francis, Haggerty, Bernard, Hooker. George W., Henry. Walter M., Hazard. John N., Hickey, Thomas, Hiner, Philetus, Hoagland. Wyckoff V., Johnson. Joseph W.. Jones. Thomas, Jacques, David H., Klein, John, Kemp, Thomas, Kinney, Daniel, Lester, John H., Lingstrif, Edwin, Lowry, James, Levins, John, McGrath, Morris, McDonald, Martin, McGorem, Peter, McSpaden, James, Miller, John, Martin, John, Matlack, Samuel J., Morris, John, Myers, Julius, O'Connor, John, O'Neil, John, Osman, George H.. Prall, David B. S., Plum, Benijah M., Pixson, Henry A.. Page, John D., Page, Enochj Reed, Stephen M., Reams, Patrick H., Royer, Moses H., Roads, Edmon R., Ryker, Joseph L., Swan. George, Stout, William A., Struck, Cornelius W., Smith, Edward W., Soden, James D., Ten Broeck, Van Reneslaer. Van Tilburgh, William, Voorhees, George W., Wlhildey, Clet R., Welsh, Michael, Welsh, Patrick, Welsh, Thomas, Wilson. George. 468 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. COMPANY G. Alexander M. Way, Captain. Robert Boggs, '. First Lieutenant. Jacob D. Wyckoff, Second Lieutenant. Howard M. Gillman, First Sergeant. Francis S. Keese, Sergeant. William S. Provost, Sergeant. John S. Bliss, " George D. Troth, Peter I. Duncan, Corporal. John McCarl, Nicholas W. Meserole, Jeremiah G. Snow, Augustus D. Van Lieu, Isaac S. Halsted, Nathaniel H. Van Arsdale, William F. Dansberry, John H. Van Lieu, Fifer. George R. Buzzee, Drummer. Patrick D. Gallagher, Wagoner. Privates. Abrahams. Austin, Buckley, John, Buzzee, Alexander, Brewster, Daniel, Bogert, Charles C, Bums, John, Baird, Isaac, Cawley, James S., Carman, Isa C, Campbell, Ellias B., Clark, James H., Clayton, William H., Davis, William L., Dehart, James H., Dehart, Jacob S., Delhanty, John, Dooley, John, Dresser, George W., English, Alfred A., English, Samuel J., Forges. Daniel R.. Felmy, William H., Hughes, Francis. Haggetry, Noah C., Holcroft, Thomas, Halberstadt, James, Huff, William H., Hendrickson, George W., Henderson. William, Hoagland, Henrj- C. Johnson, Robert A., Jones, Frederick R., Kershaw, Charles A., Kirkpatrick, John, Kinsey, Harrison, Kelly, Alexander P., Kelly, Edward, Lawrence, John, Lewis, John T.. Lewis, William H. H., Loyd, William, Lilley, James H., Long, Edward B., McClelland, George D., Mintum. Edward. Jr., Minturn. Benjamin G.. Marsh, Reuben G., Madden, John. Miller, Charles H., McDowell, William, Meserole, William, Magill, Robert H., FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 469 Painter, Joseph H., Phillips, Theodore F., Price, George W., Jr., Perdum, Charles, Pohlman, William H., Pette, Charles A., Peacock, John, Rausch, Peter, Roberts, Austin, Seibert, George, Staut, Charles, Stage, Mehlon M., Skillman, David, Struble, Wallace, Sargent, Frank, Staats, Henry, Saltz, William, Snow, James, Jr., Smith, Osceola, Shute, George W., Staats, Abram G., Turner, John W., Van Derbilt, Cornelius. Van Arsdale, Phillip, Van Duyne, Isaac, Van Fleet, Abraham, Van Dusen, Charles A., Wight, George B., White, Robert H., Weaver, David R., Williams, Edward, Webb, Charles H., Winter, William H., Whitehead, John C. Williamson, John A., Williamson, Theodore, Williamson, Peter, Williamson, Isaac B. ■ COMPANY H. Isaac H. Baker, Captain. Edward C. Page, First Lieutenant. Joseph B. Eltringham, " " Aaron B. Jerome, Second Lieutenant. John D. Trimmer, First Sergeant. Jeremiah C. Rappleyea, Sergeant. Bodlej- Brockhurst, " Forrest Keney, George E. Griffin, " Joseph Elliott, Corporal. Charles Norris, John Gerity, George W. Teese, Joseph Ferguson, ' John W. Stringham, Edward Develin, Huberts Bixby, Oliver Conkling, Drummer. John W. Flynn, Fifer. John McGlone, Wagoner. Charles Seeley, Pioneer. Privates. Atkinson, Joseph H., Burnby, WiUiam, Burns, Lawrence, Browning, William H., Bissonett, John B., Bright, Anthony, Bright, James, Burkett, John, Cahoo, Joseph, Cook, Robert, 470 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Calahan, Dennis A.. Costo, Anthony, Christian, Daniel W., Caden, George W., Corson, Isaac W., Deigel, Jacob, Donnelly, Edward A., Diamond, James, Eltringham, John, Jr., English, Owen, Foster, Thomas^ Farley, James, Fetters, John A., Gaskell, Charles H., Gruff, Charles, George, David, Hampton, William, Haggarty, James. Hunton, Robert, Hatwell, William, Hormung, George, Hibner, John, Harney, Patrick, Hummel, Sylvester, Ibbs, William, Johnston, Tliomas, Jackman, Walter E., Jelly, John, Johnston, Rush, Johnston, John, Kelly, Isaac, Kelly, Thomas, Keough, Edward, Kinley. William, Kreidler, James. Kostigan, Martin, Kyle, William, Lamb, John C, Lacey, David J., L3'ons, Thomas, Murray, George W., Mullony, William. Montbar, Harry. McDonald, Thomas. McQueeny, Michael, Mjullen, George, McCardle, James, AlcCarty, Dennis, McWilliams. Samuel. Murphy, Michael, Morrow, William J.. Mitchell, Mahlon, Meyers. William C. McCreight, Robert, McCreedy, John, McMullin, Francis, Brien, John O., Painter, Thomas W., Pete, Charles, Purcell, Joseph, Russell, Charles, Rodgers, Daniel, Shurtz, Ross J., Seeley, John, Smith, Edward. Styles, William, Swartout, John D., Tatem. James. Tool, James, Whitmore, James T.. White, John, Wannan. George, Walton, Pearson N., Walker, William. Williams, John, Wyckoff. William. Westerfield. John. COMPANY I. John D. P. Mount, Captain. Augustus O. Evans, First Lieutenant. Edward G. Brown, Second Lieutenant. Bailey B. Brown, First Sergeant. Allen ?I. Kirkham Sergeant. Benjamin Iliggins. Jr., Nathaniel Smith, Richard A, Donnelly FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 471 Eleazor Hull, Jr Corporal. Julius Houriett, Madison M. Cannon Theodore Fashiero, Edward Danielson John Mak, James B. Van Dyke Charles Tanner, Warren Conklin Drummer. Albert Cox, Wagoner. Privates. Anderson, Charles E., Bradford. John, Baptis, James S., Brown, Charles A., Ba Dow, Cyprian, Berner, Charles W., Brad}', William, Brown, Henry, Bowes, Michael, Burns, John, Brady, Charles W., Bunting, William, Butterworth, Edward, Brown, Michael, Chasmer, John, Colgan, Bernard, Chandler, William E., Clarkson, George, Craft, Reuben, Carpenter, Alonzo, Campbell, Kiren Carroll, John, Dunn, William, Danielson, James, Drummon, George L-, Dewey, William, Duncan, James, Ferris, Charles, Fewkes, George, Farrell, Peter, Polsom, Joseph, Ford, Charles, Francisco, Angelo, Gerhart, John B., Grey, William, Grant, Noah, Gibson, George," Hobson, Joseph, Hopkins, Charles F., Hollinger, Edward N. Johnson, William H., King, Henry, Kirlon, Patrick, Kenyon, Leonard B., Kipp, George I., Kirlon, Michael, Kearey, William S., Lieze, John, Lawrence, Mark, Lozier, Albert, Lundy, William, Liebrick, Philip, Lane, George, Lincoln, Alfred N., Mak, John, Mitchell, Louis, Moore, Thomas L., McGrath, John, Moroney, Matthew, McGourty, Patrick, Morris, William, McDowell, Isaac, Neron, William E., Outwater, John W., Outwater, Richard, Ostrander, Ralph, Payne, Silas A., Pierson, George W., Pierson, William, Pettit, Patrick, Sr., Rooney, Patrick, Silverie, John H., Syfle, James, Snell, William H. H., 472 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Sellier, Emile, Symes, John, Symes, Aaron S., Smith, George W., Smith, John, Smith, Thomas, Townley, WiUiam, Uprichard, Thomas, Van Glahn, George, Westerfield, Cornelius E., Way, Walter E., Wallington, Samuel D. COMPANY K. Charles Consmiller, Captain. William R. Harrison, first Lieutenant. Antonio C. Demling, Second Lieutenant. Frederick Hoeber, First Sergeant. Ferdinand Werner, Sergeant. Philip Nicholas, > . Herrnan Schlick, Ferdinand Flemming, Robert Bartmann, Corporal. William Misera, Adolphus Waidman, Philip Phildius, Theodore Beese, Oscar Gsellius, David Weickmann, Louis Beese, Mathew Conklin, Fifer. Conrad Schnell, Drummer. Andrew Kron, Wagoner. PrizHitcs. Beissbarth, Michael, Billing, Henry, Baedt, Charles, Boeckman, Charles, Boeder, Christian, Breitzman, Anthony, Bauder, Frederick, Diehl, Lawrence, Dose, Henry, Eger, Henry, Furchtenicht, Augustus, Fehr, Jacob, Flatten, Wenand, Furlong, James, Fugmann, Conrad, Franke, Frederick, Fugman, Conrad, Gruber, Edward, Gettermann, Rudolph, Goetlig, John, Gerlach, Adam, Hamilton, John T., Haessner, Ernst, Hagen, Louis, Hoefle, Paul, Hoefle, Martin, Haessner, Emil. Haarer, Frederic, Ihl, Edward, Kramer, Henry, Krause, Henning, Kick, Gustavus, Kick, Henry, Koehler, Henry, Kaufmann, Adolphus, Layton, James F., Leonard, Gustavus, Lachmund, Henry, Loewenthal, George, Leonhardt, Gustave, FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 473 Lew, Ernst, Lindemann, Adolphus, Laughewitz; Edward, Liebel, John, Languth, George, Loerrer, William, Muller, Hermann, Mandelbaum, Simon, Meyer, Charles, Muller, Frederick C, Mendel, Jacob, Mendle, G., Merckes, Charles, Nienn, August, Noll, Emil, Newbauer, Casper, Pope, Arthur, Pitschan, John, Remzheimer, Peter, Render, Philip, Raible, William, Ruhl, George, Schmidt, Augustus, Schaumbery, George F., Schmidt, Frederic, Schmalz, Frederick, Scheibel, Charles A., Schumann, Hugo, Schmidt, Charles, Stadermann, Adam, Springstreet, Louis, Siemon, John, Schuler, Francis, Tanzer, Theodore, Ulrich, Charles, Vernum, William, Voight, Peter, Vogel, William, Werner, Andrew, Werner, John, Winter, John, Wurm, August, Walker, Louis, Weidinger, Conrad, Zimmerman, Gotlieb. Second Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers. George W. McLean, Colonel. Isaac M. Tucker, Lieutenant-Colonel. Samuel L. Buck, Major. Henry O. Ryerson, Joseph W. Plume, Adjutant. William E. Sturgis Quartermaster. Gabriel Grant, Surgeon. Lewis W. Oakley, Assistant Surgeon. Robert R. Proudfit, Chaplain. Charles C. Lockwood Sergeant-Major. Isaac H. Plume, John T. Whitehead, Quartermaster Sergeant. Abram N. Mockridge, Commissary Sergeant. Luther G. Thomas, Hospital Steicard. Aaron D. Crane, Quartermaster Sergeant. BAND. John Adam Reinhart, Principal Musician. John Lisher Assistant Principal Musician.^ 474 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Musicians. Bayer, John, Bayer, Henry, Burger, John R., Becher, Conrad, Bickel, Constantine, Bayer, Adam, Drey, Henry, Farrell, Thomas, Fielder, Sophron, Gaul, Adam, Hadfield, John, Higgonbothom, Edwin. Jaeger, Martin, Karg, Martin, Mellick, Michael, Moore, Stephen, Naurkramm, Carl, Nicholas, Kaspar, Rubsam, Carl F. A. Schleyer, Charles, Schwinfist, Kaspar. Sunderhaft, John, Walther, Leopold, Juminger, Adam. Hillregel, Daniel, Seitz, Frederick. John H. Vanhouten, Charles Kent . Drum-Major. IVagonmastcr. COMPANY A. James Wilson, -. Captain. Richard Hopwood, " Bradbury C. Chetwood, first Lieutenant. William J. Cree, Second Lieutenant. William H. Williams, " Jacob Dixon, First Sergeant. Nathan C. Tooker, Sergeant. George B. Franklin, " Henry W. Cozine, " Anthony J. Danneberger, William M. Shipman, Corporal. George N. Potter, John Clampitt, Michael Howard, Joseph J. Danneberger John Dixon, Augustus R. Brown, William G. Struck, Fifer. Horace L. Ames, Drummer. George Lake Fifer. Johnson. Gilbert S., IVagoner. Privates. Allen, Edwards, Bartine, S. Porter, Barto, Henry. Brady. William L., Rallingcr. William P.. Bueston, Joseph L. Broderick, Joel S.. Bryan, George. Brown, John Callender. William. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 475 Chicester, David, Christman, Jacob, Cole, William A., Conger, John H., Cordo, John, Daft, John J., Davenport, William S., Davis, Charles C, Donovan, Joseph. Dartkompt, Carl, Durling, Theodore H., Elsaser, George, Essex, David, Essex, Edward, Farr, John, Fox, Franklin W., Garnier, Albert L-. Haley, John, Harkins, John, Hedges, Edwin W., Hensen, William J., Hopkins, Augustus H. Hughes, Hugh, Hurder, Henry A., Hurst, Nathaniel, Johnson, Robert. Johnson, William, Judge, James P.. Ketch, Peter, King, William N.. Laing, William H., Lambka, William F., Landy. Timothy. Laughlin, Paul J.. Lewis, Horace E., Lovett, James M., Low, Cornelius A., Lynn, William, Meeker. John M.. Middlebrook, Aaron L-, Middledorf. Henry, Moore, William H., McCurdv, Samuel. McDonald, James H., McGregor, Alexander, McNair, Alexander, Neitzelt, Paul, Noble, Joshua F., Nicholas, Charles, Ogden, Francis M., Parsons, Hiram R., Polster, John, Randolph, Lewis F., Ridden, Harvey, Rush, Samuel, Scarlet, George W., Schumuck, George, Samson, David, Schardine, John, Schell, Leonard, Schiefer, Adam, Stell, Joseph, Thorn, Martin, Van Hart, Martin, Van Horn, William, Van Voorhees, Charles H. Van Syckle, Franklin, Waldron, Jerome, Warnock, James, Walsh, Michael, Waterman, William H., Waver, Bernard, Waters, Israel B., White, John, White, Theodore, Wilkinson, Isaac D. Williamson, Dennis H., Wilson, Henry, Winn, Frank, Wobbe, John A., Wodey, George, Heywood, Lucius M., Cleveland, E. J-, Duyer, Wettzel, Paul. 476 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. COMPANY B. Henry O. Ryerson Captain. Henry P. Cook, First Lieutenant. John A. Wildrick, " Jacob H. Hoffman, Second Lieutenant . William W. Vanvoy First Sergeant. Isaac S. Durling, Sergeant. John R. Northrup, " Sidney H. McCarter, " Charles H. Carrell Corporal. Job J. Johnson, " Joseph C. Boss, " Richard J. Wilson John W. Donnell, Watson L. Allen, " Edgar Van Etten " Ralph B. Thrall, Isaac S. Jones, Fifcr. Alexander Myers Drummer. William Dolland Wagoner. Privates. Armstrong, John W.. Armstrong, James, Allen, John, Arvine, James C, Anderson, Theodore F., Alberston, Sanford S-, Bonnell, Jacob. Bronson, Oscar A., Calbury, John P., Cox, John B., Cory, Gophar H.. Dawson, Richard, Dietz, Abraham, Drake, Nathaniel S., Drake. Ira B.. Doland, James, Estill, Samuel M., Frace, John, Foguson, Dewitt, Ford, James T., Card. David A., Gardner. John C. Gaiil, William, Hart, David, Hotalen, Alanson M., Holan, James, Henderson, David. Howell, Isaac C, Hull, Stewart, Hornbeck. Benjamin. Johnson, John R.. Johnson, David E., Kimple, Lorenzo, Koyt, Theodore M.. Kinney, James A., Kyte, Charles L., Kehoe, John, Lawrence. John L-, Lindaberry, Andrew T. Lozier, Alexander H., Lantz, George G., Lantz, John T., Martin, George. McBride. William. Meddaugh, Benjamin. Mocoy, Charles C, McKee, George, Mehellem, Jonathan, Parliman, Isaac, Rogers, William H.. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. in Rothbarth, David, Roff, Silas R., Ruo, Mark B., Roserkrance, William H., Stute, George, Smith, Beemer J., Smith, Jacob, Smith, Samuel R., Shearer, William W., Stevens, Charles H., Sturgess, Joseph G., Stickles, John W., Sturtevant, Francis, Snover, Edwin H., Shauger, James D., Shauger, William H., Stiles, John, Stackhouse, Joseph C, Sanford, Joliu C, Sayre, George H., Teller, Mathew S., Turner, John E.. Simpkins, Isaac I., Fidaback, James, Fidaback, Daniel, Thompson, Albert W., Teller, Joseph H., Trellase, Elijah T., Vanover, Henry, Vangorden, Charles, Van Emburg, George, Vliet, William, Vanriper, Abraham, Wintermale, Andrew G. Wlintermale, Edgar K. COMPANY C. James N. Duffy, Captain. Garrett Brady, First Lieutenant. David Duffy, Second Lieutenant. Wiliam Bergen, First Sergeant. O'Connell J. O'Callaghan, Sergeant. William O'Connor, " Christopher Farley, " Arthur P. Hughes, " Menzias Doland, ,. Corporal. Edmund English, " Henry Criqui, " Patrick Mallague, " Hugh McMonagle, Isaac Ardill, " Patrick Egan, John B. Knight, Edward Johndrew Fifer. Hugh B. Shields, Drummer. Patrick Tenney, Wagoner. Privates. Adams, William, Allen, George H., Anglehart, Sebastian, Battaille, Edward, Barron, Robert, Blake, Richard M., Brady, James, Bracken, Anthony, 31 F B Burns, Patrick, Burns, John, Burns, Thomas, Carlan, Bernard, Callan, Patrick, Cavanagh, John, Cavanagh, James, Chardivoyne, Stephen R. 478 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Cody, Edward, Casey, Thomas, Coyle, Andrew, Cahill, George, Dalzell, Alexander, Duffy, William, Dempsey, James, Dooner, Hugh, Dignan, Bernard, Devine, Patrick, Degraw, Cornelius, Emmerson, William, Flaherty, William, Flynn, David, Fagan, Patrick, Fell, John, Fitzsimmons, Owen, Fox, Solomon J., Fitzpatrick, Thomas, Gemmell, Alexander, Gibney, Patrick, Grimes, Thomas, Gunn, Michael, Hesser, James, Hickey, Thomas, Higgins, John, Hamilton, Lawrence, Honeywell, Robert M., Horton, William, Hefrin. James, Hooley, Thomas, Johnston, Andrew, Johndrew, Abram, Kelley, Finton, Kauffman, Frederick, Kendall, Thomas. Langhran, Patrick, Low, James, Leddy, John, Lumaree, Charles, Lyndon, James P., Mulgrave, James, Mellor, Samuel, Morris, Owen, Marron, Edward, Marshall, Thomas P., McColligan, Hugh, McCarthy, John, McDermott, William, McDonald, Peter, McGeehen, John, Munn, Ira C, Nichols, John H., Noon, Michael, Nichols, William, O'Mahony, Daniel, Pierson, Moses F., Potts, William, Robatham, David H., Smith, Peter, Sprigg, Thomas W., Seaver, Joseph, Strange, Martin, Shields, Hugh, Taylor, John, Topham, Thomas W., Trainor, Thomas, Turbett, Charles, Van Iderstine, Francis, Van Iderstine, John. COMPANY D. Albert Seigel Captain. Edward Schmidt First Lieutenant. James Wilson. " " Louis Helmer Second Lieutenant. Frank Engelhardt, First Sergeant. William Kobcke, Sergeant. Herman Dehmer, " Herman Lipfert, " Henry Flach, " Henry Meissling, Corporal. Julius Stapff, Gustav Peine FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 479 Charles Hammesfahr, Corporal. Charles Eickenberg, Herman Bartsch, August Schroder, August Unger, John Boms, Fifer. John Hansen, Drtimmcr. August Leonhard, Wacjoner. Privates. Albrecht, Christian, Arnold, Casper, Bodensatz, Bernhard, Behringer, Philip, Birkle, Casper, Bohrer, Philip, Buchsbaum, William, Dackermann, Leonhard, Eberhard, Frederic, Ecker, Frederic, Emmerick, William, Enter, George, Erhard, Frank, Erdmann, Louis, Freitag, Albert, Fritsche, Herman, Gill, Martin, Grouss, Frederick. Gruber, Michael, Hagg, Matthias, Hartkopf, August, Heinold, Louis, Heller, John, Hermann, Christopli, Hesse, Ferdinand, Hinkmann, Frank, Hofsess, Charles, Horn, Charles, Hosser, Frederic, Hotham, Frederic, Hothan, Frederic, Huck, Charles, Hammel, Christoph, Hummel, Charles, Imhof, Frederic, Jakoby, August, Janaschek, Joseph, Kaminsky, Joseph, Klem, Balthasar, Klufif, Louis, Kohlmann, August, Konkel, Bernhard, Kopp, John, Korkel, John, Krauss, William, Krauss, Frederick, Kurz, Konrad, Kuth, Anton, Langenberger, Herman. Laher, William, Lenz, Charles, Ley, Valentine, Lickenmeier, John, Link, Benjamin, Mahr, August, Mallet, Joseph, McDermit, Patrick, Meier, Frank, Meier, Gregor, Metzger, Peter, Muller, John, Muller, Philipp, Niemeier, August, Otto, WiUiam, Popke, Charles, Potzel, Lebrecht, Plume, Isaac H., Roser, Julius, Rothacker, Christoph, Schneidmann. JoIth, Schofter, Jacob, Schoner, Charles, Schmidt, Mathias, Schuler, Joseph, Schuler, Frederic, Schuppert, John, Schuppert, Charles, Schutte, Daniel, 480 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Seidenspinner, John, Wolf, Adam, Spitz, Frank, Wolf, Frederic, Tanner, Phillip, Wolfinger, Philip, Trapper, Henry, Worwag, Julius, Volz, Gottfried, Worwag, Charles, Windegger, Joseph, Zellweger, Daniel. Wolf, Frederic, COMPANY E. Charles Wiebecke, Captain. Ferdinand Stoll, Lieutenant. Albert Franck, " Gottlieb Sohmalz Sergeant. Charles Bander August Linder, " Charles Huller, " Christian Beyer, " William Wiegand, Corporal. Theodore Banzhaf " Karl Siegal, Hughe Lellbach Joseph Pfeflfer " John Hensler, " Herman Hartman " Michael Ehrhardt Emil Herman, Fifer. Friedrich, Neifert Drummer. Franz Brodesser, Wagoner. Privates. Albrecht, John, Fastnacht, Jacob. Adams, John, Fischer, John. Axle, Benedict, Fischer, Nicolans, Bauman, Mathias, Friedel, Gustav, Benner, George, Friedrich. Joseph. Bechtold, John. Fisher, J. E., Bugler. John, Gobel, Henry, Berner, Franz. Gambuchler. George, Brehm, August. Himmelsbach, Otto. Braitigam. Friedrich, Hofman, Jacob, Burkle. Remikins, Henner. Leopold, Besel, Gustav, Hoh, Friedrich, Coblenzer, Jahn. Illing, Thomas. Chardavine, Lee, Just, August. Dekebach. Jacob. Jung, Phillip. Esser, Jacob. Jansen, Herman, Eichorst, Friedrich, Jeorger, Otto. Elker, Jacob, Kabiersky, Julius, FIRST NBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 481 Kampf, Adam, Kalber, Jacob, Kaufman, Ignatz, Kist, Friedrich, Krawart, Willhelm, Kleine, William, Konig, Berthard, Koch, Adolph, Lauer, Christoph, Lauer, Andreas, Lambrinus, Andreas, Lenz, William, Lapple, Jacob, Mensing, Kasper, Mennert, William, Muller, Henry, MuUer, Lewis, Muller, Gustav, Petzold, Charles, Pfingstag, John, Prinz, Anton, Propst, Henry, Renz, John, Ries, Conrad, Ressing, William, Rodemeier, Fredrich, Schafer, Phillips, Senf, Ernst, Schoppe, William, Sohnarr, Lorenz, Steinhelber, Friedrich, Schneider, William, Scholl, Friedrich, Siegel, Albert, Scheerstuhl, Martin, Trautfetter, George, Volz, Edward, Wachter, George, Witthum, Clemens, Will, Alexander, Weingarth, Friedrich, Wege, Christian, Wehrle, Charles, Wagner, Bernhardt, Wollenberg, Christian, Wollenschlager, Friedrich, Weissenfluck, Jacob, Zink, Joseph. COMPANY F. Captain. Aaron Young, ,,. 1 . First Lieutenant. Henry Vreeland, t,r-,,- T^ TD1 ^n- Second Lieutenant. Wi ham E. Blewett, -^^ ^. ^^ ,'.„. „ A First Sergeant. Wilham Purdy, ^ , T-. Sergeant. Jared Denn, „ John Campbell, ,, John H. King, John T. Snow, r^,-hn,-nl ■' ,,r-rAij Lorpojal. James McFarland, \, James Campbell, Moses T. Osborn, David Brooks, Barney Crabtree, Jacob Denike, ,< Sampson Simmons, „ Thomas Stephens, p^^^^ Ebony Hunter [''.Drummer. Marcus Moore, Wagoner. James E. Farrel, 482 FIRST NEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. Privates. Allerton, John, Adams, Oliver J., Atchinson, James M., Brady, James T., Bazes, Thomas P., Blake, James, Bergen, John, Brady, William, Bolen, Owen, Bohen, John, Campbell, John, Campbell, James, Cassady, Lewis, Conroy, Michael, Castello, Edward, Cockefair, George E., Callanan, Eugene, Carroll, John. Colry, Ira, Campbell, Cornelius, Clark, John, Culligan, Patrick, Carroll, Jerry, Carroll, Patrick, Cosgrove, Thomas, Curran, Thomas, Coates, John H., Douglass, William, Deighan, Francis, Derberow. William, Derrig, John. Dougherty, Richard, Ellison, Anthony, Feeny, James. Fairclough, Richard, Fairhurst. Wlilliam. Fine. Cornelius, Graham, John, Goldsmith. William, Hotchkin, Charles, Hardy, Frank, Harris, Isaac, Haydcn, Thomas, Jackson, Samuel, Kennedy. Jared. Kcarnev, Michael, Kemble, Garret. Kistner, Henry, Kay, Christian, Leaky, Patrick, Meeker, Charles H., Meeker, Abraham P., McVey, Anthony O., McDonald, John. McNulty, Michael, McVey, William, McCloskey, Thomas, McDonald, Robert, Mosely, William, McNab. John, McCluskey, James, McVey. David, Maloy, Michael, Murphy, John, Mayow, George, Montrose, Thomas, Nailer, John, Packer, Jacob, Paxton, Isaac, Past, Sylvester J., Ray. William. Russell. John, Rose, John, Risben, John, Smith, John M., Smith, Hiram, Shuron, Patrick. Swanwick, William, Stranford, Joseph, Sanford, William E., Snow. Robert. Swim. Henn,-, Spear. Thomas. St. Clair, Anthony, P., Taylor, Boles, Terhune, William. Van Allen. Peter, Worsnop. Daniel. Westervelt. William, Weeber. John. Wilson. William. Wait. William. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 483 COMPANY ('.. James H. Close, Captain. Horatio Leonard, first Lieutenant. Sargeant E. Leonard, Second Lieutenant. Charles M. Taylor, First Sergeant. John Case, Sergeant. Theodore W. Alston, Robert B. Sanderson James Marshall, Alexander Kirkpatrick Corporal. William H. Burnett, Fowler Merrill, Manfred C. Battey. Samuel A. Jarvis, Charles M. Clerihue, Emil J. Girard, Charles E. Hyde, Isaac H. Munn, Fifer. James Elverson, Drummer. John H. Smith, Wagoner. Privates. Ackerman, David, Ash, Jacob J., Aspinwall, Sumner D., Bannen, Charles, Baldwin, George H., Barnard, Alfred, Bell, David, Benedict, Edward C, Benson, Garrat B., Bradshaw, George, Brant, Erastus, Brown, Joshua J., Brown, Edwin N., Bulliphant, Thomas W., Canfield, Charles H., Cockefair, George E., Conklin, Edward L., Collins, John W., Cole, Jacob L-, Cole, John, Curtis, Frederick, Cummings, Jacob C. E., Dickinson, Albert J., Dodd, Charles B., Dodd, Forman, Douglas, Sylvester. Dunn, Henry A., Dykes, Basil, Eitel, Jacob, Fitter, Henry, Gaddis, John D. F., Getchis, Charles F., Gordon, George, Gunot, Louis S., Harrison, Charles H., Haney, Francis, Haulenback, John, Hampton, William, Herzog, George, Higgins, John, Hutchinson, William, Hyde, James C, Hull, Jeremiah, Jr., Jenkins, Joseph, Jeppe, George, Kain, David, Kanouse, William, Keer, Edward, Kennedy, Thomas, Kent, Jacob W., Kingsland, Nathaniel, Kirwan, James, 484 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Lambert, John H., Leonhardt, Jacob, Lee, Thomas, Low, George A., Lorton, Eugene V., Lunch, Dewitt S., Lynch, Patrick, Mackay, William, Matthews, Ambrose M., McCloud, George, McCormick, Edward, McCollough, Christopher, McDonald, W. H., McQuillan, Thomas, McNair, David, Miller, Jacob, Morehouse, George H., O'Brien, Michael, Phillips, William, Price, David, Raymond, George, Reybert, George, Schmidt, Louis, Slee, Valentine J., Smith, John B., Spaulding, Edward F., Strassel, Joseph, Stillwell, George, Squire, George W., Teachman, James R., Terry, William, Thayer, Joseph A., Thatcher, Jacob, Tompson, William H., Tompkins, Silas B., Tronton, Robert, Vail, George F., Vogel, William, Westbrook, Albert, Wilson, William, Williams, William R., Woodruff, Joseph, F. R. COMPANY H. Edwin Bishop, Captain. John F. W. Crane, First Lieutenant. John W. Root, Second Lieutenant. William J. Van Ness, First Sergeant. Eugene W. Gerindon, Sergeant. Joseph Seeley, " Henry H. Callan, Jedson, Knight, .;. " George Somerville, Corporal. Horace Smith, WiUiam Dykes, Flavil W. Sullivan, Stephen H. Cadmus, " Charles H. Pierson, George N. Mockridge, "' Robert W. Simpson, Lewis Martinny, Fifer. Isaac F. Babbit, Drummer. Charles Kent, IVagoncr. Privates. Babbit, Hampton M., Baldwin, Theodore A., Bachellor, James M., Backus, Rodman, Beach, Samuel, Bowers, Henry F., Bowman, William H. Brown, Edwin, Burchell, David, Ball, Joseph, FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 485 Boudish, Daniel, Brown, Josiah I., Conklin, James L., Condict, Daniel H., Crane, Alfred W. B., ■Crawford, John, Crane, Aaron D., Chandler, John W., Damford, John, Daum, Lewis, Daum, Philip, Dean, George D., DeWitt, Levi T., Douglass, Harvey F., Dunn, Joseph, Davy, Charles H., Duryea, Edmund A., Eyles, William K., Earl, Edward S., Eaulks, William, Foster, Richard, Griggs, William F., Haines, Amity, Hand, John S., Hatfield, Martin V., Hampson, Henry, Hope, Richard, Hundertpfund, Henry W., Hodgekins, Joseph P., Lyon, Walter M., Lew, Napoleon, Lockwood, George B., Lyon, Ebenezer C, McNair, Robert W., Meeker, Edward. Miller, Horace, Mockridge, Abraham M., Meadors, Ira B., Mulford, Rodney J., McDermott, Patrick, McCartney, Thomas, McClure, William M., Milligan, John D., Milligan, William E., Mullen, Charles, Miller, John G., Jr., Milner, William, Morrison, George, Mills, Stott, Nulter, John E., Norcross, Alexander, Pierson, Linus S., Peabody, John A., Pierson, Levi W., Pierce, Henry, Pridham, Rodney, Pressinger, Edward, Phalon, Patrick, Reybert, Alexander L., Rolle, Charles W., Richardson, Joseph, Seymour, Robert, Sandford, Benjamin, Sears, Franklin A., Soles, Benjamin L., Shaw, William L., Shafer, James M., Statts, Abraham S., Sutlow, J. Stewart, Totten, Francis E., Tipping, Joseph T., Thompson, Juhan N., Tunis, Daniel W., Vanrelsor, Horace, Ware, Amzy, Wetzell, Peter, Westervelt, Samuel R., Williams, Joseph B., Wilkie, David W., Whyman, Simon F., Wheeler, Edward I., Winckler, Adolph, Woodruff, John H., Whitehead, John A., Young, Abraham A. COMPANY L George Griffith, Captain. John Allen, First Lieutenant. Charles Danforth, Second Lieutenant. Andrew Brown, 486 FIRST XEJV JERSEY BRIGADE. Edward G. Ford, I'irst Scriicani. William Davidson, Sergeant. Robert O. Smith, Charles H. Cundell, William J. Buckley, Abram H. Paxton, Corporal William J. Atchison, James Cook, Edward Higbid, Joseph E. Wild, James J. King, Henry Harvey, John A. Alyea, Fifer. John A. Van Houten, Drummer. Joseph Hartley, U'agoner. Privates. Ackerman, Andrew, Allen, Stephen W., Allen, Wallace, Andrew, Chauncey, Atchison, James, Beardsley, James, Babcock, Frederick, Berdan, Albert, Beggs, James. Broughton, Grimshaw, Brown, Cornelius, Brown, Francis M., Buck, Chester H., Buckley, John F., Burnham, Sylvanus B., Burks, William, Burstroun, Andrew S., Cain. Rudolph. Chadwick, Leonard, CodHng, Alfred, Colgan, James. Cooper, Samuel, Courier, David, Courier, William H., Crawford. Robert N., Crowell, Jonathan. Davidson, George N., Donaldson, William. Discoll, John A., Dourkersley, William B., Dougherty, Wilson, Douglass. Theodore E-, Evans, Lemuel E., Fielding. Thomas, Finklemeir, Charles, Finklemeir, Nicholas. Flavell, John W., Goetching, Peter V. W Goodrich, Bradford R., Hamilton, William Hartson, James, Haj'es. William, Holmes, Alexander. Hoff, Louis, Hoy, William H., Huber, Henry, Irving. James, Johnson, William, Keenan, John, King, Robert W., King, Henry B., Lamb. David, •Lee, James, Law, Joseph. Lawton, Byron. Loan, William F., Lynde, Henry A., Malpas. Alfred, Manuel, James, ArcGill, Alexander, McCloud. Samuel F., McCloud, William, Miller. James, Miller, William A., FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 487 Miller, William H., Slater, John J.. Monroe, Martin B., Smith, Amos S., Montgomery, Ebenezer, Smith, John, Morehead, John, Spangler, Rollin, O'Brien, Michael, Vanhouten, Wellingson. Ott, Jacob. Vangiesen, Isaac, Perkins, Daniel, Walkington, Samuel B., Jr., Ratzer, Fehx, Walthall, James, Roberts, WiUiam H., Watts, George, Scott, George, White, John G. B., Scott, John C.. Winters, William, Shearan, William, Winfield, Daniel H., Simmonton, De Witt, Whitney, Samuel S., Sip, Vreeland, Zabriskie, John A. Slingerland, John J., COMPANY K. Charles H. Tay, ^«/'^«^«- Richard Hopewood, ^^«* Lieutenant. Jacob Bogert, ^''^'^^ Lieutenant. Cyrus Benedict, First Sergeant. Lewis B. Baldwin, Sergeant. ■ Martin Ward, ,, William H. Haskill, Charles C. Lockwood Francis Curran, Corporal. Charles Selemeyer, Horatio N. Peabody, ^^ Alfred Clark, '■ ^ •i^ J • 1 xj T ..^r. Drummer. Frederick H. Lyon, James S. Hughson, • ; ; • ' • , , , T, ,-, ■ Wasoner. Alexander Baldwin, ^ Privates. Ackerman, Aaron C, Ackerman, Edgar B., Alexander, William H., Ash, Simmes F., Adams, William, Baldwin, Frederick A., Baldwin, Samuel H., Barton, WiUiam H., Bonnell, William T., Bliven, Charles H., Beach, Alexander, Jr., Boudiett, Emanuel, Beers, William, Brooks, Eli, Bryden, Obadiah, Clarke, Theodore C, Conover, Jesse, Cottrell, Herbert, Coleman, John, Carrol, Samuel, Carrol, Hamilton, Cadmus, Stephen V. Cadmus, Henry S., Crowell, Jonathan, Davis, Daniel, De Forrest, Isaac, Ernst, Richard, Frederick, Albert, Fairchild, Edmund, Forbes, John W., C, Jr., 488 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Fearey, Jabez, Fearey, Levi, Garrabrant, William, Graback, Robert. Gray, John V., Graham, James, Goulder, Peter C, Green, Joseph, Hemberger, Andrew, Harris, George M., Herzog, Christian, Holloway, Charles S., Jackson, William A., Karsboom, Harmans, Kane, William W., Kiesling, Joseph S., Liebe, William A., Lockwood, Charles C, Lyon, Lewis W., Lavery, John H., Leonard, William, Lord, John, Maynard, Thomas W., Mahler, Henry J., Milledge, George W., Meade, George, Murphy, Charles J., Morgan, Robert, Nees, Lewis H., Neafie, Walter D., Nalborough, William, O'Donnell, Patrick, Pettegrew, Thomas, Pollitt, Thomas, Price, Edgar H., Price, Nathan, Post, John W., Rendall, Giles R., Russell, Charles W., Roden, George, Richardson, Edward, Sandford, William E., Shafer, Henry, Smith, William, Smith, Edward L., Sihn, Jacob, Schofield, George, Skinner, John S., Terhune, John G., Terry, Oscar D., Tangeman, August, Tony, George W., Tucker, Theodore, Vanderhoof, Daniel K., Van Horn, John H., Van Riper, Charles O., Western, Wardell B., Wilson, Washington, Warden, James H., Winters, William W., Wilde, Joseph B., Wise William H., Williamson, Charles. Third Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers. George W. Taylor, Colonel Henry W. Brown, Lieutenant-Colonel. Mark W. Collett, Major. Robert T. Dunham, Adjutant. Francis Sayre, Quartermaster. Lorenzo Lewis Cox, Surgeon. Edward L. Welling, Assistant Surgeon. George R. Darrow, Chaplain. BAND. William R. Bailey, Leader. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 489 Musicians. Thomas Barrett, ^^^'^'' l\^^''""t:, Charles T. Stratton, Wilham McDonald, Har son Carels, William Thornburg, ^r-ir Q T nmhert Charles I. Peters, Wilham b. Lambert, T^ • 1 TD^^«r;nlr Samuel Albm, Daniel Pedenck, Woolston, Ezbon C. Lambert, f I Vi ^i« Z^ . ■,. • Jacob Claypole, Francis Albm j Kempton, Francis B. Ridgway, J°"^ ".- i^ ^, 1 -iir Axr Kk Benjamin r. Uare, Charles W. Webb, ^ J Asr^rtV, Henry F. Conins gL"^! West, COMPANY A. • Captain. David Vickers, ....First Lieutenant. John Roberts, Second Lieutenant. Charles Wilson, • • p^^,^^ Sergeant. Frank H. Coles, Sergeant. Richard Hewitt, « William H. Snowden, John L. W. Wentz, Joseph L. Franklin Corporal Adon G. Cattell, Josiah P. Franklin, William L. BuUer, Frank Peaboddy, Harry Hagerty, Joseph Pickins, David S. Gibson, Charles Elkinton, ' ' ' " ' pifg^^ James Kershaw, Drummer. John A. Tyler, Wagoner. Thomas French, Privates. „„.,,. ^ Clark, Henry L., Allen, Wilham F., ^^^^^^^^ g^^^^^^l C., Allen, Nathan ^^^^^^ ^V., Alexander, Charles.. ^^J^^^ ^^^^^^ Ashton, Enoch W.. ^^^^^^ ^.^^.^^^^ ^^ Allen, Joseph Y., ^^ j^^^^ P _ Abbott, Charles V., ^^^^.^^^. j , Beatty, Charles ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ P Bock, Henry W., ^^^^^^ William S... Boyle, Robert, Cattell, Edward C, Boyce, John, Cunningham, Andrew, Barber, Edward, ^^^^^^^ Beniamin S., Burt, Henry, 490 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Duffield, Benjamin, Donald, Michael, Downs, John, Downs, Joseph. Davis, Alexander W., Dilks, Samuel, Esterlow, James, Eacritt, John, Edwards, John, Foster, Reuben, Fox, Joshua, Frambes, Jesse B., Gordon, Charles^ Graham, Samuel, Grubbins, John, Green, John, Hewitt, William, Hill, Thomas H., Hemphill, Wallace, Jaggard Roberts, Jaggard, Isaac D., Jones, Thomas, Jackson, Charles S., Johnson, Enoch L-, Lippincott, Richard, Lowe, John W., X,ockwood. William, Mears. William F., Morris, Robert, Matts, Samuel C, Maul, Benjamin L., COMPANY B. Henry C. Gibson, Captain. Franklin L. Knight, First Lieutenant. William N. Evans, Second Lieutenant. Baldwin Hufty, First Sergeant. Hamilton Johnson, Sergeant. William B. Phillips, W'illiam Page, Mathias Lambson, Howard H. Goldsmith, Corporal. Arthur Merry, Charles McClung, Nathan Jones, Samuel B. Pine, George Westcott Edward Phillips, Jonathan Demaris, Drummer. Edward Browning Fifer. James Ross, Wagoner. McClure, John, Madara, Ezekiel. Nehls, Frederick. Nemis, Anthony, Ostentack, George, Orr, Joseph W., Pedrick, John P.. Parker, Charles, Renners, Samuel, Ridgeway, Andrews, Sharp, John A., Sharp, William. Stanger, J'ames N., Shute. Frank A., Scott, John W., Sullivan, Daniel W., Scott, John R., Scott, Joseph D., Scraum, Frederick, Sharp, George W., Taylor, Richard, Tonkins, John. Turner, Albert F., Wilson, Frederick. Wamsley, Henr\-, Wilson, John, Williams, William, Zane. Thomas F., Zane. Charles G., Zane, William. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 491 Privates. Adams, Adam, Broadhurst Samuel, Bressillon, Armand, Bressillon, Charles, Burns, Patrick, Bromly, George, Blair, John, Brooks, Newton M., Coull, Francis W., Coull, Allen, Casper, Theodore, Conway, John, Clark, John, Clark, Thomas W., Crawshaw, Titus, Coates, John W., Closson, Mordecai, Curlis, Richard A., Diament, Edward, Dillon, James, DeFord, Henry, Frankish, Johai W., Fox, Eeter J., Fisher, August, Fackler, Charles, Farris, Thomas D., Gibson, William. Gordon, Thomas, Gorman, Henry, HoUis, Brock, Hardin, Mahlon, Henry, James. Harrison, John T., HoUingsworth, James. Harvey, William T., Harkinson, John, Hong. Lewis C, Johnson, Joseph C, King, Joseph. Lock, Elwood, Laughlin, George W., Lukens, Albert. Lewis, John, Lupton, J. Harrison, Merrihew, Theodore W., McWey, John, McNuUy, Martin, Mervine, Frederick, Marshland, Alfred, Martin, Samuel, McLees, John, Mills, William, Neimeo, Archibald, Phillips, John M., Phillips, Thomas L.. Robinson, Charles, Ross, Wilkins, Robinson, Franklin, Shinn, William, Smith, William H., Surran, Thomas C, Shink, Phillip, Smith, William B., Shinn, Benjamin F.. Spence, John. Smith, Cooper, Snow, Frisby, Smith, Charles, Trimble, Armon, Soby, Frederick, Trussel, Edward, Talmadge, Albert, Tompkinson, Stephen, Taylor, J. Frederick, Vandegrift, Howard S. Walker, Alexander J., Wood, Robert F., Williams, Wallace, Wise, Jacob, Westphal, Thomas, Webb, Erasmus K., Young, William T. G., Slocum, John W., Wright, Charles H., McCoy, John D.. Thornberger. John. Ricker, George (»., Taylor, Joseph, 492 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. COMPANY C. Joseph F. Rowaiid, Captain. Daniel P. Buckley, First Lieutenant. Louis C. Spencer, " " Edward B. Grubb, Jr., Second Lieutenant. John C. Wiggins, " " William P. Hall, First Sergeant. Charles H. Colesworthy, Sergeant. Griffith W. Carr, David G. Hunt, '' Benjamin A. Burr, " Daniel F. Banks, Corporal. William Dilmore, " Thomas S. Palmer, " Thomas B. Arey, " George G. Deacon, " Thomas K. Ekings, " John Stewart, " Benjamin H. Wiley " George Collins, Drummer. John H. Heaviland, Fifer. Alfred Norcross, Wagoner. Privates. Adams, Abraham, Adams, George, Adams, John, Allen, William H., Alston, David, Allinson, William H., Andrews, John, Burr, William, Ballinger, William J.. Blackwood, William H., Bonker, Joseph F., Butler, Stephen, Bryan, Robert, Benham, William, Garr, William, Collins, Patrick, Cox, William H, Coer, Joseph S., Cathcart, James, Combs, Godfrey, Cone, Walter N., Conover, George H., Dare, Theodore A., Dickson, David, Drake, Charles B., Dunbar, Thomas, Evans, Charles H., Gaskill, George, Griffin, Patrick, Graham, William, Given, Andrew, Grant, John, Getty, John, Horner, William, Hiss, Joseph, Heritage, Thomas B., Hutchinson, Samuel, Havens, Charles F., Horn, John D., Illingsworth, Barclay, Johnson, James R., Kiercelf, John, Leeson, Landric, Lippincott, Joseph P., Luey, Frederick, .Miller, William W., Mount, William H., Morrow, James, FIRST Xnir JERSEY BRIGADE. 493 Matlack, Thomas W., Morton, George C, Morton, Samuel F., Mack, Patrick. McMullen, George. McCullough, Hugh, McGonigal, David P., McLaughlin, John, McGriflfin, James D., Mick, Michael, Nichols, James, Nayolor, James, O'Reilh^ George, Oliphant, John J., Poole, Richard, Poinsett, Ridgway S., Park, John, Park, James, Patterson, Mathew, Pierce, John, Ryan, Michael, Rogan, John, Richards, Thoma.< B., Reed, Henry B., Reed, William H. H., Rexon, William T.. Robbins, John. Reinboth, Charles F., Rodman, William, Spachins, William X.. Smith, Francis, Smith, Frederick W., Smith, Joseph, Sinclair, Isaac, Sharp, Ezra, Smyth, Samuel, Titus, Timothy B., Taylor, Mathew, Thompson, Lewis M., Vansciver, David D., Vanwagoner. John. Williams, Joseph, Williams, Amos H., Willetts, William F. COMPANY D. Franklin I,. Knight Captain. James G. Fitts Edward B. Grubb, Jr., Eirst Lieutenant. John J. Jones James W. Porter, Second Lieutenant. Hubert S. Linn Benjamin Stewart, '• Sergeant. Peter M. Hendershot, Sylvester Decker, James Walker, Benjamin Houghwort, Corporal. John McMarenis. '■ Elijah Sharp Jacob B. Hendershot, Robert Bangham, Andrew J. Lariden, Thomas' P. Edwards, Daniel W. Drake Stephen Pell. Pifer.' George W. Porter. .' Drummer. John Slokbower, Wagoner. 32 F B 494 FIRST XEir JERSEY BRIGADE. Privates. Bennet, Charles, Bonnell, David, Bell, William C, Berry, Asa, Brown, David B.. Chambers, Newman C, Chambers, Watson, Cortright, George N., Campbell, Azariah, Comer, William C, Crist, John M., Conn, Bartly, Craten, Michael, Dalziel, James, Dermer, Manning, Daily Patrick, Dorman, William, Decker, Hiram, Dennis, John, Drake, Adam, Earles, William S., Ervin. William, Ford, John W., Feighly, James, France, Ira C, Givens, Samuel F., Galliger, Charles, Gouer, Andrew A., Guest, Charles, Gordon, William, Hamlin, Moses, Hagerty, Joseph, Howard, John, Hendershot, William A., Haughawout, Leflferd, Hughs, Martin, Hendershot, Ambrose M., Hedden, William, King, Isaac M., Knott, Edw^ard, Knox, Arthur S., Lawless, William, Layton, Abram S., Lepper, Henry, Marvin, John W., Marvin, Ezra, Manan, Lewis, McCarter, Henry, McKeone, Patrick, Mealy, William O., Maldoon, James, Moffit, Thomas, Moran, William, Niel, George O., Newbur}-, Edward S., Pine, James B., Price, David, Price, William, Picket, Benjamin, Pittenger, Nathaniel J., Rodney, Morris, Reed, George, Smith, Nathan S., Struble. Horace H., Schoonover, James, Jr., Space, David, Slawson, Charles, Smith, John H., Smith, Jacob, Steele, Thomas J., Snyder, Andrew, Schanlin. Michael, Silcox, James, Savercool, iNIartin G., Stage, George M., Totten, Jonathan, Taylor, John W., Tittsworth, Charles A.. Tillman, \\'atson, Tighe, John, \'anderhool John B., Williamson, William, Wheeler, Emery A., Wintermute, Edwin H.; Walters, William, Winslow, John. FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 495 COMPANY E. Edward L. Campbell, Captain. William P. Robeson, Jr Pirst Lieutenant. George P. Sanders vS-^^o»d Lieutenant. Joseph Liness ^'''^^ Sergeant. Peter H. Lanastaff " Sergeant. William H. H. Porter, Robert Ruddy, ^^ Joseph M. Dunnohevv, William Harrar, Corporal. William M. Room, Thomas R. Haines, ^^ Henry W. Mitchell Harry S. Watson, WiUiam J. Miller, George L. Morse, Henry D. Neimeyer, John Hadfield, '^*'^''- T 1 n »^o„ Drummer. Joseph Crummey, V^ • , c- 1 ;„^ Wagoner. Daniel Smipkms, * Privates. Cranshaw, James, Berg, William, Bried, Alexander, Barger, Nicholas, Buttle, John H., Barnett, Alexander, Brown, Joseph A., Burbridge, Richard, Bunn, Alexander, Burns, Alexander, Bruen, James H., Crox, Henry, Cornell, WiUiam H., Cavanaugh, James, Coates, John W., Conklin, Henry S., Carpenter, Charles H., Cheeseman, Thomas J., Deforrest, George W., Durnell, John D., Deegan, Bernard, Dumble, John, ElHs, David, Ely, Phineas, Elder, James, Fie, Joseph, Freeman, George, Grundlock, Jacob, Hill, James G., Hance, William, Haines, Joseph D., Hoover, David, Hollingshead, John F., Hartman, Bernard, Hopping, Robert W., Hunter, Walter, Irvin, Washington, Jackson, Richard M., Lieper, James, Lukens, Frankhn B., Mullen, James, Miller, Christian, Malone, William W., McCowan, Robert, Macklin, George J., Martin, John C, Miller, George, McKinney, James, Nagle, John, Nimmo. Archibald. 496 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Oliver, Henry, Purfil, William, Payne, William, Reed, George W., Ritter, George W., Ross, Jesse C, Rethun, George W., Rumpf, Henry A., Siner, Charles, Shoppe, John, Shuster. John C, Simpson, Vincent. Smith, William A., Sutton, William, Salmon, Abraham, Stinger, Henry, Tyrell, Joseph, Tunis, Nehemiah, Vandegrift, John H. Voorhies, Jacol), Voorhies, John, Williams, Hiram, Williams, James, Williams, Robert, Wilson, Theodore, Ware, Benjamin, Wise, George W., Worn, Philip, Wilby, Thomas. Winner, Samuel, Wallace, John, Wiatt, William, Younker, Jacob, Zinck, George F. COMPANY V. James VV. 11. Stickney, Captain. Samuel T. Dubois. First Lieutenant. George Woodruff, Second Lieutenant. Charles F. Salkeld, First Sergeant. David W. Fry, Sergeant. Sylvester W. Randolph, Michael H. Swing, " Bowman H. Buck, " Daniel H. Dillon, Corporal. Samuel Harris, John C. Garrison, Smith Dalrymple, Davis B. Loder, Clarence Mulford, James W. Murphy '' Daniel B. Ginenback, Horace E. Loper, Fifer. William Painter, Drunnner. James Bright Wagoner. Pri'i'ates. Allen, Aaron M., Berger, Adolph, Briod, David S., Birdsall, Robert, Birdsall, Barnett, Brooks, Reuben, ' Bacon, Charles H., Blackson, Elias W., Barrett, Reuben T., Calverly, Thomas E., Crosier, Edmund R., Crandoll, Raymond D., Coles, Thomas P., Clark, David P., Clark, Henry, Cambloss, Furman, FIRST XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. VXi Claj'ton, Joseph, Davis, Charles L., Davis, Thomas B., Dailey, James, Doyle, Daniel, Fadela}', Jonathan, Fogg, Smith J., Facemire, Jonathan H., Faurer, George, Grosscrop, Eldorado H., Galaspy, Robert, Harker, Levi J., Howell, William G., Huster, Josiah, Harris, Ethan P., Hill, John R, Husted, David B., Henderson, Charles H., Jackson, Robert, Jorden Charles T., Johnson, Gideon W., Keen, Thomas B., Layton, Joseph S., Levick, Richard C, Lore, Joab C, Moncrief, William, Mulford, William, Marts, Henry W., Mowers, John, McCullester, Charles, McDonald, Levi, Naglee, William, Nichols, Joshua R., Nichols, William, Ogden, John, Patchell, Samuel, Parvin, Daniel R., Parvin, Alexander M. Potts, Robert, Pew, Enoch B., Robinson, George, Royal, John, Ritner Philip, Stanley, Edward D., Stockton, Henry B., Sayre, Alexander, Sleit, George, Sheppard, Josiah F., Sheppard, Joseph B., Seymour, Henry, Thorward, John F., Thompson, John, Thompson, Joseph R. Tyler John M., Tyler, Benjamin F., Thomas, William A., Taylor, Matthias, Vansant, Robert M., Woodruff, Thomas M. Woodruff, Joseph R., Woodruff, James B., Wolf, George, Webb, Alexander H., Wells, Samuel W., Williams, Walter S., Williams, William H., Westcott, James G., Yearicks, David, Wright, Wesley T. COMPANY G. Peter F. Rogers, Captain. John Roberts Richard D. Cook, First Lieutenant. Arthur H. Hardcastle, Second Lieutenant. William C. Barnard Louis Fisher First Sergeant. Oscar Westlake. Sergeant. John Miller Peter T. Vanderveer, John C. Wiggins, Cornelius Van Zandt, Corporal. John S. Judd, 498 FIRST Xmr JERSEY BRIGADE. Augustus C. Linclbley, Corporal. Edward Gaylord, " George H. Luce, " Theodore McCoy, Henry V. Love, " Jacob Crater, George W. Hines, '. Fifer. Jacob Hoack, Drummer. Martin Blanchard, Wagoner. Privates. Alliger, Peter S., Amerman, Woodhull, Apgar, Samuel, Bennett, John V., Bush, Martin, Bunn, Philip, Cassiday, Richard, Cummings, George C, Conover, Annanias M., Dunham, Joseph, Deitz, John L, Doyle, James, Drost, Abram P., Dixon, Daniel, Duryea, John, Fuller, William, French, Philip, Fenner George, Forgus, William S., Gethard, Andrew, Goodheart, Philip, Gulick, Joachim, Gibbons, D. Smith, Romans, Joseph, Hoagland, Christopher, Himus, John, Hill, Charles, Holler, Valentine, Hines, Thomas, Job, Adam, Kaley, Michael, Kahler, Louis. Kretchmere, Frederick, Kulp, Elias C, Keiser, John, KorzendofFer, Nicholas, Kelley, John, Lotourett, William, Lyncli. Christopher, Lawrence, Michael D., Little, William, Leatherman, John, Ladingberg, Henry, Leslie, Robert, Mayberry, Benjamin, McNair, Joseph, Myers, John, Myers, Samuel, McCarman, Francis, Norton, William, Orr, Tunis H., Overton, Stephen. O'Neil, Michael C, Phillips, Samuel, Rockafellow, Henry, Runyon, David T., Riddle, Lewis, Skillman, William, Steinkle, William, Space, John T., Snee, Dennis, Seal, Joseph, Spangle, Charles. Southard, William, Schill, Charles, Salmon, Samuel D., Templeton, John B., Turnor, James, Thompson, John, Tyler. Samuel, VanBuskirk, Jasper, Wilson, E. Augustus, Williamson, John, Woodruff. Caleb. Wheeland. Frank, Walters. Joseph T., Young, Joseph T., Young, David. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 499 COMPANY H. William E. Bryan Captain. William Spence First Lieutenant. John Frantz, Second Lieutenant. Michael Devinney, First Sergeant. Elijah C. Gaskili, Sergeant. Michael Hogan Samuel Forker, John Bodine, William Kreeves. George Forker, Cortoral. Thomas Alcott, William Scott, AVilliam Collins, Thomas S. Collins, Robert F. Coleman, Michael McCarty, Theodore Pavnter TT Fifer. Isaac Henry „, , /-^ /^ ij Drummer. Theodore O. Gould ,T T Aagoncr. Henry Leary, Privates. Adams, William, Dougherty Albert W., Archer, Alfred W., Edwards, George Ash, George, Everlockner, Michael, Akins, John, Ellis, John tC , t- T Ell s, Wi ham, Belcher, James, t^'"f' ' Brown, Benjamin, Fryb^rg William, Budd, William H., Floyd, George Borton, George H., Fly""' P/^"^^'^ Bradley, Arthur J., Far ey, Janies F., Bennett, Charles, ^f ^'^.ru ' -^ \ Tt Flew, William, Brown, Aaron F.. ' \ «• n ■D T3i,;ii;o W Gangloff, George, Brown, Phillip vV., ^.,, t T^ AA Ai,^nV,om GiUmore, Isaac, Budden, Abraham, ' Cliver, James C. G., Glenn, William F., Chaney, William, 2'?JT w'niam H Cole. Samuel, Hubbard, William H., _ T51 •!,■„ Innmann, Jacob, Carr, Philip, , ,, ^,, ^.,, r^u \ w Ivory, Matthew, Dillman, Charles H., y" ^' ^ . Vi Tones, Moses W., Dennis, Thomas, J" ' ^ . ^, , ir Johnson, George W ., Davis, Thomas 1'., ■>'^ ' TA ij -n^^ .A \ Jackson, Thomas, Dold, Edward A.. ■' ' . , ,,r Z, . r-i 1 - M Ke lev, Frederick W ., Dennis, Charles H., ^ -' ^ , ^, , K ng, Mettlcr, Delaney. Charles. ^'' ^' T^ , T „ Leeson, John. Delaney, James. 5lM I FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Lewis, Elwood, Lay ton, Steward, Layton, William, Lough ron, Hugh, Lynch, James F.. Myers, Thomas N., Middleton, John R., Myers, Jacob, McKelway, Isaiah, Mick. Michael, Meadows, John, Mudford, Walter, Middleton, Samuel, Myers, Harry P., Moore, John, Morrissey, Sickley, Matlack, John W., Newlin, Joseph, Neilson, Garvin, Poole, Thomas, Peterson, Hezekiah, Piatt, James M., Prickett, Henry C, Randall, Thomas M., Ray, James L., Poole, William, Ribaut, John, Ried, Charles. Scott, Oliver, Speel, Charles W.. Shamealy, Samuel S., Scowcroft. James H., Schuh, Daniel. Southard, John. Schrepple, William, . Shann, Frederick, Thomas, Aaron, Tatlow, James, Thompson, Samuel, Toon, Albert. Wiseman, James, Wark, John, Woolston, Michael. COMPANY T. Leonard H. Regur Captain^ Archy S. Taylor First Lieutenant. Lewis C. Spencer. Scco)id Lieutenant. Thomas J. Howell " " John E. Bedell First Ser,^eant. Samuel C. Terry Sergeant. Edward B. Tittsworth, William H. Martin. Owen H. Day Charles Swody, Corporal. Henry P. Meisick Daniel A. Terry " John W. Wheeler " John Hand Francis Whitely John Runyon, Joseph Cowrie *' Edward Nolen Fifcr. Peter Cassady, Drummer. Vincent Barklew, . .' JVagoncr. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 501 Privates. Belt, David M., Bulmer, John, Brokaw, Isaac, Birch, Lewis, Blanchard, George, Blakely, Henry, Bloomfield, John, Badgeley, Amos, Brinintz, Anton, Bauman, John, Brokaw, Isaac L., Bryant, Apollos W., Cole, Stephen B., Compton, Reuben P., Coleman, John, ■ Cole, William H., Coblenizer, John G., Currier, Thomas, Cardy, Robert, Coffey, Barney, Cassady, George T., Dougherty, Michael, Drake, Jacob, Dunham, Randolph, English, James, Ellis, James, Force, Joseph L., Foster, William, Furguson, Howard, Goodwin, George, Gowen, Andrew J., Glenn, Harrison, Heyl, Daniel, Hinton, Thomas, Hedden, William, Howat, William, Harris, Thomas S., Harrigon, David, Howell, Earnest, Hoffman, William, Hobensack, Charles, Hamilton, John, Jewell, Isaac, Jurisch, Philip, Jaisir, Charles, Jordan, James, Kelley, George, Kennedy, Samuel C, Kelly, William, Klenn, Conrad, Kryssee, John, Linbarger, William, Litenberger, Alleys, Lawson, WiUiam, Maskell, John W., Mayberry, Francis, Moncton, Josiah, . Moore, Samuel S., McDonald, Thomas L. McGaw, Henry H., Messier; John, McGowin, Wintieid S., Mooney, John, Neil, George, Orcott, Hosea, Townley, George, Pangborn, Lewis, Purvis, John, Perry, Anton H., Runyon, Victor B., Skellenger, James, Seacor, Walter S.. Spooner, William, Stark, Jacob, Tool, John, Vail, James, Van Neste, John B., Wilson, David W., Walpole, Robert, Walker, Runyon, Whitegrove. Scidney, Webster, William M., Wallace, William, Welsh, James, West, William M., Waldron, Freeman, Wall, Frank, White, Benjamin, Wittes, Israel D.. Wolfe, William W. 33 F B 502 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. COMPANY K. John H. Whelan Captain. John B. Lutz, First Lieutenant. David Fairly Second Lieutenant. Paul Carroll, First Sergeant. William Hade Sergeant. Lawrence Trapp " Michael Dugan Charles Wahle Wilson T. Mitchell, Corporal. Andrew Forsyth, Charles B. Keimig Nicholas Winer, John D. Curran, Robert Carroll, James McLeod Peter Keller, Andrew J. Petit, Drummer. Robert Rea, Wagoner. Privates. Ash, Henry, Beatty, George L., Behrens, Charles, Birmingham, Patrick, Broderick, Thomas, Bushing, Frederick, Clark, William, Connelly, James, Crooks, William, Cunningham, Michael, Cross, Conrad, Coy, Peter D.. Cotter, John G., Callaghan, Thomas, Crowthers, Thomas, Davey, John, Deneyard, Lewis D., Daner, David, Daly, Andrew, Diamond, Daniel, Eckenheimcr, Charles, Egan, Patrick, Euler, Henrj'. Engel, Mathias, Ford, William, Flynn, William, Grinley, Patrick, Gannon, Robert 1.. Gaughran, Philip, Gray, Andrew, Garvin, Owen. Gaffne}', James, Garry, William, Hassett, Thomas, Hank, Peter, Harrigan, Dennis. Haynes, Frederick, Hackett, Joseph, Hurley, James, Kiihler, Herman, Kidroff, John, Kuhan, Lawrence, Keernan, Michael, Kelly, James, Laverty, Hugh, Mangan, Patrick, Masterson, Cornelius, Murphy, Walter, McGovern, Edward, Mulick, Connor. Mervin, William, McCormick, Thomas, J-IRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 503 McCracken, Alexander, McDermott, Walter, McDonald, Dennis, McDonald, Daniel, McElroy, Patrick, McGarine, Peter, McKenna, John, McLaughlan, James, Moore, Jacob M., Ogden, John, O'Neil, Thomas, Penn, Joseph, Rap, George, Rogers, Henry, Russell, Patrick, Schaus, Henry, Sheridan, James, Starrs, James, Stead, Thomas, Stuckey, Jacob, Stuckey, John, Stewart, James, Stalbird, George, Stoner, William, Steinberg, John, Seeton, William H. Sweeney, William, Speer, Alexander, Sondeigger, John, Sullivan, William, Toole, Michael, Ward, William, Zahn, Charles, Zettler, John. Fourth Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers. COMPANY A. Charles Moves ;, .Captain Charles Meyers, ^"'-^^ Ueutenani. Charles Linsenbarth, -^^'''■^"'^ Ucfcant Fritz Schroder, P"''' ^''-^'""^ Theodore Schreiber, ■'' ^''f «'"■ Frederick Mooll, Theodore Krugg John Mergenthaler, ■L, J T-M Corporal. Edward Eike, '.. Johan Greipp, Charles Helmouth Ivan Vittin Gottfried Wittmann Peter Cox, George Schuh John Miller, Conrad Seebalt T,- , ^ Drummer. Adam Rickert Jacob Fleck, ^^'^S""'- 504 IIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Privates. Atshead, John, Adder, Christian, Burger, Christian, Burkhardt, John, Brombacher, George, Bonder, Lewis, Braidy, Joseph, Bauer, Frederick, Diehl, John, Diehl, Christian, Effinger, Martin, •Fecht, Franz, Fermann, Charles, Fahndrick, Kilian, Finger, Heinrich, Gundling, Ludowing, Gundling, John, Gattatin, Jacob, Hirsch, Jacob, Hambrecht, Charles, Heitmann, Carl, Hucke, Jacob, Heinrickur, Valentine, Hatchmer, George, Hollzman, George, Hubbert, Manuel, Krause, John E., Kunz, Wendel, Klemont, Albert, Krause, Christian. Klaffler, Rudolph, Louis, John, Lenk, Johann, Lutz, Charles, Lipp, Joseph, Metz, George, Meiter, George, McMann, Thomas, Nahrgang, Leonard, Orick, Christopher, Rhemhart, Henry, Reinhardt, Ludowig, Roth, Johann, Rosch, Conrad, Rothe, Jacob, Snyder, Daniel W., Sehach, John, Schmidt, Johann, Schaub, Sebastian, Stricke, Henry, Schrick, George, Schempp, ^Michael, Schlatter, Joseph, Spitz, William, Schirm, Joseph, Snyder, William, Schneider, Joseph, Stockton, Johnson, Treide, George, Weinknecht, Johann, Wheeler, Jesse, Woerner, Charles, Woerner, John, Wessler, Andrew, Wolfe, Anthony, Wessler, Christopher, White, Charles H. COMPANY P.. William Sedden Captain. Robert S. Johnston, First Lieutenant. John R. Warner Second Lieutenant. John J. Munday, First Sergeant. Jacob Oysterman Sergeant. John Machine, " Duncan AIcKenzie, " William Buckman " Charles J. Boye Corporal Robert Ellis, FIRST NBIV JERSEY BRIGADE. Thomas McWerthy, Corporal. John Farrell, . . . Joseph Lawton, Alfred Hoffman Robert Aitkin, Harry Lawton Joseph Harrington, Drummer. Orran Burbank, ^^'^l^''- Joseph Richardson, IVagoner. 505 Privates. Anderson, John, Allen, James, Anderson, Edward M., Allen, Thomas W., Anson, Charles, Acker, George, Beech, Joseph, Beech, John, Bairlow, John, Cunningham, Jerome, Carr, George, Conerli, William, Curran, Patrick, Cooper, William, Cooper, Thomas, ConsoUoy, Lewis, Davis, Charles, Dougherty, Robert, English, Charles, Far ran, Anthony. Fielding, Isaac, Farrell, Samuel, Forbes, Eugene, Foster, L Andrew, Gaskill, Abner, Gilden, John, Hall, Samuel S., Hagermautt, Charles H., Harrison, Harmit, Howard, George M., Heath, Elijah, Hamill, William, Hill, William W., Howard, Edward B., Horner, Lafayette, Jager, William, Kite, John, Klemmer, Jacob, Kelly, John H., Leonard, Thomas, Lanning, Edward S., Lanning, Samuel, Leak, Joel W., McLaughlin, Hugh, Morris, John, Mendham, William, McKeavey, Arthur, Mitchell, Abner, McLaughlin, Hugh, Nelson, John, Owen, Ralph, Pattison, John, Peimle, Joseph, Polk, David, Parent, Jacob, Phares, James, Richards, John H., . Reynolds, Francis, Ryan, Christopher, Smith, Alexander, Smith, Jonathan B., Talford, Joseph, Tindal, Richard, Voorhees, William, Voorchees, John E., Vanhorn, John, Vaughn, John, Voorhes, Amos, Weaton, William, Warren, Reuben B., Wilson, John F., Walker, Jeremiah, Wood, John, Wentworth, James. oOG llRSr XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. C():srPAXY c. Barzillae Ridgevvav , Cap'tain. Heathcote J. Disbrow Calvin P. Speer, First Lieutenant. Robert W. Roberts Second Lieutenant. Caleb C. Van Syckle, First Sergeant. Edgar Whitaker, Sergeant. Sheffield Tuesday " John McHowsell, " Joseph A. Taylor, " Benjamin Moorehouse Coporal. William B. Van Duyn, " George McChesney, " John Ashworth, " George A. Pettit " Pierson Scott, " Jacob Clendening " Aaron C. Wolcott, " David R. Weigart, , Wagoner. Privates. Atkin, Samuel, Amer, Nathan, Ashworth, Thomas, Banks, William H., Boon, Thomas, Bellenger, Joseph. Berthc, Engleberth, Blue, Samuel, Beam, John, Beaks, Samuel, Cheeseman, William, Cherry, George H., Cain, William H., Case, Charles P., Carren, Patrick, Dye, Isaac, DesbroviT, Albert, Eereet, Daniel, Freeman, Amos G., Flash, Andrew, Fairman, William A., Fletcher, William G., Fitzpatrick, William, Garrettson, Dumont, Gorman, Charles, Green, Anderson, Gladden, Joseph, Garvey, Samuel, Huk, Charles, Hutchinson, Clark, Halligan, James, Houghton, Michael, Holly, Patrick, Hindley, George, Jaggeis, George, Jones, Theodore, Jackson, Mathew, Jones, Charles, Judy, George H., Ivory, Richards, Judlej-, George, Kafer, Charles, Kolb, Michael, Kain, Patrick, Kearney, James, Lynn, Courtland, Lee, George W., Lynn, Charles, Lacy, William, Lawrence, Richard L.; Lampe, John, Lukenmires, Asay, I'IRSr XEIV JERSEY BRIGADE. 507 Macredy, Edward, Murphy, Peter, McDonald, John O., Mitchell, Steward, Matthews, William, McGarvey, Samuel, Nunnemaker, Garrett, Nunnemaker, Elias, Parsons, John, Powell, S. Mayume, Parsen, Amos, Parson, William, Parent, Richard, Pullen, James, Quackenbush, James, Reed, Anthony A., Robertson, Garret L., Rogers, Henry F., Ryan, Robert, Roe, John, Richards, Thomas J., Rugle, Samuel, Stubbins, George H., Shardlow, William, Speece, Henry, Sever, Joseph L., Sherry, Jacob, Sever, George F., Spence, Henry. Stock, James, StuU, Samuel, Stradling, James H., Sheely, William E., Southard, Lewis, Trainer, John, Tompkins, Robert, Tremble, Edward, Vanacker, John, Vanmorten, Jacob, Vanderbeck, James, Vanmeter, Eli, Vanderventer, John W. Whitaker, George, Wells, John, Watts, Washington U., Wilson, Charles, WiUiams, Thomas, Wells, James. COMPANY D. Samuel Mulford .i ' ' ' V.-^f '"'"■ BarziUa Ridgway, ^^/'^ Ueutenaut. Elias Wright, ^ , ^ . ^ . -,. , ,,, „• . .Second Lieutenant. John W. Pierson, •^' r-- .c t % A -D 4-(- Eirst Sergeant. George A. Bennett, *> ^ .J T^, Sergeant. David Flannery, ., John Robbins, ,< Harrison Hopkins, '■ „ WilHam H. Bechtel, Corporal. John Duran, John Piper, John Mulnix, „ Liscombe Mulford, Samuel McCully, Israel Ulmer, John Warner, Levi Purcell, Wagoner. Theodore Joiies [....Drummer. Maskell Mulford, 508 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Privates. Ackerson, William H., Austin, Benjamin, Boyle, Michael, Bellerjeau, Samuel O., Bacon, Anthony, Blakely, Joseph. Brund, Edward, Bishop, Eugene, Blockwell, Edwin C, Brown, George E., Cray, James, Cusick, William, Carver, Gustavus, Counard, John, Cain, Thomas, Cornley, Daniel, Cafer, Thomas Conner, James, Crowler, John, Chamer, William H., Cragg, John A., Cray, John, Dobbins, John, Dowerty, William, Dougherty, Lewis, Dolan, Barney, Drummond, James, Devine, Samuel, Emly, Joseph, French, Paul, Fowler, Curtis, Gray, Jeremiah, Glassmire, Charles, Guyer, David, Hart, Thomas, Hancock, James, Harvey, Thomas, Harris, Henry W., Henry, Francis, Howell, Isaac, Innman, William, Jarvis, William C, Johnson, John H.. Jackson, James. Jobes, John B.. Jones, William C, Keefe, Thomas, Lanning, Philip. Logan, David, Leach, Nicholas, Letts, Thomas, Laverman, George, Murry, Alfred. Mullenix, William, McKendrick, William, McMannis, John, Marett, Michael, McDermott, Luke, McKenna, Philip, Mills, W^illiam E., McKenny, John A., McManus, Michael, Neal, Theodore, Norton, James, O'Neil, James, Parker, Daniel, Peters, John W., Post, Cornelius G., Robbins, William, Roe, William, Roll, Anthony, Scullion, Patrick, Spain, William, Skinner, Franklin H., Skinner, Charles W., Smith, John. Stout, William D, Staats, John, Skillman, Harrison A. Scullion, Peter. Severn, John M.. Skillman, Franklin, Vandorn, Isaac, Vaughn, John. Wheelan. John. Whittev. John W. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 509 COMPANY E. Charles Hale, Captain. William H. Eldridge, First Lieutenant. Samuel H. Ellis, Second Lieutenant. George Brooks First Sergeant. James Roberts, Sergeant. William Gould, William Snyder, " Thomas Makin, Charles Tippenhauer, Corporal. Charles Gould, Charles C. Hale, George Jauss, " Randolph R. Pool, Edward C. Nelson, " Charles Ludlow, " Peter J. Clancey, " John A. Kane, Fifer. Edward Strickland, Drummer. Joseph W. Vance, Wagoner. Privates. Alberton, Isaac, Borton, Stacy, Buzby, Samuel, Brown, John, Bassett, William, Blue, xAbraham O., Carson, Samuel, Capern, Thomas H., Carson, William I., Crispin John H., Crawford, William, Chew, George B., Dick, John, Dusolt, John, Espenshade, William, Eisely, Frederick, Fauver, Robert R., Fithian, David E., Fries, Thomas, Garby, Henry, Hallonill, George Hensen, James, Haines, Ely, Haines, Daniel, Hollinshead, Clayton, Holmes, Isaac, Hofifman, George W., Jones, Benjamin, Kelly, Edward E., Klinker, Frederick, K!ay, Benajah, Kline, Michael, ICibler, Frank, Kebler, Leonard, Krusen George, Kelley, Alezar, McKenny, Tole, Martin, Henry, Morrow, Charles, Madegon, John, Moore, William, Muss, Casper A., Potis, William, Petit, Benjamin, Pfau, George H., Rumford, Davis, Ross, George, Robbinson, Eli E., Richmond, Mathias, Smith, Samuel, 510 FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Smith, John, Smith, Felix, Stark, William, Snyder, William, Shute, Theodore, Skellinger, Charles K., Thompson, Stacy, Thompson, Alfred, Vickery, John, Woodruff, Alfred, Wiltshire, George, Warner, Benjamin, White, Simon W., Wells, James H., Wolfsmidt, Jacob, Walton, Elijah B., Wilson, John, Welsh, James H., Wood, Jonas, Wilsey, Brazier, Wells, Samuel, Webb, Martin, Williams, John, Wells, Joseph, Woodland, Henry, Wilson, John, Wells, Charles, Roberts, Adam C. COMPANY F. Napoleon B. Aaronson Captain. Thomas M. Fetter, First Lieutenant. Frederick G. Aaronson, Second Lieutenant. Frank E. Thaley, First Sergeant. John Dimon, Sergeant. Thomas W. Mooney, " James C. Sloan, David D. Hamell, Corporal. Valentine W. Brown, " Richard F. Stone, " George F. Gesemyer, " John E. Holeton, " William McEllhary, " James Hortlen, " John R. McCowan, " Ashby B. Lucas, Fifer. James Carter, Drummer. Walter B. Ayers, Wagoner. Privates. Archer, Charles R., Alden, Henry, Abbott, Jonathan, Briggs, William H., Bates, Joseph, Bakeley, Joseph, Bakelej', Charles, Brown, Harry W., Beckitt, Joseph A., Brown, John P., Bakely, Steward D., Brewster, James, Bwdd, George, Bourtead, Joseph, Bakeley, Miles, Biddle, Abel, Chew, George W., Cotner, John W., Craner, Charles C. C Coote, William, Dorrell, Joseph C, Elbertson, John, Estlock, Franklin, Eldridge, William G. lURST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 511 Fish, Charles P., Mead, William T., Flanigan, Harrison, McLaughlin, Thomas, Gouger, Charles, ' Nessen, Jacob, Galbreth, James, O'Brien, Henry, Grub, John R., Potts, Thomas, Hensman, Henry F., Price, Burton, Howell, Horatio, Sturgess, John S., Hand, Joseph, Sawn, Thomas D., Hilman, William H., Scott, George W., Horner, Francis, Slevan, David, Jess, Bowers, Stark, Eleazer, Jess, Lorenzo, Sturgess, Jacob, Jewell, Charles H., Souders, Frank, King, William B., Schy, Clement, Killenbeck, Joshua, Shetts, Washington, Laurence, Jacob D., Stevens, Thomas S., Lenn, George W.. Test, Charles L., Louderbock, William, Tibbels, John C, Logan, John, Ware, Joseph F., Linton, Benjamin, Wilky, William F., Moseley, Edward, Yapp, Richard. COMPANY G. Henrv M. Jewett Captain. Samuel M. Gaul Pi^ft Lieutenant. Elias Wright Edgar Whitaker Second Lieutenant. Samuel E. Taylor Pirst Sergeant. Isaac J. Pine, Sergeant. Joseph H. Martin, John E. Doughty, Joseph M. Caviller, Leander Houtland, Corporal. John P. Grant, George W. Thompson, ^^ Richard R. Robbins, Samuel S. Steward, John M. Cramer Peter Laricks, Israel Nichols ^ ^ 1 iv/r ri 1 Drummer. Frank M. Gaul, r , -n Wagoner. John Boggs Privates. Anderson, Wallace W., Amet, John Austin, John H., ^^^'n^^^ ' Applegate. William, Bird, Thomas^ Atkinson, Phineas, Bird, Elisha B., Adams, Joseph, Bird, Gilbert, 512 FIRST NEir JERSEY BRIGADE. Bender, Lewis, Love, Robert Bailej', Stephen, Luck, Joseph, Bunting, James H., Leek, Charles W., Brown, Charles R., Miller, Thomas, Clifford, Lionel, Mathis, John D., Carter, Charles B., Mathis, Isaac R., Carter, Samuel B., Morey, Exel, Camp, John W., Mulaca, Parker, Crowley, William H., Mason, Daniel, Connelly, Joseph, Miller, Alfred H., Cavilcer, John C, Morton, Benjamin, Cavileer, Samuel H., Morton, Hezekiah, Carter, Lafayette, McCullum, Samuel \V., Channell, William H., Nichols, John S., Cavileer, William E., Xagent, James H., Dick, Jasper W., Nichols, Alonzo B., Doughty, Benjamin B., Perrine, Joseph Fisher, Samuel B., Pine, Robert, Ford, Samuel C, Purrington, DelKvyn, Ford, Joseph, Pharo, Charles, Gaul, John F., Saudors, Alfred, Gardner, Aaron, Snow, James R., Goff, William, Turner, Byard E., Gifford, Isaac, Woodward, Charles, Gabrial, Wail, Woodward, Walter, Harris, John F., Weeks, William H., Johnson, Elmer, Wescott, Joseph R., Johnson, Elisha, Webb, Alfred, Kears, William P.. Walson, Lewis. Kendall, Joseph, COMPANY H. John Reynolds, Captain. Thomas R. Grapewine, First Lieutenant. James F. Lowe, Second Lieutenant. Charles H. Hatch, ' Joshua J. Stone First Sergeant. Thomas S. Bonney, Sergeant. William Scribbier, William H. Wagner, '" Josiah Shaw, Charles W. Lowe, Corporal. John Dannenburger, George J. Raybold, " Benjamin F. Mitchell, '" George W. Marshall, Abraham M. Tice, Edward S. Kane, Joseph R. Wells, James F. Higgins, Fifer. James Matson Drummer. Joseph Thomas Wagoner. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. )13 Privates. Bozarth, Thomas, Brown, David A., Boris, Francis R., Cassaboon, George H., Champion, John, Conly, Joseph, Currie, Charles, Doughty, Davis, Doughty, Abijah, Estlack, Jesse, Fleet, Thomas, Green, Joseph, Garrison, George, Gebbs, William, Hodgson, Thomas, Johnson, William, Leek, William, Lanigan, John, McClinn, John, McClure, John, McPherson, Lewis, Mossbrooks, George W., Messic, George W., Marts, Zachariah, Marshall, J. W., Matson, James, Myers, George, Pancost, John B., Perney, Lewis, Potter, Charles W., Robart, Elwood, Surran, David, Schanck, John, Schwartz, Charles, Smith, James, Scott, Archibald, Snyder, Andrew R-, Schenck, William, Tice, Archibald, Tice, Laniard, Thompson, Eli, Thompson, Sheppard. Thompson, Thomas, Thomas, Felix, Thomas, Walter B., Upham, Benjamin F., Vanhook, John, Vanhook, Joseph, Wells, James B., Walters, John W., Wescott, Williams, Zimmerman, Jacob. COMPANY L . .Captain. William Nippins, -^.^^^ lieutenant. John L. Ridgeway ^^^^^^^ Lieutenant. Howard Kmg p.^,^^ Sergeant. Joseph Haveland Sergeant. Charles H. Glenn James Bewin, " Walter Chamberd ' Thomas Painter, " ' ' Corporal. Samuel Crosy, Caleb W. Wright ' ■ ' ' ' Leander Bewin, Peter ShemeUa, George Aikins, ' William Eckart, Charles Hill, ' ' ' ' / ' Charles Johnson Wagoner. Charles Laird, 514 FIRST XEW JERSEY BRIGADE. Privates. Applebee, Samuel, Boxer, Joseph, Boetine, William, Barber, Benjamin, Brown, Joseph, Brown, John, Brighton, Isaiah, Bradley, Martin, Bishop, Joshua, Bell, George, Boyle, Michael, Clark, George W., Cook, Levi W., Cobb, Ambrose, Clevenger, William, Clevenger, (/eorge, Cline, John, Cline, Charles P, Cithcart, John, Cithcart, Stephen, Caffry, Alexander, Crammer, Isaac, Donohoe, Cornelius, Fowler, Thomas, Gaskill, George B., Girk, James M., Green, Thomas. Grooms, Charles W., Geberson, James, Hains, Charles H., Horner, Rheese, Hughes, Woodson, Herbert, William. Hooper, John. High, Andrew, Hodson, Charles, Hoffman, Stephen, Hoffman, Jacob. Hoffman, Frederick, Keeler, Samuel B., Kaine, James, Kirbv, John, King, John, King, Joseph. Kingsinger, Job, Leonard, Peter, Latchworth, John, Lutz, John C, Moon, Charles F., More, Charles S., McCarney, John, IMcNabb, Owen, Mathew, Thomas, Muckery, John, Mitchell, Walter, More, John F., Morton, John A., Norcross, Earl, Nixon, William, Nixon, Elwood, Nixon, Daniel, Pittman, Augustus, Price, John, Powell, George D., Russell, Henry, Roff, Robert, Roff, John W., Stetts, Adam, Scroggy, Joseph, Shandly, John A., Streeker, Burrough, Stidfoe, Benjamin, Shinn, Josiah, Stockton, Job, Shermelia, John F.. Shermelia, Isaac H., Seaman, William. Twigley, Jackson. Woodington, Hnnen. Wood, James. White, William E., Young, Joseph. Yates, George. FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE. 515 COMPANY K. John W. Lumley, Captain. William Stillings, First Lieutenant. Charles W. Johnson, Second Lieutenant. Norman W. Camp, " John M. Mills, First Sergeant. John Foster, Sergeant. Joseph Kelly, '• William S. Ackley " Daniel Nelson, Corporal Edward Smith, James Chester, " Shepperd Flannigan, " John Cambell, Drummer. Frederick Moore, Wagoner Privates. Arnett, John G., Kirkpatrfck, William, Arnett, William, . Kates, George, Abbott, Robert, Keen, Gideon, Armstrong, William, Loper, Enoch G., Branideth, George, Lewis, Joseph M., Bright, Isaac S., Moslander, Daniel, Brown, George W., Merrion, Thomas, Cropp, Timothy, Morgan, Isaac, Cordey, Enoch, McMain, John W., Coalman, Henry, Newman, George W., Cassady, James, Orr, Samuel, Chamberlain, James, Orr, Charles, Cobb, Thomas, Peterson, Alonzo, Conway, John, Palmer, William, Curtin, Martin V., Perry, Thomas, Corlis, Robert C, Poltsen, Edward, Correy, Robert C, Price, John P., Drummond, John, Parmer, William, Doughty, Isaac, Sparks, James P.. Dubois, Isaac, Stanley, William W., Elwell, Samuel E., Sargent, John, Forney, Josiah F., Sharp, John S., Frees, Charles H., Shute, Isaac, Ghalegar, John, Shute, Thomas, Gleason, John, Shute, John, Hartman, George W., Seeds, Andrew, Hurley, David, ' Simmons, Frank, Hancock, Edward, Simpkins, Richard T., Huit, Joseph, Smith, George R., Hale, Richard, Unison, John W., Hankins, Jacob, Vickers, John, Jones, Amos, Vanzant, Henry K., Keen, Peter, Wright, James A., Kigor, Richmond, Wright, Jeremiah. 63 4 ■■'■ \- ^■f,. ^ >- «•^' %<-' aXV ^.r. e> T. x^^ ^^ :^^' ^. s^^ .'^' •^^