Drum Taps in Dixie Part 15

A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.

One day when I happened to be at City Point a terrible explosion occurred.

It was as though a hundred cannon had belched forth. The shock was almost overpowering. The ground trembled and the first thought was that the confederates had in some way gotten a position where they could sh.e.l.l Grant's headquarters and the hospitals. Looking up we saw a dense column of smoke rise to a great height and then spread out like a parachute and from it fell death dealing missiles in every direction. Some exploded as far away from the landing as the hospitals. Sh.e.l.l flew in all directions.

It literally rained muskets, sticks, pieces of iron, etc. When the smoke cleared away the scene from the bluff overlooking the wharves was sickening. Bodies were lying in every direction, blackened and many without heads, arms or legs.

The cause of the accident was a mystery until after the war when on the trial of Werz at Was.h.i.+ngton a rebel witness confessed that he had done it, making excuse that he had a package for the captain of an ammunition boat at the wharf. He knew the captain was away from the boat so he left the package containing an infernal machine for him with the fuse adjusted so that an explosion would soon follow.

Among the other curiosities at the Point was a stockade where the rebel prisoners were corralled until they could be sent north. Another stockade was called a "Bull Pen," where all the deserters, bounty jumpers, b.u.mmers and other freaks were kept until their cases could be disposed of.

LEE'S DESPERATE ATTEMPT.

One morning before daylight in March, 1864, when President Lincoln was at City Point, Lee made a desperate attempt to break the lines in front of Petersburg.

It is said his plan was to capture Fort Stedman and adjacent works, turn their guns on our demoralized troops, capture the railroad running to City Point and destroy Grant's communication with his army.

Fort Stedman was held by the 14th New York heavy artillery, a regiment with many members from northern New York, and the lines at this point were very close together.

The confederate troops a.s.signed for the desperate work were commanded by Gen. Gordon. Under the cover of darkness they stealthily advanced on the pickets, captured them and made a rush and captured the fort without hardly firing a shot and took prisoners part of a 9th corps division. The guns of the fort were turned on neighboring forts and the confederate troops pushed forward as far as the railroad cutting the wires that led to Grant's headquarters. But their success was of short duration for our troops soon rallied and drove them out of Fort Stedman, and the movement proved a failure and a costly one to the confederates.

The next day President Lincoln and Gen. Grant visited the front lines.

"HANc.o.c.k'S FOOT CAVALRY."

Campaigning with the 2d corps in 1864 was strenuous enough to satisfy the most adventuresome. The frequent detours of the command from the rest of the army and the rapidity with which they had been s.h.i.+fted from left to right and right to left caused the confederates to style them as "Hanc.o.c.k's Foot Cavalry."

After the direct a.s.saults on Petersburg failed the corps was sent to extend the lines to the Weldon and South Side railroads. Then Gen. Grant sent them north of the James to act in conjunction with Gen. Sheridan's cavalry in an attempt to break the rebel lines at Chapin's Bluff on the James river, near Deep Bottom, and after some stubborn fighting, they were ordered back to Petersburg to support Gen. Burnside's forces at the mine explosion.

Then after a few days of comparative quiet Gen. Grant planned another moonlight excursion for the wearers of the trefoil.

On August 13, we marched to City Point and embarked on steamers, the destination of which we had no idea of. Many surmised we were going to Was.h.i.+ngton to a.s.sist in driving Early out of Maryland. Probably it was intended to give such an impression to the enemy, for we sailed down the river towards Fortress Monroe, but after dark the steamers were turned about and under the cover of darkness we were carried up towards Richmond, and a landing was effected the next morning at Deep Bottom.

The other troops at that point were the 10th corps and Gen. Gregg's cavalry. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to break the rebel lines and the second day our troops had to fall back, and in this retreat our brave old color bearer was killed, and the national colors were barely saved from the hands of the enemy by the daring of a young man whose name I cannot recall. The bravery he displayed that day ent.i.tled him to a medal of honor and a commission, but he did not get either, although he did live to carry the flag until Lee's surrender.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY.

After this affair we were returned to Petersburg and without any rest were hurried off to a.s.sist the 5th corps in a demonstration across the Weldon railroad. Several miles of the track was torn up. The ties were burned and the rails piled on the fires. Rations having failed to connect, we subsisted princ.i.p.ally on green corn, which was roasted over huge fires.

A PATHETIC INCIDENT.

In the movements to extend the left of Grant's lines at Petersburg the cavalry always blazed the way, usually preceding the infantry by a few hours. I recall a touching incident that ill.u.s.trates the devotion that a cavalryman's horse has for the man who has been its inseparable companion for months.

We found one day a dead soldier lying on the ground and near him grazing was his faithful horse.

The bloated and discolored features of the dead cavalryman indicated that he had lain there for hours. Probably he had been on picket duty when "picked off" by some sharpshooter, and by his lifeless body his faithful and devoted charger had waited for the boy in blue who to his comrades was simply one of the "missing."

REAM'S STATION.

The night of August 24, our corps rested at Ream's Station a name of which many veterans have keen recollections. In the morning the pickets reported that the enemy were in force in the vicinity, and accordingly preparations were made to receive them. About 2 p. m. the enemy made an attempt to break that part of the line held by our division, which was then under command of Gen. Nelson A. Miles, but they were repulsed. Later a larger force, backed by 30 or 40 pieces of artillery made a second attempt and succeeded in forcing a portion of the line held by some troops new to the field. The situation was critical, as the confederates greatly outnumbered our troops and the enemy had worked around under the cover of the woods until the attacking force was on our flanks and rear. The affair would have ended disastrously but for the coolness and bravery of both Gens. Hanc.o.c.k and Miles, who rallied the troops and led them in person.

Gen. Hanc.o.c.k's horse was shot under him, but with hat in hand he called on the officers and men of his old corps to stand by him and drive the enemy off. Ah, but he was indeed a superb officer, and men never desert such a leader.

Among the killed of our regiment that day was George Curtin, the popular leader of the regimental band. This was a fight in which it was all "front" and no chance for the musicians to get to the rear.

After this affair there was a lull in active operations for a while, the picket firing and artillery duels along the intrenched front furnis.h.i.+ng spice enough to relieve monotony.

In the latter part of October we "slewed" around to the left again, the object being to get possession of the South Side railroad. The second corps encountered a large force of the enemy on the 27th on the Vaughn road near Hatcher's Run, and a fiercely contested battle took place.

Portions of the 5th and 9th corps were also engaged.

Gen. Winslow's regiment, the 186th New York, joined the 9th corps that day and were near enough to hear some of the fighting and get a smell of powder but I believe did not take a hand in the affair.

In November, Gen. Hanc.o.c.k was called to Was.h.i.+ngton by the secretary of war to organize a new corps for the army, which it was intended should be made up princ.i.p.ally of veterans who had served their time and been discharged.

The men of his old command who had served under him so long were greatly attached to him and regretted his departure exceedingly.

In a report to Gen. Grant he mentioned among other things the losses of his corps as 25 brigade commanders, 125 regimental commanders and over 20,000 men. Comment is unnecessary.

BIG BOUNTY MEN.

The army received large accessions of recruits during the fall of 1864.

The big bounties had induced all sorts of characters to enlist. A large per cent. were professional "bounty jumpers," who were ready to desert to the enemy at the first opportunity.

The 5th New Hamps.h.i.+re of our division, a regiment that had an enviable record as fighters, had their depleted ranks filled up with conscripts, subst.i.tutes and bounty takers who deserted in such numbers to the "Johnnies" that their pickets used to joke our men about sending over the colors of the regiment, and one day a huge placard was hoisted on the rebel intrenchments which read something as follows:

"Headquarters 5th New Hamps.h.i.+re vols. Recruits wanted."

A member of our company while on picket one night shot one of the attempted deserters and as a reward was granted a 30-day furlough.

If a deserter was caught no mercy was shown him.

The penalty was death by shooting or hanging, usually the latter, as shooting was considered too honorable. Scaffolds were erected in the rear of the works and almost every Friday there were numerous executions along the lines.

ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS LOOKED SMALL.

I recall a story told at the expense of one of the big bounty men who joined us just before setting out on the last campaign. He had hardly a chance to learn to handle a gun when he was sent out on the skirmish line and pretty soon the "minies" were coming his way thick and fast. His comrade was a son of Erin, and an old "vet" who went before the bounties.

The nerves of the big bounty man were getting pretty badly shattered, which was noticed by Pat, who sang out: "I say, there, me laddy buck! How large does your $1,000 look to ye's now?"

"About the size of a silver quarter," was the truthful response.

Another incident ill.u.s.trates the practical manner with which the officers regarded the lives of their men. A veteran captain noticed some of the new accessions to his company needlessly exposing themselves, as he thought, and this is about what he said to them: "Get down behind the breastworks; you cost twelve hundred dollars a piece, and I'll be d--d if I am going to have you throw your lives away; you're too expensive!"