Drum Taps in Dixie Part 18

The operations of our corps that day are summarized by Gen. Humphreys as follows: Captures of the corps, 13 battleflags, 4 cannon, 1,700 prisoners.

Killed and wounded of the 1st and 2d divisions (the 3d division not reported), 311.

Gen. Mott was among the wounded. The enemy's killed and wounded largely exceeded our own and the loss of the wagon train must have caused much suffering among the Confederates.

In addition to the battleflags, cannon and prisoners, our brigade captured over 200 supply wagons.

DIXIE TO THE LAST.

Among the prisoners captured that day was a rebel bra.s.s band, and they were allowed to retain their instruments. As the column of confederates were marched along the roadside, which was lined on either side by the Union forces, they were headed by the band, playing their national air of Dixie.

The scene was an impressive one. They were prisoners of war, bleeding from wounds, faint and famished, ragged and nearly barefoot and their last hope gone, but as the familiar strains of the music floated back over the line their faces brightened, their steps quickened and they marched as they had marched many a time behind their beloved leader, Gen. Lee.

Our men had too much respect for these brave men to jeer at them. The brave invariably respect the brave, and as the soldiers of the "Lost Cause" pa.s.sed the veterans of the second corps all were silent and respectful, except for an occasional burst of applause which manifested itself by the clapping of hands.

It was very evident to the most pessimistic that the confederacy was on its last legs and that night when our boys were carrying rails to build breastworks, Billy Cook, the first sergeant of our company, who had gone all through the war without a scratch, made the remark that the "jig was about up with the Johnnies," and the next day Bill fell pierced by a rebel bullet in the last fighting of the war.

HEAPS OF PLUNDER.

That night the boys had a great time going through the captured wagons.

There was a "heap" of plunder in them. A paymaster's trunk with upwards of $400,000 Confederate money was found and it was divided up among the men.

One man secured Gen. Mahone's grip with his commission as major general and other papers and dressed himself up in the coat, sash, etc., that had been worn by the distinguished Confederate. One of our boys secured a five-gallon jug of rebel commissary, and he and a comrade stuck a musket barrel through the handle and slinging it over their shoulders marched around among the exhausted soldiers and told them to "fall in for rations." If anybody ever needed a little whiskey it was that very time and it was amusing to see them take their turns at the jug. No one was allowed to take any away, and in order to draw a ration the jug must be pushed up from the bottom and the nozzle tipped downward while a "swig"

was taken.

The men reveled in broiled ham, beef, bacon, onions, pickles, toasted hardtack, and other luxuries that were found in the wagons.

LITTLE GRAY.

There was pity mingled with our rejoicing that night for in many of the captured wagons were wounded Confederates. Poor fellows! Many of them lay with wounds several days old, the bandages dried up and dirty, some too weak to raise their heads, hungry and thirsty and needing so much nourishment and attention that we could not give them. It is at such a time that one is brought face to face with war without any of its gold plating.

My sympathies were stirred as they had never been before as a little boy, scarcely 16 years old, was lifted out of a wagon. A handsome boy, notwithstanding his face was bronzed and dirty, and his cheeks sunken. He had beautiful dark, expressive eyes and looked up so appealingly into our faces as my comrade and I bent over him and asked what we could do for him. He, too, was a drummer boy and had been wounded two or three days before. We got our surgeon and had his wound dressed and gave him stimulants and a little food, but he was very weak, "all marched out," he said, and was afraid that he would not see his old Carolina home again.

We bathed his face and hands with cool water and his lips quivered and tears coursed down his cheeks as he faintly whispered of his widowed mother.

We, too, were "marched out" and had to lie down and have rest but before leaving "Little Gray," as we called him, two boys knelt by his side and repeated the Lord's prayer that had been learned at a mother's knees. In the morning the little confederate from the Palmetto state was dead, and we buried him on the field with his comrades.

'Twas war--real genuine war.

THE LAST BATTLE.

It is understood that Lee's chief officers held a meeting the night of the 6th and counseled him to surrender, but he had not abandoned all hope and the next morning the rebel army began again the desperate race for life.

They crossed the Appomattox river at High Bridge and set fire to the same to prevent pursuit. But the 2d corps were so close after them that our men reached one end of the bridge as the rebels were leaving the other.

Gen. Mahone's troops contested the pa.s.sage for a time, but Gen. Miles ordered a battery into position and after a vigorous sh.e.l.ling the rebels let go of their end and our troops crossed over and pushed on after the enemy.

Lee's army was now on what may be termed a neck of land formed by the James and Appomattox rivers.

The Army of the James had come up and were pressing them on one side, the Army of the Potomac on the other, while Sheridan and his cavalry had gone around south to try and close the outlet.

As soon as our corps got across the river the pursuit of Lee continued out along the old Appomattox stage road.

About one o'clock in the afternoon, the First and Third Division came up with the enemy near the Appomattox stage road, where they had gone into position to oppose our advance. Poague's Battery opened upon us, and made things lively for just as we pa.s.sed an open field the sh.e.l.ls began to fly through the woods in our front, and as we approached the edge of the woods the skirmishers opened upon the head of the old First Brigade.

Just at this moment orders came directing us into line on the left of the road, and before we had completed the movement a battery galloped into position in the rear of the Second New York, and Bang--bang--bang--whiz-- hum--buzz--boom--boom--boom--crack--whir--crash, whang--while the old Second responded with a cheer and its facetious cry "lay down!"

The 61st New York and 26th Michigan were immediately deployed as skirmishers and advanced into the woods driving the Johnnies before them over a little ridge of ground. Our line of battle, the 2d New York in the center, the 5th New Hamps.h.i.+re and 81st Pennsylvania on our left and the 183d and 140th Pennsylvania on our right advanced close up to the ridge while the skirmishers were pushed well up against the enemy to develop the position.

It was soon learned that all that was left of Lee's army was in our front well intrenched and provided with plenty of artillery.

Gen. Meade had sent word for the 6th and 24th corps who were near Farmville, to cross the river and attack Lee from that side with a view of crus.h.i.+ng his army. Lee had, however, destroyed the bridges, the Appomattox was too deep to ford, the pontoon trains had not got up, consequently the two corps mentioned were unable to render the Second any a.s.sistance, else it is more than likely that Appomattox would not have become famous in history.

While waiting for a.s.sistance the Second corps did considerable maneuvering. About 5 o'clock firing was heard in the direction of Farmville which Gen. Humphreys a.s.sumed was the 6th corps. He immediately contracted his left line and pushed out on the right intending to flank the enemy if possible.

The execution of the movement left our division face to face with Gen.

Mahone's and Gen. Anderson's troops who were formed in close column supported by Poague's ten gun battery, who were in a position that enabled them to give us (as the boys used to express it), h--ll with grape and cannister tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs thrown in.

Our regiment came to a halt in a dense growth of small pines and waited for orders. Some of the officers went out in the edge of the woods to look around and as they came back Capt. Mike Foy danced a little jig as he said: "Boys there's another wagon train for us over behind the rebel lines." Poor, brave Foy, who had fought his way up from the ranks, little realized that he and scores of others would go down in less than fifteen minutes.

Our brigade had the right of line and were the first to advance across an open rolling field in full view of the enemy. The troops came to a halt in a little ravine and the bugles sounded "Fix bayonets!" Then an advance was made and when about 50 rods from the enemy the bugles sang out "Forward--double quick, charge!"

The cheers of our men were answered by the rebel yell, the real old genuine "Ki, yi, yi, yi!" that all veterans remember so well. Then a tongue of flame leaped from all along their intrenchments, and all other sounds were drowned with the roar of cannon, the crash of musketry and the whizzing and screeching of grape and cannister.

Some of the troops reached the enemy's works in the face of tremendous odds and fought to the death. But they were unsupported by other troops as well as artillery, consequently they had to retreat. The 5th New Hamps.h.i.+re had all of their color guards killed after reaching the rebel intrenchments and lost their colors, but they were recovered by the 81st Pennsylvania.

History makes but little mention of the battle of Farmville, as events of greater importance followed so closely, but the partic.i.p.ants know that troops never fought more valiantly than did Lee's soldiers in their last effort when they repulsed the a.s.sault of the veterans of the 2d corps.

CHAPTER XVI.

AN ACT OF HEROISM.

Sergt. Robert Cline of our company, who carried the New York State colors after saving the flag, found that a comrade had been left wounded near the enemy's intrenchments and he heroically faced about and amidst the whistling bullets went up near the rebel works, found his friend and brought him into the lines across his shoulder. This little incident is only one of thousands ill.u.s.trating what one comrade would do for another.

The casualties of our regiment in this affair were: Six killed, 67 wounded and 74 missing, and some of the other troops' losses were greater.

It has always seemed very sad to me to think of the many brave men who gave up their lives with the surrender of Lee in sight. Among the officers killed on our side was the brave Irishman, Gen. Thomas A. Smyth, who had long been one of Gen. Hanc.o.c.k's gallant officers.

Those who were taken prisoners were recaptured two days later at Appomattox, and a sorry looking lot they were. Every thing of value and much of their clothing had been taken from them and they had been hustled about pretty severely. Their rations had been appropriated by their hungry captors, and they fasted till they got back into their lines.

Comrade Albert V. Rogers, a member of my company, who was a prisoner the last two days of the struggle, says, that all the Rebs. gave him to eat was some corn he stole from a mule. Rogers was at this time suffering from a gunshot wound in his leg.

GRANT'S FIRST LETTER TO LEE.