CHAPTER
XXXVII
OUR
FIRST BATTLE
The sun shone brightly on the morning of the 1st
of May, and the birds warbled sending forth their praises to the God of nature,
whilst all around the beauties of the May day morning in the Old Dominion were
unfolded. From tens of thousands of camp
fires the smoke curled and turned itself in all manner of fantastic shapes, and
around the fires were seated squires in “blue-coats” preparing their frugal
morning meal. There was nothing to imply
the probability of the enactment of the bloody drama which was so shortly to
take place with such a disastrous loss to the Union force.
At about 8 o’clock
orders were given us to prepare for
muster and company inspection. The first
of the month muster for pay was held, the arms of the regiment were inspected
by the regimental officers, and the company rolls were called in the presence
of the Colonel commanding the regiment,
and from the roll-calls the pay-rolls were made out.
At 10 o’clock a. m.,
the drums announced the “fall in” and the muster for inspection was hastily
gone through, and we noticed that much more attention was paid to the “click”
of the lock than rust spots on the barrel, and of the contents of the cartridge
box than knapsack.
After the inspection was over we received orders to
keep ourselves in readiness to fall in at the tap of the drum. We at once prepared our dinners and anxiously
yet dreadingly, awaited the command “fall in.”
Staff officers and orderlies were passing and
re-passing our command in constant profusion, and at 12
o’clock , noon a Division of troops
were moved out on the plank-road, in light marching order.
Soon after they had moved out, to our front and left,
we heard the first pounding of artillery fired by the rebels, in the area of Chancellorsville .
At about 1 o’clock we
received orders to “fall in.” After the
regiment had formed, the command was given “ about face,” “counter march by
file forward m-a-r-c-h!” and the regiment moved out on the plank road in the
direction of the artillery firing, which by this time had become quite
spirited. After marching about
one-fourth of a mile, we come up with the main body of the troops which had
been moved out before us, and who after sending out a regiment to reconnoiter,
and if it was possible bring on a general engagement.
At this point
we filed to the right and found ourselves in a clearing of about twelve-acres,
in the midst of which was ranked a large amount of cord wood to be used by the
rebels to burn charcoal, large heaps of which were already burned and raked
together in this clearing. Several piles
of pig metal and rail road iron, broken in pieces from 8 to 12 inches were also
discovered, the use of which we did not then know, but which we were very eager
to find out.
The regiment was formed in line of march, and moved
forward. We passed through an almost impenetrable growth of briarbrush, and crossed
a small stream the banks of which were strongly lined with briars and a species
of water birch, native to the location, and which formed an almost impassable
natural barricade and to add to the difficulties, the bottom as well as the
banks of the stream were of such a character as to cause us to sink seven or
eight inches in the mud, when we were on the other side, we were certainly a
dreadful looking set of men.
As soon as we gained the top of the little eminence a
short distance from the stream we halted.
The Colonel ordered us to get down and be quiet. And as we passed from the center to the right
of the regiment, the rebels opened with a battery of artillery upon us, from
their front. The shell flew immediately
over the regiment from left to right, and struck the ground and exploded but a
few feet from the spot where the Colonel stood.
This was the first shell that had ever been fired at
us; we had formed an idea as to what it must be like, but the imagination fell
far short of the real. The writer found it a sovereign remedy for mumps, the
shell caused him to dodge his body so violently that he found no inconvenience
in bending or turning his bead and neck afterwards. Quite a number of shells were thrown at us,
but outside of them being uncomfortably near to us, causing us much lively
dodging, they did us no harm.
After remaining at this place for an hour, we fell
back across the run, and took up a position in the charcoal field it was here
that Col. Pardee made a short speech to the regiment. A number of the old companies having
frequently assumed that they would not fight under the new colors, meaning the
regimental flag of the 147th P. V. I. The Colonel referred to this fact and urged
the old men to stand up nobly for the flag, telling them to set the new men an
example by their undaunted gallantry, closing by saying that he knew the old
men would fight, which Ed. Fisher responded in his well-known defective speech:
“And by G—d the conscriptives will fight too,
Colonel.”
Fisher’s speech, strong as it was, called forth the
lusty cheers of the new men.
We proceeded to throw up breast-works, using the cord
wood which we corded up about three feet high.
This was speedily accomplished, for if men ever work it is when they are
putting up works to protect life and limb, after which we anxiously awaited the
coming of the Johnnies.
In this field the most of the men of the company and
regiment, threw all the superfluous clothing, knapsacks, &c. away. Here “Brawly” threw away the last remnant of
his Dumfries kit, a small bunch of bristles,
also his best cashmere shirt, keeping his old government one. Many just as absurd changes were made.
We remained in the breast-works for a long while, and
finally the Colonel mounted upon his little mare, rode out in the woods in our
front, and with the aid of his field glasses made an observation. He shortly returned and we marched back
towards the Chancellorsville House. The
rebels were at the same time cautiously advancing.
When we got out on the plank road we found our men
moving back in three columns. The rebels
had a battery planted which commanded the road and they opened a brisk fire on
us.
The shell and balls came ricocheting down the road
quite lively, scattering the men in different directions. When they got the range on us, some of the
boys thought that the command had been given to “double quick” and acted
accordingly. Our officers however
informed the “galloppers” that no such command had been given, whereupon they
took their places in the company.
After we got back to the place we had started from
four or five hours before and which had been selected by General Hooker, as the
position, we came to a halt and were ordered to erect a line of works.
Those of our readers who have never been in a battle,
will more readily understand the situation when it is compared as causing an
excitement somewhat similar to that created by a large fire, and that whilst
all men are more or less excited, some are more excited than others and perform
feats that under less trying circumstances, they would deem impossible.
Having stacked arms, we proceeded to build works,
using pans, tin cups, and plates to throw up the ground to cover the logs,
stones, brush, and rubbish that had been hastily collected and placed in front
of us.
As soon as the works were considered ample to afford
the slightest protection, we were ordered to cut down the brush and trees in
front, for a distance of 80 or 100 yards.
This was done by means of knives, hatchets and sword
bayonets. The brush and trees were all
cut so that the limbs and brush were all turned towards the enemy.
While we were out cutting down the trees, the rebels
hearing the clatter, knew what we were up to, advanced their skirmishers and
opened up on us.
The command was given to “fall in” by a score of
officers, and such a scratching and scrambling as we had to get up over the
brush, we never experienced before.
It was only a false alarm and we soon returned to
finish the work. During the night the
breast-works were made stronger by means of logs and earth. The men worked with a will and by midnight we
were allowed to stretch our tired frames on the ground to rest, with our guns
in our arms and our accouterments filled with 80 rounds of ammunition strapped
around our bodies, so as to prevent the possibility of our being taken by
surprise.
M. S. Schroyer, U. P. Hafley and J. C. Long of our
company were furnished by the company as skirmishers and with the other men
detailed by the regiment were under the command of Lieut. Goodman, and were
sent so far out, or near to the rebel lines, that they could hear the Johnnies
talk.
Saturday morning, the second day of the battle dawned,
beautiful and bright, and promised to be exceedingly hot. The morning found General Hooker’s plan
completed and everything in readiness to try the prowess of the two armies.
The silence was occasionally broken by the boom of
artillery and discharge of musketry, but nothing like a general engagement
had yet taken place.
A number of the boys had gone to the rear of the
company, perhaps 30 yards, and having placed two rails side by side, they
filled it with quart coffee cups and having whittled some pine shavings, they
proceed to kindle a fire. No sooner had
the smoke begun to ascend, than a rebel battery opened on it. Almost simultaneously with the report of the
gun came the wurr-wurr-wurr of the missile, which happened to be a piece of
railroad or pig iron, which struck one end of the rails and sent the coffee
cups spinning in every direction. One of
the cups was knocked upon a tree where it hung on a limb.
The boys unanimously concluded to take breakfast
without coffee, and made tracks for the regiment. The rebel battery continued to fire upon our
line, until Best’s regular Battery , which was
stationed on the plank road opened on it and after blowing up a caisson they
silenced the same.
No sooner had the rebel battery been silenced, than a
rebel Infantry brigade advanced upon the battery with the intention of
capturing it.
Long before the artillery men could see the
gray-backs, they could hear the word of command, given by the rebel
officers. Everything was still as death,
save the beating of our hearts as we crouched down behind the breast-works,
awaiting the onslaught.
At last the long suspense was over, the rebels rushed
out of the woods, like so many fiends, and with their characteristic yell,
charged upon the guns to our right. The
battery opened upon the advancing line of gray the grape cut large gaps in the
line, these were closed up, and on came the rebs. Now the troops that supported the battery
fired a volley, the battery fired at the rate of a shot every two seconds,
giving 5 rounds to each gun per minute. The ground trembled with the combined
concussion. The rebels advanced to within about 100 yards of the coveted guns,
here they broke and fled in confusion, their officers could no longer hold them
in check, and the charge was over. The
victorious troops joined in a hurrah, that was taken up and passed down the entire
line, thus announcing the bit of intelligence to thousands of interested
comrades of the temporary advanced guard.
No sooner had the boom of the cannons ceased, the
rattle of musketry died out and the cheering subsided, than from the dying and
wounded lying between the two lines, came the groans and shrieks of the
unfortunate men who had been wounded.
One rebel sergeant who had both legs and one arm shot off, made a high
noise. One moment he would cry out, next
pray and then swear, cursing the Yankees for murdering him, then he would cry
out, “oh, my poor, poor wife.” He begged
of us for Heaven’s sake to come and fetch him in.
Several members of the 5th 0hio regiment
volunteered to bring him in. By the time
that they got him in, he was dead and gone, having bled too freely. The first wounded man we had ever heard on
the field, and we tried to imagine how terrible it must be whenever eight to
ten thousand wounded men were lying on the field, and what was worst of all, we
might be among the number. We are free
to confess that the picture painted for the occasion, was not a particularly
bright one.
At about 10 o’clock
they opened up a severe artillery fire, one of the shells exploding over our
company and wounding Serg’t Townsend in the wrist, making him the first wounded
man in the company.
At about 1 o’clock, p. m., General Geary sent out the
2nd Brigade commanded by General Kane of Buck-tail fame to
reconnoiter, and if possible to bring a general engagement. The Brigade went out and it was not long
before they were warmly engaged, the minnie balls from the rebel lines flew
over our heads, making it as Will Keller said, “dangerous to be safe.” From the approaching men and the rapidly
increasing number of balls over us, it was evident that our men were being
driven.
At this critical juncture part our of Brigade was
ordered forward. Fortunately we had been
out on the day before and were allowed to occupy the works.
Major Chapman gallantly led his regiment, the 28th
P. V. I., over the breast-works and into the thickest of the fight.
The musketry became terrific, and the wounded soon
began to arrive in large numbers, showing that the rebels were stubbornly
contesting the advance of Major Chapman’s command. At this time the rapid discharge of artillery
and muskets on our right announced that the enemy was engaging Howard, and in
order to prevent Hooker from sending Howard re-enforcement’s, Lee made an
advance on our center, in which advance Major Chapman was killed, and his
command run back over our breast works, with rebels following in hot pursuit
and at last the hour had arrived when the 147th regiment was to be
baptized in blood. On came the rebels,
towards our works with a yell!
CHAPTER
XXXVIII
OUR
FIRST BATTLE
At this critical moment the men of the Corps gallantly
awaited the command to fire, and when it was given the long line of rifles
belched forth a deadly fire, the enemy wavered, and by the time that the Corps
delivered a second volley, the rebs were in full retreat.
At his time the terrific cannonading battle was taking
place on our right, as was the terrible discharge of musketry announcing that
the battle was becoming critical
Night had gathered her sable curtain around her, and
the moon veiled her face behind the clouds, as if to shut out the terrible
scene being enacted between the sons of sires who fought side by side at Bunker Hill and Yorktown . At about 9 o’clock
p. m., the skirmishers in the front began to fire an occasional shot, which was
answered by the rebel skirmishers, showing that the enemy were menacing.
At this time an event took place which we could never
understand, at the time the rebels advanced, some one got up on the
breast-works, and ordered us “not to fire.”
General Geary came up and ordered us to “Fire.” No sooner had the command been given than it
was obeyed, our Brigade was massed in close order, with the Ohio
regiments in the rear. As soon as the
firing commenced the regiment in the rear opened fire killing several men in
the front line. After half an hour’s
fighting the rebels, were repulsed.
After the rebels were driven back the firing was
continued on the right with unusual severity, as rebels were attempting to
drive back Howard’s line, and the sight of the shells bursting over the rebels
and the incessant roar of the muskets with the boom of the artillery and the
bursting of shells, made it an event never to be forgotten.
While the right was engaged we were anxiously awaiting
the result of the attack, it was during the contest on the right that M. S.
Schroyer asked Lt. Byers which way we would be compelled to retreat in case we
were driven out of our works. This
question incensed the Lieutenant, who answered Schroyer accordingly, but events
afterwards showed that it would have been well if some of the boys would have
known which way to retreat.
During the night we were greeted with the ominous song
of the whippoorwill with its “Whip-em-well,” a command which the rebels carried
out to the letter on the following day.
At about midnight the
firing ceased, and we received orders allowing one rank to lie down, and sleep
whilst the other rank watched.
CHAPTER
XXXIX
THE
FINAL STRUGGLE
On Sunday morning, at half-past 4
o’clock , a.m., the battle opened and soon the 11th Corps
was driven back and shortly afterwards the rout became general, and then the
rebels began to breach our works, and we were warmly engaged.
At first the enemy, threatened us in front only but
soon we were attacked on the front, rear and flank. Under this terrific fire the Brigade began to
waver and part of it began to fall back in more or less confusion.
At this critical moment, Colonel Arlo Pardee, drew his
saber, and with the sardonic smile which illuminated his face while in battle,
said:
“Boys, we’ll have Battalion Drill in the face of
them! Colors and general guides on a
line! By company on the new alignment!”
And thus under a murderous fire, the Colonel formed
the regiment and moving it by the “right face,” we moved about one hundred
yards to the rear and near the brick house, here we were ordered to lie down, a
command which the officers did not find it necessary to repeat.
While lying here, and but slightly protected, we had a
fine view of the Third Corps’ gallant fight and were in the midst of the
demoralization that followed. The
well-known Collis’ Zouaves made their masterly retreat, bearing their wounded
with them, carrying their arms at a right shoulder shift and marching with the
precision and regularity of a regiment of men on dress-parade to our right.
While laying here and awaiting orders, a number of our
boys were hit, among the number of lucky escapes was one made by M. S.
Schroyer, who caught the minnie ball in his knapsack. While here some General came riding up and
ordered us to make a charge, but when he was informed that we belonged to the
12th Corps, by our Colonel, he rode away.
At length one of General Geary’s aids rode up to where
Col. Pardee was and said to him:
“Colonel Pardee, General Geary requests you, if
possible, to retake the works from which your regiment was driven.”
To which the Colonel replied:
“Give my compliments to the General and tell him my
boys will retake the works.” Then
turning to the men he said:
“147th Attention!”
Instantly the men obeyed, and with a loud hurrah,
advanced upon the host in gray, who were thicker than the leaves of the forest,
and who received us with a well-directed fire.
Louder than the din of battle could be heard the “steady forward, 147th.”
of our officers, and with another loud hurrah we drove the Johnnies from our
line of works, Company G charging in advance of the regiment, which act secured
of the company the cheers of the men of the regiment and the confidence of the
regimental officers.
In this, the first charge we had ever made, several
amusing little episodes occurred. one of which was the tussle that took place
between Corp. Fred’k Knight and Peter Hofer.
Knight being Hofer’s file leader, Freddy not relishing the locality in
which Hofer’s gun pointed, remonstrated with him, but all to no purpose, and
while the charge was being made, he reached behind him and with a jerk sent
Peter flying. Hofer looked at up the
Corporal and said:
“Freddy, you should not do this here.” Knight replied that he should be more careful
with his gun.
When we had driven the rebels out our works and were
ordered to halt. Corporal Freddy Ulrich stepped out in front of the company,
fired a shot in his left-hand style, by the way of a parting salute, and then
took his place in the ranks.
We hastily took possession of the works and planted
our colors on the same. A battery opened
on us, the first shot fired knocked the color sergeant’s head off, splattering
his brain all over the flag and killing Lieutenants Smith and Leahming.
This was the signal for a general advance by the
rebels. On they came closing in mass
with colors flying. Our batteries opened
upon them with canister and they were also warmly received by our
infantry. But onward they came,
regardless of all opposition, until they were near enough to be hit with the
butt of the gun, by which means several of them met death. The crisis had arrived. The rebels ordered forward a new charge, they
advanced to the assistance of their comrades, with their characteristic yell.
The 1st Brigade of Geary’s Division was almost
surrounded and greatly out numbered, began slowly to fall back, and the rebels
with a victorious yell, took possession of our works for the second time. As we fell back the second time the men of
our company and B company mixed up with the 66th Ohio ,
and took up a position on the left of the plank road in a line of works.
The 147th, reduced to less than ??? men,
with the Colonel as color bearer made a second charge, driving the rebels back
a short distance. In this last charge
Lieutenant Schroyer was injured by his horse that was killed falling upon his
sprained leg, and Henry J. Doebler was wounded.
The Rebel Army now advanced in force and the retreat
became general and the scene which ensued beggars description. Whole companies and hundreds of stragglers
ran down the plank road at the rebels hands and were gobbled up as fast as they
came to the proper place.
At about this time, Sunday noon
the battle was over and the Confederate Army had gained a victory, but it was
purchased at a fearful cost in killed, wounded and missing. The enemies loss was certainly much heavier
than ours.
We fell hack about a quarter of a mile on the main
road leading to the Rappahannock river at United States Ford, General Geary was
on the road and as fast as the men came up he turned them into the woods on the
left of the road where we were reformed.
The 147th regiment was the last
organization to leave the battle-field, and soon Colonel Pardee and his handful
of men came back to where the line was forming, the troops of the Division gave
hearty cheers.
After the men of the company were gathered together,
then came the sad, painful and sorrowful events of the battle, the summing up
of the casualties. The following is the
loss sustained by the company in killed, wounded and missing:
Killed—Reuben Miller, Frank E. Knarr, the latter named
was never heard from or seen after the charge.
Wounded—Lt. W. H. Schroyer, Serg’t Geo. B. Townsend,
Corp. Jno. Riegel, H. J. Doebler, H. J.,
Long, John C. Long, Jeremiah Moyer, Isaac J. Napp, Michael S. Shaffer.
Missing—Serg’t F. H. Knight, Edward Fisher, Elias
Miller, Wm. McFall, Michael Shaffer.
Making our loss seventeen out of 60 men, or about
every third man
After our loss had been ascertained the members of the
company fully realized the dangers attending the going into battle, and it is
not necessary to say that we were not anxious to get into another engagement.
The concussion caused by the discharge of artillery
and musketry had the effect of making us nearly deaf, and whenever a man would
mistake a noise for the buzz of a minnie, the dodging that followed would be
laughable. We remember that several of
the boys had gone out in the bush and Yankee Garman picked up a tin plate and
threw it out into the brush, the boys mistook it for a shell and the way they
came pitching out towards the regiment was almost sufficient to shock the modesty
of the men, and when they discovered the cause of their needless alarm, they
looked as foolish and crestfallen as could well be imagined.
While laying in this line one of the ladies who had
refused to leave the Chancellorsville House during the engagement, was taken
past having been seriously wounded in the thigh, by the bursting of a shell,
from the effect of which she afterwards died.
In the afternoon, towards 4
o’clock we were moved back on a new line, fully one mile from the
line we had occupied in the morning, and by this time everything was quiet in
our front although the occasional report of the discharge of artillery could be
heard in the direction of Fredericksburg .
We had now been in a battle and had discovered that to
read of a fight, or to see an engraving of an engagement, was one thing and to
pass through the ordeal was quite another.
To attempt to portray the sensation, which takes possession of a man
when he for the first time is under fire, is an utter impossibility. It is natural for man to dread the going into
battle, as it is the most trying ordeal that a man can be subjected to, and may
be compared to a bath in cold water, it is the contemplation that sends the
cold chills creeping up your back and many a man would much rather stay out
than to go in, but after the first plunge the greatest anxiety is over, and the
soldier ceases to speculate over the probable results. His comrades are shot down by his side, the
enemy’s bullets and shells cut large gaps the ranks, and he moves up towards
the colors, placing his person in the breech caused by the death of his
comrade. At all times ready and willing
to obey the command of his officers, even though to obey exposes him to
additional dangers. A man appears to
become transformed into an inhuman monster, and nothing affords him greater
satisfaction than to behold the total annihilation of the approaching column,
and he aims his rifle at a human being with the same precision that he would
fire at a squirrel or other game in the woods.
After the first volley or two are fired the men appear to become
unconscious of danger and as a general rule those who slink out of an engagement,
never get under fire, or drop down and do not fire at all. ‘‘
We also noticed at Chancellorsville that our company
bullies were not the bravest men, and that universally the members of the
company who had expressed themselves the most anxious to get into a fight were
also the most anxious to get out of it, whilst a number of the boys who were
looked upon as cowards by these blow-houses, proved themselves to be cool
headed and brave in the time of action.
The members of the company were in a sorry plight
indeed after the battle, having discarded everything but gun, accouterments,
haversack, canteen and a few shelter tents and ponchos, all the rest being left
on the battle-field fell into the hands of the rebels. But when we thought of the thousand who had
fallen in the conflict we consoled ourselves with the fact that we had abundant
reason for being thankful that we were as well circumstanced as we were.
Towards evening we were visited by a right smart
thunder storm, during which a tree near the regiment was struck and a member of
the 28th regiment was seriously though not fatally injured. Considerable consternation was created among
the boys who at first thought that the tree had been struck by a rebe1 shell.
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