BY J. M. MARTIN.
Camp Life at Harrison's Landing--Major Birney Assigned to the
Command of the Regiment--Transferred to General Birney's
Brigade--Evacuation of Harrison's Landing and the Peninsula--The
Army of the Potomac is Sent to Reenforce General Pope.
The regiment, upon its arrival at Harrison's Landing, presented a most
pitiable spectacle. But three months before it numbered almost nine
hundred; now but little over half a hundred responded for duty at first
roll-call, and there was not a field officer present. Says Surgeon
Lyman: "All were exhausted and disheartened, scarcely a well man in the
regiment, with two hundred and thirty, for the first few days, on the
sick list." For a time Captain Ralph Maxwell was in command of the
regiment, but was succeeded later by Captain Strohecker. Funerals were
of such frequent occurrence that the solemn notes of the dead march were
almost continually to be heard, until, for the benefit of the living,
burials with military honors were suppressed by general order. To the
great annoyance of brigade commanders they could muster no more men for
brigade drill than would compose an ordinary battalion; the regiments
presenting no better appearance as to numbers than a company, and a
company than a corporal's guard. As a consequence there were frequent
charges of "shirking duty" preferred, and the officers of the line
watched and counted with greatest care their rolls for available men. An
amusing anecdote of this watchful regard of the superior officers is
told by Colonel Strohecker. He says:
"For a few days our regiment was attached to the 63d, and under the
command of Colonel Alexander Hayes. On one occasion he had the two
regiments 'fall in,' and passing along the line counted the men in each
company with great care, comparing their number with the adjutant's
report which he held in his hand. When he counted my company I lacked
three men to fill the report, and then the colonel commenced cursing me
for reporting more men than I turned out. I replied that I did not
report more men than I had in line. At this he exhibited to me the
adjutant's report and said he would see me later. True enough, there
were three more men reported for duty on the adjutant's report than I
had turned out. The figures were against me. He dismissed me and I went
to my quarters crestfallen. I took up my morning report book, and
discovered there was a mistake somewhere. My morning report and the
number of men I had in line tallied exactly. I immediately called upon
the colonel and armed with my morning report proved that I was right. He
called his adjutant and asked him to explain. That officer replied that
in consolidating the company reports he could not make them agree, so he
just put three more men to my account! 'What!' exclaimed the colonel.
'You falsify the morning report of a captain and his orderly? I'll let
you know' and then the very air seemed blue! To me he only said,
'Captain won't you have a drink?'"
General Kearny was no admirer of a rifle-pit campaign. "An open field
and a fair fight," was more to the pleasing of the military taste of
this intrepid commander; he was, therefore, loth to have his troops
exhausted with the labor of their construction, and as occasion offered
was not slow to so express himself. One quiet Sabbath morning, while in
camp at this place, a detail from the 57th was on its way, armed with
pick and spade, to this duty. As they trudged along their way Kearny met
them, and, returning the salute of the lieutenant commanding the squad,
inquired:
"Lieutenant, where are these men going?"
"To work on the breastworks, general," replied the officer.
"About face your men, and return to your quarters," sharply replied the
general. "Six days in the week are enough to work on fortifications.
These men need their Sunday rest!"
It is needless to say the order was promptly obeyed and regard for their
commander rose several degrees in the estimation of these weary
veterans.
The camp of the regiment was near a fine stream of water on which was
erected a dam that afforded the men most excellent bathing
opportunities, which doubtless contributed much to their general health
besides personal cleanliness. Ovens were also built and for a time they
enjoyed the luxury of "soft bread." There was, however, a dearth of
vegetables, and aside from an occasional ration of onions, and that
conglomeration of pumpkin, squash, etc., compounded under the euphonious
name of "dessicated vegetables," but which the boys derisively dubbed
"desecrated vegetables," green truck was unknown in their daily bill of
fare, in consequence of which diarrhoea and kindred complaints were
prevalent, and many disqualified for active duty.
[Illustration: William Burney]
During the encampment at Harrison's Landing Major William Birney, of the
4th New Jersey regiment, a brother of General David B. Birney, was
assigned to the command of the 57th regiment. Major Birney was an
officer of rare ability, a strict disciplinarian, an indefatigable
drill-master, and withal a gentleman, winning and courteous to the
humblest when off duty, and abhorring the petty tyrannies in which some
officers of brief authority seemed to delight. He also enjoyed to the
highest degree the confidence of his superiors, and very soon won the
respect and esteem, as well, of the rank and file. A story told about
the camp fires, whether true or false, well illustrates the
characteristics of the man and deserves recording. At the breaking out
of the war Major Birney was commissioned an officer in one of the New
Jersey regiments composing the New Jersey brigade, commanded by General
Kearny, but possessed of little knowledge of his duties as such, or
ability to drill his men. On one occasion while attempting to put his
regiment through its evolutions General Kearny chanced to pass, and
halting, watched the major in his attempts with evident disgust. The
general was never noted for his patience, especially with inefficiency
of an officer in his line of duty, and riding up to the major,
reprimanded him sharply, bidding him to go to his quarters and never
attempt to drill his men again until he had mastered the tactics. It is
said, the major, stung with reproof, went to his quarters, not to sulk
over this and possibly resign his commission, but to study, and when he
next appeared on drill he was the best informed and most efficient drill
master in the brigade, receiving the compliments of the general, who
ever after held him in highest esteem. Of the major's persistency, if
not his efficiency, as a drill master, every member of the 57th regiment
would willingly certify.
Major Birney's discipline was not confined to camp life, and the drill
ground. It extended as well to the march. Every morning on the march the
regular detail for guard duty was made, and this detail, under command
of the officer of the day, marched at the rear of the column, and proved
an efficient preventive to "straggling," a habit exceedingly
demoralizing to an army on the march. If any fell sick or gave out by
the way they were taken charge of, and if possible, were placed in an
ambulance, or in the absence of such, in one of the regimental or
brigade wagons. If canteens needed replenishing a detail was made from
each company to perform that duty. If foraging was to be engaged in it
was done in the same methodical manner, and this was not infrequent, for
the major was a strong believer in the doctrine of the rights of the
army to live off the products of the enemy's country, but it had to be
done "decently and in order."
When on the march, if an obstruction was encountered, the head of the
column was always halted until all had passed the obstruction and the
ranks closed up. By this means the men in the rear were saved the
necessity of moving at a "double quick" to overtake those in advance, a
duty very exhausting, and as a consequence the command was always kept
in compact order and could, with less fatigue, march twenty miles a day
than ten by the old "go as you please" methods so common while on the
march.
During our army's encampment at Harrison's Landing the Confederates were
quiet and only deigned to make their presence known on one occasion and
that was in the way of a night surprise, sending by way of a reminder
that they were yet alive and alert, a number of shells across from the
heights on the south side of the river. This piece of pleasantry was
replied to promptly by our batteries, and the next day arrangements were
made to prevent a repetition by sending a division of infantry under
General Butterfield over to that side and taking possession of those
hills for ourselves.
On August 12th the 57th was transferred from Jameson's old brigade (the
1st) to General D. B. Birney's (2d) brigade. General Jameson was injured
by the falling of his horse at Fair Oaks and died from his injuries the
following November. He was one of the finest looking officers in the
army. General J. C. Robinson succeeded him in command, and led the
brigade in the seven days' battles. General Birney was one of the
original brigade commanders of Kearny's division. His brigade now
comprised the following regiments, viz: the 57th and 99th Pennsylvania;
3d and 4th Maine; 38th, 40th and 101st New York. There were seven
regiments, but numerically, they scarcely exceeded the strength of two
full regiments.
On August 15th, the army broke camp and commenced the retrograde
movement back through Williamsburg and Yorktown, our campaign ground of
the earlier spring, its ultimate destination being to join Pope in his
disastrous campaign with headquarters "in the saddle."
The breaking camp of a great army is always a stirring scene. The
mounted aids and orderlies riding in hot haste; the mustering legions
and forming squadrons with flying colors; the bonfires of camp debris;
the popping of discarded cartridges with occasional deeper intonation of
exploding bomb, altogether make a scene not soon to be forgotten.
The time of year was the "roasting ear" season of the Virginia
cornfields, and great fears were entertained by the army medical staff
as to the probable disastrous results to the men of a too free
indulgence by them in that luxury. As a consequence they were strictly
admonished to abstain from the toothsome viand, but all to no purpose.
We had roasting ears boiled, roasting ears roasted, and roasting ears
broiled in the husk. We had green corn on the cob and off the cob. Green
corn for breakfast, green corn for dinner, and green corn for supper,
with an occasional lunch of green corn between times. Yet, wonderful to
relate, instead of any injury resulting, on the contrary the effect was
decidedly beneficial, in that by the time we arrived at Yorktown there
was scarcely a man to respond to sick call.
The evening of the first day's march the regiment camped near a large
brick plantation house. The owner and family were absent, but the negro
servants were very much "at home" with the "Yanks" and until late in the
night were busily employed baking "hoe cake" for all who applied.
The following day the 57th with the 4th Maine were detached and served
as "flankers" on the left of the army, marching by a road that
intersected the road by which the regiment had advanced from
Williamsburg toward Richmond at a point near Barhamsville, thence by the
last named road to Williamsburg and Yorktown. At Williamsburg there
still remained many evidences of the struggle of the preceding May,
particularly the marks of shot and shell upon the standing timber, many
of these marks being high up on the tree trunks and exhibiting a very
unsteady aim.
At Yorktown the regiment embarked for Alexandria and from thence were
speedily transferred by rail on the Orange and Alexandria road to a
point near Warrenton Junction.
At Alexandria many of the men took the opportunity to imbibe a liberal
quantity of liquid refreshments, the first chance they had to do so
since the issuing of whiskey rations in the swamps in front of Richmond.
To the credit of the 57th, but very few indulged beyond their capacity
to carry their load steadily, but such could not be said of some of the
other regiments in the division, notably one of New York, in which there
were not a sufficient number of "sobers" to care for the "drunks." The
cars on which we were shipped to the front were the ordinary "flats." By
the time their "drunks" were safely deposited on these cars by the
"sobers" fully one-half had rolled off into the side ditches, and so the
process of reloading had to be repeated time and again with many
intervening, and sometimes amusing, sparring matches to add to the
confusion and delay. While these bacchanalian exhibitions were going on
General Kearny and staff rode along the side of the railway track, doing
what they could in the way of encouragement to the overworked "sobers"
in their apparently endless task. As the general passed the 57th some
member called out to a comrade near to the scene of drunken strife in
progress on the adjoining cars, inquiring if any of the 57th were
engaged in the fracas then going on. The general promptly turned in his
saddle and shouted back, "No, thank God, there's none of the 57th!"
It was not the regiment's privilege to ride all the way from Alexandria
to its destination at the front. Disembarking near Catlett Station it
advanced by easy marches.
Somewhere on the Virginia Peninsula Captain Maxwell, of Company F, had
secured the services of an old negro as his cook. At Malvern Hill this
old fellow had not put sufficient space between himself and the enemy
for safety, and found himself in rather close proximity for comfort to
the shells of their batteries. While at Harrison's Landing it was the
delight of the boys to get this old man to describe the battle and give
his experience under fire. His inimitable imitation of the screaming
shot and shell accompanied with grotesque pantomime was amusing in the
extreme. We little thought, however, the deep impression these scenes
and experiences had made upon his mind until again we came in sound of
the enemy's guns. As the regiment advanced toward Bealeton the
cannonading in our front became at times quite heavy. The old cook was
trudging along by the side of the marching column, carrying a camp
kettle, when suddenly the batteries opened fire. He stopped, looked and
listened, with fear depicted in every lineament of his dusky face. "Dis
chil' done gone fur 'nuf dis way!" he exclaimed. Then turning about took
toward the rear as fast as his legs could carry him. It was the last
seen of the captain's cook.