Battle of Port Republic--The Twenty-ninth Suffer Great Loss.
On June 9th, in the dim light of early morning the enemy began to move,
and soon our artillery opened a brisk fire on them. The Twenty-ninth
regiment, under command of Colonel Buckley, was ordered to fall in,
and at 6:45 o’clock marched out of the timber into the open field, and
moved forward a short distance, when the men unslung knapsacks and
other equipage and, reduced to light marching order, advanced by the
right flank, and when near the rebel position came into line on the
double quick. While doing so we were obliged to pass a board fence;
and at this critical time the rebels opened a heavy fire of musketry,
but the regiment moved steadily forward and took position in the open
field. The rebels in front of our right wing were behind a strong post
and rail fence.
From the base of the mountain to the Shenandoah river was about
one-half mile. The extreme left of our line extended into the timber
and near the base of the mountain with the right flank extending to
the river. The Fifth, Sixty-sixth and Seventh Ohio regiments were on
our left, and the Seventh Virginia, Seventh, Thirteenth and Fourteenth
Indiana on our right. The Twenty-ninth being about the right center
regiment during the battle, and at this time in support of Huntington’s
battery, which was belching forth its shot and shell, doing deadly
execution in the ranks of the advancing rebels. When in close range
the rebels charged. Reserving our fire until they were almost upon
us, the order was given, and with a yell the entire line poured its
leaden hail into the gray clad columns of the chivalry, producing
fearful slaughter, and following with a charge so impetuous that they
were forced to retire from their secure position behind the fence, and
here, for more than three hours and a half, our brave fellows, though
outnumbered ten to one by the enemy and fighting against fate, kept
them at bay and held the position. During this charge it is said that
Allen Mason, of company C, Twenty-ninth regiment, captured the colors
of the Seventh Louisiana Tigers, and Lieutenant Gregory and a part of
company F made prisoners of twenty-five of the same regiment. At last
the little handful, who had so gallantly contended against such fearful
odds, were forced to retire. The Twenty-ninth regiment moved to the
rear, perhaps an eighth of a mile, and came to a halt, holding the
rebel forces in check until the entire Union forces had passed to the
rear. In the meantime the rebels had opened fire upon us with a battery
at close range, which did fearful execution in our rapidly decimating
ranks. When all our troops had passed, our regiment faced to the right
and moved obliquely into the timber; the rebels in the meantime passed
down the road and we were nearly surrounded, and now, for a distance
of nearly two miles occurred a desperate struggle for freedom. The men
fought with the desperation born of despair. Brave old Colonel Buckley
(who before beginning the day’s business addressed the regiment,
saying: “Aim low, men, and at every shot let a traitor fall!”) on foot,
his own and one other horse having been disabled by a shot, rallied the
men, and with sword in hand with them succeeded in cutting their way
through the cordon of gray devils almost surrounding them, and escaped
to the mountains near, where some one hundred men of the different
regiments of the Third brigade, with Colonel Buckley at their head,
bivouacked for the night. The small remainder of the regiment, except
those killed, wounded or captured, succeeded in reaching the main
army. Captain Baldwin says that those who reached the main army of the
Twenty-ninth regiment numbered only thirteen officers and men.
The night succeeding this eventful day of blood and carnage was spent
amid the gloom and darkness of the forest. The men gathered about their
brave commander as if to shield him from the damps of night, their
thoughts turning meanwhile to the absent comrades, many of whom, how
many they knew not, were lying, still and ghastly, upon the bloody
field, a sacrifice to the incompetency of the general commanding. The
day following, the little band began its weary march to the rear,
seeking shelter at night in some unused furnace buildings. The next day
they came in sight of the rear guard of the retreating army, where they
found the small remnant of the Twenty-ninth, who had escaped death or
capture, and who, when they saw their beloved colonel alive and well,
fairly rent the very heavens above with their glad shouts of welcome.
The number of the Union army engaged in this battle was some
twenty-five hundred, and could form but one line of battle, while
Stonewall Jackson’s official report shows his army to have numbered
some _thirty-four thousand_. The Twenty-ninth regiment lost heavily in
this battle. The aggregate was: Killed, 12; wounded, 33; captured, 105;
total, 150.
After the battle the Twenty-ninth regiment moved down the valley to
Luray, where the command encamped for a few days’ rest, then forward
to Front Royal, and on to Alexandria, reaching that point on June
27th, encamping on a rise of ground immediately adjacent to the
line of fortifications. The Third brigade was now composed of the
Seventh, Fifth, Sixty-sixth, and Twenty-ninth Ohio regiments, in the
order named. General Shields having resigned by reason of McDowell’s
misrepresentations in relation to the ill-advised battle of Port
Republic, General Sturgis, who has recently received so much adverse
criticism through the press of the country, for his brutal and inhuman
treatment of his men, was placed temporarily in command. After lying at
this point for nearly one month orders were received to move to the aid
of General McClellan on the Peninsula, and we embarked on transports,
but the order was countermanded and the Third brigade marched back to
its old camp.
July 25th we were ordered to join the force of General Pope, then
marching via Warrenton to the Rapidan river. Proceeding by rail to
the former point the brigade was reorganized and attached to Banks’
Second corps, afterwards changed to the Twelfth army corps, as the
First brigade of General Augur’s Second division. After a few days of
“masterly inactivity” we marched in the direction of Luray. Debouching
to the left on the road leading southward toward the Rapidan, we soon
reached Little Washington and went into camp. While here the troops
were reviewed by Generals Pope and Banks, who complimented our brigade
very highly upon its perfection in drill and discipline. General Tyler
was here ordered to Washington, and Brigadier-general John W. Geary,
late colonel of the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania infantry volunteers, was
placed in command of our brigade. His regiment and Knapp’s battery were
also assigned to the brigade. A forward movement in the direction of
Culpeper Court House, Virginia (on the Rapidan), was begun on August
8th. Here the Confederates were preparing defences, and at Cedar
Mountain, some seven miles to the southwest of our position, they were
strongly fortified.