Frederick City--Recruits--Dumfries.
The regiment remained at Monocacy junction, guarding the immense
supply trains which had accumulated here by reason of the burned
bridge. Sergeant Baldwin relates that a lot of rebel prisoners passed
Monocacy bridge, one of whom claimed to have fired seven shots at
Colonel Buckley at the battle of Port Republic, but without effect.
About September 13th, the bridge having been replaced, we moved on to
Frederick city, Maryland. Here we engaged in camp, picket, and provost
duty, and a large number of the men were detailed to care for the
wounded from the battlefields of South Mountain and Antietam, September
14th and 17th.
In the meantime we were joined by a large number of recruits, amongst
which was a brigade cornet band, composed of the following members:
George Shaw, leader; Everett Shaw, assistant leader; J. G. Caskey,
Jacob Koplin, Sylvanus Hile, Columbus Ferguson, N. G. Hartman,
Christian Hardag, William Kurtz, George Metcalf, James Lyon, “Bige”
Nickerson, Benjamin Snyder, George Turney, Micajah Rice, Bennett
Wadsworth, Edward White, Frank Waltz, Eli Waltz; Gurley G. Crane, drum
major.
November 25th, Colonel Clark says: “Patiently waiting in camp. ‘Dress
parade’ to-day, the first many of us have seen since May last. Only
about two hundred men in line. Remembering how far our line reached at
Camp Giddings, our force looks small indeed.”
November 27th. “Cold and raw. A fierce gale makes our canvas houses
rock like cradles. We are now having an easy time; that is all but the
men and the mules. Our men go on duty every other day. As to rations,
don’t think any of us will get the gout.”
November 27th. “Thanksgiving.--‘Distance lends enchantment,’ etc., to
turkeys, chickens, pies, and fixin’s that make good cheer at home.
Well, some of us are thankful--that we are here instead of being locked
up in those dirty rebel prisons. Nine of our officers and a large
number of our men have just been released. This inactivity is irksome
to the volunteer who has business at home needing his attention. We
hardly think Burnside will reach Richmond via Fredericksburg unless he
goes as some of us did--as prisoners.”
On the 10th day of December, 1862, the regiment struck tents at
Frederick City, Maryland, and moved by cars in the direction of
Harper’s Ferry. At Sandy Hook a halt was made for the night; slept in
freight cars; suffered severely from cold. The following day marched
at 6 A. M. About noon crossed the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers into
Virginia; marched about nine miles and camped for the night. Twelfth,
marched at 3 P. M. some nine miles and went into camp. Thirteenth, moved
at 6 A. M., marched twelve miles, halted for dinner, passed through
Leesburg, and camped for the night. Fourteenth, marched at sunrise,
passed through Fairfax Court House to the station, where we encamped.
Fifteenth, marched till about 4 P. M., crossed Broad run and encamped
for the night. Sixteenth, marched four miles in rain, snow, and mud; at
12 M. halted for dinner; had a fight with a Pennsylvania regiment over
some rails that had been collected from the fence. These we used for
wood occasionally in preparing our meals.
[It] is perhaps unnecessary to mention that the Twenty-ninth boys
enjoyed good fires to-day. In the afternoon the Twenty-ninth went on
picket one mile to the rear. Seventeenth, brigade counter-marched
to Fairfax station, where it remained until the 19th, when it moved
southeast about one and one-half miles to an orchard, where it
encamped, and where it remained until the 27th, when it marched at 9
A. M.; reached Broad run late in the evening. On the hill on the south
side of the creek was a fort occupied by rebels; the Twenty-ninth
crossed the creek, halted, loaded their guns, and advanced, and a
red-hot little skirmish ensued at the close of which the rebels fell
back. We went into the fort, sending two companies out in the road
leading towards Dumfries as skirmishers. The regiment remained on
arms all night; cold and frosty. Guns are not very warm bed-fellows.
Twenty-eighth, marched at 7:30 A. M., Twenty-ninth in advance of
division. About 10 o’clock met some rebel cavalry; the Twenty-ninth
regiment deployed into line of battle, a few shots were fired, and the
rebels fell back. One man wounded in company A. While in this position
Generals Slocum, Geary, and Green came up; a battery was soon in
position which sent a few shots after the retreating rebel cavalry. In
the afternoon marched through the woods on right of road, in line of
battle, while the division moved in the road; skirmishing the balance
of the day. At dark we halted three miles from Dumfries and camped for
the night. Twenty-ninth, reached Dumfries’ about 10 o’clock A. M., and
went into camp on the side hill in the woods north of town.
January 1, 1863, the regiment and its brigade remained at Dumfries,
doing camp and picket duty, until January 16th, when it was ordered
to march on two hours’ notice, did not march. On the 17th and 18th
nothing transpired worthy of note. On the 19th the regiment passed
in grand review by Colonel Charles Canby, of the Sixty-sixth Ohio
infantry. January 27th, General Geary visited the regiment while on
parade, and complimented us on our discipline, neat appearance, and
soldierly deportment. February 2nd, Colonel L. P. Buckley, Adjutant T.
S. Winship, Captain E. Burridge and Lieutenant Gregory, of company F,
resigned and went home. Lieutenant J. B. Storer was made adjutant, and
Sergeant H. R. Baldwin, of company F, promoted to captain. February 3d,
Companies D and I were detached at Dumfries landing, on the Potomac,
about four miles from camp, doing guard duty, unloading army supplies
from boats, and loading the Second Division trains.
On the 14th some musketry firing was heard in the direction of
Brentsville.
March 9th, Eli Waltz, of Company D, and a member of the brigade band,
died.
April 16th, Companies D and I moved from the landing, and joined the
regiment.
From the 29th day of December, 1862, the time when the Twenty-ninth
regiment entered Dumfries, its duties were severe; the line of
pickets was over three miles long, and over one mile from camp; and
as the rebel cavalry were hovering around, the main roads entering
Dumfries, were patroled at night. Our men suffered severely from
cold and the protracted storms. In the meantime five companies were
added to the brigade. The Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania originally had
fifteen companies; five companies were added to the new recruits, and
designated the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Pennsylvania, with Ario
Pardee as colonel. Our first brigade now consists of the Twenty-ninth,
Seventh, Fifth, and Sixty-sixth Ohio regiments, and Twenty-eighth and
One Hundred and Forty-seventh Pennsylvania.
The suffering our men endured during our stay at Dumfries from
inclemency of the weather, the arduous service, and the scarcity of
almost every necessity, cannot be easily over-estimated, and it might
with propriety go into history as a counterpart of that much written
about, and extensively illustrated affair “Washington at Valley Forge.”
About the 20th day of April, 1863, with Colonel Clark in command, the
Twenty-ninth regiment, with its brigade, left Dumfries, Virginia,
and marched to Aqua creek, which place it reached two days later,
and encamped about one mile from the Potomac river. Aqua creek is
sixty miles below Washington on the river; it was used as a base for
supplies, and a field hospital was soon established. The regiment
with its brigade remained at this place performing the usual camp
and garrison duty, building forts and, at the same time, doing its
full share of picket duty. We are encamped on the hill overlooking
the Potomac. To the north and west is a fine rolling country partly
covered with pine timber and tangled undergrowth. All was quiet until
orders were received to march; then what a bustle; haversacks were
filled, each soldier furnished with sixty rounds of ammunition, and
preparations made for “business.” At 7 o’clock A. M., on the 27th day
of April, the regiment fell into line and moved forward on the road
leading to Kelleys ford via Stafford Court House and Hartwood church,
reaching the Rappahannock river at Kelley’s ford late in the afternoon.
The enemy was found in small force on the south bank of the river. Late
in the evening the Sixty-sixth Ohio regiment crossed the river in a
small boat capable of carrying but one company at a time. The regiment
deployed as skirmishers, holding the enemy back until the division
had all crossed when we bivouacked for the night. The next morning we
marched at 5:30 A. M., the Twenty-ninth regiment in advance; passed
through a low, level country, with heavy timber; halted at 12 M. for
dinner at a fine residence on a large plantation; fell in at 1:30 P. M.
and moved in an easterly direction, reaching the Rapidan river late
in the afternoon. The bridge had been destroyed, so that a crossing
was not effected until in the evening, after which the Twenty-ninth
camped for the night. 29th instant,--marched at 7:30 A. M. on the direct
road to Chancellorsville. About 10 o’clock A. M. General Slocum came
up and orders were received for the Twenty-ninth regiment to send out
a line of skirmishers on the right of the road, which was done, the
regiment passing through an open field and entering the timber, forcing
the enemy back; marched on the flank through the woods and thick
undergrowth for several miles, were then ordered to join the brigade.
We reached Chancellorsville late in the afternoon of April 30th, where
we found a small force of Confederate soldiers who were engaged in
throwing up earthworks near the Chancellor house, at a point where the
roads crossed, one leading to the United States ford, and the other
to Fredericksburg. The Twenty-ninth regiment, with its brigade and
division, were the first Union soldiers to enter the place. A number of
prisoners were taken, and late in the evening the Twenty-ninth moved a
short distance southwest from the main road and the Chancellor house
into a piece of timber and bivouacked for the night.