From January, 1865, to Close of Battle of Five Forks.
Gloomy Outlook at the Opening of the Year.
The Peace Commissioners.
Spirit of the Army.
A. S. Fry as Regimental Clerk and Historian.
Trouble in Company D.
Activity Within the Federal Lines.
General Pendleton's Speech.
Early's Small Force Defeated at Waynesboro.
Sheridan's Raid.
While near Swift Creek, A. L. Fry of Company D was appointed clerk
and regimental historian, making a complete roll of the men of the
regiment, noting their services, for which he received a short
furlough. The record made by Fry was filed away in Richmond, but
unfortunately was destroyed by fire on the evacuation of the city by
the Confederate troops. This was indeed a calamity, for such a record
would now, after half a century, be of priceless value. The record of
many a poor fellow which was thus lost cannot be had anywhere else.
We changed position from near Swift Creek to the Howlett House on the
James in January, 1865, where we erected rude shacks of timber and
earth which furnished slight shelter from the pelting storms. Near the
middle of the month the weather softened, and we were enabled to get
out and engage in ball and other games, which gave us exercise and good
appetites, though ordinarily we were ready to eat anything we could
get, for at that time our daily allowance was one-fourth pound of bacon
and one pint of coarse cornmeal, with occasionally a little sugar,
rice, beans or peas.
The period was still gloomy. Fort McAllister had fallen, Savannah was
in the hands of the enemy, Charleston and Fort Fisher seriously
threatened; Hood's army had been wrecked and driven out of Tennessee;
General Sherman was preparing to march through the Carolinas. General
Grant had seized the Petersburg and Weldon railroad and was now
threatening to strike the south side and Richmond and Danville
road--the latter being the only remaining line connecting Richmond with
the Southern states, over which our supplies must be drawn. The
situation was therefore serious. This was fully realized by the men in
the ranks. Vastly superior territory, unlimited supplies, and a call
for 300,000 new troops in the North were calculated to produce
discouragement in the hearts of men who had from the first been
fighting against heavy odds. Desertions became more frequent; many men
were absent without leave, on account of needy families and other
causes, and were in no hurry to return. All these things were discussed
by the soldiers in their huts. The army of Northern Virginia now
consisted of less than fifty thousand poorly equipped, poorly clad,
poorly fed men, who had marched and countermarched, charged and fought
a foe two or three times their number for nearly four long, dreadful
years. It was little wonder, therefore, that depression came to the
noble army of Northern Virginia, which then held the toe line from a
point north of Fort Harrison to the vicinity of Hatcher's Run to the
south, more than thirty-five miles--in many places little more than a
good skirmish line, which the enemy was able to confront with full
lines, and yet overreaching our flanks, and was continuing to extend
his lines. Why General Grant did not cut loose from his base at City
Point and swing around the Confederate right, shutting the army up in
Petersburg and Richmond, is a military problem I will not endeavor to
solve.
I was in Richmond in January, 1865, and saw bread selling at $2.00 for
a small loaf; a pound of soda for $12.00; a calico dress pattern,
$25.00, a gold dollar commanding $60.00 in Confederate currency.
The mission of the Confederate "Peace Commissioners" had been a
failure, and a great disappointment to the soldiers, who saw plainly
nothing short of a bitter fight to the end. Public meetings of the men
were held in many of the commands in the army, resolutions adopted,
expressing regret at the failure of the Peace Conference, reaffirming
their faith in the justness of our cause, and rededicating themselves
to the defense thereof, resolving to fight to the end. Surely heroism
and desperation equal to this cannot be found in the annals of history.
With this situation confronting them, they demanded that all absentees
should be returned to their places, all able bodied men should be
required to take the field, and that every step possible should be
taken to strengthen the army, even to the arming of the negroes--a
thing which should have been done long before this.
In order to give some conception of the feeling and sentiment which
then pervaded the soldiers, I here insert an extract from a letter
written a friend in February, 1865, in which I say: "There is nothing
left us but to fight it out; the cry is for war--war to the knife. If
the people at home will support the army and drive all skulkers and
absentees to the front, all will be right."
Amid the darkness and gloom surrounding us, some of the men would have
fun. I well remember that W. D. Peters, of D Company, a wit and wag,
having around him several of his comrades, inquired as to how the
Southern Confederacy was bounded. One answered, "North by the United
States, south by the Gulf of Mexico, east by the Atlantic Ocean, west
by the Rocky Mountains." Peters insisted this to be a mistake, saying
that "we were surrounded by Yankees!"
The general sentiment in the army favored freeing all negroes who would
take arms and fight for the country. To this, singularly enough, came
opposition from men who did not and never had owned a slave. The
proposition to arm the negroes did not find favor with the politicians,
but they were finally forced to yield, late in the Spring of 1865, on
the eve of the retreat of the army of Northern Virginia from the
Richmond-Petersburg lines.
While on the lines near Howlett House, a squad went out between the
skirmish lines to gather fuel; among the number was Adam Thompson, who
had so large a foot that special requisition had to be made to get
shoes big enough for him; the shoes for Adam had to be made to order.
On the occasion referred to, Adam deserted to the enemy, when a Union
soldier called out, "Jonnnie! Have you another man over there three
feet across the back and who wears a number two shoe--two hides to the
shoe?"
I here relate an incident happening on this line while at the Howlett
House, which caused much grief, growing out, as I believe, of
misinformation and misunderstanding, whereby three of the best soldiers
of Company D--A. J. Thompson, Harry Snidow and J. C. Hughes--were
arrested upon a charge of encouraging insubordination and mutiny, of
which they were convicted and sentenced to be shot, and pending the
approval of General Lee (which was never had, so far as I know), were
incarcerated in "Castle Thunder" in Richmond, from which they were only
released by the Union army on entering the city April 3, 1865. In the
opinion of the writer, who knew these three men, all sergeants, through
and through, this proceeding was excessive and unwarranted. Surely
three long years of untiring devotion and loyalty to the cause for
which we fought should be counted worth something.
General Pendleton, the chief of artillery of the army, visited our
lines the middle of March and made a speech, in which he said, "The
time is rapidly approaching for the opening of the campaign, and that
man Grant over there means mischief. Only with a union of strong arms
and brave hearts can we hope to win. Pack your haversacks and be ready
to move." There was now great activity within the lines of the enemy;
the whistle of the locomotive, the inclination and the action of the
enemy to crowd us, all pointed to an early movement, but the question
confronted us--What are we to do? Can we get away and how far? Not a
mule nor horse that can pull a hundred pounds five miles through the
mud. It was suggested, let us go south and join General Joe Johnston,
unite forces with him, whip Grant and then Sherman. Some said one
thing, some another, but all agreed that if Richmond had to be given
up, it were better it had been abandoned the fall before, when our
transportation was in better shape and our army numerically stronger,
and General Grant's not in such good condition, not yet having
recovered from its bloody campaign from the Rapidan to Petersburg, and
not so confident as now.
[Illustration: Brigadier-General David E. Johnston and Aid-de-Camp D.
E. J. Wilson]
In March, 1865, at night, our division was withdrawn from the lines,
Mahone's division taking our place. We were hurried up to Richmond to
the outer intrenchments north of the city to meet the Federal General
Sheridan's cavalry corps of 10,000 men, which a few days before had
overwhelmed the little band of about 1500 men of General Early in the
valley near Waynesboro, and were now rapidly approaching Richmond by
way of Charlottesville. Near Ashland Corse's brigade had a brisk
skirmish with Sheridan's advance. It was apparent that General Sheridan
had no thought of attacking Richmond (he was never known to attack
unless he had the advantage) but had crossed the Chickahominy and was
making his way to join the main army south of the James.