DIARY OF THE SIEGE.
The next two days, June 24th and 25th, were passed in comparative quiet
in the woods. We were under arms nearly all the time, as an attack upon
the enemy from our right was anticipated. The firing on that line, held
by the Eighteenth Corps, was very heavy, but no attack was made. The
heat was intense, and the men in the trenches suffered greatly. Our
diet was somewhat improved by the arrival of some supplies of ale and
porter, with a little ice thrown in, from the United States Sanitary
Commission Depot, which had just been established at City Point.
On the night of the 25th we were ordered to the front, and relieved
the Ninth New Hampshire in the trenches. During the night most of
the men were busy with the pickaxe and shovel. We were subjected
to a severe artillery fire all day, and the picket fire was close.
Large bodies of colored troops were at work filling gunny-bags and
ammunition-boxes with sand, to be used on the top of the parapets for
the protection of loop-holes. Private Hezekiah Hall, of Company I,
was severely wounded, and the Adjutant of the Second New York Rifles,
while passing through our line, was killed. At midnight we relieved
the Forty-fifth Pennsylvania in the picket line, getting fairly into
the pits about daylight. The duty was about the same as when we were
there on the 22d. The line had been made continuous and much improved.
Abatis had been placed in front, and a covered way continued from the
main line. This covered way was very deep, and protected with high
embankments and gabions. The firing was very constant and the range
perfect. Corporal Charles Gilbert, of Company H, and Private George
F. Bradford, of Company B, were wounded, the former mortally. We had
our first experience under the mortar-firing of the enemy. They fired
twenty-four-pound shells with great precision.
The advanced position which we occupied was but little more than
one hundred yards from that portion of the main line of the enemy
known as the "Elliott salient." The line occupied by our brigade was
directly in front of this work. In rear of this portion of our line
the ground declined suddenly into a narrow ravine, which widened into
a meadow, which afforded a position for massing troops, and screened
working-parties from the observation of the enemy in the salient in
front. After Colonel Curtin had been wounded in the attack of the
18th, which secured this position, the command of the brigade devolved
on Lieutenant-Colonel Pleasants, of the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania.
Being frequently on the front line he had observed this ravine, and
as he was by profession a practical civil and mining engineer it
occurred to him that a mine could be successfully excavated there. He
carefully examined the ground, and having satisfied himself that the
work could be accomplished he unfolded his plan to General Potter, who
approved it, and he in turn conferred with General Burnside, who was
much pleased with the proposal, and ordered that the work should be
commenced.
This was done at noon of the 25th, by Col. Pleasants, with his own
regiment, the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania, which had been detailed for
this purpose. Most of these men were miners from Schuylkill County, and
familiar with such operations. Colonel Pleasants entered upon the work
with great enthusiasm, although he received but little encouragement
outside the Ninth Corps. Generals Burnside and Potter seemed to be
the only high officers who believed in its success. There were many
discouragements attending its commencement, as it was ridiculed at
army head-quarters. Col. Pleasants was denied mining picks, but
straightened out army picks. His instruments were poor and old. He
was obliged to make his surveys and measurements on the front line,
exposed to the fire of the sharp-shooters. He had no wheelbarrows; but
the men nailed strips of boards for handles on old cracker-boxes, and
brought out the earth in these. He had also to contend with official
indifference and coolness; yet the brave man toiled on with undaunted
spirit. As we lay in our picket pits this 27th day of June we could
distinctly hear our comrades delving beneath us. The earth as it was
brought out was piled up in the ravine, and covered with fresh bushes
to conceal it from the observation of the enemy. The mortar shells from
the enemy's bombs dropped continually in the ravine around the entrance
to the mine, causing great annoyance to the men, but not interrupting
the work. The day passed without special incident. We were relieved at
night and went back to the woods.
June 28th. We prepared muster-rolls for two months' pay at our camp
in the pine woods. Some of the regiment went to City Point to obtain
from the regimental baggage the necessary blanks for muster, and met
Captain Levi N. Smith, formerly First Lieutenant of Company D, who
was now forwarding commissary, feeding the entire army of the Potomac
and General Butler's command. He warmly welcomed his old comrades in
arms, and gave expression to his abiding interest in the regiment.
The regimental sutler was also found at City Point, with a cargo of
supplies to be forwarded to the front as soon as he should be permitted
to land.
The next day we relieved the Second Brigade in the trenches. In placing
the pickets, Sergeant C. Henry Moseley, commanding Company B, was
seriously wounded by being shot through the right hand.
The 30th was passed at the front in the heat and dust. The firing was
very sharp, especially on the right, where much artillery ammunition
was used. Captain Ames was again slightly wounded in the left hand. He
went to the rear to have the wound dressed, and returned immediately
to the front. Effective strength this day, five commissioned officers,
including assistant surgeon and one hundred and seventy-three enlisted
men; total, one hundred and seventy-eight. Twenty-three were sick in
hospital.
July 1st. On duty in the trenches; pickets unusually lively. They are
extremely hostile toward us. On the left, along the Fifth Corps line,
there is no firing by day, and the men from both armies get water from
a spring between the lines. Here there is no cessation by day or night.
It may be caused by the nearness of our line, the suspicion of a sudden
attack, or because of the presence of colored troops in our working
parties. Our losses are severe, averaging fifteen a day on our division
line. Corporal James H. Barry, of Company I, a gallant soldier, who was
wounded May 6th, was killed in the trenches to-day by a sharp-shooter.
At night the regiment retired to the woods.
July 2d and 3d. On duty in the rear. Heavy siege guns were sent to the
front to be placed in a new battery to be built in our line. On the 3d
we were mustered for pay. The line was short, indeed, compared with
our last muster, at Catlett's Station. How many in that brief time
have gone from the toils and pains and hardships of a soldier's life
to sleep in soldiers' graves! How many names are to-day transferred
from the rolls of these companies to the roll of the honored dead!
To-day the Sanitary and Christian Commissions sent a generous supply of
hospital and other stores, to aid in celebrating the national holiday
to-morrow. These were distributed equally among the companies. The
staff of our national color was shattered by a bullet to-day. Both
staves are now broken, and the flags are riddled with bullet-holes.
They are also stained with the blood of heroes who have borne them unto
death. At dark we relieved the Second Brigade.
July 4th. Regiment in the trenches. The heat was intense, and the
men pitched their shelter-tents over the top of the trenches. This
kept out the sun, but excluded also the air. General Burnside and the
division commanders were on the front line together in the afternoon,
and the regimental prophets predicted an immediate attack; but the
hours dragged along, and the day proved to be remarkably quiet. A
request was transmitted to the State authorities for a new stand of
colors. One year ago we commenced the Jackson campaign, which proved so
disastrous to the regiment. The anniversary was frequently mentioned by
the men. Then we hoped to spend this day in peace at home. Now we dare
not hope for a speedy ending of the war. Then Gettysburg and Vicksburg
encouraged the belief that the weight of the struggle had passed. Now
Atlanta, Petersburg, and Richmond, bid prolonged defiance. But the end
is coming!
July 5th. Passed without incident. Firing less severe than usual. The
monotony of siege life unbroken. Regiment relieved at nine in the
evening.
July 6th. First Lieutenant Fairbank received his commission as Captain,
_vice_ Warriner, resigned, and was mustered in. Information was
received that all the vacancies among the commissioned officers have
been filled by promotions from the ranks. This information was received
with pleasure, as it will increase the working-force and efficiency of
the regiment. To-day private H. A. Murdoch, of Company H, was wounded
in the arm.
July 7th. To-day the Fourth Rhode Island arrived from Yorktown _via_
City Point, and was assigned to our brigade. Its commander, Colonel
W. H. P. Steere, being the senior officer, assumed command of the
brigade. More sanitary supplies, consisting of twenty-five pounds of
white sugar, a dozen cans of milk, vegetables, a few bottles of sherry,
brandy, etc., were received from the Commissions, and distributed among
the sick. There is much sickness in the command. The extreme heat,
arduous duty, and constant exposure to danger, are wearing on men who
up to this time have borne all the hardships of the campaign. At
night the regiment relieved the troops in the picket line, in the old
position. The works daily show the labor expended upon them. They are
now very strong, and their condition much improved. Rumors prevail that
an assault is to be made to-morrow.
July 8th. The duty in the trenches to-day was very severe, owing to
the intense heat, and the sharp, incessant firing. Our men had good
range, and replied to the enemy shot for shot. Enemy on the alert, and
asking about the mine. They regard it as a great joke, and threaten to
countermine. More rumors of an assault from our front. Lately our men
discovered an ice-house in front of our line, a little to the left of
our position, and for a while it has been neutral ground for one or two
men from the opposing lines to get ice, to the extent that if any one
has been seen near the ice-house they have not been fired upon. To-day,
however, Corporal Lucius Lowell, of Company F, in endeavoring to get
some ice, was fired upon, and received two bad wounds in the breast and
wrist.
July 9th. Still on duty in the trenches. Intensely hot. To-day we
received the cheering news of the sinking of the rebel pirate "Alabama"
by the United States Steamer "Kearsarge." This information was received
with loud cheering. The rebels across the way wanted to know the cause
of our joy, and were answered by a double-shotted salute from all
our artillery, which made them burrow for an hour. At night we were
relieved.
July 10th. In the woods, suffering from intense heat, and tormented by
myriads of flies, which were as hostile as the rebel pickets in our
front. Sergeant Thomas H. Haskell, who was wounded in the right hand at
Spottsylvania, and yesterday, though not fully recovered, returned to
duty with a First Lieutenant's commission, was mustered and assigned
to the command of Company B. Several enlisted men also returned, and
the effective strength at night was one hundred and ninety; six
commissioned officers and one hundred and eighty-four enlisted men,
with fourteen sick in the hospital.
July 11th. The day was very hot, relieved by showers at night. At nine
o'clock the regiment went to the front and relieved the Seventeenth
Vermont on picket. To-day a siege order was issued from army
head-quarters, regulating the operations of the siege.
July 12th and 13th. Regiment on duty in the trenches. The firing has
been very light, and entirely suspended at times. For the first time
since the opening of the campaign the enemy has been friendly, even to
the extent of sitting upon the rifle-pits and talking across to our
men. Some have waved papers, and have come half way to our lines to
proffer an exchange. It soon transpired that their object was to obtain
northern papers for intelligence concerning the rebel invasion of
Maryland under General Early, and the destruction of northern property.
Their anxiety was very great; but we received imperative orders
forbidding any exchange of papers, or holding any communication with
the enemy. Captain Smith fired upon some men of another regiment who
went out to exchange papers, and refused to obey his orders to return.
At night artillery and mortar firing was resumed. At midnight we were
relieved.
July 14th and 15th. In the pine woods. Many rumors in circulation of an
immediate attack to be made from our front. The work of constructing
forts and batteries goes on night and day. At half-past eight P.M., on
the 15th, we relieved the Seventeenth Vermont in our old position in
the trenches. The night was dark and misty, and the enemy kept up an
incessant firing. Corporal Albert Foskett, Company H, was wounded and
taken to the rear. The sick belonging to the Ninth Corps were removed
to the hospital at City Point,--a fact which caused other rumors of
attack to be circulated.
July 16th. The regiment was in command of Captain Ames, as Captain
Smith was detailed as division officer of the trenches.
July 17th. The regiment was exposed to a very close fire throughout
the day. The mortar shells dropped all around us, the practice being
unusually good. Private Jerry Harrigan, of Company K, was mortally
wounded. The only consolation while we are under this trying fire is
that our practice is as good as the enemy's.
July 18th. In the woods. Captain Barker, who was wounded at Cold
Harbor, June 3d, returned to duty, with a commission as Major,--_vice_
Draper, who has been commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel,--and assumed
command of the regiment. Lieutenant Marshall, who was wounded at the
Wilderness, also returned to duty, with a commission as Captain, and
was assigned to Company A. In leaving the trenches this morning private
Leonard A. Chapman, of Company K, was fired at by a sharp-shooter and
instantly killed.
July 19 and 20th. The weather was rainy, rendering the trenches very
uncomfortable. A large fort, called "The Fourteen-Gun Battery," has
been constructed in our division line, and garrisoned by a regiment of
Connecticut Heavy Artillery.
July 21st. Private Martin Maynard, of Company D, was wounded in the
leg and suffered amputation. There has been no change in our tour of
duty. The system has been reduced to a science; so, also, has been
the hostility of the enemy. Notwithstanding the strong condition of
our works, and the great improvements constantly made, the watchful
sharp-shooters of the enemy have unerring aim upon the loop-holes,
and the least exposure on the part of any of our men is sure to
draw a murderous fire. In the rear we are out of the range of their
sharp-shooters, but exposed to the chance shots which every moment are
sent into the woods.
July 22d. To-day Captain Morse, who was severely wounded at
Spottsylvania, returned to duty and resumed command of Company C.
Lieutenant Davidson also returned from the hospital. Private Judson
Maynard, of Company H, was wounded July 23d. The regiment went to the
front at night, and resumed its duty in the trenches. To-day the mine
was completed, and our comrades of the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania are
rejoicing. In spite of obstacles and discouragements the great work has
been successfully accomplished. The men report that they can distinctly
hear the enemy in the fort over their heads. With proper tools the work
which has consumed four weeks could have been performed in ten days.
Colonel Pleasants received many congratulations on the success of his
undertaking. His report of his operation is intensely interesting.
The main gallery is five hundred and ten feet long, with two lateral
galleries,--the left thirty-seven feet, the right thirty-eight feet in
length, averaging about four and one-half feet high by the same width,
and will require eight magazines, four in each lateral gallery, or
about twelve thousand pounds of powder. Eighteen thousand cubic feet of
earth have been excavated. Whatever may be the result of the explosion,
and the attack which may be made, there can be no doubt of the great
success which has crowned the determined efforts of Colonel Pleasants
and his hard-working regiment.
July 24th. A regiment of colored troops was at work all day building
a new covered way through our camp in the woods, which necessitated
a change of some of our quarters and bomb-proofs. Captain Smith on
duty as brigade officer of the day. A heavy storm set in and the rain
poured in torrents nearly all the night, and the weather was very cold.
The men were soaked and chilled, and it was a rough night to stand
at a loop-hole and watch. The sufferings of the troops in the front
lines during this siege--from hunger, thirst, protracted watching,
constant danger, from burning heat by day and chills by night, from
sudden changes in the temperature that rack the strongest frames, from
the numberless exposures and hardships and privations--can never be
adequately portrayed. They will live, however, in the memories of those
who endure and survive them.
July 25th. After a very stormy night we were blessed with a cool,
comfortable day. An invigorating breeze soon dried the mud in the
trenches, and restored the buoyant spirits of the men. This morning
private Jesse Gleason, of Company F, a brave and faithful soldier, was
killed by a sharp-shooter, and was buried in the woods near regimental
head-quarters, where so many of his comrades sleep. Thus, one by one,
they go, just when we need them most. To-day, Colonel Steere, our
brigade commander, went home on account of sickness and disability,
and Colonel Bliss, of the Seventh Rhode Island, assumed command of the
brigade. The regiment returned to the woods at night. The covered way
through our camp was finished.
July 26th. In the woods all day. Large fatigue parties at work.
Lieutenant Davidson was mustered in, and assigned to Company G. News
was received of a great battle at Atlanta, and the death of General
McPherson.
July 27th. The regiment was marched to the open ground in rear of the
woods, and treated to the luxury of an hour's battalion drill! The
mine was charged with powder, eight thousand pounds being placed under
the rebel fort. General Burnside asked for a charge of twelve thousand
pounds, but received only eight thousand pounds. Troops put under
orders to be in constant readiness to move. Perhaps our siege days are
nearly ended. The regiment went to the trenches at night. The weather
was rainy and cold.