THE SIEGE CONTINUED.
After the Battle of the Crater, the brigade settled down to the former
round of siege duty. On the morning of the 31st the regiment mustered
for duty twelve commissioned officers, and one hundred and seventy-nine
enlisted men. It was a day of sadness throughout the corps. The intense
heat continued. The dead in front of our lines resembled a heavy
skirmish line lain down to rest. A flag of truce was sent out several
times to endeavor to obtain a brief armistice for the removal of the
wounded and the burial of the dead; but all efforts were unavailing.
The enemy was busy repairing his demolished works, and hundreds of our
brave men found a grave in the crater, where the concentric fire of
the enemy had been most deadly. Among this number was the brave and
gallant Major Prescott, of the Fifty-seventh Massachusetts, formerly
captain of our Company B. Major Barker was on duty as brigade officer
of the day. Dr. Bryant was detailed for service at the Fourth Division
Hospital, to assist Dr. Prince in caring for the hundreds of wounded of
that division. At eleven o'clock that night, after four days' incessant
duty in the trenches, the regiment was relieved and returned to the
pine woods. The monthly return of the regiment made that day bore upon
the rolls as the total strength, present and absent, five hundred and
thirty-two,--a decrease, from all causes, of four hundred and four
men since the 31st of May, when we numbered, present and absent, nine
hundred and thirty-six.
August 1st. A truce of several hours' duration prevailed along our
front, and the dead between the lines were buried and all the wounded
were removed. The regimental sutler arrived with a large stock of
goods. Lieutenant Davidson was mustered as Captain and assigned to
Company G. The weather continued intensely hot.
August 2d. The heavy siege guns were removed from the batteries to-day.
The firing continued incessantly on the front line. A thunder-shower
tempered the heat.
August 3d. We were aroused at three o'clock, and waited a long time
in line, ready to move at a moment's warning. A rebel attack was
anticipated, but their line did not advance. By way of exercise we had
a battalion drill in the open field from eight to nine, and found it
hot work. To-day all the vacancies in non-commissioned officers were
filled by appointment and the warrants were issued. At eight o'clock
the regiment went to the trenches. The firing all night was unusually
severe, the enemy being more hostile than ever since the explosion of
the mine.
August 4th. A day of fasting and prayer throughout the northern
States, by proclamation of the President. By order of General Meade
all unnecessary work was suspended. But the work of death was not
suspended. Private Thomas Oakes, of Company A, was shot through the
head while on duty at a loop-hole, and died in a few moments. He was a
brave soldier, and always at his post.
August 5th. The intense heat continued, and the last day has recalled
vividly the hot temperature of Mississippi, which we were enduring
one year ago. In the afternoon one of our mortar shells exploded a
magazine in the enemy's fort near the railroad, causing great commotion
in Rebeldom. They immediately opened with musketry and artillery,
making a great noise, which continued for a long time, but their firing
gradually settled down into an ordinary picket fire. The regiment was
relieved at night.
August 6th and 7th. Regiment in the woods. The troops electrified with
the news of Farragut's great victory in Mobile Bay. Heavy artillery,
and mortar firing.
August 8th. Regiment on duty in the trenches. Major Barker division
officer of the trenches. Our head-quarter baggage was sent to City
Point. Private Henry Russell, Company D, was mortally wounded by a shot
in the head while at his post of duty. Our artillery practice to-day
was very effective, and a great fire was seen inside the rebel lines
near sundown, caused probably by the explosion of some of our shells.
The Seventh Maine Battery is now used as a mortar battery, and its
practice is very effective. The rebel picket fire during the entire
night was uncomfortably hot.
August 9th. On duty in the trenches. Seventeen boxes of good things
arrived from home, for men in our regiment. At half-past seven P.M.
Lieutenant-Colonel Draper arrived in camp, and upon the return of the
regiment from the picket-line assumed command. He had been absent since
May 6th, and had recovered from the severe wound received that day in
the first charge in the Wilderness. He received a soldier's welcome
from the remnant of the gallant regiment he that day commanded. A smart
thunder-shower at night cooled the heated atmosphere, and afforded
great relief. Rumors are afloat that we are soon to be relieved in this
position by another corps. Private Henry E. Graves, of Company K, while
on duty at a loop-hole, was badly wounded in the eye by the explosion
of his musket.
August 10th. Our effective strength this morning was twelve
commissioned officers, one hundred and sixty-two enlisted men;
total, one hundred and seventy-four, with twenty sick in hospital.
Lieutenant-Colonel Draper and Major Barker were mustered in on their
new commissions. A court of inquiry is to investigate the circumstances
attending the disaster of July 30th, and we shall probably get the
"facts." Corporal Fred L. Perry, of Company E, was dangerously shot in
the right arm, and narrowly escaped bleeding to death. He will have to
suffer amputation at the shoulder.
August 11th. The victories of Admiral Farragut at Mobile confirmed, and
the intelligence was passed to the enemy in a double-shotted salute.
The regiment went to the front at night. Large fatigue parties at work,
constructing new and powerful works on the hill between the woods and
the picket. Great quantities of lumber, gabions, poles, and building
material, were hauled up at night, and the work was pushed rapidly. The
enemy's rifles command this crest, and they made music all night.
August 12th. On duty in the trenches. The enemy opened from a
new battery on Cemetery Hill, the shells from which reach corps
head-quarters. Much artillery was moved from the works on our left to
the rear, and aided to put in circulation a rumor of a new movement
toward Richmond.
August 13th. Very heavy cannonading was heard on the right, from
General Butler's front, across the James. The Second Corps went over
last night, and there are indications of a heavy movement. Our men were
under arms and ready. It was a happy day in our camp, on account of the
arrival of the paymaster with four months' pay.
August 14th. On duty in the trenches. For the past fortnight the
weather has been intensely hot and dry, and to-day is no exception.
Charles H. Wheeler, of Company I, wounded in the shoulder. Exposed to
severe thundershowers in the afternoon. General Burnside relinquished
the command of the Ninth Corps, and with his personal staff left for
Washington, leaving General Willcox in command.[21] The corps under
orders to be ready to move at a moment's notice. At half-past nine our
line was relieved by troops of the Eighteenth Corps, and the regiment
moved back to the woods in the midst of a pouring rain. At half-past
eleven the regiment was aroused and under arms, and at one o'clock on
the morning of Monday, August 15th, we left our camp in the woods and
moved to the rear. Upon reaching the open plain we marched toward the
left, and it was reported that we were to support an assault to be made
by the Fifth Corps. The night was black as ink, and as we floundered
about in the darkness among the stumps we soon lost all traces of the
road, and continued moving to the left and rear until daylight revealed
our position. We then countermarched to General Warren's head-quarters.
The Fifth Corps was quietly withdrawn soon after daylight, and their
lines occupied by our corps.
[21] General Willcox was soon relieved by Major-General John G. Parke,
who was assigned to the command of the corps.
Our brigade relieved the Third Brigade, First Division, Fifth Corps,
and our regiment took possession of the splendid line of works
occupied by the One hundred and eighteenth Pennsylvania. The works
were bomb-proof, and the camp regular and perfectly clean, reminding
us of the camp of the Seventeenth regulars, at Catlett's Station. The
enemy was found to be comparatively peaceful here. There was no firing
whatever during the day, and our pickets were relieved by daylight
without any molestation. The "Johnnies" were plainly seen walking about
within their lines with impunity, and the regiment we relieved informed
us that the utmost harmony and good-feeling prevailed on the picket
line. To us who for sixty days had been exposed to an incessant and
hostile fire it was a great relief to be able to stand upright without
the certainty of being shot. The enemy, however, had frequently opened
upon the main line with artillery, and to resist the fire the main
works had been strengthened and elaborated to the perfection of field
fortifications. During the afternoon and evening the rain came down in
a deluge, filling the bomb-proofs and trenches, inundating the camp,
and making everybody generally miserable. The Fifth Corps, after being
relieved, concentrated for a movement to the left, to be supported by
the First and Third Divisions of our corps, which were in reserve.
Our little regiment, which could ill afford depletion, had lost while
in the trenches on the right, from the 20th of June to the 14th of
August, seven men killed or mortally wounded, and eighteen wounded;
a total of twenty-five,--a slow but sure wasting of some of the most
valuable material of which the regiment could boast.
August 16th. The weather continued rainy and uncomfortable. Not a
shot was fired on our line. Dr. Bryant to-day received a fully earned
and well-deserved promotion, and was commissioned Surgeon of the
Fifty-eighth Massachusetts Volunteers. There is, however, some doubt
as to his being able to muster in on account of the greatly reduced
numbers of that regiment, it being below the minimum, and having two
assistant surgeons. It will be a calamity to lose the services of Dr.
Bryant. During the entire campaign he has been at his post, and his
duties have been very arduous and unremitting, from the fact that he
has been the only medical officer with the regiment. He has remained
constantly with the regiment, always in close proximity during an
advance, and ready and willing to perform any duty in the camp or on
the field.[22]
[22] For the reason given above Dr. Bryant was not able to muster in on
his commission as Surgeon of the Fifty-eighth, and remained with the
Thirty-sixth until the close of the war.
August 17th. A day of frequent heavy showers, settling at night
into a cold storm, making the ground soft and miry. It was a day of
comparative quiet, but we had a heavy force on picket. A vigorous
movement is in progress on the right, and the cannonading throughout
the day was severe. General Hancock has crossed the James with the
Second and Tenth Corps, and a division of cavalry, and has had a
spirited engagement.
August 18th. The day was quiet within the lines, with rain at short
intervals and heavy showers at times. The trenches and bomb-proofs were
very uncomfortable, and required much baling out to keep the water
down. General Lee having sent a considerable force from his lines to
resist General Hancock's advance north of the James, advantage was
taken of his movement to send General Warren and the Fifth Corps to
the left, to extend that flank across the Weldon Railroad, about three
or four miles distant. General Warren reached the railroad early in the
forenoon, and while moving toward Petersburg was met by the enemy, and
a fierce battle ensued, attended with considerable loss to the Fifth
Corps; but the railroad was secured and held, and at nightfall General
Warren established his line across it.
About nine o'clock that evening we were ordered to prepare three days'
cooked rations, and be ready to move at daylight. The meaning of that
order was well understood. During the night the enemy seemed to be
aware of some unusual movement in our lines, and subjected us to a very
severe artillery fire, which was general along the entire line.
At ten o'clock on the 19th we were relieved by Mott's division of the
Second Corps, which had just recrossed the James, and the division
moved to the left, following the other two divisions of our corps,
which had been ordered to reinforce General Warren. We were exposed to
a hot fire while leaving the pits, but none in the Thirty-sixth were
injured. The rain poured in torrents nearly all day, and the men were
thoroughly drenched. The route was circuitous, and we marched nearly
six miles over very bad roads. As we neared the lines, the artillery
and musketry fire of the troops in our front indicated that a heavy
battle was in progress. The division of the enemy which General Warren
encountered yesterday had been heavily reinforced, and had broken
through the skirmish line, extending from the right of the Fifth Corps
toward the left of the main line of works in front of Petersburg,
with a heavy column, and turned Warren's right flank, causing great
confusion and heavy loss, especially in prisoners. In the midst of this
exciting battle the First and Third Divisions of our corps reached
the ground at a most critical moment, and, forming hastily on General
Warren's right, pushed rapidly forward with the troops of the Fifth
Corps, and drove the enemy in great confusion to his intrenchments. The
fighting was desperate and bloody. The rebel troops consisted, among
others, of Mahone's division of A. P. Hill's corps.
In the rapid advance of our lines a gap was created between the Ninth
and Fifth Corps, and our division was at once deployed to fill it.
We formed in a clearing and pushed forward into the woods for about
a quarter of a mile, and went into position across a wood road. In
less than ten minutes we had a good protection of logs; but were
not allowed to remain long in possession, the brigade being ordered
to deploy as skirmishers. The Thirty-sixth first formed on the left
of the Forty-fifth Pennsylvania, but were soon filed to the extreme
right, when, by General Potter's order, we were at once returned to our
original position on the left of the Forty-fifth Pennsylvania, near the
wood road. Captain Raymond, of the brigade staff, was sent by General
Potter down this road to reconnoitre. In a few moments he rode into a
large party of the enemy's skirmishers, and narrowly escaped capture.
His orderly was killed, and as he attempted to return to the line the
pursuit was so close that several of the enemy were captured. It was an
exciting event, and proved that the enemy was in force in our front.
Owing to the marching and countermarching in deploying, it was nearly
dusk before the line was fairly established. General Potter ordered an
advance, but upon moving forward it was discovered that we had broken
connection with the First Division on our left, and were obliged to
extend in that direction. Accordingly the Fifty-first New York was
deployed between us and the Forty-fifth Pennsylvania. Owing to the
storm, the darkness, and the low, dense undergrowth, we were unable to
advance beyond a short distance, and remained through the night in this
position, widely deployed in the dense wood, without intrenchments or
fires. The storm was quite severe, the rain fell in torrents, and the
ground was soaked with water. It proved to be one of those cheerless,
dismal nights, of which we had experienced so many during the eventful
campaign,--nights the recollection of which causes a shudder, even
after the flight of years.
The first glimmer of daylight found the line of battle ready to
advance; but no trace of the enemy could be discovered. Company D,
the Color Guard, and Pioneers were formed as a reserve under charge
of the Adjutant, and ordered to support the centre and keep well up
to the skirmish line in the advance. At half-past eight o'clock the
order was given "Forward! Guide Left!" The dense undergrowth rendered
it very difficult to maintain a good line, as the regiment covered
considerable ground. After advancing about three hundred yards we
reached a cornfield about one hundred yards wide, with woods beyond.
We moved across this field and halted in the edge of the forest, and
connected our left with the right of the First Division. We were then
ordered to build a line of breastworks. We had just completed a fine
line of works, and were eating our dinner of roasted corn, gathered
from the cornfield, when we were ordered to the left to reinforce that
portion of the line, as an attack was anticipated. We accordingly
moved a distance of about a hundred yards to the left, to that portion
of the line which had been held by the Second New York Rifles, which
had moved further down. Although they had occupied the position two
hours, not a tree had been cut, and no protection whatever had been
secured. Our men went to work with a will and soon had a good line
of breastworks. We had just nicely settled down for the second time
when the Adjutant-General came up at a gallop to order the regiment to
extend to the right, as the enemy was threatening the extreme right,
and it had been found necessary to extend in that direction. We moved
back to the first line of breastworks we had built, not a little angry
at being obliged to build intrenchments for the Second New York.
The portion of line we now occupied was the scene of the fearful
struggle the previous day, when the charging enemy, under Mahone,
encountered the advance of our troops under General Willcox. Both
lines were charging and met at short range, when a desperate fight
ensued, in which the enemy was obliged to retire. His dead lay thickly
all about us, and the ground bore evidence of the heavy loss sustained
by the enemy at this point.
The men were under arms all the afternoon, expecting an attack.
There was sharp musketry both on our right and left, but no unusual
disturbance along our front. During the evening Lieutenant-Colonel
Draper was temporarily in command of the brigade, in consequence
of the absence of Colonel Bliss. At nightfall Captain Hodgkins,
acting Adjutant, was detailed upon the staff of General Ferrero, and
Lieutenant Haskell, of Company B, was assigned to duty as Adjutant and
entered at once upon this service. The tri-monthly report of this date
showed the effective strength to be thirteen commissioned officers
and one hundred and seventy-six enlisted men; total, one hundred and
eighty-nine, with four commissioned officers and ninety-five enlisted
men on extra or special duty with the corps.
The movement for the possession of the Weldon Railroad, although
attended with heavy losses, had thus far been successful. General
Warren's line was now firmly across the railroad, and the position
strongly fortified. Our corps was on his right flank, covering much
ground between him and the main line of works; a large cavalry force
guarded the flanks, and artillery had been put in position to repel any
attack the enemy might be disposed to make. It was felt that another
attempt would be made by the rebels to drive out or break our line. The
night shut in cold, dark, and rainy. The men were under arms, prepared
for any emergency.
Early the next morning there were indications of another attack, and
the enemy soon renewed his efforts to regain the railroad. A heavy
cannonading from thirty pieces of artillery, which crossed their fire
over Warren's position, was kept up for an hour, when a desperate
assault was made by Haygood's South Carolina brigade, on the extreme
left, with the intention of turning that flank while a heavy attack was
made in front. The charge was made with great vigor, but was handsomely
repulsed, with heavy loss in killed and wounded. Five hundred prisoners
and three battle-flags were captured, with comparatively little loss to
the Fifth Corps. The attempt was not renewed, but the enemy retired to
his works, and our line was so strengthened as to render any further
attack a matter of little probability.