THE FOURTH REGIMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS MILITIA AT FORTRESS
MONROE--THE SERVICE IT RENDERED THE COUNTRY--ORDERED TO NEWPORT
NEWS--BATTLE OF GREAT BETHEL--RETURN TO MASSACHUSETTS.
For the reasons already stated, it seems necessary to give a brief
account of the doings of the Fourth Regiment while in the field,
embracing as they do a part of the record of the companies of Captains
Barnes, Leach, and Clarke, of the Twenty-ninth Regiment.
The Fourth Regiment was originally composed of nine companies. Of
these, Norfolk County contributed four: Company “A” of Canton, Captain
Ira Drake; “C” of Braintree, Captain Cephas C. Bumpus; “D” of Randolph,
Captain Horace Niles; and “H” of Quincy, Captain Franklin Curtis.
Bristol County, three: Company “B” of Easton, Captain Milo M. Williams;
“G” of Taunton, Captain Timothy Gordon; and “F” of Foxborough, Captain
David L. Shepard. And Plymouth County, two: Company “E” of South
Abington, Captain Charles F. Allen; and “I” of Hingham, Captain Luther
Stephenson, Jr.
The regiment mustered for duty, at the time of its departure from
Massachusetts, 636 officers and enlisted men.
Its field and staff were as follows: Colonel, Abner B. Packard, Quincy;
Lieutenant-Colonel, Hawkes Fearing, Jr., Hingham; Major, Horace O.
Whittemore, Boston; Adjutant, Henry Walker, Quincy; Quartermaster,
William H. Carruth, Boston; Surgeon, Henry M. Saville, Quincy;
Surgeon’s Mate, William L. Faxon, Quincy.
As was the case with nearly all the militia regiments that entered the
service of the United States in 1861, the Fourth Regiment afterwards
furnished from among its officers and men, a large number of officers,
some of them of high rank, for the various three years’ regiments of
Massachusetts and other States.
For instance, Captain Charles F. Allen of South Abington became
Major in the Thirty-eighth Massachusetts. Lieutenant-Colonel Fearing
subsequently became Colonel of the Eighth New Hampshire; Major
Whittemore, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Thirtieth Massachusetts; Captain
Luther Stephenson, Jr. (Co. I), Lieutenant-Colonel of the Thirty-second
Massachusetts; and Corporal W. D. Tripp (Co. G) became Captain of
Company F of the Twenty-ninth Regiment.
While waiting at the State House, on the 17th of April, where the
regiment had reported itself for duty upon only twelve hours’ notice,
it was addressed by Governor Andrew in the following manner:--
“_Officers and Soldiers of the Fourth Regiment_:
“It gives me unspeakable pleasure to witness this array from
the good Old Colony. You have come from the shores of the
sounding sea, where lie the ashes of Pilgrims, and you are
bound on a high and noble pilgrimage for liberty, for the Union
and Constitution of your country. Soldiers of the Old Bay
State, sons of sires who never disgraced their flag in civil
life or on the tented field, I thank you from the bottom of my
heart for this noble response to the call of your State and
country. You cannot wait for words. I bid you God-speed--an
affectionate farewell!”
A special train conveyed the regiment to Fall River, where it arrived
on the afternoon of this day, and embarked upon the steamer “State
of Maine,” for New York. Quite late in the afternoon of the 18th,
it reached the latter city, and on the following morning sailed for
Fortress Monroe on the same steamer.
At the time of the departure of the regiment from New York, great fears
were entertained for the safety of this fortress. It was known that
Colonel Dimick, its commander, had but a meagre garrison; that the fort
was in a poor state for defence, and was being closely besieged by the
hostile militia of Virginia, then under cunning and able officers,
formerly of our regular army, who knew every weak point about the
works. The fortress was momentarily expected, therefore, to fall into
the hands of the enemy, and when the steamer “State of Maine” hove
in sight, on the morning of the 20th of April, it was not considered
prudent by the officers of the regiment to attempt a landing, till
daylight should solve the troublesome mystery.
The steamer lay off and on for an hour or more; the men were all on
deck, looking anxiously in the direction of the fortress, waiting with
throbbing hearts for the first gleam of approaching day; questioning,
doubting, the while, which flag--that of their country or the
insurgents--would reveal itself to their sight.
Meanwhile the dark form of the steamer had been observed from the
fortress, and doubts as to the character of the vessel, not less
troublesome than those of the volunteers on board, had seized fast hold
upon the garrison. The guns of the “Water Battery” were shotted and
manned, and every preparation made to repel the attack of the possible
foe.
At last the morning sun lighted up the low walls and green parapets
of the fort, and from its tall flagstaff the Stars and Stripes were
seen floating gracefully in the wind. The old flag flying from the
peak of the steamer caught the watching eyes of the garrison at the
same moment; the grim guns in the “Water Battery” were unshotted, and,
instead of angry defiance, sent out loud peals of welcome. The men on
board the steamer replied with hearty cheers; the boat hauled up to the
wharf; the men immediately disembarked and marched into the fortress,
where they were received with every manifestation of joy. The safety of
the fort was now assured, confidence took the place of dark doubts, and
the cause of the Government in that department wore a brighter hue.
By this opportune arrival of the Fourth Regiment, and the Third also,
which came a little later in the day, Fortress Monroe was undoubtedly
saved to the Government, and for this almost priceless service to the
country, the people are largely indebted to the unsleeping vigilance of
John A. Andrew, and to the ardent patriotism of the volunteers of the
Third and Fourth regiments of Massachusetts Militia. From the time of
the arrival of the Fourth Regiment till the 27th of May, its men were
almost constantly on duty in and about the fortress, mounting cannon,
and having an experience similar to that of the Third Regiment.
On the 21st of May, the steamer “Cambridge” arrived from Boston,
bringing, among other troops, the companies commanded by Captains
Doten, Leach, Chipman, and Barnes. Captains Leach’s and Barnes’s
companies, and, subsequently, that of Captain Clarke, were assigned to
the Fourth, and the others to the Third Regiment.
The number of troops in and about the fortress was now sufficient to
justify the occupation of a greater extent of territory. On the 26th
of May, an order was issued, directing the establishment of a camp at
the mouth of the James River, at a place known as and properly written
“Newport’s News,” though more commonly written Newport News,[10] which
spelling we adopt, as it is better known to our soldiers by that name.
Newport News was a cultivated plateau of nearly two miles in length,
extending back from the river a distance of half a mile, where it
bordered upon an extensive forest of pine. The banks of the James here
rose to a height of thirty feet, from the sides of which bubbled out
numerous springs of pure water.
Colonel John W. Phelps was given charge of this expedition. He was a
celebrated artillerist. Born in Vermont in 1813, he graduated at West
Point in 1836, and was brevetted to the Fourth Artillery. A First
Lieutenant in the Mexican war, he served with distinguished gallantry
on Scott’s line. At Contreras and Churubusco, in command of a company
in the storming brigade of Riley, his services were conspicuous and
exceptionally brilliant. For this he was brevetted a Captain, but
declined the distinction. He was the originator of the text-books for
heavy artillery in use before the war, and commanded a battery in the
Utah expedition of Albert Sidney Johnston, and at one time commanded
Fort Brown, Texas. He was an uncompromising enemy of human slavery,
and, becoming dissatisfied with what he regarded as the pro-slavery
sentiment of both the army and the administration, in 1859, resigned
his commission and at once settled in Brattleborough, Vt. In the spring
of 1861, he was made Colonel of the First Vermont Militia, and shortly
afterwards came to Fortress Monroe, as has already been stated. Colonel
Phelps was a superior soldier, and a most valuable acquisition to the
army in any department.
The troops which composed the expedition to Newport News were the
Fourth Massachusetts Militia, First Vermont Militia, and Colonel
Bendix’s Seventh New York (German),--all infantry. Captains Barnes’s
and Clarke’s companies went with the Fourth Regiment, while Captain
Leach’s company was, by order of General Butler, retained in the fort
to perform garrison duty. The troops embarked at an early hour on the
morning of the 27th. As the steamboat which had on board the Fourth
Regiment was passing into the mouth of the James River, the Confederate
batteries on Sewall’s Point opened a brisk fire upon it. One of the
shots, a huge missile, passed over the decks, just above the heads of
the men, while the others fell short.
The Fourth Regiment was sent from Fortress Monroe to this distant
post with a very small supply of ammunition. Captain Barnes’s company
had only twenty rounds of cartridges and ten percussion-caps to each
man; while Clarke’s company, which had a kind of arm different from
the rest of the command, had brought from Boston a large supply of
ammunition, about 14,000 rounds of ball-cartridges and 20,000 extra
percussion-caps. No tents were supplied the troops that went to Newport
News until about a week after they reached there. In the meantime, the
men lived in huts made of rails and covered with branches of trees and
bushes.
As soon as Colonel Phelps arrived, he began the erection of earthworks.
These were of semi-circular form, terminating at either extremity
on the bank of the river, and were nearly half a mile long. In the
ditch in front of the works were placed obstructions of the nature of
_chevaux-de-frise_. On the main works commanding the plain and forest
were mounted a number of heavy guns, while on the bluff facing the
river was a battery of five large pieces, and among them a Sawyer and
James rifle. Upon these works the men of the Fourth Regiment and those
of Barnes’s and Clarke’s companies labored for many days, and at a time
when the weather was extremely hot. The men were wholly unaccustomed
to such work, being compelled, from the scarcity of draught animals in
the department, to draw from the adjacent forest the logs which were
used on the fortifications.
On the 5th of June, the troops here had an opportunity to witness for
the first time a battle. The United States gunboat “Harriet Lane,” a
low side-wheel steamer, came up the river and attacked a Confederate
sand-battery on Pig Point, directly opposite Newport News. The fight
was a lively one, though of short duration, in the course of which the
vessel was several times struck, and a number of her men badly wounded.
During the affair, the steamer captured a supply-sloop of the enemy,
and towed it down to the fort.
June 6, a body of mounted Confederates made a sudden dash upon a
working party near a place afterwards known as “Number Nine Picket,”
in the forest, in front of the centre of our main works. The long
roll was beaten, and the camp quickly put under arms. Captain Barnes
was ordered out with his company, but the enemy had fled before his
arrival at the place of attack. The company then went forward on the
main road to “Lee’s House.” On the way out, one of Barnes’s scouts saw
one of the enemy leading his horse along a road that ran near the edge
of the forest. The scout fired upon the enemy, who, unhurt, mounted
and fled. At Lee’s House, a large number of negroes were congregated,
old and young, and considerable information was obtained from them in
relation to the movements of the enemy in that vicinity, and especially
in regard to the mounted men that had made the assault upon our working
party. While here, and just as the company was returning, Captain
Luther Stephenson of the Fourth Regiment came up rapidly with his
company, having been ordered by General Phelps to go out to Barnes’s
support. After a brief pause, both companies returned to camp. The
information obtained was reported to the General, and Barnes and
Stephenson were ordered to return after dark that night to Lee’s House
with their commands, with directions to use their discretion as to how
far they should proceed into the country. The two commands spent the
night at this place, throwing out pickets into the fields and on the
edge of the woods. The next morning, the companies of Captains Barnes
and Stephenson reconnoitred in the direction of “Smith’s Farm,” about
six miles up the river.
During the day, small bodies of Confederates were several times seen,
but no collision occurred. When the companies were near Smith’s place,
a negro was observed skulking in the bushes. He was brought before the
officers and questioned by them concerning the country and the location
of the enemy’s camp. From this negro the Captains obtained very
valuable information relating to the enemy’s works at a place called
Great Bethel. The colored man was taken to Newport News, where he was
examined by Colonel Phelps and one of the staff officers of General
Butler. In a few days after this reconnoissance, General Butler issued
his orders for the expedition against Great Bethel.
The movement on Great Bethel occurred on the 10th of June, 1861.
Great Bethel was the name of a church located in the midst of a
sparsely-settled country, about nine miles on the road leading south
from Hampton, in the direction of, and some twelve miles from,
Yorktown, in York County. Here, and also at another place near by
called Little Bethel, were bodies of Confederate troops, being a part
of the command of Colonel J. Bankhead Magruder.[11] The latter place
was an outpost or picket-station of the camp at Great Bethel. The
Federal movement was made in two columns: one from Hampton, consisting
of Colonel Townsend’s Third New York Infantry, Colonel Duryea’s
Fifth New York (Zouaves) Infantry, with two mountain howitzers; and
the second column from Newport News, consisting of one field-piece
(6-pounder), under Lieutenant Greble of the United States army, three
companies of the Seventh New York[12] Infantry, under Colonel Bendix,
three companies of the Fourth Massachusetts Militia Infantry, namely,
Companies “G” of Taunton, “F” of Foxborough, and “H” of Quincy, the
companies commanded by Captains Clarke and Barnes, and five companies
of the First Vermont Militia Infantry.
The last-named ten companies formed a battalion, and were commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Washburn of the First Vermont, assisted by Major
Whittemore and Adjutant Walker of the Fourth Massachusetts and Adjutant
Hiram Stephens of the First Vermont. The expedition was commanded by
Brigadier-General Ebenezer W. Pierce of the Massachusetts Militia. The
column from Newport News marched at about midnight of the 9th, and the
column from Hampton earlier in the evening, the distance being greater.
The two columns were to form a junction in the vicinity of Little
Bethel early on the following morning.
The advance of the column from Hampton, consisting of Duryea’s Zouaves,
passed the junction of the road from Newport News with the main road
from Hampton, the point designated for the two columns to unite,
shortly before daybreak, moved rapidly forward, and surprised the
enemy’s outpost at Little Bethel.
Immediately afterwards, at about daybreak, the column from Newport
News arrived at the point named for uniting, and in the absence of any
knowledge that the Zouaves had already passed the point, turned to the
left, and entering upon the main road, moved rapidly forward toward
Little Bethel, with the view of accomplishing what had already been
done without their knowledge.
At this stage of affairs, the Vermont and Massachusetts troops being
all upon the main road, following the Zouaves and the rear of the
Newport News column, consisting of the three German companies (Seventh
New York) and a piece of artillery, dragged by hand, being just at the
junction, not having made the turn into the main road, the head of
Colonel Townsend’s regiment, the rear of the Hampton column, made its
appearance over the top of the hill, on the main road from Hampton,
rapidly approaching the junction. A small belt of woods, without
undergrowth, at the intersection of the two roads, lay between the
three German companies and the main road, on which Townsend’s men were
moving. At the head of Colonel Townsend’s column rode General Pierce
and many other mounted officers, giving it the appearance, “in the
magnifying dusk of the early morning,” of a body of cavalry. Colonel
Bendix, supposing from these circumstances that the approaching column
was a body of Confederate cavalry, and the column from Hampton being
under a similar delusion as to the character of the Germans, partially
hid as they were by the woods, the two columns immediately fired upon
each other, and a brisk interchange of musketry ensued, to which the
Germans added the fire of their 6-pounder, as soon as they could run it
into position on the main road.
The column from Hampton then fell back behind the crest of the hill to
form, leaving several of their number killed and wounded on the field.
The heads of the two columns moving toward Little Bethel, as already
indicated, at once countermarched on the double-quick to the scene of
action. Upon arriving there, the firing had ceased. Colonel Townsend’s
regiment was not in sight, and the Germans were in line of battle in
an open field, having moved through the belt of woods toward their
supposed enemy. The Vermont and Massachusetts troops of the advanced
column, being nearest, reached the place first, and formed in line in
front of the German companies, with the exception of Captain Clarke’s
company of this command, which, as support to Lieutenant Greble’s gun,
moved with that officer up the road to the brow of the hill. Lieutenant
Greble, who was in advance, mounted, came upon the wounded of
Townsend’s regiment, and the fatal error was at once apparent. Meantime
Townsend’s regiment had formed behind the hill, and on the appearance
of the troops at the brow of the hill, discharged their howitzer,
happily without effect. Duryea’s Zouaves had also returned and taken
position.
The mistake having been discovered, the several bodies united and
proceeded toward Bethel. A surprise was now out of the question, the
enemy having undoubtedly been alarmed by the firing.
It was well into the forenoon when our troops arrived in front of the
enemy’s works at Great Bethel. As our column was moving slowly by the
flank, on the main road, an officer from the front came up and informed
each company commander that they were near the enemy, and directed
them to keep their men well closed up. Shortly after, while our force
was still on the main road and not yet in sight of the enemy’s works,
a heavy gun was fired from that quarter, and the shot passed over
the heads of our men, through the tops of the trees. The column at
once halted, and the several regiments quickly moved out of the road.
Duryea’s went to the right and halted, while the battalion of Colonel
Washburn moved to the left into an open field, and formed in line of
battle near a fence, a belt of woods in front shutting off a view of
the enemy. Soon after this, the Zouaves were ordered forward; they
went by the flank through the woods on the edge of the road, and came
suddenly upon the enemy’s works, which proved to be quite formidable,
being nearly a fourth of a mile in length, mounting several guns, and
defended by a body of infantry and a battery of field-pieces. There was
but one direct approach, and this was across a narrow wooden bridge
that spanned a brook in front of the works, about three feet deep and
from twelve to fifteen feet wide. The right of the enemy was protected
by an impassable morass or swamp, and their left by fallen timber and
other obstructions. The Zouaves attempted to charge directly across
the bridge, but encountering a terrible fire of both artillery and
musketry, fell back with a loss of four killed and eleven wounded, and,
among the latter, Captain Kilpatrick (afterwards General Kilpatrick
of cavalry fame).[13] Colonel Washburn’s battalion remained in the
position we have indicated for nearly thirty minutes, during all of
which time there was heavy firing at the front, and was then moved by
the right flank across the main road into the woods on the right of
the road, and halted just inside of the edge of the woods, an open
field being in their front; and although from this position the enemy’s
works were still invisible, yet their bullets were coming into the
woods literally in showers. To this point a considerable number of the
Zouaves had retired, and were seen lying flat upon the ground. In the
near vicinity was Lieutenant Greble, with his gun, actively engaged
with the enemy, Captain Clarke’s company being his main support. The
battalion was again put in motion, and after passing a short distance
to the right, came to “a sort of dry ditch, with a high embankment in
front,” opposite the left of the enemy’s position, with an open field
between them and the enemy. Only three Massachusetts companies were
now with the battalion; namely, Captain Barnes’s company, Company G of
Taunton, and Company H of Quincy (Fourth Regiment). Captain Shepard’s
company (“F”) had been left at Little Bethel as a guard. Soon the order
came from Colonel Washburn to charge. The Massachusetts men climbed
the embankment, and sprang forward toward the enemy’s works in their
immediate front, under a severe though wild and random fire of both
musketry and cannon. The ground was somewhat descending, and after a
rapid run of a few minutes, the men came to the brook before referred
to. Captain Barnes led his company, and jumped at once into the brook,
Lieutenants Osgood and Keen doing likewise; and the men following their
brave example, all were quickly on the enemy’s side, at the very foot
of the works. Here they were greeted with a severe volley of musketry,
mingled with grape; but our men were unharmed, and, rising from the
ground, ran up the embankment and discharged their pieces among the
enemy, who were now considerably confused, and in some parts of their
works apparently falling back. Our soldiers were also much excited, and
probably fired wildly, doing little execution, for this was the first
time they had faced a hostile gun; but they kept at it till ordered to
stop, running up the bank to fire, and then dropping back to load. This
was the golden moment in the battle, which, had it been improved by the
commanding officer of our forces, would have unquestionably resulted in
the capture of the works; but instead of seconding the brave efforts
of our assaulting party, all the rest of the Federal force (excepting
Greble and his gun) were allowed to remain inactive. This state of
things continued for several minutes,--perhaps fifteen,--when Horace
Colby of Barnes’s company was instantly killed, and Frank L. Souther
of Company H (Fourth Regiment) mortally wounded. There were less than
two hundred men across the brook, these being mainly Massachusetts
men of the companies of Barnes, Gordon, and Curtis. Colonel Washburn,
Major Whittemore, and Adjutants Walker and Stephens were also there.
The enemy observing the utter cessation of hostilities at all other
points, had recovered from their first surprise, and now held all parts
of their works. Finally, Colonel Washburn, perceiving that he was not
to be supported, and that his men on the breastworks were liable at any
moment to be flanked or driven into the ditch and captured (for the
enemy greatly outnumbered them), gave the order to withdraw. The East
Boston men seized the dead body of Colby and attempted to carry it off,
but found it impossible to do so. The men fell back more deliberately
than veterans, for veterans would have run; while these proud and
inexperienced soldiers of Massachusetts, thinking it unmilitary to run,
walked steadily backward to the woods, often pausing to load and fire.
One of them, Stewart (Barnes’s company), whose gun was so foul that it
could not be discharged, showed his pluck by snapping caps at the enemy
as he went away.
About this time, Major Winthrop of General Butler’s staff was killed,
and, shortly after, Lieutenant Greble, at his gun. No further effort
was made to capture the works, and the order to retreat was given to
our whole force, which now retired in good order, no pursuit whatever
being attempted by the enemy. Lieutenant Greble’s gun was hauled from
its exposed position into the woods, and the body of that gallant
officer was lashed to it and conveyed to Fortress Monroe, where it was
received with many manifestations of grief. The body of Major Winthrop,
together with several others killed and wounded, were left upon the
field.
The casualties among the Massachusetts troops were as follows: Horace
Colby of Captain Barnes’s company, and Matthew Fitzpatrick of Captain
Clarke’s company, were killed; Sergeant A. H. DeCosta of Captain
Clarke’s company, and Frank L. Souther of the Fourth Regiment, were
wounded, the latter mortally.
The total Union loss in this battle has been variously estimated
at from twenty-five to forty, killed and wounded. The loss of the
Confederates was small, one authority giving it as one killed and
seven wounded. A few days after the battle, a flag of truce was sent
out from our lines, to discover the condition of our dead and wounded.
Major Cary of the Confederates met our flag, and informed the officer
in charge that our dead had been properly buried upon the field, and
our wounded suitably cared for. The personal effects of Major Winthrop,
including his gold watch, were given up to our officer in charge of the
flag.
The contemporary estimate of the importance of this affair is very
ludicrous, when viewed in the light of the subsequent events of the
war. General Butler comforted himself by saying, “Our troops have
learned confidence in themselves under fire, the enemy have shown that
they will not meet us in the open field, and our officers have learned
wherein their organization and drill are inefficient.”[14] The Northern
press regarded it as “a severe engagement”; while in the South it was
spoken of as “a brilliant victory,” and was even made the subject of
a spirited lyric published in the New Orleans “Delta.” One Frank I.
Wilson of Raleigh N. C., in 1864, published a pamphlet of twenty-eight
pages, mostly devoted to a description of this skirmish, prefaced by
various heroic mottoes and quotations from Halleck and other authors.
The book contains many extravagant statements, and besides giving
the names of some of the officers and troops engaged, is of little
value as a contribution to the history of the war, which statement is
well illustrated by the assertion of its author, on page 19, that the
loss of the Federals “was about three hundred killed and as many more
wounded.”
Some of the statements of Northern writers are nearly as much at
variance with the truth as those above quoted. Mr. Abbott, in his
“History of the Civil War” (Vol. I., p. 151), says of Major Winthrop,
that “he fell dead nearer the enemy’s works than any other man”; while
Mr. Parton says, quoting from the report of the Confederate Colonel, D.
H. Hill (“Butler in New Orleans,” page 146), that Major Winthrop “was
the only man in the Union force who displayed even an approximation
to courage.” While the author has no desire to detract from the fame
of Major Winthrop, who was unquestionably a brave man, yet these
statements are grossly false, and cruelly unjust to the other officers
and men who took part in the battle. Colonel Duryea’s men charged
the enemy’s works with great bravery, as did also the Massachusetts
troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Washburn; and had there been proper
concert of action, these assaults would have doubtless led to victory.
Horace Colby of Captain Barnes’s company fell on the slope of the
enemy’s works, and his comrades, in endeavoring to recover his body,
were obliged to drag it off by the legs; while, according to the best
authority, Major Winthrop fell thirty yards from the enemy’s works,
being shot while standing on a log viewing the Confederate position on
their right.
Since the author has had the subject of this battle under
consideration, he has consulted _very high_ and _reliable_ Confederate
authority in regard to it, from which he has obtained the following
facts: On the 8th of June, 1861, the First North Carolina Regiment of
Infantry, under Colonel Daniel H. Hill (General D. H. Hill), moved down
from Yorktown, where it had been in camp, to the near neighborhood of
Great Bethel. On the 9th of June, Colonel Magruder (General Magruder)
came from Yorktown and ordered Colonel Hill to move before day of the
10th, to rebuild a bridge near Hampton, that had been destroyed by
the Federals. Colonel Hill did not like the movement, and requested
Colonel Magruder, his senior, to accompany him. Magruder consented,
and before daylight on the 10th, the Confederate troops, consisting of
Hill’s regiment, 700 strong, some Virginia companies of infantry under
Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, about 200, a company of Virginia Howitzers
(Richmond Howitzers), numbering about 100 men, started on their march.
After having gone three or four miles, day broke upon them, when they
met a Mrs. Trumbell, who informed them that the Federals had been at
her house that morning, and but for an accident which had occurred,
whereby they had fired upon one another, they would have reached Bethel
by daylight. Upon receiving this information, Magruder ordered the
troops to halt, and then ordered them to fall back toward Great Bethel.
Upon reaching the ground on the south side of the intersection of the
two roads, between Little and Great Bethel, Colonel Magruder thought
he would divide his force and send a portion of his command, together
with the Howitzers, down the Back River road; but Colonel Hill, who was
an excellent soldier, suggested that they had better keep together,
occupy their works at Great Bethel, and wait for the approach of the
Federals. This was finally agreed upon, and the wisdom of such a course
is apparent from what followed.
When the movement was made by the Federals on the enemy’s left flank,
“it created some alarm”; and when the movement on their right flank was
made by Townsend’s regiment, “Magruder ordered the Virginians, who were
holding the pits in advance of the creek, to abandon them”; but Colonel
Hill sent Captain Bridger, with his company, to reoccupy them, which he
did. About this time, Magruder, supposing his whole right flank to be
enveloped, ordered a retreat of all his forces on Yorktown. This order
was, however, recalled, when, soon after, Colonel M. discovered his
mistake.
The Federal movement on the enemy’s left flank, “which created some
alarm,” referred to by our informant, and spoken of above, was
unquestionably that of the battalion of Lieutenant-Colonel Washburn,
one of our Massachusetts officers engaged in it having always insisted
that the enemy were retreating when our men reached their works. That
the works charged by the battalion were the enemy’s main works, is
beyond dispute; and the fact that the Confederates temporarily retired
from them, is distinctly stated by Mr. Pollard, in his book entitled
the “First Year of the War,” page 77.
The author has not gone into the numerous details of this battle with
any erroneous idea of its importance, but simply because it was the
first pitched battle of the war, and the facts concerning it have been
much in dispute, and because it shows how the raw troops of both armies
fought at that very early period.
General Butler thought the enemy cowardly because they fought behind
works; but the fact that they did so, proves that they were commanded
by good officers, who knew something about fighting; while the fact
that General Butler failed to place some experienced officer--like
General Phelps, for instance--in command of the expedition, shows that
he had quite as much to learn as his troops, and even more than some of
his lieutenants. The battle was, perhaps, well planned, but was fought
by the Federals with very little skill. There was something of the same
assurance of easy victory on our part which characterized the battle of
Bull Run, that so soon followed.
On the 29th of June, a scouting party went out from Newport News and
captured four of the enemy, who were in full zouave uniform, and
belonged to a Louisiana regiment. On the same day, the Fourth Regiment
was ordered to embark, but for some reason its departure was delayed
until the second day of July, when, in pursuance of orders from General
Butler, it proceeded by steamer to Hampton, and occupied that town with
the Third Regiment.[15] In the forenoon of the 4th, both regiments
marched to Camp Hamilton, were reviewed by General Pierce, and in the
afternoon by General Butler and Secretary Cameron. On the 11th of July,
the regiment marched to Fortress Monroe, preparatory to embarking for
home, and there exchanged their Springfield muskets “for old, altered,
flint-lock guns.”[16] While stopping at Fortress Monroe, the men were
addressed by General Butler and Colonel Dimick.
On the 15th, the regiment went on board the steamer “S. R. Spaulding,”
and after a passage of about fifty-six hours, reached Boston Harbor,
landed on Long Island, and there remained till the 22d; on the latter
day proceeding to the city, and being reviewed on Boston Common by
Governor Andrew.
The disaster of Bull Run had so far depressed the feelings of the
people, that the reception in Boston was not attended with that degree
of enthusiasm which the soldiers had reason to expect; but every loyal
heart was sorrow-stricken then, and the appearance of the bronzed
faces of the men, and their well-worn uniforms, served only as a
reminder of the sad realities of war. The local receptions given the
various companies were, however, most cordial: bells were rung, flags
displayed, and speeches of welcome were made.
These and other soldiers of our militia performed, in the early days of
the war, a part similar to that of the Minutemen of the Revolution, and
the gratitude of a liberty-loving people will ever be accorded to them.