THE REGIMENT ORDERED TO THE FRONT.--BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE.
Near the middle of April, 1863, the regiment marched down to Aquia
Landing, where it remained in camp for two weeks.
General Hooker was now in command of the grand Army of the Potomac,
having relieved Burnside after that general's unsuccessful attack on
Fredericksburg. Hooker resolved to make an attempt to drive the rebel
army from the vicinity of the Rappahannock. Burnside's failure had
demonstrated the impracticability of crossing the river at
Fredericksburg; for no army was safe for a moment with a strong army
behind three lines of well-constructed earthworks in its front, and a
wide and deep river in its rear. He therefore chose a flank movement by
the way of Banks and United States fords, thus striking the left flank
of the enemy near Chancellorsville Court-house, and avoiding their
strong fortifications in the rear of Fredericksburg.
The Seventh Regiment arrived in the vicinity of Chancellorsville on the
afternoon of the 30th of April, and encamped for the night a little
southeast of the latter place, and near the Fredericksburg plankroad.
Early on Friday morning it was ordered forward, and took position in
the second line of battle, in an open wood-lot, facing south. Late in
the afternoon it was ordered back; and it finally took position
directly south of the famous brick house, called the Chancellorsville
Place, where headquarters were established and maintained during most
of the action.
Just before dark the rebels came up in great numbers, in an attack on
Knapp's Battery, which was stationed on the left. The Seventh was
ordered to its support, but the attack was repelled before the regiment
became warmly engaged. It remained in support of this battery during
the night and in the forenoon of the following day. About noon of the
2d of May, the regiment was ordered forward to support a line of
skirmishers; but this line, refusing to advance, was passed by the
regiment, when it took the advance, and most handsomely drove the enemy
back for some distance, holding the ground for several hours, when it
was ordered to retire. It did so without confusion, taking a new
position in rear of a piece of woods, where it remained until ordered
into the intrenchments.
During this advance, the right wing was hotly engaged, and lost
heavily; the left wing suffering slightly. It remained during the night
in its old position near the brick house, in the second line of battle.
On the 3d, the regiment advanced to what is known as "the old
rifle-pit," which it occupied while the other troops were falling back
across a cleared field south of the Fredericksburg plankroad. Here it
was exposed to a galling fire from the advancing rebel column; but it
stood firm. When the balance of the troops of the brigade were in
proper position, it formed under the protection of a battery, and
slowly moved off the field, exposed to a terrible fire of both musketry
and artillery, taking up its position in rear of the brigade. The
brigade, however, was soon driven back, and passed to the rear of the
regiment, exposing it to a severe fire. Soon the order came for a
general advance, when the brigade, with a loud shout, dashed at the
foe, led by the Seventh. The rebels were pushed back for a considerable
distance; but no support coming up, the brigade was compelled to fall
back to the south of the brick house, where it halted, and laid down in
the road; but about eleven o'clock at night the shelling became so
continuous and heavy that it was forced still further back, and finally
resulting in its withdrawal to the vicinity of United States Ford. That
night the regiment occupied a rifle-pit about half a mile from the
river. At four o'clock in the afternoon of the 5th, it was relieved by
the Fifth Ohio; and taking a circuitous route, arrived in a ravine on
the left of the column, and near the river, and was soon after employed
in the intrenchments.
Early in the morning of the 6th, the regiment crossed the river on a
pontoon at United States Ford, and in the afternoon of the 7th arrived
at its old camp at Aquia Landing.
In this battle the regiment was actively engaged but a small portion of
the time. The loss was not severe, when taking into account the
magnitude of the engagement, and its duration.
Why the army recrossed the river has not been fully explained. The
immediate battle was not a defeat; at least it has not been considered
as such. However, the two columns of Sedgwick and Hooker failed to
unite, which fact may have had an influence in determining the retreat.
The attacks of the enemy had been repulsed at all points, while
Sedgwick had carried a portion of their fortifications in rear of
Fredericksburg. The retreat alone turned a prospective victory into a
humiliating defeat. The grand army failed to accomplish the purpose of
its advance, and was compelled to hasten its march across the river in
retreat, over which it had, but a week before, advanced in triumph. It
can be said by way of apology only, that while at Chancellorsville the
army maintained its reputation for bravery and endurance, the enemy
manifestly looked upon it as a fruitless victory to him.
The following is a list of the killed and wounded:
_Killed._--Orderly-Sergeant Henry Whiting; Color-Sergeant John D.
Creigh; Corporal A. C. Trimmer; privates, Charles H. Cheeney, E. N.
Larom, Henry A. Pratt, John Randle, Almon Lower, John Lee, Stafford
Penney, Thomas Carle, A. C. Steadman, Victor Perrley, Henry Ackman.
_Wounded._--Orderly-Sergeant Elmon Hingston; sergeants, H. H.
Bailey, John S. Davis, James Lapham, H. L. Allen; corporals, A. A.
Austin, John Gardiner, S. M. Cole, J. S. Kellogg; privates, W. Furniss,
H. Owen, F. Eldridge, W. Van Wye, E. C. Palmer, D. L. Hunt, E. V. Nash,
Henry H. Pierce, O. Jackman, C. A. Wood, H. S. Smalley, Charles P.
Smith, S. P. Sherley, F. Rockefellow, Frank Randal, Joseph Kubler,
Michael St. Auge, David Boil, James Dixon, Oliver Wise, James Farron,
G. Breakman, F. Mauley, John Shelby, Andrew Copeland, S. G. Cone, W. W.
Hunt, E. Kennedy, H. G. Benton, A. S. Raymond, C. A. Parks, Isaac
Stratton, H. Thwing, James Baxter, J. W. Benson, S. Hughes, P. Smith,
S. A. Fuller, F. Hank, John Clonde, E. O. Whiting, G. W. Bonn, S. H.
Barnum, J. C. Brooks, W. H. Fox, I. H. Gregg, W. Hunter, H. Jones, S.
Moneysmith, S. S. Pelton, B. Wilson, D. W. Waters, W. H. Bannister, H.
Lewis, W. J. Evans, C. L. Cowden, H. Hoffman, S. Renz, M. Saiser, E. A.
Spurn, L. Knoble.