AFTER REACHING THE RAPIDAN IT GOES TO GOVERNOR'S ISLAND.--AFTER ITS
RETURN IT ACCOMPANIES HOOKER'S CORPS TO THE WESTERN DEPARTMENT.
After the battle of Gettysburg, the regiment was with the grand army in
pursuit of the broken columns of General Lee. Passing through Frederick
City, it arrived at Harper's Ferry and went into camp. Here it remained
for two days, when it moved across the Potomac, and again passing up
the beautiful Loudon Valley, crossed the Blue Ridge to Fairfax and
Manassas Junction, over the old battle-field of Bull Run. Again taking
up the line of march, it crossed the Rappahannock below Culpepper
Court-house, and encamped on the banks of the Rapidan.
About this time a riot broke out in New York city, which required the
presence of the military, as an assistance to the civil authorities.
The Government was therefore called upon to furnish troops. Several
regiments were at once dispatched to the scene of strife. Among these
was the Seventh. It left the vicinity of the Rapidan about one week
after its arrival there. It marched to Alexandria, and there taking the
United States ship Baltic, passed down the Potomac through Chesapeake
Bay to the ocean, arriving on Governor's Island in the latter part of
August. It remained until the first of September, when again embarking,
it sailed to Alexandria, from whence it marched to the Rapidan, near
its old camp.
General Rosecrans had now been removed from the command of the Army of
the Cumberland, and General Grant assumed control. The army occupied
the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee; while the rebel army under
General Bragg occupied Mission Ridge, immediately in front of and
overlooking the city. The task of driving Bragg from this position was
assigned to General Grant.
Before entering upon this campaign, however, it was necessary to
re-enforce the Army of the Cumberland; for it had not entirely
recovered from the disastrous battle of Chickamauga. For this purpose
it was necessary to draw on the Army of the Potomac, now lying idle on
the banks of the Rapidan. At this time this army had, _positively_
speaking, accomplished nothing. It had barely saved Washington from the
enemy. To be sure, it had seen many hard-fought battles, and on all
occasions sustained its reputation for courage and endurance. But the
results following these battles were entirely negative; and after more
than two years of marches, counter-marches, sieges, and battles, when
graves had been dug from the Potomac to the James, and filled with the
best blood of the land, and the country left in mourning for her fallen
braves, but little territory had been gained, and the possession of
this little being constantly disputed by a well-organized and gallant
army. A sort of fatality had thus settled down upon the Army of the
Potomac. Some of the best generals had been summoned to its command,
but to no purpose. The hand of fate rested upon it heavily. When about
to seize upon victory, some stream would rise in its rear, or some
unseen accident happen to its communications or line of supplies,
compelling it to let go its hold on victory, and in its stead to accept
defeat. No wonder, then, that the authorities saw fit to send a part of
this not very promising army to a department where victory sometimes
rested upon the Federal arms. Hooker's corps was therefore ordered to
report to Grant.
The Seventh being a part of this command, left its camp on the Rapidan
in the latter part of September, and moving up to Washington, passed
over to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, when it left for Nashville,
Tennessee, by the way of Columbus, Indianapolis, and Louisville. It
soon after left for Wartrays, by the way of Murfreesboro'. It was now
ordered to construct winter-quarters, but having them nearly completed,
it was ordered to Bridgeport, Alabama, where it arrived in due time.
This entire trip from the East was accomplished without any delay, and
nothing occurring to lessen the good opinion the people entertained for
this veteran corps.