HANCOCK AND HIS MEN.
General Hancock possessed to a remarkable degree the power of exciting to
enthusiasm the men he so often led to victory. And even a drummer boy may
be pardoned the pride he feels in the enduring fame of this intrepid
commander.
During the ’64 campaign he was compelled to ride in an ambulance on the
long marches because of the breaking out afresh of his old Gettysburg
wound. But he did not ask a leave of absence, and when there was any
fighting he mounted his horse and was at the head of his troops.
The personnel of his corps was probably the most unique of all the army.
The most prominent organization and one deserving more than a passing
notice was the famous “Irish brigade,” the representatives of that race
which distinguished itself on the fields of Fontenoy.
This brigade never lost a flag, although it captured over twenty stands of
colors from the enemy. The Irish brigade was probably the best known of
any organization in the army.
It belonged to the first division of Gen. Hancock’s corps.
The brigade was in continuous service and lost over 4,000 men in killed
and wounded, more men than it ever mustered at one time, for the regiments
composing it were small.
The regiments which properly belonged to the brigade, together with their
losses, were:
Sixty-third New York, with a loss of 156 killed; 69th New York, 259
killed; 88th New York, 151 killed; 28th Massachusetts, 250 killed; 116th
Pennsylvania, 145 killed.
The old 69th New York lost more men in action than any other infantry
regiment from the Empire State.
At the “Bloody Lane,” Antietam, eight color bearers of this regiment were
successively shot down, and at Fredericksburg the color bearer was found
dead with his flag wrapped around his body. Another instance illustrating
the devotion of the brave Irish boys for the flag of their adopted country
was at the “Bloody Lane,” where 16 men of the 63d New York were killed or
wounded carrying the colors that day.
An incident of the brigade’s assault on Marye’s Heights was the
distribution of little sprigs of green to the men as they stood in line
waiting the order to forward. It is related that their gallant commander,
Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, placed one in his cap. The assault failed,
but not for lack of bravery and dash, as attested by the long,
well-aligned row of dead within a few yards of the rebel breastworks; and
by each ashen face was a sprig of Irish green.
There was another Irish brigade under Hancock composed of Pennsylvania
troops, and commanded by Gen. Joshua Owen. They distinguished themselves
at Gettysburg and were commonly known as “Paddy Owen’s regulars.”
Another brigade of the corps was known as “Corcoran’s legion.”
The second corps was prominent by reason of its long continuous service at
the front. It inscribed upon its banners a greater number of engagements
than any corps of the army. Likewise its casualty list was the largest.
It also had to its credit the capture of more men, guns and colors from
the enemy than the rest of the Army of the Potomac combined.
Many years after the war General Hancock attended a national encampment of
the G. A. R., and after the veterans had passed in review a distinguished
U. S. Senator remarked to the general that he saw less of his old corps
represented than other organizations and asked the reason why, to which
Hancock replied, “The men of the 2d Corps, Senator, are mostly in
heaven.”
THE GENERAL AND THE DRUMMER BOY.
A score or more of years after the war, when General Hancock was in
command of the Department of the East, with headquarters at Governor’s
Island, the writer happened in New York and the desire came over him to
get a look at his old commander once more. He remembered that in the army
there is a great disparity in the rank of a general in command and the
boys who beat the drums, therefore he had no thought of a personal
interview with the general. But when he was walking off the landing he saw
a distinguished looking officer approaching, and recognizing him as the
leader he had been proud to follow in other days, something of the old
time enthusiasm of those days was rekindled, and as they met the
ex-drummer boy saluted and made known his former connection with the
general’s old command. No other introduction was necessary. The hearty
greeting gave proof that Hancock had a warm place in his heart for the
least of his “boys,” as he called them.
The general was planning a trip to Sandy Hook for that day to inspect some
new ordnance and an invitation was extended to the ex-drummer boy to be
one of the party. There were several distinguished officers in the
company, but none received more attention from the general than his humble
follower of the Sixties.
Later the writer exchanged two or three letters with the general and in
one he referred to his former command as follows: “Your references to the
old 2d Corps bring up many pleasant and sad remembrances. It has always
been my regret that it was not in my power to reward every man who served
with me as he deserved.”
THE SOLDIER’S FARE.
A lady said the other day, “Tell us in your next what the men had to eat
out at the front, how they managed to do the cooking, washing of clothes,”
etc.
Well now, the cooking did not bother us one bit, for we did not have
anything to cook. When at Cold Harbor we had not had a vegetable for
weeks, and beef only twice, and the flesh was so tainted with wild onions,
on which the cattle had fed as they were driven through the country, that
it could hardly be eaten. Coffee, hard tack, sugar, with a small allowance
of salt pork two or three times during a month was what we had to live on.
Money would not purchase anything because the sutlers were all sent to the
rear when Gen. Grant crossed the Rapidan.
Each man carried a little tin pail in which he boiled coffee, holding it
over the fire with a stick. A quartet of boys who were making coffee one
morning at Cold Harbor had their breakfast spoiled by a piece of a shell
dropping into the fire.
LAUNDERING ON THE MARCH.
When we started out on the campaign our well filled knapsacks made us the
laughing stock of the veterans of the 2d Corps, but gradually we had
lightened our loads until we were down to a blanket, half a shelter tent,
possibly a towel and a piece of soap, and some little keepsakes, all of
which were twisted up in the blanket and slung over the shoulder. When we
came to a stream the men would pull off their shirts, rinse them and if no
halt was made would put them back on wet, or else hang them on their guns
to dry on the march.
IN ANOTHER MAN’S BOOTS.
After a few weeks our shoes were nearly worn out, and in this connection I
must turn aside to tell you how one of my comrades came into possession of
a nice pair of boots.
It was the day following a big battle. Our regiment was being moved to the
left and in doing so we passed several amputating tables where the
surgeons had performed their operations on the wounded the night before.
Trenches had been dug at the ends of the tables but were filled to
overflowing with hands, arms and legs. The boy espied a nice pair of boots
protruding from one pile and, pulling them out, found that some staff
officer had amputation performed above the knees. The limbs were drawn
from the boots and the boy remarked that they were about his fit; so he
exchanged his old shoes for them. I think I should rather have gone
barefooted from there to Appomattox than to have done likewise.