SPOTTSYLVANIA.
Moving by the flank--The wounded abandoned--The Fifth Corps at
Spottsylvania--Arrival of the Sixth Corps--Getting into
line--Death of Sedgwick--General Wright in command--Battle of
the 10th of May--Upton's splendid charge--Battle at "the
angle"--Another flank movement.
By this time General Grant, finding the rebel position too strong to
force in front, and finding, by reconnoissance, that the enemy had
fallen back to strong works where he awaited attack, determined to throw
the army between Lee's army and Richmond, and accordingly ordered the
first of that wonderful series of flank movements that have become the
admiration of the world. The Fifth and Sixth corps withdrew with secrecy
from the line held by them, and falling into the rear of the rest of the
army, marched rapidly from the right to the left flank toward
Spottsylvania. The Sixth corps, taking the Chancellorsville road,
reached the old battle-field at daylight, and halted for breakfast near
the ruins of the historic Chancellor House. The Fifth corps taking a
more direct road to Spottsylvania, and being unencumbered with the
train, marched rapidly and reached Piney Branch Church, a little hamlet
in the midst of the woods, about five miles north of Spottsylvania Court
House, at nine o'clock in the morning. These two corps were quickly
followed by the Ninth and Second corps, leaving the old wilderness field
entirely in the hands of the enemy.
Another of those distressful necessities of war occurred on withdrawing
from the Wilderness. Wounded men of the Fifth and Sixth corps had
already been left on the site of the hospitals near the old gold mine
mills, and now hundreds more from every corps were abandoned for want of
sufficient transportation. Let it not be thought that the Army of the
Potomac was deficient in ambulances. Our hospital train was immense, yet
insufficient for such an emergency as the present. To have provided a
train sufficient for such a time, would have been to incumber the army
with an enormous establishment, which would so interfere with its
movements as to defeat the very object in view. The present was one of
those terrible but unavoidable contingencies which must sometimes occur
in war.
Trains had returned and brought away some of the wounded left at the old
gold mine, but many were still there; and now, again, as we loaded
ambulances and army wagons to their utmost capacity, making a train of
many miles in extent, some two hundred of the wounded of our Sixth corps
were left upon the ground. It was, indeed, a sickening thought that
these noble fellows, who had nobly fallen in their country's cause, must
be abandoned to the enemy, many of them, perhaps the majority of them,
to die in their hands. All communication with their friends at home
hopelessly cut off, and with no expectation of any but the roughest
treatment from their enemies, it was a sad prospect for the unfortunate
ones. Medical officers from each corps were directed to remain and care
for those thus left behind, and a limited supply of rations and
medicines were also left. Surgeon Phillips, of the Third Vermont, and
Assistant Surgeon Thompson, of the Seventy-seventh New York, were the
detail to remain behind from the Second division. They stayed with our
wounded among the rebels for several weeks, faithfully ministering to
their wants, until nearly all had been removed to Richmond, when, one
day, learning that those remaining were to be sent south on the
following day, they made their escape by night. By traveling throughout
the night and hiding in the woods by day, they made their way across the
Rapidan, and finally reached Washington in safety.
The Fifth corps, having taken the most direct road to Spottsylvania,
arrived at Piney Branch Church at nine o'clock on the morning of the
8th, where the infantry skirmishers of the enemy were encountered.
Gregg's division of cavalry had been for some time engaged with the
rebel cavalry; but the cavalry had not discovered the infantry of the
enemy before the approach of the Fifth corps. Two divisions of the Fifth
corps were at once formed in line of battle, Bartlett's brigade of
Griffin's division being sent ahead as skirmishers. As the corps
advanced, the skirmishers of the enemy steadily withdrew, until they
reached a large clearing, called Alsop's Farm, along the rear of which
ran a small stream, the river Ny, about three miles north of
Spottsylvania. Here the enemy was formed in force, with a line of strong
earthworks. An attack was ordered, and bravely Warren's men advanced
against the breastworks of the enemy; but their efforts to drive the
rebels were unavailing. The field was composed of a succession of
ridges, dotted here and there with clumps of pines and oaks, while the
country in rear, through which the corps had already pressed the
opposing skirmishers, was a wilderness of trees. The rebels had their
artillery well posted, and they hurled a fierce storm of shells among
the advancing lines, arresting their advance. The enemy in turn charged
upon the Fifth corps, but the Union boys fought with desperation,
repelling every charge and holding their ground. Our troops behaved
magnificently, yet they were unable to push their advance further.
It was now evident that Lee, anticipating Grant's strategy, had set
about thwarting it. As soon as our troops were withdrawn from Wilderness
Run, Lee had hastened Ewell's corps and a part of Longstreet's on an
inner road to Spottsylvania, and these troops now confronted us and
disputed our advance.
Such was the situation when the Sixth corps arrived on the field at two
o'clock in the afternoon. The day had been the most sultry of the
season, and many of the men, overcome by the intensity of the heat, and
exhausted by the constant fighting and marching since the morning of the
4th, had fallen by the wayside. The corps halted for about two hours,
and was then ordered to the front to the assistance of Warren's corps,
which was again hotly engaged with the enemy. We pressed forward along a
narrow road leading through a thick growth of timber, until we came
where the Fifth corps was contending the ground. The corps was drawn up
in line of battle, but did not at once commence an attack.
Before us the ground was rolling and partially wooded, admirably adapted
for defensive warfare. A wooded ravine, at a little distance from our
front, concealed a rebel line of battle, and in our rear, were dense
woods extending to the road along which our line was formed. These woods
were on fire, and the hot blasts of air which swept over us, together
with the burning heat of the sun, rendered our position a very
uncomfortable one. Before long, however, the corps was ordered to the
left, and took its position in the woods on the left of Warren's corps.
Our Second division was formed in three lines with the view of attacking
the enemy.
Soon after dark all things being ready, the division moved forward to
the attack, but after some desperate fighting on the part of both the
Fifth corps and our own division, finding the enemy too strongly posted,
the attack was relinquished.
Toward midnight some changes of position were ordered, but, in the
darkness, regiments lost their brigades, and wandered about in the woods
until daylight, some narrowly escaping capture within the lines of the
enemy.
There was little hard fighting on Monday the 9th, though skirmishing was
briskly kept up along the whole line throughout the day. Our line of
battle was now extended from northwest to southeast with Hancock's
Second corps on the right, Warren's Fifth corps on the right center,
Sedgwick's Sixth corps on the left center, and Burnside's Ninth corps on
the extreme left. Our Second division was formed in a clearing on the
side of a hill which sloped gradually until it reached a swamp, which,
however, turned and passed through our line at our left. About three
hundred yards in front of us was a strip of woods one-fourth of a mile
wide, and beyond the woods an open field where the rebel forces were
posted behind formidable earthworks. Just in our rear and on the crest
of the hill, our batteries were posted so as to fire over our heads. On
our right was a dense forest where the Fifth corps were posted, and on
our left Burnside's troops occupied a more open country.
The whole line of the army was strengthened with breastworks of rails
and logs, which the men procured in many cases from almost under the
rebel guns, while the heavy mist of the morning concealed them from the
view of their enemies. Over the logs and rails earth was thrown in
quantity sufficient to protect the men from the shot and shell of the
enemy.
Although there was little fighting on the 9th, it was a sad day for the
Sixth corps and for the army; for on that day our corps lost its beloved
commander, and the army a most distinguished soldier.
General Sedgwick, while standing behind an outer line of works,
personally superintending and directing, as was his custom, the posting
of a battery of artillery at an angle which he regarded as of great
importance, was shot through the head by a rebel sharpshooter, and died
instantly. The ball had entered his head just below the left eye, and
passed out at the back of the head.
Never had such a gloom rested upon the whole army on account of the
death of one man as came over it when the heavy tidings passed along the
lines that General Sedgwick was killed.
Major-General John Sedgwick, who had so long been identified with the
Sixth corps, was a native of Connecticut. He graduated at West Point on
the 30th of June, 1837, and was at once assigned to the Second
artillery, as second-lieutenant. In 1839, he was promoted to
first-lieutenant. He served in Mexico, and was brevetted captain for
gallant and meritorious conduct, in the battles of Contreras and
Cherubusco. He was soon afterward brevetted major for gallant conduct,
and greatly distinguished himself in the attack on Cosino gate, Mexico
city. In 1845 he was made major of the First United States Cavalry, and
served in Texas until the breaking out of the rebellion. In March, 1861,
he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, Second United States Cavalry;
and in April promoted to the colonelcy of the Fourth Cavalry. He was
made a brigadier-general of volunteers in August, 1861, and assigned to
the command of a brigade in the Army of the Potomac.
He was afterward assigned to the command of the Third division, Second
corps, then under General Sumner. He participated in the siege of
Yorktown, and greatly distinguished himself in many battles on the
Peninsula. He was particularly noted at the battle of Fair Oaks,
Savage's Station, and Glendale. His division was one of the few
divisions of the Army of the Potomac that rendered any assistance to
General Pope in his unfortunate campaign.
At Antietam he led his men repeatedly against the rebels, and was as
often forced back, until the ground over which his division had fought
was covered with dead. He was thrice wounded, but refused to be carried
from the field until faintness from loss of blood obliged him to
relinquish his command.
In December, 1862, he was nominated by the President a major-general of
volunteers, and was confirmed in March, 1863, with rank from the 31st of
May, 1862.
In January following his promotion, he was assigned to the command of
the Ninth corps, and, on the 5th of February, was transferred to the
command of the Sixth corps, relieving General Smith, who was assigned to
the Ninth corps.
Soon after taking command of our corps, the famous charge upon
Fredericksburgh Heights was made, in which both the corps and its
commander acquired lasting renown. General Sedgwick was especially
commended by General Meade for the manner in which he handled his corps
at Rappahannock Station, and, in General Meade's absence, he was several
times in command of the army. He was, on several occasions, offered the
supreme command of the army, but his excessive modesty forbade him to
accept so important a command.
No soldier was more beloved by the army or honored by the country than
this noble general. His corps regarded him as a father, and his great
military abilities made his judgment, in all critical emergencies,
sought after by his superior as well as his fellows. The command of the
Sixth corps now devolved upon General Wright, who had long been well
known in the corps as the commander of our First division, and who held
the command of the corps from this time until it was disbanded in the
autumn of 1865.
Monday night passed quietly. An occasional volley on the picket line
would rouse us to arms, but there was no general assault, and the tired
soldiers would throw themselves again upon the ground to catch a few
moments more of rest.
Our position on Tuesday morning, May 10th, was the same as it had been
the day previous. During the lull of battle on the 9th, both armies had
gathered their strength and perfected their plans for a renewal of the
contest, on a scale of magnificence seldom if ever witnessed by any army
before. This was destined to be a day of most fearful carnage, and
desperate attempts on the part of each antagonist to crush the other by
the weight of its terrible charges.
Active skirmishing commenced along different portions of the line early
in the morning, and continued to grow more and more general until the
rattle of the skirmishers' rifles grew into the reverberating roll of
battle. From one end of the long line to the other the tide of battle
surged, the musketry continually increasing in volume, until it seemed
one continuous peal of thunder. During all the battles in the
Wilderness, artillery had been useless, except when here and there a
section could be brought in to command the roadway; but now all the
artillery on both sides was brought into the work. It was the terrible
cannonading of Malvern Hill with the fierce musketry of Gaines' Mills
combined, that seemed fairly to shake the earth and skies. Never during
the war had the two armies made such gigantic struggles for the
destruction of each other.
At first the heavy assaults were made against the right wing--Hancock's
and Warren's corps sustaining the principal shock of the enemy's
repeated charges. Massing their forces against particular points of the
line held by these two corps, the rebel generals would hurl their gray
legions like an avalanche against our breastworks, hoping by the very
momentum of the charge to break through our lines; but a most withering
storm of leaden and iron hail would set the mass wavering, and finally
send it back to the cover of the woods and earthworks in confusion,
leaving the ground covered at each time with an additional layer of
their dead. In turn, the men of the Fifth and Second corps would charge
upon their adversaries, and in turn they too would be forced to seek
shelter behind their rifle pits. Thus the tide of battle along the right
of the line rolled to and fro, while the horrid din of musketry and
artillery rose and swelled as the storm grew fiercer.
Meanwhile the Sixth and Ninth corps were quietly awaiting events, and it
was not until six o'clock in the afternoon that the Sixth corps was
called into action. Then it was to make one of the most notable charges
on record.
At five o'clock the men of the corps were ordered to unsling knapsacks
and divest themselves of every incumbrance preparatory to a charge.
Colonel Upton commanding the Second brigade of the First division, was
directed to take twelve picked regiments from the corps and lead them in
a charge against the right center of the rebel line. The regiments which
shared the dearly purchased honor of this magnificent charge were, in
the first line, the One Hundred and Twenty-first New York, the Fifth
Maine, the Ninety-sixth and One Hundred and Nineteenth Pennsylvania; in
the second line the Seventy-seventh and Forty-third New York, the Fifth
Wisconsin, Sixth Maine and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania; and in the third
line, the Second, Fifth and Sixth Vermont. It was indeed an honor to be
selected for this duty, but it was an honor to be paid for at the cost
of fearful peril.
The twelve regiments assembled on the open space in front of our works,
then silently entered the strip of woods which was between our line and
that of the rebels. Passing through to the further edge of the woods,
the twelve regiments were formed in columns of three lines, each line
consisting of four regiments.
The regiments of the Second division, not included in the charging
column, formed in the rear, to act as support, but did not advance to
the charge.
As the regiments took their places, they threw themselves upon the
ground, and all orders were given in suppressed tones, for the rebels
were but a hundred yards distant, in the open field, and the minies of
their skirmishers were whistling among the trees and brushwood.
The other corps of the army were prepared, in case this charging party
succeeded in breaking the enemy's line, to rush in and turn the success
into a rout of the rebels. Generals Meade, Hancock, Warren and Burnside
stationed themselves on eminences, from which they could watch the
success of the perilous enterprise.
At six o'clock all things were ready, and the artillery from the
eminences in our rear opened a terrific fire, sending the shells howling
and shrieking over the heads of the charging column, and plunging into
the works of the enemy. This was the signal for the attack, and Colonel
Upton's clear voice rang out, "_Attention, battalions! Forward,
double-quick!_ Charge!" and in an instant every man was on his feet,
and, with tremendous cheers, which were answered by the wild yells of
the rebels, the column rushed from the cover of the woods. Quick as
lightning, a sheet of flame burst from the rebel line, and the leaden
hail swept the ground over which the column was advancing, while the
canister from the artillery came crashing through our ranks at every
step, and scores and hundreds of our brave fellows fell, literally
covering the ground. But, nothing daunted, the noble fellows rushed upon
the defenses, leaping over the ditch in front, and mounting the
breastworks. The rebels made a determined resistance, and a hand to hand
fight ensued, until, with their bayonets, our men had filled the rifle
pits with bleeding rebels. About two thousand of the survivors of the
struggle surrendered, and were immediately marched to the rear, under
guard.
Without halting for breath, the impetuous column rushed toward the
second line of works, which was equally as strong as the first. The
resistance here was less stubborn than at the first line, yet the gray
occupants of the rifle pits refused to fly, until forced back at the
point of the bayonet.
Our ranks were now fearfully thinned, yet the brave fellows passed on to
the third line of defenses which was also captured.
It was but a shattered remnant of that noble column that rushed from the
woods against the hostile works, that reached this advanced point, and
now, finding that reënforcements were reaching the enemy, while our
column was every moment melting away, a retreat was ordered.
There was not even time to bring away the six pieces of artillery which
we had captured; they were filled with sods and abandoned.
What remained of the twelve regiments retreated to the cover of our
rifle pits, leaving the dead and most of the wounded in the enemy's
hands.
The corps lost, in this charge, some of its ablest men. In the First
brigade of the Second division Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton, of the
Sixty-second New York, was killed. Captain Carpenter, of the
Seventy-seventh, one of its first and best officers, and Lieutenant
Lyon, a young officer of great bravery, were killed in the interior line
of works, and many other noble fellows of that regiment were left on
that fatal field. The regiment crossed the Rapidan six days before with
over five hundred men, and now, after this charge, less than ninety men
were left, and this is but an example of the losses to most of the
regiments in that division.
The noise of the battle gradually died away as night threw her mantle
over the fearful scene of carnage, and both armies were glad of a
respite from their severe labors.
The 11th of May passed in making new arrangements and in sending the
thousands of wounded to Fredericksburgh. Immense trains of ambulances
and army wagons freighted with the mangled forms of wounded men were
running day and night to Fredericksburgh, and returning with supplies.
Skirmishing was kept up along the line, but no general engagement was
brought on. During the night the Second corps, General Hancock, silently
withdrew from the position it had occupied on the right of the line, and
marching along in the rear of the army occupied a position between the
Sixth and Ninth corps, which was not before occupied. With great caution
and silence preparations were made for a desperate attack upon that part
of the enemy's line fronting this position. This line made here a sharp
angle and by seizing this angle, it was hoped to turn the right flank of
Lee's army. Between the position of the Second corps and the rebel
works, the ground was covered with pines and underbrush, and as it
neared the defenses ascended abruptly to a considerable height.
As soon as the gray light of the morning began to streak through the
mists, all was in readiness for the charge, and with strictest orders of
silence the corps in mass advanced rapidly across the field, the thick
fog concealing the movement. As the column neared the rifle pits a storm
of bullets met it; but charging impetuously up the hill and over the
works, the rebels, surprised and overpowered, gave way; those who could
escaping to the second line in the rear, though thousands were obliged
to surrender on the spot, so complete had been the surprise. The
victorious column now pushed on toward the second line of works, but
here, the enemy by this time fully prepared for the attack, the
resistance became more stubborn. The battle now raged with greatest
fury. The Sixth corps was withdrawn from its position, leaving a strong
picket line to guard its front, and marching along the rear of its works
joined in the attack with the Second corps. The works taken by Hancock's
corps, were occupied by the men of the Sixth corps, and the enemy
commenced the most desperate efforts to retake them. Forming their
troops in heavy columns they hurled them against our line with
tremendous force. Russell's division held the center of the line of the
corps at a point known as "the angle." This was the key to the whole
position. Our forces held the rebel works from the left as far as this
"angle," and the rebels still held the rest of the line. Whoever could
hold "the angle" would be the victors; for with the angle, either party
could possess themselves of the whole line of works. Hence the desperate
efforts to drive us from this position. The First division being unable
to maintain the position alone, the Second division was sent to its aid.
And now, as the boys of the Second division took their places in the
front, the battle became a hand to hand combat. A breastwork of logs
separated the combatants. Our men would reach over this partition and
discharge their muskets in the face of the enemy, and in return would
receive the fire of the rebels at the same close range. Finally, the men
began to use their muskets as clubs and then rails were used. The men
were willing thus to fight from behind the breastworks, but to rise up
and attempt a charge in the face of an enemy so near at hand and so
strong in numbers required unusual bravery. Yet they did charge and they
drove the rebels back and held the angle themselves. It was in one of
these charges that the gallant Major Ellis of the Forty-ninth New York,
was shot with a ramrod through the arm and in the side, from the effects
of which he afterwards died. The trees in front of the position held by
the Sixth corps during this remarkable struggle, were literally cut to
pieces by bullets. Even trees more than a foot in diameter, were cut off
by the constant action of bullets. A section of one of these was, and
doubtless still is, in Washington, with a card attached stating that the
tree was cut down in front of the position of the Second corps. Our
gallant brothers of that corps won undying honors on that glorious day,
but it was the long-continued, fearful musketry battle between the Sixth
corps and the enemy which cut down those trees. We have no desire to
detract from the well-deserved honors of the brave men of the Second
corps, but this is a simple matter of justice. The conflict became more
and more bloody, and soon the Fifth corps was also engaged, and at ten
o'clock the battle rolled along the whole line. The terrible fighting
continued till eleven o'clock, when there was a lull in the musketry,
but the artillery continued its work of destruction. Thus the second
line of works was taken, but not without fearful loss to both armies.
Our corps had fought at close range for eight hours. Behind the works
the rebel dead were lying literally piled one upon another, and wounded
men were groaning under the weight of bodies of their dead companions.
The loss to the rebels in prisoners and guns was also great.
Major-General Edward Johnson with his whole division, General Stewart, a
brigade from Early's division and a whole regiment, including in all
between three and four thousand prisoners and between thirty and forty
guns, were the trophies of this glorious but bloody morning's work.
These captures were nearly all made by the Second corps in the first
assault in the morning.
The losses to the Sixth corps were great, but far less than on the 12th.
The Seventy-seventh lost one of its finest officers. Captain O. P. Rugg
was shot in the breast and died while being carried to the hospital. The
captain was a young man of great promise, of genial and lively
temperament and greatly beloved by his regiment. He had been married but
a few months before his death, and had parted from his bride at Elmira
just before the spring campaign opened.
The corps remained near the scene of action during the next day.
Reconnoissances were made, and another attempt was made on the 14th to
turn the right flank of the enemy. The Sixth corps, at three o'clock on
the morning of that day, moved off to the left of our line about two
miles and encamped about the Anderson House, but our pickets soon found
the enemy in force in our front, and no attempt was made to bring on an
engagement. The time passed quietly along the line, only occasionally
the roar of artillery kept up something of excitement of battle. On the
night of the 17th, the Sixth corps moved back to the scene of the battle
of the 12th. At daylight three corps moved forward to attack the enemy's
line. The Second corps forming the center of the line, the Sixth corps
the right, and the Ninth corps the left. The first line of rifle pits
were those which had been abandoned by us on the 12th. These were filled
with rebel skirmishers, who readily gave way, leaving the works in our
hands.
Our line of battle advanced till it confronted the second line of the
rebel works. This was a strong line behind a thick impenetrable abattis
and held by a powerful force. The three corps pressed this formidable
line, and a sharp engagement ensued, but without advantage to our
forces, and it was concluded that an attempt to dislodge the enemy could
only result in a fearful waste of life. Accordingly the troops were
quietly withdrawn, though submitted to a galling fire, having lost in
the morning's work about eight hundred men.
In the afternoon the enemy attacked the Fifth corps on the left, but was
driven back. The same afternoon the Sixth corps returned to the vicinity
of the Anderson House, from which it had started on the evening
previous; and orders were issued to be ready to march toward the North
Anna.
General Grant, deeming it impracticable to make any further attempt to
carry the rebel position at Spottsylvania by direct assault, had
determined upon another flank movement; and his preparations were made
for moving around the left flank of the enemy during the night of the
19th, and seizing a position on the North Anna. But late in the
afternoon of the 19th, Ewell's rebel corps made a fierce assault upon
the right of our line. Our forces gave the rebels a warm reception, and
forced them back to the cover of their earthworks.
On the 20th, Aaron B. Quincy, a young soldier, beloved by all who knew
him, was shot through the breast, and died in a few minutes. His
faithful Christian character, his undoubted bravery, and his ardent
patriotism, had endeared him to all.
On the night of the 21st, the flank movement was commenced. Withdrawing
in silence, and first throwing the right corps in rear of the rest of
the army and to its left, as at the Wilderness, the troops marched
rapidly all night, halting for a few moments for breath once or twice,
and then pressing forward again. During the next forenoon a halt of some
hours occurred at Quincy Station, near the house where Stonewall Jackson
died the year before. Then the march was renewed and continued till
dark.
The Fifth and Sixth corps reached the banks of the North Anna on the
evening of the 23d, and was soon followed by the Second and Ninth corps.
Again the enemy, aware of our intentions, and having the shortest line,
confronted us, and disputed the crossing; but, after considerable
artillery practice, the Fifth corps succeeded in throwing their pontoon
bridges and obtaining a position on the south bank. The enemy now
attacked the corps with great vigor, but were repulsed with equal
slaughter. The Sixth corps followed at four o'clock in the morning, and
a little later the Second and Ninth corps also joined us. Strong
breastworks were thrown up, and parties were sent to the front to
reconnoiter the position.
A further advance of a few miles was made on the 25th, but finding the
enemy in a stronger position than he had occupied either in the
Wilderness or at Spottsylvania, General Grant determined again to
withdraw and try his favorite flank movement. Accordingly, on the night
of the 26th, the army was withdrawn to the north bank of the river. The
night was very dark, and the mud deep. Several days' rain had rendered
the roads, proverbial for their mud, almost impassable; but heeding no
difficulties, the army followed without hesitation wherever our great
leader directed. The Sixth corps, with two divisions of cavalry under
Sheridan, who had now rejoined the army from his great raid on which he
had started from Spottsylvania, took the advance. On Saturday, the 28th,
the corps and the cavalry divisions, after a good deal of hard fighting,
crossed the Pamunkey river, at Hanovertown. The cavalry, at once
advancing several miles beyond the river, encountered a large force of
rebel cavalry, which was driven back. The army encamped at Hanovertown,
stretching from the river several miles southward.