Cross the Mississippi—Bayou Sara—Storm—St. Francisville—Approach
Port Hudson—Skirmish on the 25th of May—Negro Soldiers—Battle of
May 27—Death of Lieut.-Col. Rodman—The Ravines.
At Morganza, the army found transports awaiting to take it across
the river. A sail of fourteen miles brought the steamers to Bayou
Sara, where the troops were disembarked, and rations issued. This
village had seen fit to harbor the guerillas, who, from their ambush,
had fired alike on vessels of war and peaceful river-boats; and it
bore the marks of the prompt punishment inflicted by the gun-boats.
Solitary chimneys arose from heaps of rubbish which marked the spots
where once houses and places of business had rested secure under the
old flag; and a general air of lifelessness and decay pervaded the
place.
The regiment had scarcely begun the ascent of the steep bluff
overlooking the village, when one of the sudden storms peculiar
to the Valley of the Mississippi, broke over them; and in a few
minutes they were not only wet through, but the deep red soil was so
saturated, that marching became almost impossible. Passing through
the village of St. Francisville, the brigade encamped at night near a
cotton-press, and built huge fires, around which the men grouped till
partially dry; the picket detail, however, going to their posts wet
and supperless, but without complaint.
The next morning, upon the arrival of Mack’s Black Horse Battery
(Eighteenth New York), the column moved toward Port Hudson. The
road was bordered on each side by a high hedge, which shut out all
air, and made the heat very oppressive; and it was gratifying, upon
emerging into the open country, to find a broad, shallow stream,
with a clean, pebbly bottom directly in the line of march. It was
easily forded by the infantry, but the artillery and wagons caused
some delay. While waiting for the batteries to cross the stream, a
body of cavalry rode by, which proved to be the famed command of Col.
Grierson, whose great raid through Mississippi was the forerunner
of the exploits of Sheridan, Stoneman, and Kilpatrick. Gen. Banks
and staff also rode by; and the cheering news was announced that a
connection had been made with the division of Gen. Augur, which had
marched up from Baton Rouge, and that Port Hudson was completely
surrounded, and its fall a matter of time only.
Sunday, May 24, the regiment enjoyed a rest, merely changing camp
once. On the 25th, the Thirty Eighth leaving the brigade, marched to
Sandy Creek, on the extreme right of the line; and several of the
companies deployed as skirmishers near the creek, the enemy firing
across the stream from the opposite side. In this skirmish, two men
were killed, and two wounded.
In the afternoon, two native Louisiana regiments arrived at the
creek; and the Thirty Eighth had an opportunity to witness the
behavior of the first colored troops under fire in this war. A great
deal of romance has been spoken and printed about this affair; but,
without wishing to detract in the least from the really valuable
services rendered by the colored troops during the siege, especially
in the engineer’s department, it may be doubted if the exaggerated
accounts of their bravery were of any real benefit to the “colored
boys in blue.”
It had been the fashion for so long a time to decry the courage of
the colored man, and deny him all the attributes of manhood, that,
when he proved himself something more than a beast of burden, public
opinion went to the opposite extreme; and men who had been for
years boasting of the superiority of the Northern over the Southern
races, and quoting all history to prove it, now asserted that this
new freedman was the equal, if not the superior, of the Northern
volunteer. It was even reported that Gen. Banks had said that the
colored soldiers went where the white ones dared not go; and although
this was an improbable story, it injured the general’s popularity,
and increased the prejudice already existing against the colored
troops in the Thirteenth and Nineteenth Corps.
The regiment remained near Sandy Creek during the next day,
supporting the battery, while the colored regiments were at work
building a bridge. On the night of the 26th, there were two alarms,
caused by the stampeding of mules; and the Thirty Eighth received
a volley from one of the colored regiments, who thought the enemy
were making a cavalry raid; but, owing to the high range taken, the
bullets whistled harmlessly over head, and the panic soon subsided.
During the Tèche campaign, Co. E had held the honorable position of
head-quarter guard for Gen. Emory, and had seldom encamped near the
regiment; but upon the withdrawal of that general to New Orleans,
the company returned to its proper position in the Thirty Eighth, and
shared in all the labors of the siege.
Wednesday morning, the regiment received orders to join its brigade,
which had been engaged, farther on the left, in driving the enemy
from the woods, and into his works. The Thirty First had been
prominent in this skirmishing, and had lost a number of men.
The battle began early on the morning of the 27th; and as the Thirty
Eighth drew near the front, on the double-quick, the wounded men were
already being carried to the rear, and the surgeons of the various
regiments were arranging their instruments on the temporary tables
put up in the fields, not entirely out of reach of wandering shells.
The sight of the glittering instruments was suggestive; but there was
no time for foreboding.
While the Thirty Eighth was hunting in the woods for the brigade,
Gen. Paine rode up, and sent it forward to support Duryea’s Battery,
which he had just placed in position on the edge of the woods, in
front of the rebel works. Taking cover in rear of the guns, the
regiment awaited events, having enthusiastically promised Gen. Paine
to stand by the battery at all hazards.
The artillery directed a heavy fire upon the fortifications from
various points, dismounting cannon, and blowing up caissons; the
skirmishers had worked their way up to the ditch in front of the
breastworks, and were seen running up the embankment; and the fire
from the enemy had almost ceased. It was generally believed that the
outer line of works had been abandoned; and the regiment, issuing
from the rear of the battery, formed in line of battle, and charged
on the double-quick; but, on account of the ravines and fallen
timber on each side of the roadway, the line of battle could not be
maintained, and the order was given, “by the right flank,” which
movement was immediately executed. Another regiment was in advance,
and through some misapprehension, did not go forward, causing the two
commands to be mixed up, the colors being nearly side by side.
By this time, the breastworks were fully manned, and a volley of
musketry met the advancing column; but there was no hesitation,
when, to the surprise of the regiment, the order came to “lie down.”
Accustomed to obey orders promptly, the men dropped at once, some in
the roadway, others in the ravines to the right and left. And now the
enemy had it all their own way. Safe behind their works, they took
deliberate aim at every man in that exposed position who showed signs
of life. Lieut. Col. Rodman, rising to give or receive an order, was
struck in the breast by a bullet, and fell lifeless, the command
then devolving upon Capt. Wyman, of Co. B. For hours, the men in the
roadway remained beneath the scorching sun, suffering for want of
water, and knowing that the least movement would be the signal for
a death-messenger from the enemy; yet, notwithstanding the constant
artillery and musketry fire, men slept soundly at times. During the
afternoon, the dry brush and trees in the ravines took fire, adding
to the intense heat, and driving portions of the troops to seek new
cover. The assault on other portions of the line had been equally
unsuccessful, and the casualties still larger, an unusual number of
commanding officers being among the killed; but the ground was held;
and, before night, the men had acquired such a knowledge of the
position, and availed themselves so thoroughly of every advantage
afforded by the ravines, that it was unsafe for a rebel to show his
head above the breastworks.
The casualties in the Thirty Eighth had been few, considering the
severe fire to which it was exposed; and the rebels must have
discharged their muskets at random. There had been three killed and
fourteen wounded.
The regiment remained on the field through the night, the dead and
wounded having been taken to the rear before dark. A few extracts
from letters written at the time, may perhaps give a better idea
of the events that transpired within the following week, with the
impressions of the men, the rumors, etc., than any more formal
account:
“Thursday, May, 28.... The rebels opened fire this morning from their
batteries, and ours replied, blowing up a caisson of ammunition
inside of the works. A flag of truce was put up soon after, and the
firing ceased. Both sides have been burying the dead this forenoon;
and we have been lying in the ravine, near the works, the sun coming
down hot. The truce will be up at two o’clock, I believe, when the
battle will probably begin again.
“Friday morning, 29th. The flag of truce was up till seven o’clock
last night. There was perfect quiet along the entire line; and
officers and men were scattered over the field, looking for the dead
and wounded, and gazing at the works in front of us. Two companies
of the One Hundred and Sixtieth New York were in the ditch in front
of the works; and the rebels occasionally looked over, and chatted
with them. We understood that the long truce was on account of some
negotiations; the rebels offering to surrender the place if allowed
to march out with military honors. These terms were not accepted,
and the truce was to terminate at seven. Just before that hour, we
received orders to keep under cover, as the battle was to commence
as soon as the flags were withdrawn. We watched the little white
signals closely. Ours was taken down, and then that of the enemy
was withdrawn. In a few minutes, the ball opened on our side, and,
for about an hour, the roar of cannon and musketry was continuous.
The firing gradually died away, with the exception of a little
skirmishing, which was kept up during the night, with an occasional
discharge from the batteries, to let them know that we were on the
alert. We kept awake all night, ready to drive them back, if they
attempted to cut their way through, which it was thought they might
possibly do.... There is not much fighting this morning, although a
bullet hums by when any one goes for water or shows his head above
the level of the hill.
“Saturday morning, May 30.... We remained in the ravines yesterday,
the right and left wings of the regiment having changed position.
Skirmishing was kept up all day, and the batteries were at work
a portion of the time; but the firing was not very heavy. A smart
shower passed over toward evening, soaking us through, and we had a
prospect of passing a very disagreeable night, for it is quite cool
yet without blankets, even when one is dry. Just at dark, however, we
were relieved by the Twelfth Maine, and sent into the woods in rear
of the batteries.”
This three days’ exposure to alternate heat and moisture broke down
many constitutions that had borne up under all the severe marching
through the Tèche country; and men were daily sent to the rear, the
majority of whom died before, or soon after, reaching Baton Rouge,
to which place the sick and wounded men were at first sent. It would
be impossible, in the limits of this sketch, to give an extended
notice of all who died from hard service during the campaigns of the
regiment; but the writer has taken pains to prepare a correct list,
which will be found in another place; and the facts will also be
appended to each name in its appropriate place in the company.
After reaching the position selected in the woods, the blankets were
brought, and, still wet through, the regiment laid down to rest
without equipments on, for the first time since the morning of the
assault.
Although the batteries kept up an occasional fire through the night,
it did not prevent sleep; and even when a stray shell from the other
side went wandering carelessly through the forest, making a path
among the thick woods, it was scarcely heeded, so exhausted had the
men become from the week’s labor.
Saturday (30th), the regiment remained in the rear; and many were
made glad by receiving letters from home, brought by Mr. Stacy Read,
of Cambridge, who had come from Massachusetts to make inquiries into
the situation of the various regiments from the State. At the same
time, Maj. Richardson returned to the regiment, although not having
recovered from the severe illness with which he had been suffering.
The Thirty Eighth was not allowed to remain long in the rear. As
soon as the approach of night shrouded the movement from the foe,
the line was formed in the edge of the woods; and, cautiously
marching past the batteries, taking especial care that no loose
dipper should notify the enemy of an approach, the regiment passed
unharmed over the road where it had met with such a hot reception,
and took its old position in the ravines. This time, the blankets
and shelter-tents were taken; and they were arranged so as to afford
some protection from the rays of the sun. Upon entering the woods on
the morning of the assault, the knapsacks had been left in charge of
a guard, and the men had gone into the fight with no incumbrance but
their haversacks and canteens; and thus for three days they remained
in the ravines in front of the works, with no shelter from the sun or
rain.
The rations were cooked in the woods; and volunteers went from the
quarters, and carried them to the several companies. While doing
this, they were exposed to the fire of sharpshooters from behind the
works, who had obtained a complete range of the road travelled by the
ration-bearers, and who never failed to send their compliments, when
they saw the coffee and meat on its way to the ravines; and in this
way one member of the regiment was killed, and one wounded.
Not knowing at what moment the enemy might sally out from his
works, and attempt to force his way through the lines, and thus
escape an inevitable surrender from want of food, the troops in
the ravines were obliged to exercise strict vigilance, especially
during the night. Pickets were thrown out on the road, and one-half
of the regiment kept awake while the other slept, all with their
equipments on, and with loaded rifles by their side, ready for
battle at the first note of alarm; but the rebels, either doubting
the practicability of a successful attack upon the Union lines, or
waiting for outside assistance from Johnson, remained in their works,
contenting themselves with sending a few shells and shot occasionally
over the heads of the troops in the ravines. One rebel gun, the “Lady
Davis,” was particularly active in this work, and generally sent a
few of her noisy messengers in the vicinity of the Thirty Eighth
every evening.