MILITARY: One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Second Regiment, Bucktail Brigade, Chapter 23 Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB & JP Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm Table of contents for the book with graphics, may be found at http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/military/cw/150-bucktails/150-bucktails.htm ________________________________________________ HISTORY OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH REGIMENT PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS, SECOND REGIMENT, BUCKTAIL BRIGADE. BY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL THOMAS CHAMBERLIN, HISTORIAN OF THE SURVIVORS ASSOCIATION. REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION, WITH COMPLETE ROSTER. PHILADELPHIA: F. McMANUS, JR. & CO., PRINTERS, 1905. CHAPTER XXIII. FORT SEDGWICK (OR "HELL") - MAKING CONVERTS - WELDON RAILROAD. PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 267 BETWEEN eight and nine o'clock on the evening of June 10th, Warren's troops were relieved by Burnside's corps, a colored division taking the place of Griffin's, which latter marched to corps headquarters and bivouacked. On the morning of the 21st the division moved towards the left, and, as Elvidge somewhat disapprovingly remarks, "After fooling around all day, landed within about a mile from where it started". After dark an advance was made, the 150th occupying its usual position as skirmishers, and pushing through a wood filled with undergrowth, with here and there a patch of swamp to add to the unpleasantness of the movement. Major Jones, with the rough experience of June 18th still fresh in his mind, speaks of it as the "ugliest duty performed for some time". In his front, disputing the way, was a rebel line, the flash of whose muskets could be seen at every discharge, and the sound of whose bullets, cutting through the magnolia bushes, was multiplied a hundredfold. At last his line rested at the point which had previously been agreed upon - a certain clump of bushes - where in a very short time rose the commanding earthwork named "Sedgwick", in honor of the fallen general, but which was speedily dubbed "Fort Hell" by the enemy, and has ever since retained that appellation. The night was spent in constructing a strong line parallel with the Petersburg and Jerusalem road. Nothing of any great importance occurred to the 150th, now, for two or three weeks. A few brief extracts from Elvidge's lively diary, however, may prove interesting. 268 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH "June 25.----Craig, of Company B, has got back from wounded furlough. Our fellows and the rebs trading one minute and fighting the next. "June 26. - No firing along our front, as the pickets have made a bargain not to fire until one side or the other advances. "July 3. - Trading going on briskly. Fifteen rebs came into our lines yesterday. "July 4. - Lieutenant Kilgore returned to the regiment (he had been absent for many months on recruiting service). "July 6. - The Third division, Sixth Corps, marched to City Point, on the way - it is supposed - to Maryland, to meet the Johnnies. "July10 - It is reported that both Longstreet and Ewell, with Lee in command (an error, so far as Longstreet and Lee are concerned), are in Pennsylvania, and that Lew Wallace has met and repulsed them (also a mistake). The raid is made for provision, and with a view to draw Grant from here. Rebs put a tax on all the towns passed through by them. Secretary Chase has resigned. Lincoln again put up for President. "July 11. - The latest news informs us that Lew Wallace has been obliged to retreat towards Baltimore, with the rebs in full pursuit. General Tyler a prisoner. The raid seems to be of far greater importance than was at first attached to it. "Good news! The rebel privateer 'Alabama' was sunk off the French coast by the 'Kearsarge', commanded by Captain Winslow." These extracts are useful as giving some account of a movement, under General Early, which created a violent commotion in the North and for a few days exposed the national capital to serious danger of capture. They also furnish an opportunity of recalling to mind the absent company of the 150th - Company K -which continued to serve as the President's bodyguard, but which, on Early's approach, helped to man the outlying fortifications of Washington, and had on that occasion PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 269 its only genuine whiff of burnt powder. This is stated with no intention of casting reproach upon Company K, which did only what a thousand other companies would have been glad to do, had the President's favor alighted in the same manner upon them. To resume the extracts: "July 14. - Arrangements were made that two Florida brigades should come over and give themselves up. Everything being perfect on our side, the signals agreed upon were given; but the plan was found out and frustrated by the rebel officers, and, after waiting several hours in vain, we gave the thing up as a bad job." Corporal William H. Hirst and Private Jesse M. Smith, of Company I, were wounded on this date. "July 15. - Although the two brigades did not get in last night, about eight hundred from different regiments came in along the line of our brigade. Their army seems to be very much demoralized, the men making a break at every opportunity." Corporal George Hopkins, of Company F, was wounded on the 15th. Elvidge's statement needs a little pruning. But one brigade from Florida was connected with the Army of Northern Virginia, consisting of the 2d, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th regiments, commanded by Brigadier-General Joseph Finegan. The number of those who came in on the night of the 14th was doubtless considerably below eight hundred, though quite large enough to seriously reduce the strength of the brigade. Much of the missionary work expended upon Finegan's command was performed by a few men of the 150th, prominent among whom were Private Henry K. Lukens and Corporal Cornelius Slack, of Company E. Both of these were full of the spirit of adventure, and perhaps as innocent of fear as it is possible for men to be. In other respects they differed widely. 270 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH Lukens was quiet and self-contained, with rigid ideas of duty, and penetrated by a profound patriotism which urged him to deeds beyond the ordinary requirements of the service. Combining good judgment with earnestness and sincerity of manner, he was well fitted to favorably impress those upon whom his influence was brought to bear. Slack, on the other hand, was of a rollicking disposition - one of the happy-go-lucky kind, who take nothing seriously, and view life as a sort of variety entertainment, where each performer propounds his conundrum and cracks his joke. As may be imagined, he was full of wit, and charged to the muzzle with amusing anecdotes, which made him a welcome corner in any gathering of his fellows. Shrewdness he had also in an extraordinary degree, and this and his inexhaustible good-humor had helped him out of many a tight place. The two men were admirably qualified to supplement each other's efforts in the work of gaining converts from the enemy, which they now undertook. Finegan's Floridians manned the pits opposite the front of Tilton's (late Stone's) brigade, and - as stated by Elvidge - the pickets, by common consent, used no powder and ball, except when an advance was made by one side or the other. Under this favorable condition of affairs it was not long before trading became an absorbing passion along the line. The chief articles of barter on the Union side were coffee, sugar and salt, for which the rebels eagerly exchanged their abundant supply of tobacco; and newspapers also readily found their way from one line to the other. With the rebels the illustrated weeklies, such as Harper's and Frank Leslie's, were in great demand, and ruled high in the price-list. In the course of their mercantile transactions, Lukens, Slack and others finally went into the enemy's pits, on the assurance that they would not be molested, and were soon on a most friendly footing with their Southern neighbors. The venture was repeated many times without a single unpleasant incident, PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 271 and they were not long in discovering that, if the Florida troops ever had any heart in the war, they were now beginning to be very sick of it. Many of them expressed themselves frankly to that effect. Here was an opportunity not to be lost. Lukens calmly suggested that they had better come over. They replied that if they did so they feared they would be forced into the Union ranks, it being currently reported in Lee's army that such was the intention of the Federal government. Major Jones was promptly informed of these visits to the rebel pits, and of the state of feeling existing there. He at once reported the facts to the next higher authorities, and they were not long in reaching the ears of General Warren, commanding the corps. The general sent for Lukens, and, after questioning him thoroughly, gave him a "roving commission", with full authority to pass through the lines when and where he pleased. He was also supplied with numerous copies of a proclamation issued by the President, granting amnesty to all persons in armed rebellion who should give themselves up. In subsequent visits to the rebel line he distributed these freely, and they speedily began to produce their effect. One evening he brought in five deserters with their arms, another evening four, and so on until there were between twenty and thirty to his credit. On his ninth and last expedition some of the rebels said to him, "You won't go back to your lines." "Why not ?" he asked. "Because we're going to send you to Richmond." "To Richmond ? You wouldn't go back on a fellow like that ?" "Yes, sir! You don't return to your lines!" Just then a sergeant, with whom his negotiations had been chiefly carried on, stepped up, exclaiming, "What's that?" "These men say they are going to send me to Richmond." 272 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH "I reckon not! This man has traded fair with us, and has done the square thing right through, and back to his own lines he goes, and no nonsense about it!" Detailing two men to accompany him, the sergeant sent him back without further ado. Other missionaries had been at work on the same portion of the line, and that night it was agreed that on the following evening, at a given signal, the whole brigade, or as much of it as could be won over, should make a "rush for freedom" in a body. The signal was to be two rockets from the fort next to the left of the position of the 150th, and instructions were passed along the Fifth Corps lines not to fire when the rush came. At the same time, for fear of possible treachery, the troops were to stand to arms, ready to repel any attack that might be undertaken under cover of this promised desertion. As mentioned by Elvidge, the plan was discovered in time to be frustrated, though an important fraction of the brigade succeeded in reaching the Union lines, singly and in squads. Lukens, who was subsequently promoted to be first sergeant of his company, and before final muster-out was commissioned captain, fully deserves the government medal of honor for his part in this dangerous work, as well as for other distinguished services. During his army career he captured, in various actions, no less than eighteen of the enemy, among them one or two commissioned officers. Corporal (subsequently sergeant) William Adams, of Company H, who also took an active part in visiting the rebel pickets and urging them to enter the Union lines, says that in an interview with two of his "converts", after they had come over, they informed him that they had shortly before drawn four months' pay, with which they had visited Richmond in order to have a "royal good time". The net result was a square meal apiece, and, in the haversack of one, three small PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 273 loaves of bread, while the other contained two. "No wonder" - says Adams - "they deserted!" Fatigue duty on Fort Tilton and the sunken roads leading to it occupied the regiment during the latter half of July. The fort was practically completed on the 21st, and on the 23d the subway leading into it received the finishing touches. On the 29th, in the early evening, six thirty-two-pounders, a four-gun battery of brass Napoleons, and a battery of rifled Parrotts were run into the fort, forming an armament of fourteen pieces. Here George P. Ryan, of Company C, had a "narrow call", just before the guns were put in position, but escaped with a slight wound. He had received permission to cut down a beautiful, solitary pine which had been left standing in the work, and use it in constructing a bomb-proof. To quote his own words:- "I had it half chopped through, when a recruit from some other regiment came up and asked me how soon the cannon would be put in the fort. I told him he had better get out or he would hear from a rebel cannon. While speaking, a shell exploded just over the outer wall, one piece taking the heart out of the recruit - in fact, tearing out his entire chest - while another large piece cut across my back, carrying away the back of my coat, cutting off my suspenders, ripping out a portion of my shirt, and laying open skin and flesh so that the blood flowed nicely. The force and scare, combined with a jump, carried me eighteen feet down over the breastworks into Company H, landing me on my feet. Well, my clothes got the most of the wound, and the tree still stood there when we left." On the 30th of July the famous mine excavated by the 48th Pennsylvania, under the superintendence of Lieutenant-Colonel Pleasants, was sprung, and an effort made by Burnside's corps, assisted by other troops, to carry the rebel works and capture Petersburg. Great expectations had been based upon this un- 274 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH dertaking, but, from causes which it would be useless to detail, none of them were realized. The movement, in which General Burnside was most prominent, proved an utter failure, and the loss of life was sickening. In this affair the 150th had no part, except as spectators of the furious cannonade which preceded the charge. On the 10th of August an indiscretion on the part of a staff-officer of the brigade occasioned a sudden fire of rebel guns upon the works occupied by the regiment, by which Captain John H. Harter, of Company D, sustained painful injuries, and Privates James Brown and Isaiah Dewees, of Company A, were also wounded, the former severely. The officer referred to, in showing some visiting friends the fort, was thoughtless enough to remove the "coffee bags" from the embrasures in the front, to enable them to see what a fine range the batteries had of the rebel works. Instantly the nearest rebel batteries, anticipating the supposed intentions of the "Yankees", let loose a storm of iron, with the unfortunate result mentioned. On the 15th the Second division of the Ninth Corps replaced the troops of Griffin, and the latter marched back into the woods and encamped at division headquarters, preparatory to the first movement against the Weldon Railroad. On the 18th the Fifth Corps was called up at two o'clock in the morning, and marched at four, the 150th being deployed as skirmishers as soon as the cavalry outposts were passed. The enemy's pickets were soon encountered and driven beyond the railroad, the regiment capturing a large number of the men at the reserve posts, when these were reached. Adjutant Wright, speaking of the occurrences of the day, says, "From the time the rebel picket reserve was routed until we had the Weldon road and telegraph line disabled, we had nothing but fun. After some delay at the railroad we advanced far enough beyond to give timely warning of the approach of a hostile body strong enough to retake the road. Several PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 275 times the rebels tried it, but were driven back, even before our troops were up in force.. . . . When we first took the Weldon Railroad there were no other troops with us. We tore up a few rails and had the telegraph wires bent as near the ground as the weight of a man could bring them, when a company of cavalry came along and cut the wires with their sabres". While the 150th and the rest of Tilton's brigade got along so satisfactorily, Ayres's and Crawford's divisions, operating about a mile farther up the railroad, were attacked by two brigades of Heth's division, which, penetrating the thick underbrush, struck Dushane's Maryland brigade unexpectedly and utterly routed it. Ayres quickly drew back his line to avoid being doubled up by the flank, and then, pressing forward rapidly, beat back the attacking force in confusion. On the morning of the 19th, General Mahone, advancing through the thick woods, with whose topography he was entirely familiar, easily broke through Bragg's (Iron Brigade) skirmish line, and, swinging to the right, swept down Craw-ford's line, gathering in most of his skirmishers and a great part of two or three of his regiments. The rest of his division, and also a portion of Ayres's command, were compelled to fall back some distance, when they were re-formed by General Warren and, after checking the enemy's victorious movement, pushed to the front again, retaking the ground which had been lost. While things were at sixes and sevens in consequence of Mahone's skilful manoeuvre, Tilton's brigade of Pennsylvanians was withdrawn from the advanced position which it had held during the night, and hurried to the right to assist in turning defeat into victory. Adjutant Wright says of the operations of the 150th, "Our right flank was beaten, and the regiment was taken from the left front to resist the advance of the so far victorious enemy on the right. Major Jones cannot forget General Griffin's repeated appeals to us to stand, recounting how 'a line of Pennsylvanians was just so placed at 276 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH Malvern Hill, without a spadeful of earth in front of them, and did their work splendidly', - just as we did when the rebels came. Their victorious charge of but a short time previous captured the two regiments of the re-enlisted Pennsylvania Reserve almost to a man - Wolf, Hartshorn, Weidler, etc. After the repulse the belated divisions of the Ninth Corps got there, and we were relieved. The next day we had the satisfaction of having the enemy undertake the recapture of the Weldon Railroad, when, for the first time in my experience, we had the protection of good breastworks. It is needless to say they were disastrously defeated". This last repulse of the enemy, to which the adjutant refers, occurred on the 21st, not on the 10th. Wilcox's and White's divisions of the Ninth Corps, although tardy in appearing on the 19th, came into play after the enemy's successful progress had been stayed, and, attacking with spirit, drove Mahone's exulting troops back to their intrenchments in great disorder. On the 10th, General Warren selected and fortified a line a mile or more in rear of the previous day's battle-ground, in a more open country, and here he was assaulted on the morning of the 21st by a formidable force under command of General A. P. Hill. The latter's corps was assisted by Mahone's and Hoke's divisions, and many batteries participated in the attack, but every attempt to take or turn the works proved ineffectual. The 150th; with the other regiments of the brigade, occupied an advantageous position on the extreme left, and somewhat to the rear of the main line, screened by trees from the observation of the enemy. Mahone's troops, in their advance, thinking they were turning the Union left, unexpectedly stumbled upon the defences manned by Tilton's brigade, and received a rude awakening. A galling fire from the 150th and the other PENNSYLVANIA regiments arrested their progress and seemed to paralyze them, while a flank fire from the works on the right and farther to the front completed their demoralization. It PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 277 was here that some hundreds of Hagood's rebel command were taken prisoners and several battle-flags captured. After nightfall Tilton's brigade moved farther to the left and built breastworks. In order to complete the destruction of the Weldon Railroad, and increase Lee's difficulties in obtaining supplies for his army by that route, Hancock's corps and Gregg's cavalry were sent farther south on the 22d, and tore up the track for a distance of three miles beyond Ream's Station. On the 25th these troops were attacked by Hill's corps, assisted by Anderson's brigade, of Longstreet's command, and Hampton's cavalry, and a severe battle ensued, in which the enemy had decidedly the advantage, taking nearly two thousand prisoners, together with nine guns and several stands of colors. Hancock's forces were withdrawn at dark, as the further destruction of the road at that time was out of the question; but Warren kept his hold at the Globe Tavern, intrenched thoroughly, and the enemy never regained control of the road. On the 6th of August the mean strength of the regiment, as reported by Hospital Steward Kieffer, was one hundred and sixty-four. On the 27th of the same month it had fallen to one hundred and twenty-eight. In the affair at the Weldon Railroad the regiment lost but one killed - Corporal Cornelius Slack, of Company E, whose part in the effort to win over the Florida brigade has been set forth in this chapter. Among the wounded was Lieutenant Kilgore, of Company A. A complete list of the wounded is not obtainable.