MILITARY: One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Second Regiment, Bucktail Brigade, Chapter 8 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 An html version of 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. 60 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER VIII. TO THE FRONT - BELLE PLAIN. AT last, about the middle of February, came the welcome order to join the Army of the Potomac. Shortly before, the regimental camp had been fixed on North Capitol Street, a few squares north of the Baltimore and Ohio Depot, and here the several companies - except K, which remained at the White House - were again brought together before the start for the front. On the 14th the various details were relieved from guard duty, and hurriedly packed and disposed of their surplus "belongings", so as to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Three days' rations were prepared and distributed the same day. On the morning of the 15th, the 149th and 150th gathered on the banks of the Potomac, and after much delay embarked on the steam-transport "Louisiana". The morning was raw and gloomy, but both officers and men were in great feather at the idea of going to the front, and an incessant fire of jokes well reflected their state of feeling. Rain, followed by a light snow, had fallen in the night, and the tread of eleven hundred pairs of muddy shoes (for that was about the strength of the combined regiments) soon covered the decks and cabins with a disagreeable coating of slime. A slow but pleasant run of six hours brought the boat to Aquia Creek at nightfall, where it was announced that the troops would remain on board until morning. The "Louisiana" offered rather limited accommodations for so many men, and with all the authority exercised by the non-commissioned officers, aided by an occasional visit from the "line", the "high privates" could not be prevented PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 61 from indulging in such practical joking and such outbursts of hilariousness that, even to those who desired and needed rest, sleep was practically impossible. On the morning of the 16th, after more or less ineffectual efforts to remove the evidences of miscellaneous huddling on pasty floors, the entire force was transshipped on smaller boats and landed at Belle Plain, where it was soon joined by the 151st Pennsylvania, which had come down on another transport, nearly a thousand strong. Ranks were presently formed, and the 150th filed through the mud and over the hills, past Fort Thunderbolt, to a small grove of stunted pines on a hillside about two and a half miles inland. Here the regiment halted, stacked arms, and prepared to encamp. The 149th and 151st, which followed a little later, found positions to their liking in groves of larger trees nearby. On the same day the three regiments were brigaded together, under the command of Colonel Roy Stone, of the 149th, forming the Second Brigade of the Third Division, First Army Corps. The evening was mild and pleasant, and, sitting around their bright camp-fires, the men, pleased with their new experience and with the visits of old friends who had passed the winter in the field, made the woods resound with patriotic songs and cheers, until the inexorable "taps" drove them to their quarters. During the night a snow-storm set in, which continued until the following day, covering the ground to a depth of several inches. It was a rude welcome to the field, especially as the men had no better protection than the small "shelter" tents. Again, on the night of the 21st, they were visited by a still heavier fall of snow, accompanied by a searching wind, which lasted through the whole of the following day and night, until the earth was blanketed fourteen inches deep. For Virginia this was almost a record-breaker. On the morning of the 22d, in the midst of the storm, nearly one-half of the regiment was detailed for picket service on a 62 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH line some miles distant, and for the first time began to realize how much pleasanter, after all, was their humdrum duty, with comfortable quarters, in the city of Washington. That evening, probably on the recommendation of competent medical authority, orders were sent down through the "proper channels" to distribute a ration of whisky to the men, - an article previously unnamed in the scanty list of gratuitous luxuries from time to time supplied by the commissary department. So far as the men in camp were concerned, it was an easy thing to make the distribution; but with night descending, a foot of snow on the ground, obliterating all roads and paths, the snow still falling, and no guide to the picket line, how was the cheering beverage to be parcelled out to those walking their lonely beats on the banks of the Rappahannock, or across the broad acres of the rebel Secretary of War, Seddon, whither the line stretched in its irregular windings? The determination and genius of the regimental quartermaster, Voorhis, were equal to the emergency. Summoning to his assistance one or two of the most faithful of his non-commissioned staff, and accepting Lieutenant Beckwith, of G Company, as a volunteer aide, the whiskey was transferred to canteens and these divided among the party, who, equipped as for arctic explorations, and mounted upon the choicest animals at the quartermaster's disposal, set out in the darkness on their mission of mercy. Lieutenant Beckwith was naturally the leader of the expedition. Long experience in the mountains and lumber-camps of Pennsylvania had familiarized him with the work of following trails, and, but for the wind and blinding storm, he would probably have led his little band with unerring directness to its destination. Here his woodcraft was comparatively unavailing. Roads and by-paths were utterly erased by the masses of drifting snow, and not a landmark was known to any of the party to aid them in following a fixed direction. As a consequence, they strayed, - strayed widely, - and only PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 63 after hours of toilsome wandering, during which it became necessary to draw on their supplies for bodily warmth and spiritual encouragement, were they successful in stumbling on on e of the sentinels and obtaining information which enabled them to reach the reserve. Here they were welcomed with becoming warmth, especially when the object of their visit became known, and rumor runs that, either from sudden joy at the discovery of their comrades or excessive thankfulness at their escape from unseen dangers, one or two of the gallant little band were quite "too full for utterance". The portion of the command which had been left in camp was not idle, even during the storm, but busied itself with the axe among the young pines, preparing material for permanent housekeeping. The pickets, who returned after a tour of duty lasting two days, at once joined in this important work, and before many days had gone by the entire regiment was snugly settled in huts that defied the winter weather. The inclement season was unusually prolonged that year, Sergeant Edward B. Fowler noting the fact in his pocket diary that there were snow-storms March 19th and 20th, on the night of March 31st, and April 4th and 5th - the last date being Easter Sunday. In the absence of Colonel Stone, Colonel Wister assumed command of the brigade on the 17th, by order of General Doubleday, Adjutant Ashhurst performing the duties of acting assistant adjutant-general. Lieutenant Charles P. Keyser replaced the latter as acting adjutant. A plentiful crop of orders began to appear, and the officers who handled the pen at brigade and regimental headquarters had no sinecure. On the 19th of February, the 143d Pennsylvania, Colonel E. L. Dana, of Wilkesbarre, commanding, arrived from Washington and replaced the 151st, which was transferred to the First Brigade. The 135th Pennsylvania, Colonel Porter, had also been added to the same brigade, which then consisted of 64 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH four regiments, including, in addition to the two already named, the 121st Pennsylvania, Colonel Chapman Biddle, and the 142d Pennsylvania, Colonel Robert P. Cummins. The division, which was commanded by Major-General Abner Doubleday, contained at that time but two brigades, - seven regiments in all, and all Pennsylvanians. Colonel Stone arrived on the 19th and took command of the Second Brigade, relieving Colonel Wister. At his urgent instance, Major Chamberlin consented to act as assistant adjutant-general until everything should be in good working order, and occupied the position for the next two or three weeks. The colonel had been married quite recently, and his wife came to share his quarters as soon as they were established. Between the issuing of orders to his brigade and his attentions to his estimable spouse, Colonel Stone was one of the busiest and happiest officers in the Army of the Potomac. As soon as the camp was in thoroughly good condition and the snow had disappeared from the ground, as it did in less than a week, the drills of the 150th became almost incessant. The mornings were usually devoted to company exercises, superintended by one of the field-officers. These were followed by skirmish movements, in which several companies participated, every movement being regulated first by verbal command and then by the corresponding bugle notes, until the men were sufficiently familiar with the latter to dispense with oral orders. A portion of the afternoon was occupied with regimental drill, in which the utmost possible precision was aimed at in executing each order, whether in the manual of arms or in the active field manoeuvres. As a consequence, the progress of the regiment was rapid, and its discipline was soon in marked contrast with that of some of the older commands. Of the old troops in the neighborhood, it was painfully evident that many had lost spirit, and that the enthusiasm of the entire MAJOR-GENERAL ABNER DOUBLEDAY. [portrait] PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 65 army had been seriously tempered by the total failure of the operations tinder General Burnside. The appointment of General Hooker to succeed him did something to correct this depression, but for several weeks the weather was such that the men were compelled to remain in idleness in their camps, and the influence of the new commander could not be felt. Regimental officers seemed to share in the moral fatigue which followed Fredericksburg and the mud march, and, when days of sunshine occurred and the ground was sufficiently firm for drilling, were slow to take advantage of the opportunity to exercise and improve their commands. Colonel Stone's brigade was not permitted to lapse into this condition of demoralizing repose, and from the moment of its arrival at Belle Plain might reasonably have complained of too much hard work and too few holidays. The good effects of this constant activity were speedily apparent to the rank and file, and their daily duties were performed with such cheerfulness and zeal that their example seemed to grow contagious. In adjacent camps the sound of drum and bugle began to be heard at unwonted hours. The lethargy which had fettered them gradually yielded to a spirit of emulation, and drills became the order of the day on every hand. It must not be inferred from what has been hinted of an obvious loss of enthusiasm on the part of many of the old troops that they were wanting in patriotic impulse, or at all mutinous in their disposition, or sceptical as to the final outcome of the conflict, or that their courage was in the slightest degree attainted. Their condition was the natural result of a rebound from too great tension of mind and body in a campaign which had taxed their utmost powers and ended in disaster. They were exhausted and dazed. Under other circumstances their recovery would have been rapid, if not immediate. A few days of rest and then a resumption of the usual company, battalion, and brigade exercises in the open field, under a clear 66 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH sky, would have effected a perfect cure. But circumstances were unfavorable. Long-continued rains and alternate freezings and thawings had converted the camping-ground of the army into a vast mud-hole, which thwarted the plans and intentions of its commanders and doomed the men to almost absolute inaction. The roads over which the supplies for this immense force had to be hauled were like mortar-beds, of such depth and consistency, in places, that both wagons and teams were in danger of being swallowed up; and, indeed, many a poor mule, bearing on his flanks the initials of his country, sank in the red ooze, never to rise again. But for the corduroying, which had been extensively resorted to on the principal highways, the work of feeding such an army would have presented almost insuperable difficulties. As it was, the problem of properly provisioning the several corps rested like a nightmare on the minds of both officers and men of the subsistence department, driving them at times to the very verge of lunacy. Apropos of the roads, Adjutant Ashhurst says, "The principal avenue of communication between the various divisions, and with army headquarters, was a corduroy road, built in a long, deep gully or watercourse, which was aptly nicknamed the 'Valley of the Shadow of Death'. It was probably the worst corduroy ever known. Its sides were strewn with the skeletons of dead horses and mules, and so rotten were many of its logs, and so full was it of holes, that the rider who ventured to traverse it involuntarily breathed a prayer that his own and the bones of his steed might not be added to those which already garnished it. But such as it was, until the sun began to dry the hillsides and valleys, this dreary route was the best and almost the only practicable highway connecting the flanks of the army". This was the condition of things at the time of the arrival of the 150th, whose members were therefore not surprised, while picking their way to their proposed camp, to be accosted by some of the weather-stained veterans with such remarks as, PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 67 "No more Sunday soldiering, boys". "You'll soon get enough of it". "Wait till you've had a mud march or two!" A few bright, clear days in the latter part of February, and long spells of sunny weather in March, worked a marvelous change. With them came the dry ground and the general activity which proved to be the medicine needed by the troops to stimulate their relaxed energies and restore to their former healthy and aggressive tone their jaded spirits. The mind and hand of the new chief began to reach out to every portion of his command, repairing and reshaping the great military machine intrusted to his care, on which the hopes of the country so largely centred. All went well.