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Civil War:
History of the Fourteenth Infantry 1861-1890 |
586
FOURTEENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY.
By COLONEL THOMAS M. ANDERSON, U. S. A., FOURTEENTH
INFANTRY.
"When one of the newly organized battalions of
the Regular Brigade of the Army of the Potomac reported to Colonel Buchanan,
he said to its commander: "Sir, your men look like volunteers!" The reply
was—"That is just what they are." The veteran martinet rejoined, "I will make
them Regulars"—and that is what he did.
"This little dialogue gives the history, in
brief, of the nine infantry regiments added to the Army in 1861. Nearly all
the officers were appointed from civil life; the men were specially enlisted
for their regiments and, generally, for designated companies by their company
officers.
"The War Department tried to assign as many
experienced officers and as many old soldiers as possible to the new
organizations, with the intent that they should act as organizers and
instructors. It was hoped that enough could be assigned to leaven the mass and
thus make the new regiments reasonably efficient in a short time. But out of
eight West Point graduates sent to the 14th Infantry, only three went with the
regiment to the field; the others were assigned to other duties; four as
brigadier-generals of volunteers.
"All the new organizations had about the same
experience. The volunteer element was predominant, but by precept, example and
environment they soon acquired the traditions and spirit of the old Army
without losing the zeal, enthusiasm and resource of the volunteer soldier.
"In one of the first battles of the Rebellion,
an old officer watched one of the new regiments as it went forward, under a
withering fire, with a cheer. The veteran smiled grimly, and said, "They act
like mustangs, but they fight like men."
"The 14th Infantry was organized under the
President's proclamation of May 4, 1861, which was confirmed by an act of
Congress Of July 29th of the same year. Twice before a regiment designated as
14th Infantry had been organized in our Service. The first in the
War of 1812. Besides its field officers, it had its full complement
of captains, first, second and third lieutenants, its ensigns, surgeons and
surgeon's mates; most of these officers were commissioned from Maryland.
"Its first colonel was
Wm. H. Winder, who having been appointed a brigadier-general in March,
1813, was succeeded by
Col. Charles G. Boerstler, who had been the first lieutenant-colonel.
"The regiment in whole or in part was in the
engagements at
Fort Niagara, Frenchman Creek, the capture of
Fort George, at Beaver Dams, Chrystler's Fields, De Cole Mill, Chippewa and Cook's Mills.
587
"
The
roster of this original 14th Infantry will be given in an addenda, but
there was one officer who fought under its banner, who deserves more than
passing notice. Among the young ensigns of the regiment was one
John A. Dix. He fought gallantly through the second
war with Great Britain and did not resign from the Army until 1828.
While the Mexican War was being carried on, he was a United States Senator
from the State of New York. An attempt was made to have the grade of
lieutenant-general established so that President Polk could appoint a
political favorite to the command of the Army over General Winfield Scott. It
was by the exertions of
General Dix, that this partisan scheme was frustrated and that the
hero of
Lundy's Lane and Chippewa received the command of the
Army which invaded Mexico from Vera Cruz. Fifteen years later the ex-ensign of the 14th Infantry was a member of the
reconstructed cabinet of James Buchanan as Secretary of the Treasury. Just before the secession of Louisiana,
information came to the Capitol, that the
fire-eaters of New Orleans were threatening to pull down the National
flag from over the Custom House. An
answer was flashed back which thrilled the country like a bugle call. "If any man attempts to haul down the American flag,
shoot him on the spot," (signed)
John
A. Dix. The lessons learned by the young subaltern of 1812 were not
forgotten by the grey haired statesman of 1861.*
"The
14th Infantry was again organized in April, 1847, under an act of
Congress, passed and approved the preceding February.
"The colonel was
Wm. Trousdale of Tennessee. The lieutenant-colonel,
Paul O. Hebert of Louisiana, a graduate of the Military Academy and a
lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. The major of the regiment, was
Charles Wickliff.
"With three exceptions the officers of the
regiment were appointed from Louisiana and Tennessee.
"As the organization of the regiment was not
completed until the 9th of April, it did not join General Scott's column in
time to take part in the siege of Vera Cruz
or the battle of Cerro Gordo, but joined
the main army at Puebla early in June,
1847. It was assigned to Cadwallader's Brigade of Pillow's Division. Their
brigade consisted of the Voltigeurs, the 11th and 14th Infantry.
"They took a conspicuous part in the
Battle of Contreras on the 19th and
20th of August. On the 19th with their brigade they held the village of Contreras from daylight until
dark under the fire of Valencia's entire division, the most thorough baptism
of fire new troops ever received. That night they marched through a break in
the Mexican line and up a ravine that led them directly in rear of the Mexican
position. When the charge was made in the morning the battle lasted seventeen
minutes and the pursuit four hours. A pleasant little episode for the 14th was
the repulse of a charge of lancers. From
Contreras, Pillow's division hastened over to support Worth in his
attack on
Churubusco. The 14th participated in
no less than four attacks that day. It fought also at Molino del Rey, at
Chapultepec, and the storming of the
San Cosmo gate.
*"It is interesting to note, that his father,
Timothy Dix, was made the lieutenant-colonel of the 14th Infantry in 1813,
and that his son, Chas. T. Dix, was
commissioned as a lieutenant of the new 14th in the War of the Rebellion.
588
"The engineer officer who indicated to the 14th
its line of attack at
Contreras was Lieutenant Beauregard;
a battery they supported for a time at
Chapultepec was commanded by
Lieut. Thomas J. Jackson; the engineer officer who led the way over the San Cosmo causeway was Capt. Robert E.
Lee, and the officer who marched with them in command of a platoon of sappers
and miners to the San Cosmo gate was Lt. Geo. B. McClellan."
"There's a divinity that shapes
our ends.
Rough hew them how we will."
"
The
colonel, lieutenant-colonel and five other officers of the Fourteenth were
breveted for conspicuous gallantry in the battles in the valley of Mexico.
"On the 29th of July, 1848, this splendid regiment was disbanded, and its
battle-stained banners laid away in dust and darkness.
THE CIVIL WAR
After the call for 75,000 volunteers in 1861, the Chief Magistrate
deemed it expedient also to increase the strength of the Regular Army. To meet
the question of reorganization, a board was appointed by the President,
consisting of the Hon. S. P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury; Maj. Irvin
McDowell, Assistant Adjutant-General; and Capt. William B. Franklin of the
Engineers. The military members proposed a three-battalion organization of
eight companies each for the infantry regiments. They recommended an addition
of one regiment of artillery, one of cavalry and nine of infantry. This would
have given 57 battalions for the last named branch of the Service.
"Mr. Chase concurred, but Congress, in passing
the act of July 29, only made the three-battalion scheme to apply to the nine
new regiments. It must be understood that as to the general war policy of his
administration, Mr. Lincoln of course consulted his Cabinet, but advised
freely with General Scott, Adjutant-General Thomas, and as Mr. Welles has it
in his memoirs, "a young man named Meigs."
"The organization of the 14th Infantry followed
promptly the President's proclamation. The headquarters of the regiment was
fixed at Fort Trumbull, Conn., and the
first order, temporarily assigning officers appointed to date May 14th to
companies, was issued on the 8th of July, 1861. This order was signed by
Lieut.-Col. John F. Reynolds, who organized the new regiment and was its
first commander.
"The colonel,
Chas. P. Stone, had already been made a brigadier general of volunteers,
and was serving at the time in General Patterson's army. He never joined the
regiment until the fall of 1864, and then only for one day.
"General
Stone had served as a lieutenant of ordnance in the Mexican War. He
resigned in 1856. In the trying period preceding the inauguration of Mr.
Lincoln, he was very active and zealous in organizing an improved command for
the defense of Washington. He was a refined, scholarly gentleman and an
accomplished officer. But he was "too full of the milk of human kindness to
catch the nearest way;" so it happened that he was probably more harshly dealt
with than any officer who ever held a commission in our Army.
"Lieutenant-Colonel
Reynolds was a veteran who had been in the Service since 1841.
589
"He had served in the Florida and Mexican wars,
and was destined to a soldier's death, commanding an army corps on the field
of Gettysburg. No better man could have been found to bind together the
heterogeneous elements of which a new regiment was compounded.
"He selected for his adjutant Lieut. Edwin F. Townsend
(now colonel of
the 12th Infantry) a West Point graduate who had resigned and gone into civil
pursuits, but who had again accepted a lieutenant's commission when the War
broke out; a position by no means commensurate with his merits, but which he
accepted from purely patriotic impulses.
"General
George Sykes, the senior major, did not report, but
Major G. R. Giddings and Major William
Williams reported promptly and were assigned to the 2d and 3d
battalions respectively.
"As fast as the captains and lieutenants came
they were assigned to recruiting stations, generally in the New England States
and New York.
"The first recruiting order was issued at Fort Trumbull, July 10, 1861.
"The first company was organized and put into
camp on the 17th of August. It was under the command of
Captain Samuel Ross, a veteran, who had joined the Army as a private in
1837. A second company was soon organized and assigned to
Captain Jonathan Hager. A battalion was organized, mustered and inspected
on August 31st, and
Lieut. W. R. Smedberg announced as adjutant.
"So far the organization had run smoothly, but
the regiment now met its first serious loss. Its lieutenant-colonel was made a
brigadier-general of volunteers, and its adjutant was promoted to a captaincy
in the 16th Infantry.
"Major
G. R. Giddings, who assumed command, was a son of the Hon. Joshua R.
Giddings, the abolition leader of Ohio.
Captains J. D. O'Connell and
David B. McKibbin, officers of experience, reported in time to take up the
good work. Of the civil appointees one,
Coppinger, had seen service abroad, having been an officer of Papal
Chasseurs. The other officers had little or no antecedent military training,
but they were, with few exceptions, men of such quick apprehension, zeal and
untiring application, that they learned their duties within a short time.
"Among the men who first enlisted there were a
number of well-trained soldiers; some of them had served in the old regiments
of our Army and others in some of the European armies. Many of these men won
commissions, and they all did much by precept and example to encourage the raw
recruits. Indeed their influence was invaluable, as they not only taught the
new men how to take care of themselves, but to make light of hardships.
"Some educated gentlemen enlisted for
commissions and won them soon. The men who won advancement in this honorable
way were Lieutenants
Perry,
Peck,
Choisy,
C. G. Smedberg,
J. K. Clay,
Vernon and Browning.
"So rapidly was the regiment recruited that
eight companies and the band were organized and sent by the middle of October
to Perryville, Md., where they went into Camp Stone, so-called, after their first
colonel.
"The battalion first organized was designated
the Second, as
General Sykes, the senior major, had been assigned to the command of the
1st Battalion, but had not reported.
590
"As
Major G. R. Giddings, the proper commandant of the 2d Battalion, was kept
back at
Fort Trumbull in command of the
regiment, the command of the battalion sent to Perryville devolved on the
senior captain,
J. D. O'Connell—universally known in the Army as "Paddy." He had served in
the old 2d Infantry from 1852 to 1861.
"The 14th Infantry owes a lasting debt of
gratitude to this noble man. He did more than any other officer to instruct it
and to instill into it principles of patriotism, self-sacrifice and devotion.
Captain O'Connell
was not "brilliant," he was better than that, for in the
best sense of the word he was a good man. He was single-minded and artless,
diligent, faithful and self-denying. With him the interests of the men came
first, the officers second and his own last.
"The health of the command was not good at
Camp Stone. This was attributed to bad
water and a lack of fresh vegetables.
"Sergeants
Henton, Bellows and
Loosley were promoted to lieutenants. Their advancement was a stimulus to
others. On Dec. 18th the headquarters of the regiment was established at
Camp Stone,
Major Giddings
in command, bringing Lieutenant Schuyler and King as
adjutant and quartermaster. One company of the 3d Battalion joined soon after. The rest of the winter was devoted to drills and instruction.
"On March 7th, 1862, Camp Stone was abandoned and the
regiment proceeded under orders, first to Washington and thence to Fairfax, Va., where they joined the
Regular Brigade under
General Sykes, in the Army of the Potomac,
on March 13th. Two days before the Confederate army had fallen back to the
south of the Rappahannock and on the day the 14th reported for duty in the
field, the President authorized the Peninsula
Campaign. Thus it happened that in a few
days the Regulars marched back to Alexandria,
Va., and made their preparations to embark on transports for Newport News.
Major Giddings, with headquarters, went back to Fort Trumbull. On March 27th nine
companies under the command of
Captain O'Connell embarked on a steamer at
Alexandria and on the 29th debarked at
Hampton, Va. From thence they marched with the rest of the brigade and
went into a camp near Yorktown, Va.,
April 4th.
"The regiment then formed a part of what was
called the "Infantry Reserve Brigade,"
which was made up of the 2d, 3d, 4th, 6th, and parts of the 10th, 17th, the
11th, 12th, 14th Infantry, and the 5th New York—Colonel Warren's regiment,
whose warriors were known from their Zouave dress as the "Red-legged Devils." The history of the brigade for the next month was that they worked in the
trenches at Yorktown.
"The 14th had now fallen under their senior
major, but in his capacity of brigade commander. It would have been hard to
find a better officer in the Army than
General Sykes; a Southerner by birth, he was so thoroughly and simply a
soldier, that he knew little of politics and cared less. His indifference to
all civil matters was a subject of surprise to the civilian appointees who
served with him.
"He was unsympathetic and methodical, a man of
details, diligent and untiring, but never hurried, never flurried; one of the
coolest men in danger or confusion that we had in the whole Army.
591
"He enforced discipline like a machine and had
apparently no more sentiment than a gun-stock.
"On the 30th of April, in compliance with an
order from the War Department, Cos. "A," "B," "C," "D," "F" and "H," 2d
Battalion, and Cos. "E" and "H" of the 3d Battalion, were transferred to and
designated as the 1st Battalion ; all retaining their letter designations
except "G," of the 3d, which became "G" of the 1st; "C" of the 3d became "C"
of the 2d, and was attached as a supernumerary company.
"On May the 8th the Confederates evacuated
Yorktown, and for the next six weeks the history of the regiment was as
uneventful as if it had remained at
Perryville. It took no part in the battle of Williamsburg, but marched slowly up the
Peninsula with the Army of the Potomac.
"About the 17th of May, when the command was in
camp at
Cumberland, the Reserve Brigade,
with the addition of the 10th N. Y. Vols., was formed into a division under
Sykes, which with a division of volunteer infantry under Morell, constituted
the 5th Provisional Corps under Maj.-Gen. Fitz John Porter.
"The 1st Brigade of the Regular Division was
under Lieut.-Col. Robert C. Buchanan, 4th Infantry, with Capt. Robert N. Scott
as A. A. General, and Lieutenants Van Rensselaer and Powell as aides-de-camp.
"The brigade was made up of the 3d Infantry,
Captain Wilkins, the 4th Infantry, Captain Collins, the 1st Battalion, 12th
Infantry, Major H. B. Clitz, and the nine companies of the 14th
Infantry,
Captain O'Connell.
"The 2d Brigade was under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Chapman, and was made up of the 2d, 6th, 10th, 17th and
11th Infantry and Warren's Brigade of his own, the 5th New York, and Colonel Bendix's 10th New York.
"Sykes' Division took no part in General
Porter's fight at Hanover, against Branch, or in the battle of Fair Oaks, but
remained quietly in camp, 26th May until the 26th of June. For two years the
history of the regiment will correspond closely with that of the brigade.
"No better account of the battle of
Gaines' Mill can be given than is given in
the Official Report No. 146, War of the Rebellion Records, S. 1. Vol. xi., p.
2, p. 369."
"HEADQUARTERS 1ST BATT. 14TH INFT.
CAMP NEAR JAMES RIVER, VA.,
July 4, 1862."
"SIR—In compliance with
instructions, headquarters of the brigade, I have the honor to submit the
following report:
June 27.-Ordered across the creek near
Gaines' Mill, and engaged the enemy about eleven o'clock, A. M.,
which continued till dark. The greater part of the day the battalion
occupied the right of the 12th Infantry. I was directed to throw back the
two right companies to protect the right flank. With this formation I
succeeded in driving the enemy clear from the field, following them up to
the woods where they suffered severely. I then retired to the crest of the
hill, about 200 yards from the woods in front, and saw that the 3d Infantry
was posted on the edge of the woods on my right flank, leaving some distance
between its left and my right. Here a severe fire was poured in on my right
flank from the woods, which caused me to change front and drive them from
592
that position. Again the enemy
renewed their fire in my front, when I changed front and completely routed
them, clearing them from the pine shrubbery in front of my position. I then
returned to the crest of the hill, and finding the 12th and 3d Infantry had
retired, that the enemy's infantry could not be seen, and that their
artillery had a true range of the battalion with their shells, I retired
also and took my position on the right of the 12th Infantry near the woods,
just below the house near Edwards' battery. From this point the battalion
received a severe fire from the woods, which was turned by the battalion,
slowly retiring in good order to the lane vigorously re near the house
referred to, where it took up and held a position until the troops were
drawn from the field. During this engagement five officers,—
Captain
McIntosh, Lieutenants
Sinclair,
McElhone, Lyon and
Hoover—were wounded, the last three badly. Eighteen enlisted men were
killed, 113 wounded, and 12 missing. The list of killed is probably greater
than here stated. The officers and men behaved well. At night crossed the Chickahominy and encamped on the
ground that had been occupied by the general headquarters near Savage Station.
* * * * *
July 1. —Participated in the battle fought near that camp (Malvern
Hill) having 1 man killed, 11 wounded and 1 missing. At night the
1st Brigade, which was in advance, formed the rear guard, and held the
position while the troops were withdrawn, and covered the movement of the
army to the rear.
Ju1y 3.—Moved to this camp.
At the battle of the 1st the battalion arrived just in time to engage a
regiment of the enemy, which was completely routed. The officers and men
behaved well.
Captain McKibbin, the
second in command, was everywhere his presence was required. The conduct on
both the above occasions is much to be admired. The company officers in
their places behaved in like manner. Lieutenant W—— absented himself from
the battalion on the evening of the 1st and did not join until near the
present camp and could not satisfactorily account to me for his absence from
the battalion. I am sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed) J. D. O'CONNELL,
Captain 14th Infantry, Commanding Battalion.
Lieutenant POWELL,
Adjutant 4th Infantry, A. A. A. G., First Brigade Sykes' Division.
P. S.—At the battle of July 1, the
battalion took 11 prisoners, who were disposed of as directed by the
division commander."
"Colonel Buchanan in his report of the seven
days says: "The two old regiments, the 3d and 4th, maintained their previous
reputation, and the new battalions, the 12th and 14th, earned one for
themselves." He complimented by name
Captains O'Connell and
McKibbin, as did also General Sykes.
"In his report of the battle of
Malvern, Sykes speaks with especial
commendation of three well directed vollies which the 14th Infantry poured
into a Confederate brigade, charging near the close of the battle, from the
extreme right. This brigade is believed to have been Wright's of Huger's
Division, and the regiment which suffered most from the fire was the
"Louisiana Tigers."
"The amended returns as we now have them, show
that the loss of the regiment for the seven days was, killed, wounded and
missing was 255, including
Lieutenant Hoover, who died of wounds received at Gaines' Mill. This was the heaviest loss
in the division.
593
"The loss of the brigade was 567. But for this
a bloody retribution was exacted. The brigades of G. B. Anderson and Garland
are known to have been the opponents of Buchanan's Brigade at
Gaines' Mill. Their official loss is
reported for the first named, 863, for the second, 844. About half of this
loss was sustained at Gaines' Mill, and
the remainder at Malvern.
"Wright's Brigade lost 666 men at
Malvern, and the "Tigers" alone lost 167
men. The 12th and 14th had a little side issue the evening before Malvern, which is known officially as Turkey Bend, Company C, 2d Battalion,
taking 12 prisoners. After Gaines' Mill,
Major Clitz and Captain Stanhope were left on the field severely wounded. After our withdrawal they reported that they were visited by a number of old
army officers who had gone South: Hill, Anderson, Whiting, Stewart, and
Jackson himself. All spoke with admiration of the firmness of the Regulars,
and all expressed sympathy and offered assistance, except Whiting, who was
born in Maine.
"At
Harrison's
Landing the 2d Battalion joined July 5th. The companies reporting were
A, B, D, E, F, G and H, under Captains
Coppinger,
Thatcher, Durkee,
O'Beirne, Lawrence, Locke and Watson. Company C, under Lieutenant
Broadhead, was already there.
"The regiment left Harrison's Landing August 13th, and
proceeded to Aquia Creek, marching
thence with the 5th Corps to
Warrenton, Va.,
where it joined the Army of Northern Va., under General Pope, the 27th of
August. On the 30th of August, the two battalions of the 14th, in the 1st
Brigade, 2d Division of the 5th Corps, took a conspicuous part in the battle
of
Manassas—"Second Bull Run." The reports are
too full and the description of the battle too complicated to be quoted. General Sykes, speaking of the attack made about four o'clock, in what was
called the turning movement from the right, says: "Butterfield's attack was
gallantly made and gallantly maintained until his troops were torn to pieces. My first brigade, under Buchanan, moved to his aid, relieved him, and became
furiously engaged."
"The following is an extract from Colonel Buchanan's report:"
"As soon as notified that I was unmasked by
Butterfield, I advanced the two battalions of the 14th into and through the
woods to his support, and held them there until after the brigade was
entirely withdrawn, when my whole column was ordered to the rear. While in
the woods we were under a most incessant fire of all arms, but my officers
and men behaved admirably. Here it was that
Captain O'Connell of the 14th Infantry was wounded in the knee while
commanding the 1st Battalion, and
Capt. D. B. McKibbin, 14th Infantry, in the ear, while commanding the 2d
Battalion."
After the failure of this attack and the
enemy had begun their counterattack, the first brunt of which fell upon
Warren's Brigade, the rest of the division was moved by the Henry House
Hill, on which, a little more than a year before, had raged the fiercest
fighting in the First Bull Run."
The following is an extract also from Colonel Buchanan's
report:
"About 6 P. M. I was ordered to
take the battalions of the 12th and 14th to the woods to our left and front
to support Meade's Brigade, then severely pressed by the enemy; and almost
immediately after placing these troops in position, I observed that the 3d
and 4th had also been ordered up.
594
"I found the enemy in very strong force in
the woods, and during the heat of a very severe engagement discovered that
he was flanking me with large masses of troops. I immediately commenced to
gain ground to my left so as to meet his movements, and held him in check
for nearly an hour. But at length I found the contest too unequal; my
command was being cut to pieces; the ammunition of the men nearly expended
and the enemy's masses vastly outnumbering my force. I was forced to give
the order to retire.
"This was done in most excellent order, the
men marching steadily and slowly and I resumed my position on the plateau.
"Shortly after I was ordered to retire with
my brigade to Centreville, which I
did, and reached the point at 10 o'clock at night, having the entire brigade
with me in good order and having left but few stragglers behind."
*********
"During this fight the rebels in the woods
displayed the National colors.
Captain O'Connell rode forward to ascertain whether they were in the hands
of friends or foes, when he was fired on, again wounded, and his horse killed. The two lines not even forty yards apart fired into each other by vollies.
This desperate fighting was maintained for an hour. The front attacks were
constantly repulsed, but as the battle was hopelessly lost, the division was
slowly withdrawn to Centreville."
"The officers of
the 14th present in the battle were as follows:"
"FIRST BATTALION."
"
Capt.
J. D. O'Connell (wounded), Dr. Forwood, Captains Brown, Ilges, Watson,
Smedberg, King and Burbank; Lieutenants Broadhead, Walker, Sinclair,
Collins and Henton, Loosley (Adjt.), and Krause (Q. M.).
SECOND
BATTALION.
Captain D. B. McKibbin
, Comdg.
Captains Coppinger (wounded),
Thatcher, Locke (wounded), Durkee, Douglass, Lawrence, Overton;
Lieutenants Wharton (wounded), Porter, Vanderslice, (Adjt.), and Downey,
(Q. M.)"
"The loss of the 1st Battalion in killed,
wounded and missing out of 482 present, was 129, and of the 2d Battalion 48
out of 313 for duty. One officer of the 1st and four of the 2d were wounded. The officers of both battalions were commended in the highest terms for their
coolness and bravery.
"
O'Connell
and
McKibbin were praised in all reports for their efficiency, and
Major C. S. Lovell, who was three years after to become the colonel of the
14th Infantry, was particularly mentioned in General Sykes' report for his
conduct.
"The Confederate brigades of Toombs, G. T.
Anderson and Cadmus Wilcox, are now known to have been engaged against
Buchanan's and Lovell's; their loss was heavy.
"From
Centreville the Regular Division marched back to Hall's Hill near the Chain Bridge, over
the Potomac.
"There the 2d Battalion of the 12th Infantry,
with two companies of the 8th, under the command of Captain Anderson, which
had been campaigning with Banks' Corps of Pope's army reported and were
assigned to the 1st Brigade.
"From Washington
the Division marched slowly to Fredericksburg,
Md., and from thence to South Mountain, when it was held in reserve and
was for a time under shell fire.
"Early on the morning of the 15th, it marched
over the crest of the hill covered with the killed and wounded of the battle
of the preceding day, and thence to the Stone
Bridge over the Antietam Creek
near Sharpsburg.
"Richardson's Division, which had preceded
Sykes', formed to the right of the road and the Regular Division, after
turning the head of the column to the left, came on right into line under a
lively artillery fire, thus forming line of battle with Buchanan's right
resting on the Sharpsburg road.
"In the
Battle of Antietam the battalions in the 1st Brigade were commanded by
captains, as follows: The 3d, Wilkins; the 4th, Dryer; the 1st battalion of
the 12th, Blunt; the battalions of the 8th and 12th, Anderson; the 1st of the
14th, Harvey Brown; and the 2d by
D. B. McKibbin.
"In the great battle of September 17th, the
Regular Division was held in reserve and in support of the reserve artillery
until about two o'clock in the afternoon, when Capt. Hiram Dryer was ordered
to cross the
Antietam creek with the 2d
and 10th, the 4th, 12th and 14th Infantry.
"These regiments supported Tidball's batteries,
and about sundown advanced and easily drove back the enemy into the village of
Sharpsburg. Captain Dryer did not feel
authorized to go further without orders, and applied for permission to press
his attack. It appears from official reports that General Pleasanton also
advised an advance.
General Sykes told the writer after the war that it was on this occasion
that General Fitz John Porter reminded General McClellan that his corps was
the last reserve of the last Army of the Republic. It is needless of course to
speculate on what might have been, but this can be said, that the Regular
Division was that day in its best condition.
"Captain Dryer rode into the rebel lines and
saw that there were but two regiments and a battery left in the centre. That
night there was gnashing of teeth in the Regular camp. A few days after the
battle, a division forded the
Potomac River
and made a demonstration, which led to a partial engagement, which was called
the action of Leetown. The 14th was in
the fight and had a number of men wounded. For nearly six weeks after the
battle our division remained in camp refitting, drilling, and doing picket
duty. It marched with McClellan's forward movement, and at Snicker's Gap, under
Captain O'Connell, who rejoined a few days before, had a very sad
experience. A reconnaissance was ordered from the Gap to a ford on the Shenandoah by a force made up of a
troop of Massachusetts cavalry, the 6th, 7th and both battalions of the 14th
Infantry. The enemy was met in small force and easily driven across the river. But on the opposite bank there was a strong force of the three arms. It was
not the intention to seriously engage this force, but only to develop its
strength. Unfortunately
Captain O'Connell received an order to advance even after a heavy fire of
artillery had been opened.
596
"He knew, as did all his regiment, that
somebody had blundered, but on they went like the Light Brigade.
"Both battalions advanced in line of battle to
the banks of the river under a terrific fire, and when ordered to retire, they
marched back as coolly as from a parade. Five enlisted men were killed, and
Lieutenant Perry and twenty-six were wounded. Dr. Forwood, on this as on many other
occasions, showed the utmost zeal, skill and devotion. Poor
Paddy O'Connell said after the fight was over, the tears running down his
seared and weather beaten face: "I would take the 14th
to the gates of hell, but I would like to have a chance to whip the devil when
I got there."
"From Snicker's
Gap we marched to Warrenton Junction,
where McClellan was relieved. The regiment marched with its proper command to
Falmouth, opposite Fredericksburg. In the battle of
December 13th it passed through a very trying ordeal. With the rest of the
Regular Division it went to the front in the dusk of the evening, between
Hanover Street and the plank road. About midnight we occupied the front line
some 150 yards from the crest of the hill held by the Confederate line.
"This position was kept for twenty-four hours
under a galling fire which could not be effectively returned. On the morning
of the 16th, Buchanan's brigade covered the retreat of the Army over the
river,
Captain O'Connell commanding the 1st Battalion;
Captain Overton was the ranking officer of the 2d Battalion but
Captain Thatcher was placed in command. The officers present with the
regiment on this occasion were
Captain O'Connell, commanding regiment, Captain Keyes acting field
officer."
"1st Battalion: Co. A, Lieut. Henton;
Co. B, Lieut. Walker; Co. C, Lieuts. Collins and Doebler; Co. D, Lieut.
Bellows; Co. E, Capt. Burbank; Co. F, Capt. Smedberg and Lieut. Sinclair;
Co. G, Lieut. Broadhead; Co. H, Lieut. Moroney; adjutant, Lieut. Loosley;
asst. surgeon, Dr. Bacon.
"2d Battalion: Capt. Overton, A. F.
O.;
Captain Thatcher, A. F. O., commanding battalion; Cos. A and H, Lieut.
Bainbridge; Cos. B and C, Capt. Watson; Co. F, Lieut. Porter; Co. E,
Lieut.
McKibbin; Co. G, Capt. Locke; Co. D, Lieut. Douglas; adjutant, Lieut.
Vanderslice; asst. surgeon, Dr. Jaquett."
"After
Fredericksburg, the regiment remained in camp about one and a half
miles back of Falmouth until the
following May, with the exception of the episode known as the
Mud March—a futile attempt to cross the Rappahannock, January 12th, 1863.
"Our winter camp at
Falmouth was a very memorable one to all
of the Regulars, for it was there we became best acquainted with each other.
But the members of the 1st Brigade became particularly well acquainted with
"Old Buck," as Colonel Buchanan was playfully called. It was then and there
that he first had a good chance at us. He soon took us in hand and we began to
find out what discipline was, what army papers were, and, as he cheerfully
assured us, that the regulations were not made for brigadier generals. But
alas for army jesting, the veteran discovered before the end of his career,
that even a hero of three wars could be forced to retire under the regulations
sorely against his will.
"During the winter we had no end of fatigue and
picket duty, drills and recitation. By way of diversion, there was poker-play
at night and horse racing, steeple chasing, and shooting matches by day.
597
"We had also singing clubs, and grotesque
societies. These were the last days of commissary whiskey, and the good
fellows of Sykes' division are not likely to forget one celebration in Snip
Snyder's commissary tent, which brought the division commander around about 2
o'clock one night with the inquiry: "Gentlemen, what is the occasion of this
sudden outburst of inebriety?"
"But as Fighting Joe Hooker had been put in
command, we knew that the "general" would be sounded in our camp early in the
spring. It came the last week in April.
"Before this, many changes had been made. General Meade had been placed in command of the 5th Corps, General Warren had
been placed on the headquarters staff, Colonel Buchanan had been relieved and
General Ayres had assumed command of our brigade.
"
Captain
O'Connell had gone on recruiting service and
Captain Hager had assumed command of the regiment in the field. On the
first of March, 1863, there was a consolidation of companies in the Regular
Division, and two battalions of the 14th were reduced to one battalion of
eight companies, A, B, D, E, F and G of the 1st, and F and G of the 2d.
"The officers were Captains Hager, Brown,
Thatcher, Norton, Ilges, Coppinger, Lawrence, Clay, McCall and Lieuts.
Downey,
McKibbin, Weir, Tom Collins, Sinclair, Miller, Foote, Porter, Vernon,
McClintock and Douglas; Captain Joe Locke was on the brigade staff. Camp was
broken for the
Chancellorsville campaign
April 27th; we crossed Ely's Ford of the
Rapidan on the night of the 29th, the men, stripping to the buff,
wading through with shouts and laughter. On the morning of the 1st of May the
Regular Division marched down the
Fredericksburg pike, to meet McLaws' division coming up. The second
brigade, then much reduced in numbers, was in advance as skirmishers. The 12th
and 14th marched after them in line of battle to the right and left of the
road. We soon met the enemy and drove them before us for more than a mile with
a perfect rush. The men were full of fight and moved with alacrity. In the
first rush a whole company was captured. We were halted in line near the
cross-roads, leading to Banks' Ford. But, alas, we were ordered back. Then there was heard cursing and grumbling
from the Regulars, not at being ordered into danger, but at being ordered out. All knew too well that again somebody had blundered. In the dusk of the
evening we were placed in a new position facing the woods beyond the plank
road. Here a brigade of the enemy ran on us, I think by mere chance. The 5th
New York (the Red Legs), had a sharp fight, but the rest of us only fired a
few volleys which sent our opponents to the right-about. While this was going
on I heard a chaplain shouting out behind us:
"Give 'em Hell, boys; give 'em Hell, and the Lord have mercy on their souls."
"But, alas, how terribly is the comedy and
tragedy of war intermingled.
"With almost the last volley of the fight
gallant young Temple, the darling of the 17th, was killed. Then
Jerry McKibbin, a brave and generous man, dashed into the line and carried
Temple's body out on his horse. It was buried that night at the foot of a
tall, solitary pine, while Weed's Battery, that stood near,
598
sent shell after shell into the enemy's lines.
The whole scene reminded us all of the funeral of Sir John Moore.
"When the 11th Corps broke, two days after, we
were hurried over at the double to take the right of the line, but we had a
mere skirmish. The regiment lost one officer (
Overton)
wounded, five enlisted men killed and six wounded.
Major Giddings arrived just after the battle and assumed command. After
the Army of the Potomac returned to the north of the Rappahannock, foiled but not
defeated, the Regular Division resumed its old camps. We had sustained but
little loss from the enemy, but our ranks were severely depleted from other
causes. The loss from desertion was very great and most discouraging, and we
were getting but few recruits to makeup for our losses. The 14th had lost as
many as seventy-two in a single month. The total in the year was four hundred
and thirty-one.
"Immense local bounties were being paid all
over the country for men to fill the volunteer regiments, and the Government
bounty of $200, which was all that could be given for enlistment in the
Regular Army, was no inducement to men who could get from $1000 to $2000. Hundreds of men left us to go and enlist under assumed names elsewhere. Then,
of course, many were discharged for disability. At the same time many officers
were sent away from us on detached service. Here a short description of the
general method of campaigning followed in the later operations of the War may
not be out of place."
"Each regiment or full battalion had two
wagons for the companies and one for headquarters and hospital, unless the
command was small, when the third wagon was dispensed with. Officers' messes
generally had a sumpter horse or mule of their own that followed the column. In the last year of the War, when mules got scarce and darkies were plenty,
these sable strikers often carried the stewpans and provender. In the
immediate presence of the enemy shelter tents were used by all. Camps were
generally made by regiments in columns of divisions, winter cantonments were
larger, cribs were put under the tents, or small log houses made or
"dug-outs" were substituted if the camp was on a hill side. Some of the sutlers were very enterprising and had reasonably good stock of staple
articles. If all else failed, they generally had whiskey and gin cocktails.
"The camp ration was generally coffee and
hard tack, beef or bacon, beans and rice.
"Unless the march was to be a secret one the
"general " was sounded at Corps headquarters and repeated in rapid
succession at division, brigade and regimental headquarters, and was
succeeded for a few minutes by a pandemonium of shouts, yells, cat calls,
barkings and the like. This would be followed by a period of well
systematized activity, which caused the most elaborate camps to disappear
like a mist.
"Tours of picket duty lasted three days when
in permanent camp. As a rule Mahan's system of outpost duty was pretty
closely followed.
"The march to
Gettysburg began June 13th, the regiment
marching with the Division to
Manassas Junction
and Leesburg, Va.; crossing the Potomac
near Edwards' Ferry, it marched thence through
Frederick, Md., to Hanover, Pa.,
arriving there on July 1st, to learn that the fighting had begun at
Gettysburg.
599
"A night march was made and the command
bivouacked within ten miles of the field of battle.
"About noon of the second day's battle, the 5th
Corps reached the field. It was held in reserve until the disaster to the 3d
Corps and the attack on the Round Top. Doubleday gives this account of the
fight:"
"Then Ayres, who had been at the turning
point of so many battles, went in with his fine division of Regulars,
commanded by Day and Burbank, officers of courage and long experience in
warfare. He struck the enemy in flank who were pursuing Caldwell, and who
would have renewed the attack on Little Round Top, doubled them up, and
drove them back to the position Caldwell had left. But his line, from the
nature of things, was untenable, for a rebel brigade with ample supports had
formed on his right rear, so that nothing remained but to face about and
fight his way home again. This was accomplished with the tremendous loss of
fifty per cent of his command in killed and wounded."
"
Major
Giddings, in command of the 14th Infantry, reported a loss of 141 officers
and men. The amended report of casualties in the War Records gives the loss as
18 men killed, 2 officers wounded (Captain Locke and Lieutenant Douglas), and
108 men wounded and 4 missing; a total of 132. There were present in action
490 men.
"A great loss to the regiment was their
Lieut-Colonel, Gen. John F. Reynolds, killed in action July 1st,
commanding his corps.
"After
Gettysburg the regiment marched in the 5th Corps to Williamsport, where Lee escaped across
the Potomac; then to
Berlin, where the
Potomac was crossed, and so on to the Rappahannock.
"On August 13, the brigade was sent to
New York City to maintain order and
prevent a recurrence of the draft riots. All actual rioting and resistance to
the civil authorities had ceased before its arrival. After remaining a month
in camp at Madison Square, the 14th went
to the front, going into camp near
Culpepper
on September 24.
"The regiment took part in the so-called Mine Run campaign; during the winter of
1863-64, with the other regiments of the Regular Brigade, it was engaged in
guarding the line of the Orange and Alexandria
R. R. In this duty it had many conflicts with rebel raiders and
bushwhackers.
"Any of the latter class caught in an attempt
to burn bridges or to destroy the railway, were, under existing orders, hung
at sight.
"Preceding the campaign of 1864, a number of
conscripts were received and distributed. Ours were drafted for us in the
District of Columbia. Towards spring a number of convalescents returned from
hospitals, and by the end of April, the 14th had one battalion of about 550
men present for duty.
"In Grant's
Wilderness campaign, the old Regular
Division was melted down into one brigade and so weak had the regiments become
that three volunteer regiments were added. These were the 140th and 146th New
York, and 155th Pennsylvania. The Regular Army was represented by battalions
of the 2d, 11th, 12th and 14th Infantry. The battalion of the 14th under
Captain E. McK. Hudson, was made up
600
of A, C, D, G and H of the 1st and Cos. A, B
and C, 2d Battalion. Captain Hudson, a graduate of the Military Academy, had
served two Years in the 3d Artillery before the War. In his old regiment he
was called cool and handsome. He proved a dashing and brave commander for the
regiment, and did much during the winter to bring it up to a high state of
efficiency."
"When camp was broken on the 3d of May the
following officers were present: Hudson, Keyes, Miller, Ilges, Burbank,
Brady, C. McKibbin, Perry, Sinclair, Toni Collins, Broadhead, John Clay,
Krause and Drake DeKay; Coppinger, Smedberg and Choisy were with the
division on staff duty. On the morning of May 5th there were 516 enlisted
men present to fight."
"At an early hour Griffin's Division started
from the Lacy House up the Orange plank road with Ayres' Brigade in
advance. We had not far to go before we met Jones' Brigade of Johnson's
Division of Ewell's Corps. At the point of contact, the 14th Infantry was
drawn up across the road in line of battle. The 12th Infantry was in line on
the right in heavy timber, and the volunteer regiments forming a second line. The 6th Corps should have been on our right, but was not. The regiment had a
cleared field in its front, and the Confederate line was two hundred yards
away on the far side of the field. A section of artillery was in the road. Without waiting a moment Hudson ordered and led a charge at the double. The
regiments to the right and left could not keep up on account of the tangle of
brush they were in. The 12th on the right was soon attacked in front, flank
and rear and had a hand to hand fight with Jones' Virginians. The 14th broke
the line in their front without firing a shot, but were compelled to retire
slowly by Stewart's North Carolina men, who came to reinforce Jones. We all
had to fall back until we found a cross road on which we could reform. Then
the fight was kept up until night. There was not a more brilliant charge than
that made by the 14th, but it paid dearly for the glory of driving the
Stonewall division; Hudson, Smedberg and Broadhead were wounded, and Captain
Burbank and Lieutenant Tom Collins were killed. Lieutenant Collins' body is
believed to have been burnt up in the burning woods; it was never found.
"The loss during the month was 240 enlisted
men, killed, wounded and missing. On the 6th, the fight was in burning woods
and suffocating smoke. On the 8th, after the rest of the 5th Corps moved to
Spottsylvania, the 12th and 14th
Infantry remained behind with Bartlett's Brigade of our division to hold the
right of the line. Patrick's provost guard brought up a large detachment of
coffee coolers, who were put in our ranks. After this we had a little private
fight of our own with one of Ewell's divisions.
"At the battle of
Spottsylvania,
Lieut. John K. Clay was killed,
Captain Keyes mortally, and
Lieutenant Sinclair severely wounded; twelve enlisted men were killed and
eighty-three wounded in the battle.
"The fate of
Captain Keyes was inexpressibly sad. He received a terrible gunshot wound
just above the heart.
"He was taken to a field hospital and laid on a
bed of leaves with an officer of the 12th Infantry who had been wounded about
the same time. There
601
was serious apprehension that the hospital and
its inmates might fall into the hands of the enemy. So the 12th Infantry
officer made a masonic sign to a sanitary commission official, and appealed to
him to get him back to Fredericksburg.
Captain Keyes, utterly helpless, whispered: "Vouch for me as a Templar."
The good Samaritan came and said, "My poor brother, you cannot be moved." Then
Keyes whispered, "Tell him I have just been married. I know I cannot live,
but I must see her again before I die." The Templar turned away weeping, but
soon an ambulance was taking the two officers to the rear.
Captain Keyes did see his young bride again—his loving young wife so soon
to be a widow.
"On May 18th,
Capt. D. B. McKibbin reported and assumed command.
"The regiment did some good service at the
battle of
North Anna. The brigade
crossed at the Jericho ford and got in some telling work on Cadmus Wilcox's
Division, making a return call for their Henry House visit at Manassas.
"In the fight at
Bethesda Church, the regiment lost six or seven men killed, and
Capt. McKibbin was taken prisoner, but the regiment gave as good as it
got.
"On June 2d an attempt was made to withdraw the
9th Corps from the right of line and to march it to
Cold Harbor, but the enemy at once
rushed over our entrenchments and got in rear of Ayres' Brigade, which,
however, changed front and drove them back, but in making this change of
front, a few were taken prisoners. No precaution seemed to have been
taken to protect his flank, nor did the general staff of the Army see that
movements were so coordinated as to guard against such surprises. We lost thousands of
prisoners and many valuable lives from this method of issuing orders and then
trusting to luck that they would be properly and successfully carried out.
"Captain
Thatcher took command and under him the regiment marched to Petersburg, and was next seriously
engaged in the attack on the enemy's intrenchments, on June 18th and 19th, in
which we lost one officer wounded and 24 men.*
*The regiment advanced as skirmishers on
the brigade front.
Fort Sedgwick,
better known as Fort Hell, was
subsequently built on the ground where our skirmishers made their fox pits
in front of the Confederate Fort Damnation.
"At the battle of
Weldon R. R., August 18th to 19th, Captain Ingraham was in command until on
account of sickness he relinquished command to
Lieutenant Foote.
"On the first day, the brigade under Hayes
repulsed a fierce attack of Mahone's Confederate Division.
"The loss of the regiment was severe,
particularly in officers.
Captain O'Beirne and
Lieutenant Perry were wounded on staff duty, and
Lieutenant Foote and
Weir with the regiment, and
Lieutenant Brady was missing. That night there was but one officer for
duty; four officers of other regiments were attached (Lieutenants White,
Jackson, Smith and Driscoll).
"The next day the Confederates worked their way
through the thick woods and got in rear of the brigade, and the whole line
charged to the rear losing many prisoners, but capturing some. The hand to
hand fighting in the woods was of the most desperate character.
602
"Captain Newburg of the 12th was killed after
he was wounded and a prisoner in the hands of the enemy. Sergeant La Belle,
one of the color sergeants of the 14th Infantry, saved his color, although he
was severely wounded.
Sergeant
Ovila Cayer of Company A, in saving one of the colors showed such
conspicuous valor that he received a medal of honor.
"On the 19th
Lieut. Chambers McKibbin was wounded and the regiment had no officer of
its own for duty. On the 21st the lines were fully re-established and
thereafter held. The loss of the regiment was 111 killed, wounded and missing
out of 295 present for duty.
"The next battle in which the regiment was
engaged was on Sept. 30th, 1864, at
Poplar
Grove Church or Chappel's House,
which was fought over the ground on which the National Cemetery near
Petersburg is located. The regiment was commanded by
Lieutenant Sinclair. The 12th Infantry was also commanded by a Lieutenant
Winston, who was killed there. This last fight was a victory in which our loss
was small, only two killed, and that of the enemy severe.
Private Robert Wright of the regiment received a medal of honor for
gallantry in the battle. A number of officers soon after reported: Captain
McClintock and Lieutenants Krause, Downey, Bellows, Loosley and Browning.
"The last battle of the Rebellion in which the
regiment took part was the action at
Hatcher's
Run, to the west of the Petersburg lines, Oct. 27, 1864. For some
unaccountable reason the War Department has refused to give the Regular
regiments credit for this engagement. Yet the Regular Brigade was there, held
in reserve on the bank of the creek within two hundred yards of the firing
line, and under fire at Armstrong's Mill
Crossing.* The loss of Ayres' Division was 229 men.
*Humphreys "Va. Campaign," p.
302.
"Gen. Fred. Winthrop, one of the bravest and
most brilliant captains of the 12th Infantry, who had been made colonel of the
5th New York and then a brigadier-general of volunteers, had command of the
Brigade. The regiment remained in the field until the first of November, when
it was ordered North; First it was sent to
Buffalo, N. Y., where it remained until after the presidential
election. For a few days the headquarters and the first battalion were located
at Fort Wadsworth, from thence they were
transferred to Elmira, N. Y., where the
warriors made the acquaintance of their new major, Gurden Chapin, who began at
once to tighten the reins of discipline.
"The headquarters of the regiment were
transferred back to
Fort Trumbull on the
11th of Jan., 1865, but the first battalion remained at Camp Chemung, near Elmira, under
Capt. D. B. McKibbin, until it was transferred to Hart's Island, Feb. 20th. This battalion
was placed under the command of
Major E. McK. Hudson, ordered to the field in March and arrived at City
Point April 4th, and was assigned to duty as one of the Provost Guard of the
Army of the Potomac. On the 9th it appears that they proceeded out to Burkesville Junction; from thence joined
the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac. They marched with that army to
Richmond, Va., and at a grand review of
the Army as it marched through the capital of the fallen
603
Confederacy, the 14th Infantry was given the
right of the line by the express order
of Major-General Meade, who said to Major Hudson, then commanding it: "The
14th Infantry has always been in front in battle and deserves the honor."
"After that the regiment remained in Richmond on provost duty.
"The officers of the regiment in the field in
April, were Captains Hudson, O'Connell, Brown, Krause, McClintock, Overton and
Clay and Lieutenants Browning, Vernon, P. Collins, Porter, Lord, Mills, Choisy
and Henton."
"The review in
Richmond, before General Halleck, marked the termination of the war
service of the regiment in the Rebellion. Ten
officers, and 158 enlisted men were killed in battle and 206 died of disease
or from accidents incident to the Service, making a total of 374 in the War;
a heavier loss than was sustained by any regiment in the Service of similar
enlisted strength. Compared with all the infantry regiments mustered
into the Government service it stands number 47 in aggregate loss; in this
number six colored regiments are included, which sustained but a small loss
in battle, but a frightful loss by disease. The loss of the 14th from this
cause was very small.
"There is no mathematical measure of merit. In civilized warfare you cannot kill without taking your chances of being
killed, otherwise, war would be butchery not bravery. It is some
consolation, however, to know that you have inflicted as great or a greater
loss than you have sustained. But in fact both of these tests are
fallacious. The men who maintain their discipline when others are shaken,
who show fortitude in misfortune when others are discouraged, and bravery
and enthusiasm in danger when others are appalled, are the men who deserve
honor and renown.
"Before passing to the frontier history of
the regiment, it seems proper to refer briefly to the records of a few
officers who although they belonged to the regiment did not actually serve
with it.
"A few days after the battle of the Weldon
Railroad, General Stone came to regimental headquarters in the field. General Hays had been taken prisoner and the brigade was under the command
of a volunteer colonel.
General Stone reported as a colonel, having resigned his volunteer
commission, but his rank would have given him the command of the brigade. As
soon as this was ascertained he was ordered back to Army headquarters on
some nominal duty.
"Few men were more likeable than our first
colonel, and few men had warmer friends. Yet from the first he was doomed to
misfortune. After the unfortunate battle of Ball's Bluff, the friends of
Colonel and Senator Baker blamed
General Stone for mismanagement and to this the more serious charge of
disloyalty was added and pressed by Senator Sumner and Governor Andrew of
Massachusetts. This allegation seems to have no other foundation than an
uncertain story, that
General Stone while commanding the line of the Potomac above
Poolesville, Maryland, let some negro servants of a rebel family in
Leesburg, pass in and out of the lines by his authority. When this statement
was referred to him, he indignantly refused to make an explanation to a
charge that was really anonymous although urged by a senator and a governor.
He was not sustained by General McClellan, was put in arrest and sent to
Fort Lafayette and afterwards to Fort Hamilton.
604
"As is known to all he never could get a
trial, or an investigation. With singular inconsistency General McClellan
recommended him for a corps commander. Subsequently when he was made chief
of staff in the Department of the Gulf, General Banks made himself
responsible for his loyalty.
"After the Red River expedition
General Stone was again made a scapegoat. He was succeeded as colonel by Gen. Gabriel R. Paul, who never
reported, as he had lost his sight by a terrible wound received at
Gettysburg.
"General
Sykes, the senior major of the regiment, never reported as such,
but commanded it as division and corps commander in many battles. He was a
model infantry officer.
"Colonel John H. King,
who succeeded
General Reynolds as lieutenant-colonel, never reported. Major Levi Bootes never served with
the 14th Infantry in the field, but he had served up to the date of his
promotion as senior captain, commanding the 6th Infantry.
FRONTIER
SERVICE.
"In some way it became known before the order
was issued that the 14th Infantry would be designated for a tour of duty on
the Pacific Coast.
"After the disbanding of the volunteer forces
many wild characters found their way into the ranks of all the Regular
regiments. Some of these men had done good service in the field, but they
adopted a theory that as the War was over, discipline would be relaxed and
that they should be permitted to have what they were pleased to call "a high
old time." Nor was this pleasing theory confined to the ranks; a number of
officers came to grief from practices under an epicurean philosophy which the
War Department deemed "more honored in the breach than in observance." Thus it
happened that the 14th got more than its share of Bacchanalian warriors.
"In the last week of July the 2d Battalion left
Richmond for New York City, followed in a few days by
the 1st. Both assembled at
Hart's Island,
where they made their preparations for a trip to California via Panama. From the 2d
Battalion alone, 221 men deserted in two weeks. They were all reported as
bounty jumpers, assigned just before the close of the War.
"It sailed from
New York City on August 15, 1865, under
Major Louis H. Marshall. This
officer only reported for duty a few days before, having been on staff duty as
colonel, A. D. C., up to the 28th of the preceding July. In passing over the
Isthmus, the new men gave proof of their quality, for they proposed to take Aspinwall and Panama, and it was only by the
courageous and forcible efforts of the officers, non-com. officers and old
soldiers that the unruly element was subdued and the battalion safely embarked
on the Pacific side.
"Col.
Chas. S. Lovell, who had been promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment
upon the retirement of
General Paul on February 16, 1865, reported for duty at Hart's Island, N. Y. H., August 28,
1865. He was the first full colonel to assume command of the regiment since
its reorganization. The organization of the Third Battalion was begun and
vigorously
605
pressed. At the same time the First Battalion
was filled up, and on October 16th the field, staff and band of the regiment
and four companies of the 1st Battalion, E, F, G and H, under
Col. Lovell, left New York and
landed in San Francisco, November 12th,
taking station temporarily at the Presidio.
Cos. A, B, C and D followed two weeks later.
"The Third Battalion, under Major Chapin, followed in November,
arriving at San Francisco early in
December. Here there was an outburst of turbulent hilarity which manifested
itself chiefly in cutting off the pigtails of the Pagans. The battalion was
hurried away to
Arizona, where the
exuberance of the young warriors could find less objectionable play in cutting
off the scalp-locks of Apaches. The headquarters of the battalion under Major Chapin was fixed at Goodwin, with companies detached to
Crittenden, Lowell, Grant and Bowie.
"In October of 1865, the Second Battalion,
under
Major Marshall, had been sent to the
Department of the Columbia, the officers for duty being Captains Ross,
Coppinger, O'Beirne and Walker, and Lieutenants Henton,
McKibbin, Wharton, Porter, Perry, Collins, Tobey and Kistler.
Col. Lovell soon followed with his regimental staff, Downey and
Bainbridge, establishing headquarters at Fort
Vancouver, December 8th.
"In January of 1866, the 1st Battalion, under
Major Hudson, was ordered to Drum Barracks
and from thence to
Fort Yuma, California,
at which post the headquarters of the battalion was established February 6th,
Co.'s A, B, C, G and H constituting the infantry garrison, Co.'s E and F
having been left at Drum Barracks, and
Co. D sent to Date Creek. On the 17th
Captain O'Connell succeeded to the command. Subsequently Co. H was sent to Date Creek, and B and D to
McDowell. In October the headquarters of
the battalion were at Fort Whipple with
Captain Krause in command.
"The headquarters of the regiment remained at Vancouver Barracks until June, 1866,
when it was ordered to San Francisco and
thence to Arizona, where it was
established September 6, 1866. The band was left at Fort Yuma.
In January, 1867, the headquarters of the
regiment was transferred to
Camp Lowell,
Tucson, Arizona, where January 23, 1867, the provision of the act of
Congress of July 28, 1866, altering the battalion organization into a
regimental one was carried out and the 1st
Battalion of the regiment with two companies subsequently added, became the
14th Infantry.
"The 2d Battalion,
which had remained in
Oregon and
Washington, became the 23d Infantry, and the 3d Battalion, which was serving in Arizona,
became the 32d Infantry.
"On the 16th of April the headquarters of the
regiment were established at
Fort Yuma,
in which military Tophet it remained until May, 1869.
"Under the reorganization of 1866, the captains
were distributed as follows: To the 14th Infantry, Captains Ilges, Smedberg,
Krause, Wharton, Weir, Van Derslice, Bainbridge and Vernou. To these were
added Captains Hamilton and Davis for the two additional companies.
"Captains
D. B. McKibbin, Brown, O'Beirne, Downey, Miller, Perry and Fergus, were
assigned to the 32d, and Captains Ross, Clay, Coppinger,
606
"Brady, Walker, Sinclair, Henton and Browning
were assigned to the 23d Infantry.
"Of the field officers
the 14th retained
Colonel Lovell and Lieutenant-Colonel
Wallen; Maj. L. H. Marshall went to the 23d and Major Chapin to the
32d.
"In January of 1867, the 14th Infantry was
distributed at the following stations: Yuma, McDowell,
Mojave,
Lincoln and
Camp in Skull Valley, without question
the worst in the country. During this tour of duty nearly every monthly return
contains a record of Indian scouts; some months nearly every company would be
out. In September, 1868, the distance marched by these scouting parties
aggregated 1000 miles, equivalent to double the distance elsewhere. Two
companies marched 350 miles in August. The skirmishes rarely rose to the
dignity of a battle, but they taxed the courage and skill of the participants
to the utmost. One of the commonest entries is that of
"mail carriers killed by Indians."
Several hundreds of miles of wagon road were made by the regiment, and when
the men were in camp they were almost constantly engaged in building barracks
and quarters.
"In the reorganization of the Army in 1869, the
45th Infantry, one of the Veteran Reserve regiments, was consolidated with the
14th Infantry. In compliance with S. O. No. 17, A. G. O. 1869, the 14th
Infantry was transferred to
Nashville, Tenn.,
the headquarters of the 45th Infantry, taking with them the officers,
non-commissioned officers and ten men of each company. The other enlisted men
were discharged or transferred to other regiments remaining in the Department
of Arizona. The consolidation was carried out, the result appearing in the
monthly return for July."
The field officers assigned to it were Col.
C. S. Lovell, Lieut.-Col. Geo. A. Woodward and Maj. M. M. Blunt, Lieutenant
McCammon was made adjutant and Lieutenant Steele was retained as
quartermaster.
"The captains of the reorganized regiments
were: Ilges, Krause, Van Derslice, Freudenberg, Trotter, Hamilton,
Bainbridge, Carpenter, Burke and Davis. Their stations were Nashville,
Humboldt, Chattanooga, Louisville, Jeffersonville, Lebanon and Union, W.
Va."
"In April, 1870, the regiment was transferred
to
Fort Randall, Dakota, on account of a
threatened Indian war. In August it was transferred to the Department of the Platte, with
headquarters at Fort Sedgwick, the
regiment and post being under Lieut.-Col. G. A.
Woodward. In the following March (1871) the headquarters was
transferred to Fort Laramie, Wyo., where
General John E. Smith reported and
assumed command.
Colonel Lovell had been retired December 15, 1870. General Gordon Granger, a colonel
unassigned, was assigned to the regiment, vice Lovell, but on the 20th of
December
General Smith, who had been
assigned to the 15th Infantry, was transferred to the 14th, General Granger at
the same time being assigned to the 15th Infantry.
" Colonel
Lovell died very soon after his retirement. He was loved and respected by
the regiment. He was sincere, courteous and just, a good soldier and a good
friend. The new colonel was a very different man. From all accounts of him he
knew little and cared less for the traditions of the Service. He was a rough
and ready fighter, who had done good service as a volunteer general. He would
have led his
607
regiment into a fight as gaily as into a
frolic, but opportunity was never given him.
"In February, 1874,
Lieutenant L. H. Robinson was killed in an Indian fight near Laramie Peak, while guarding a supply
train. In the following August the regiment went to
Utah, with headquarters at Fort Douglas. Four companies went on to Fort Cameron under Lieutenant-Colonel Woodward.
"While this battalion was at Cameron, the
Mormon Bishop John D. Lee was arrested and held there as a prisoner, pending
his trial as the leader of the band of Danites (or destroying angels) who
perpetrated the Mountain Meadow massacre. After his conviction he had his
choice under the laws of Utah, as to whether he should be hung, beheaded, or
shot. He chose the latter method of execution. To carry out the rules of
poetic as well as moral justice he was taken to the scene of the massacre and
shot to death by musketry in March, 1879. A detachment under
Lieutenant Patterson was sent down to preserve order. An attempt
was made to convert Lee from the error of his ways, while he was confined at
Cameron, but he maintained the scriptural doctrine to the last, "that the
enemies of God should be exterminated root and branch," and finally met his
fate with the equanimity of a martyr.
"In 1876 the
Sioux War broke out which opened up with the Custer massacre and the
repulse of General Crook at the Rose Bud.
In June, companies C, B, F and I (Burke, Kennington, Tobey, Murphy, Taylor,
Yeatman, Calhoun and Lloyd), were sent to join Crook's column.
"At Fetterman
they met detachments from the 4th and 9th Infantry. The infantry column was
placed under the command of Major Alexander Chambers, 4th Infantry, and
hastening to join General Crook on the Little
Goose Creek, enabled him to assume the offensive. Their only battle was
at Slim Buttes, September 9th, where
twenty-seven Indians were killed.
"This column marched in three months 1139
miles. It was on the march from the
Little
Missouri to the Black Hills that
the whole column was nearly reduced to starvation. Another company on escort
duty marched 377 miles in one month. In November Companies D and G, under
Captain Krause, were in (Crook's) the
Powder River campaign, and were with McKenzie at the
battle of Crazy Woman's Fork, November
26th, coming up with the infantry under General Crook. This column marched 735
miles. The officers present were Krause, Van Derslice, Hasson, Austin and
Kimball. In 1877 one company was in the Nez
Percé campaign and five under Major
Bryant in the Bannock War, but
they did not have a battle. Three companies, Trotter's, Krause's and Van Derslice's, were out the next year after the Bannocks.
"In 1879 four companies, E, 1, H and K, under
Trotter, Carpenter, McConihe and Taylor, and
Major Bryant commanding, were hurried down to the scene of the Thornburgh massacre, but arrived too late to get
into the battle. But they did have all the hardships and privations of a hard
Indian campaign.
"In all the Indian campaigns of the regiment,
their endurance, patience, vigilance and bravery were tested to the utmost. They suffered from the most suffocating heat in
Arizona and the most intense cold in
Wyoming.
608
"The Apaches and the Sioux were formidable
enemies, but they dreaded them less than sand storms and snow storms, scarcity
of food and bad water. Many men broke down under these trials, who easily
endured all the hardships of the Rebellion.
"Besides the battles mentioned in the
narrative, detachments of the regiment were engaged in the following
skirmishes:"
"February 23, 1866,
Captain Walker and
Lieut. T. F. Tobey with a detachment of fifteen soldiers of the 14th
Infantry and twelve Oregon Volunteers, attacked and defeated a band of Snake
Indians on Jordan Creek, Oregon,
killing 18 and wounding 2 Indians. One man of the 14th was killed and 1
wounded.
"On October 10, 1867,
Captain Krause with a detachment of twenty-five men of the regiment
attacked a Rancherio, twenty-five miles from
Camp Lincoln, defeating the Indians, killing and wounding a number
and capturing a lot of arms.
"In a fight near Aqua Frio Springs, Arizona, November
13, 1867, Lieut. A. J. Converse and
two men of Company C were wounded. Indians repulsed.
"April 27, 1867,
Lieutenant Western, with a detachment
of ten men from Camp Logan, attacked a
band of forty-five hostile Indians on
Silvies
River, fording the river neck deep. The Indians were defeated, 6
killed and a number drowned in trying to escape. Thirty-two horses and large
amounts of supplies were taken. Complimented in orders (G. O. No. 32
Department Col. 1867).
"Lieutenant
Hasson, in the months of September, October, November and December,
1867, in command of detachments from his post, had engagements with the
Apaches at Three Buttes, Hualopais Valley, Hitchie Springs and the Willows.
"March 25, 1868,
Captain Ilges and eight men attacked fifty Indians with stolen cattle at Cottonwood Springs, Arizona. The
engagement lasted twenty minutes. Private Logan, Company B, was wounded. One
Indian was killed and two wounded.
"February 27, 1869, in an attack made by
Apaches on a train near
Camp Grant, Arizona,
two men were severely wounded, but the attack was repulsed.
"May 6, 1869, in an attack on a train near
Grief Hill, one private of the
regiment was killed, but the Indians were so impressed by the operations of
breech-loaders, then used on them for the first time, that they regularly
stampeded.
"In May, 1881,
Colonel Smith was retired and was succeeded by Lewis Cass Hunt, who was colonel of the
regiment until his death, September 6, 1886.
"In August, 1881, the headquarters of the
regiment was transferred from
Camp Douglass,
Utah, to White River, Col., and
in May 1883, they were removed to
Fort Sidney,
Neb., and in July 1884, to Vancouver
Barracks, W. T.
"In this department the regiment has had only
the ordinary routine duty to perform, except the suppression of
the anti-Chinese riots in Seattle in
November 1885 and February 1886.
609
"In September of this year
Colonel Anderson was promoted to the Colonelcy of the regiment vice
General Hunt. Lieutenant-Colonel Woodward was promoted to the colonelcy of the
15th Infantry on January 10, 1876. Lieut.-Col. Henry Douglas was promoted in
his place on that date; he was promoted colonel of the 10th Infantry, July 1,
1888, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Col. I. D. DeRussy. Major M. M. Blunt was
promoted October 4, 1874, lieutenant-colonel of 25th Infantry and was
succeeded as major by Major Montgomery Bryant, who held the position until
June 1882, when he was succeeded by Major W. F. Drum, who in his turn was
promoted December 8, 1886, and was succeeded by Major Charles A. Wikoff, the
present major of the regiment.
"The regiment has as it stands today, twenty
officers with war records, not counting those who have since served in Indian
wars, nearly all of whom have been wounded in battle. Many of our "comrades
and companions" have returned to civil life and are working honorably and
successfully in civil pursuits. But the grave has closed over most of our men
of '61."
"The brightest have gone before
us
The dullest remain behind."
"Nevertheless, those who remain, cherish the
hope that those who succeed us may be encouraged by this history to do what
the men of the 14th Infantry have always tried to do—THEIR DUTY."
APPENDIX.
ROSTER OF
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, 14TH INFANTRY.
Colonel, THOMAS M. ANDERSON.
|
Lieutenant-Colonel, I. D. DERUSSY. |
Adjutant, 1st
Lieut. R. T. YEATMAN. |
| Major,
CHARLES A. WIKOFF. |
Quartermaster, 1st
Lieut. J. H. GUSTIN |
| A. |
Captain
A. H. BAINBRIDGE, 1st Lieut. G. T. T. PATTERSON,
2d Lieut. W. B. REYNOLDS. |
| B. |
Captain
P. HASSON, 1st Lieut. J. MURPHY, 2d Lieut. J. P. O'NEIL. |
| C. |
Captain
D. W. BURKE, 1st Lieut. WM. W. McCAMMON, 2d Lieut. E. T. WINSTON. |
| D. |
Captain
C. B. WESTERN, 1st Lieut. F. S. CALHOUN, 2d Lieut. H. C. CABELL, JR. |
| E. |
Captain
F. E. TROTTER, 1st Lieut. J. A. BUCHANAN, 2d Lieut. F. F. EASTMAN. |
| F. |
Captain
T. F. TOBEY, 1st Lieut. C. A. JOHNSON, 2d Lieut. C. H. MARTIN. |
| G. |
Captain
C. H. WARRENS, 1st Lieut. W. P. GOODWIN,
2d Lieut. W. A. KIMBALL. |
| H. |
Captain
S. McCONIHE, 1st Lieut. S. J. MULHALL, 2d Lieut. W. R. SAMPLE. |
| I. |
Captain
G. W. DAVIS, 1st Lieut. F. TAYLOR, 2d Lieut. A. HASBROUCK, JR. |
| K. |
Captain
G. S. CARPENTER, 1st Lieut. R. A. LOVELL, 2d Lieut. W. K. JONES. |
Letters with valuable information have been
received from Generals E. D. Townsend, W. B. Franklin, T. F. Rodenbough, U. S.
A.; Lieutenants J. A. Buchanan and Frank Taylor, 14th Infantry; Colonels William
R. Smedberg, E. McK. Hudson and J. J. Coppinger; Captains A. H. Bainbridge, 14th
Infantry, T. M. K. Smith, 23d Infantry, and Geo. M. Downey, U. S. A., Major P.
W. Stanhope, U. S. A.; Captain Chambers McKibbin, 15th Infantry.
I am indebted to the Adjutant of the Regiment,
Lieut. R. T. Yeatman, for much diligent research and compilation, also to
Captain Tobey and Lieutenant Eastman for assistance, and to the Sergeant-Major
and his clerks for intelligent and faithful work.
Thanks to the U. S. Army Center for Military History
for this copy of Anderson's history.
Our Thanks, once again, to Bob Wilson
for his tireless research of the History of the 14th Infantry, on behalf of the
members of the Fourteenth Infantry Regiment, past, present and future!
Acknowledgements:
Fourteenth Regiment of Infantry, by Colonel Thomas M.
Anderson, 1890
From the U.S. Army Center for Military History
Copyright © 2012 14th Infantry Regiment Association
Last modified:
July 25, 2024