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Civil War: Miscellaneous Documents |
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Civil War: Miscellaneous Documents |
Miscellaneous
Documents and Histories
Regarding the Fourteenth U.S. Infantry
During the Civil War
Dyer’s Compendium, Regimental Histories, 14th Regiment Infantry
Dyer’s Compendium, Regimental Histories, 14th U.S. (colored)
2nd Bull Run: Author's Narrative
Antietam: Author's Narrative
Antietam: The Soldier's Battle, Day 2
Gettysburg: Author's Narrative
Gettysburg: The Second Day
Action at the Peach Orchard
Battle of the Wilderness: Author's Narrative
Battle of the Wilderness: John Michael Priest
Brevets Awarded for Gallant Service in Major Battles
Miscellaneous Brevets Awarded
Important Senior Officers, but not while with 14th
Outstanding Junior Officers
Four Men Who Were Related
The men of the 14th who fought in the Civil War helped characterize the Army for the next 40 years. No other crucible, outside of Vietnam, would shape and form the heart and soul of the 14th as the Civil War did. These Regulars were paid to be shot at, while standing tall in front of the enemy. God loves an infantryman, and the men of the 14th were well loved.
Direct evidence of the 14th's inability to replace losses can be found in the "Order of Battle" for each battle that the regiment participated in. From Gaines’ Mill through Fredricksburg, both the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 14th are listed as separately commanded elements. At Chancellorsville, spring of 1863, and after, the 14th is referred to as only the 14th, with one commander. This could well mean that as early as the spring of 1863, combat and other losses had been significant enough to warrant consolidation of the two Battalions into one.
The regular army regiments played important but minor roles in the theater of the Civil War. The state militias and volunteer units overwhelmed the regular Army contingent by the thousands. Towards the end of the war, the two brigades that were comprised of regular Army regiments had twice the number of regiments as those brigades comprised of volunteer regiments. They were quite simply shells of their full strength selves.
This may help explain the seemingly small number of combat casualties sustained by the 14th and other regular Army regiments. Dyer’s Compendium reports that only 8 officers and 158 enlisted men from the 14th lost their lives due to combat in the war. A full strength regiment at the time may have had 800 to 1,000 men. If in fact the 14th were ever at this troop level, 166 KIAs would still represent a sizable proportion of its original strength, considering the lack of replacements that regular regiments suffered from.
Note, the 14th never had a 3rd Battalion during the war, this should mean that the 14th was at about 2/3’s a regular regiments strength when it was first activated in 1861, and steadily declined in strength during the course of the war. [However, Wikipedia indicates that the regiment was organized 3 May 1861 at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut as two battalions, with the third added in April 1862.]
The other side of this coin was that those who did choose to enter the ranks of the regulars, oftentimes came as former officers of the volunteers looking to achieve a regular commission in the Army by enlisting in the ranks, if they couldn’t get a direct commission. This oddity helped strengthen the belief that the regular units were most often the rock to break an enemy line with, or on.
The mass of volunteer units meant something else for the regulars. The senior officers from each US regiment were almost always converted to more senior officers in the USV. This allowed regular Army officers to achieve senior rank more quickly than they would have if they had stayed with the regulars. It also meant that company grade officers were given the opportunity to lead battalions and regiments into combat. That is why the 14th’s line officers, men like Capt John Dawes "Paddy" O’Connell, played such a major role in the unit’s history during this war.
It was in the Civil War that the motto of the 14th Infantry was born. In recognition of the regiment's heroic performance of duty during twelve of the bloodiest campaigns, General George Meade awarded the 14th Infantry Regiment the place of honor at the "Right of the Line" in the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington, D.C. at the end of the war.
Every attempt to describe the 14th's efforts in the Civil War is abbreviated. For that reason the author will offer up the following:
Dyer’s Compendium, US Regular Army
Regimental Histories
14th REGIMENT INFANTRY
Organized by direction of the President May 4, 1861, and confirmed by Act of Congress July 29, 1861. Organized at Ft. Trumbull, Conn. Moved to Perryville Md., October, 1861, and duty there till March, 1862. Moved to Washington DC. Attached to Sykes’ Regular Infantry, Reserve Brigade, Army of the Potomac, to May 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to March 1864. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Army Corps, to April 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Army Corps, to June 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Army Corps, to November 1864. Dept. of the East to April 1865. Provost Guard, Army of the Potomac, to June 1865.
SERVICE—Moved to the Virginia Peninsula March 1862. Siege of Yorktown, Va., April 5-May 4. Seven days before Richmond June 25-July 1. Battle of Mechanicsville June 26. Gaines’ Mill June 27. Turkey Bridge June 30. Malvern Hill July 1. At Harrison’s Landing till August 16. Movement to Fortress Monroe, thence to Centreville August 16-28. Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia August 28-September 2. Battles of Groveton August 29. Bull Run August 30. Maryland Campaign September 6-22. Battle of Antietam September 16-17. Shepherdstown Ford September 19-20. At Shepherdstown, Md., till October 29. Kearneysville and Shepherdstown October 16-17. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October 29-November 19. Snicker’s Gap November 3. Battle of Fredricksburg Va., December 12-15. "Mud March" January 20-24, 1863. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Battle of Chancellorsville May 1-5. Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 1-3. Pursuit of Lee July 5-24. Moved to New York August 13-16, and duty there till September 14. Rejoined army at Culpepper, Va., September 24. Bristoe Campaign October 9-22. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Rapidan Campaign May 4-June 12 1864. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Spottsylvania Court House May 8-21; North Anna River May 22-26. On the line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Bethesda Church June 1-3. Before Petersburg June 16-18. Siege of Petersburg June 16-November 2. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30 (Reserve). Weldon Railroad August 18-21. Poplar Springs Church, Peeble’s Farm, September 29-October 2. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run, October 27-28. Ordered to New York November 1, then to Elmira, N.Y. and duty there till March 1865. Ordered to the field, arriving at City Point, Va., April 4. Provost duty till May, and at Richmond, Va.
Regiment lost during service 8 Officers and 158 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 206 Enlisted men by disease. Total 374.
(Outside of the 1st battle of Bull Run and the final day at Appomattox Court House, the 14th played a role, major or minor, in almost every action by the Army of the Potomac.)
The record of 14th Infantries in the Army would not be complete without the inclusion of the "other" 14th, the 14th USc Regiment of the Civil War. Black regiments during the war numbered over 100. The 14th USc did its duty in Tenn., Ga., and Ala. The following, from Dyer’s, provides the little the author has been able to find, to date:
"Dyer’s Compendium of the War of the Rebellion"
14th Regiment Infantry (USc)
Organized at Gallatin Tenn., November 16, 1863, to January 8, 1864. Attached to Post of Gallatin, Tenn., to January 1864. Post of Chattanooga, Tenn., Dept of the Cumberland, to November 1864. Unattached, District of the Etowah, Dept. of the Cumberland to December 1864. 1st Colored Brigade, District of the Etowah, to May 1865. District of East Tennessee, to August 1865. Dept. of the Tennessee till March 1866.
SERVICE-Garrison duty at Chattanooga Tenn. Till November 1864. March to relief of Dalton Ga., August 14. Action at Dalton August 14-15. Siege of Decatur, Ala., October 27-30. Battle of Nashville Tenn., December 15-16. Overton’s Hill December 16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Duty at Chattanooga and in District of East Tennessee till July 1865. At Greenville and in the Dept., of the Tennessee till March 1866. Mustered out March 26, 1866.*******
2nd Bull Run, Author’s Narrative2nd Bull Run saw both Battalions of the 14th engaged in 5th Corps’ attempt to strike Stonewall Jackson’s Corps, while flanked by Maj Gen Longstreet’s Corps. Maj Gen Pope’s inability to separate fact from fiction, and his personal bias against Maj Gen Fitz-John Porter, led to the smashing of the Union left flank by Gen Longstreet’s Corps. The subsequent retreat, and the part the 14th played in it are covered in the following account taken from John C. Codman’s 1882 book, "The Army Under Pope" and covers the 14ths actions with 5th Corps at Henry House Hill.
"We pass now to the struggle for the Henry House Hill. Here were Sykes' regulars, in first-rate order, and ready to receive the enemy. Buchanan, an old veteran of the war with Mexico, who had with his own hand forced open the door of the Molino del Rey, commanded one brigade; Chapman, his comrade in the same gallant fight, the other. Here, too, were gathered all the troops that could be collected from the front. It was a post of the last importance. We could not afford to lose it. There was no position west of Bull Run which offered such advantages for defense as this. The army was in full retreat, though in orderly retreat; but that orderly retreat would be changed into a rout if the enemy should drive us from our position on the Henry House Hill and its neighborhood. There would be nothing between them and the Stone Bridge across Bull Run. And they did not carry it. Their exertions had been severe before they reached this position. They had marched a considerable distance and over difficult country. They attacked, however, with their customary energy and courage, and while they suffered much, they inflicted heavy losses upon the regulars of Sykes. But fortunately for the Federal army, darkness came on, and the exhausted Confederates ceased from farther assaults upon their obstinate antagonists."
"When Buchanan and Chapman were withdrawn, after suffering heavy losses, McDowell, who had charged himself with the defense of this vital position, stationed Gibbon there with his brigade, and that force remained there some two hours after dark. Schurz, who also placed the brigade of Schimmelpfenning on the Henry House Hill, withdrew it about eight o'clock by orders of General Sigel, in the direction of Bull Run." (this was the rock used by Pope to break a CSA line on, Author)
The Regiment was allegedly in reserve at Antietam. This was either incorrect or there were an awful lot of volunteers that made it to the front! 5th Corps was near the center of the carnage, north of Burnside’s Bridge and south of the "cornfield" and "bloody lane". It never made it across Antietam Creek and to the CSA lines, to the best of the author’s knowledge. Maj Gen McClellan launched attacks from the north, then the south. The weight of the center was never committed to direct assault. The troops at the center had the best view that day and could see how thin the CSA ranks really were; they waited futilely for an order to attack that never came. Whatever actions were undertaken could most probably be described as "heavy skirmishing".
General Thomas M. Anderson, in 1886 Lieutenant-Colonel of the 9th infantry, U. S. A., wrote to the editors in that year: (at Antietam Capt Thomas Anderson commanded the 2/12th Infantry)
"At the battle of Antietam I commanded one of the battalions of Sykes's division of regulars, held in reserve on the north of Antietam creek near the stone bridge. (Middle Bridge on maps, Author). Three of our battalions were on the south side of the creek, deployed as skirmishers in front of Sharpsburg. At the time A. P. Hill began to force Burnside back upon the left, I was talking with Colonel Buchanan, our brigade commander. when an orderly brought him a note from Captain (now Colonel) Blunt, who was the senior officer with the battalions of our brigade beyond the creek. The note, as I remember, stated in effect that Captain Dryer, commanding the 4th Infantry, had ridden into the enemy's lines, and upon returning had reported that there were but one Confederate battery and two regiments in front of Sharpsburg, connecting the wings of Lee's army. Dryer was one of the coolest and bravest officers in our service, and on his report Blunt asked instructions. We learned afterward that Dryer proposed that he, Blunt, and Brown, commanding the 4th, 12th, and 14th infantries, should charge the enemy in Sharpsburg instanter. But Blunt preferred asking for orders. Colonel Buchanan sent the note to Sykes, who was at the time talking with General McClellan and Fitz John Porter, about a hundred and fifty yards from us. They were sitting on their horses between Taft's and Weed's batteries a little to our left. I saw the note passed from one to the other in the group, but could not, of course, hear what was said. We received no orders to advance, however, although the advance of a single brigade at the time (sunset) would have cut Lee's army in two."
"After the war, I asked General Sykes why our reserves did not advance upon receiving Dryer's report. He answered that he remembered the circumstance very well and that he thought McClellan was inclined to order in the Fifth Corps, but that when he spoke of doing so said: 'Remember, General! I command the last reserve of the last Army of the Republic."
General Fitz John Porter writes to say that no such note as "Captain Dryer's report" was seen by him, and that no such discussion as to the opportunity for using the "reserve" took place between him and General McClellan. General Porter says that nearly all of his Fifth Corps (according to McClellan's report, 12,900 strong), instead of being idle at that critical hour, had been sent to re-enforce the right and left wings, leaving of the Fifth Corps to defend the center a force "not then four thousand strong," according to General Porter's report.--- EDITORS.
"Antietam, The Soldiers’ Battle"
John Michael PriestThe Middle Bridge
Sept. 17, 1862
Evening of the 2nd day of battle
"Little had occurred on either bank of the Antietam near the Middle or Lower Bridges since hostilities opened during the previous day." "The Regulars were not there to precipitate a general engagement. All battalions of the 12th and the 14th Regulars, combined, did not have nine hundred men between them. They were in no shape, following the Peninsular Campaign to engage in severe combat. They were there to protect the Middle Bridge solely."
"In the darkness, Captain Hiram Dryer (4th U.S., commanding) mounted up and quietly rode down the Boonsboro Pike into the Confederate lines. He quickly discovered that two regiments (Garnett’s Brigade) and a single battery (probably Jordan’s) connected Lee’s flanks. Stealing back to his own lines he scrawled a note, the contents of which he cleared through the senior officer upon the field (Cpt. Matthew M. Blunt, 1st Battalion, 12th U.S.) to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Buchanan, his brigade commander."
"An aide clattered across the Middle Bridge to the colonel, who was chatting with Captain Thomas M. Anderson (2nd Battalion, 12th U.S.). Buchanan read the note and returned it to the aide with orders to run it to Brigadier General George Sykes, the Division commander."
"As the courier galloped south to relay the message to Sykes, Buchanan turned to Anderson and informed him that Dryer proposed that his 4th U.S., Blunt’s 1st Battalion, 12th U.S., and Captain Harvey Brown’s 1st Battalion, 14th U.S. launch a night assault upon Lee’s center. The two officer’s realized how vulnerable the Army of Northern Virginia was at that point and that the V Corps had an opportunity to crush "Bobby" Lee before he crossed into Virginia."
"They carefully observed Sykes discussing the message with Fitz Porter (V Corps) and George B. McClellan (Army of the Potomac). All three were mounted about one hundred yards to the south between Taft’s (5th NY, Independent) and Weed’s (I, 4th U.S.) Batteries. They saw the note being passed in the bright moonlight between the officers but could not hear the conversation. As usual, the idea died at the highest level of command. Nothing happened."*********
The 14th Infantry went into the Antietam Battle of 1862 with the 1/14th -- 178 muskets; the 2/14th -- 121 muskets.*********
Gettysburg, author's narrativeAt Gettysburg, the 14th was committed at the "wheat field" on the evening of the second day, 2 July 1863. The regiment was part of Col Hannibal Day’s 1st Brigade, 2,800 infantrymen strong, that suffered over 800 killed and wounded in about an 2 hours, between 1730 and 1930 hours. Even the Regulars had trouble holding back the Confederate Infantry at that point. The Wheatfield was a cauldron of constantly shifting attacks and counter-attacks. Only darkness and the final charge of a Union brigade stopped the carnage and the day.
Day's Brigade, of 5th Corps, went into the Wheatfield with about 900 men, amongst 5 Regular Regiments. The Brigade finished the day with 382 casualties.
"Gettysburg-The Second Day" by: Harry W. Pfanz
"Another incident occurred during the Regular's advance (down Plum Run into the Wheatfield) that showed that they were not automatons. A somewhat disliked officer of the 14th Infantry had been a shoemaker in civilian life, and this was known to the men." "To taunt him, after 'Taps' "someone would begin a chorus of shouts by chanting W-A-X! W-A-X!" "That was in quieter times; but as the 14th started down into Plum Run Valley someone broke the tension in the ranks by shouting ' W-A-X '.
APPENDIX I.
As Colonel Anderson, in his historical sketch of the 14th Infantry, does not advert to the combat which took place at the Peach Orchard, Gettysburg, July 4th, and in which his regiment took part—a combat that was continued, later, as " picket-firing "—a few pertinent facts may not come amiss.
CIRCULAR-PUBLICATION COMMITTEE.
THE MILITARY SERVICE INSTITUTION,
GOVERNOR'S ISLAND, N. Y. H., Nov. 10, 1889
V.
THE FOURTEENTH INFANTRY.
Pretty early in the forenoon Of July 4th, the First Regular Brigade, under Gen. H. Day, was ordered to the front, to "feel" the enemy: leaving the position occupied during the 3rd, in rear of the Little Round Top, by the road leading to the Orchard, the column, just before reaching the Wheat Field, was deflected to the right to secure the shelter of the woods; reaching the outer end of the woods the brigade was formed in two lines—the first, composed of the 3d, 4th and 6th Infantry, commanded by Captain (now colonel) Bootes, and the second, composed of the 12th and 14th Infantry, I think, by Major Giddings, and, covered by Captain Thatcher's Co. of the 14th, advanced in this order toward the Emmittsburg Turnpike—the skirmishers penetrating the Peach Orchard, the first line halting at its edge, and the second, in the open space intervening.
Stray bullets had been falling amongst the troops before leaving the woods --One wounding Lieutenant Crowley, 4th Infantry--and as soon as the skirmishers emerged from its shelter, a brisk exchange of fire began, which was kept up for about an hour, after halting; men detached from the flank companies of the 6th and 14th, meanwhile replying to the fire from the left, opened by covering parties of the enemy, ensconced behind stone walls and small redan shaped shelters made of stones and fence rails.
About 11 o'clock, finding the lines exposed to enfilading artillery, the brigade was ordered to retire which it did under fire from a rebel battery posted near the Fairfield road, and which was answered by the Federal battery on Little Round Top—this being the last artillery firing at Gettysburg. Almost reaching its original position, the column faced about and proceeded to establish a "picket line"—really a line of skirmishers in groups—along the edge of the woods to the left of the Wheat Field, through the "Devil's Den," and along the open crest of Plum Creek, between the two Round Tops. As soon as the rain, which had been falling in torrents, ceased, picket firing began, which lasted till after dark, the 14th Infantry, if not the last, certainly among the last, who fired upon the enemy at Gettysburg.
During the night of the 4th the last Confederates left, and early on the morning of the 5th a skirmish line was advanced—Benedict's Company of the 4th, and Company "I," 6th Infantry, being part of the force from the "Devil's Den" to a point beyond the Emmittsburg Turnpike, and near the Fairfield road, a force of Confederate cavalry and artillery being reported in sight on the latter road.
J. P. SCHINDEL,
Capt. 6th Infantry.
FT. GIBSON, I. T., July 28, 1890.***********
Two of the eight 14th Infantry Officers killed in the Civil War were killed or died of wounds received at the Wilderness. The battle happened on 5 and 6 May 1864. On the night of the 4th, the 14th was camped at Wilderness Tavern along with the rest of 5th Corps.
Battle of the Wilderness, Author's Narrative
On the morning of the 5 May, the 5th Corps proceeded west along Orange Turnpike and ran into Maj Gen Ewell's CSA Corps. The 14th was part of Brig Gen Romeyn Ayres Brigade and formed the right flank of 5th Corps. Maj Gen Sedgewick's Corps was supposed to come up on Ayres' right flank but was delayed. Brig Gen John Gordon's brigade, along with Daniel's brigade from Ewell's Corps struck the open right flank and threw the regulars back towards Wilderness Tavern with the loss of two field pieces. Both sides dug entrenchment's that night.
On the day of 6 May, 5th Corps attacked the CSA entrenchment's, with "frequent and persistent" assaults all day. The 14th's casualties in the Wilderness were a result of both days' actions. CSA Brig Gen John Gordon utilized the same flanking attack on the right flank of Sedgewick's Corps (Gen Sedgewick finally found 5th Corps' right flank) on the 6th, as he did on the 5th, capturing two Union Generals. The 14th lost 3 officers in this one battle; 2Lt Thomas Collins, 1Lt Daniel Brodhead and Capt Sullivan Burbank.
"Nowhere to Run, The Wilderness, May 4th & 5th, 1864" by: John Michael Priest
May 5th, 1300 hours to 1330 hours:"The Confederate volley which sent the artillery skittering down hill, hammered into the Regulars of Ayres' first three lines when they reached the western edge of Saunders Field, and as the 146th NY reached the eastern lip of the ditch.
"A second rapidly executed volley punched huge holes through the Regulars two lines. Part of the 2nd US hit the dirt. The rest of the regiment (2nd US) and the entire 17th US broke ranks and streamed rearward, while the 12th US and 14th US plowed ahead in a very ragged formation into the woods."
"Confederates were pouring freely through the gaps in the Yankee lines. The 12th and 14th Regulars became isolated from the rest of the Brigade and tried to retreat into Saunders Field to regroup."**************
The 14th was assigned temporary duty in New York State twice during the war. The author has no specific knowledge as to the reasons for these assignments, but labor unrest and draft riots come to mind. No state governor would have voluntarily allowed his state’s troops to help quell riots in another state. That would have been left up to the Regular Army. How strange it must have been for the 14th to march from the battlefield to the neighborhood, and back again
There was no furling of the Regimental Flag after the Civil War, just a brief respite before being thrown against another foe, out in the West. How quickly new tactics and lessons needed to be learned, was soon to become apparent.**************
Fifty-four brevets were awarded for gallant service in action. They are as follows:
, KIA , KIA , KIA , KIA , KIA , KIA , KIA *
*Thanks to Margaret Langford bringing this to my attention.
The following brevets were awarded to 14th Infantrymen but not for official battles that the 14th participated in. The explanations for this are beyond the author’s ken.
Trevillian Station & Cedar Creek
KIA
Senior 14th officers who played an important role in the war, but not with the 14th are as follows:
Maj Lewis Hunt, assigned to 14th on 8 June 1863, he would return as Regimental Commander on 19 May 1881. ; spent the war as Colonel and Assistant aide-de-camp outside of the regiment; ; entered the Army in 1829, fought in the Mexican-American War, assigned as 14th Regimental Commander in 1864, retired as a Brigadier General in 1866. ; briefly with the 14th in 1861, went on to become 1st Corps Commander, killed at Gettysburg, 1 July 1863. Turned down the offer of Commander, Army of the Potomac, because President Lincoln would not give him a free rein. , Brevetted in the Mexican-American War, Commander of the 14th on 14 May 1861, titular commander until 1864, Brigadier General of Volunteers from 1861 to 1864. , 14 May 1861, Brigadier General of Volunteers 1861, Commander 1st and 2nd Divisions of 5th Corps, Major General and Commander of 5th Corps, Army of the Potomac.Private, Sergeant, 2Lt Thomas Collins, Killed in the Battle of the Wilderness Private, Sergeant-Maj., 2Lt Whillingham Cox Sergeant, 1Lt Patrick Moroney , AQM Private, Sergeant, 2Lt Charles Smedberg, died in service, 1 June 1863
Junior officers who represented the 14th well were as follows:and Capt David McKibbin were both from Pennsylvania. and Capt William Smedberg were both from New York.
Four men of the 14th were most likely related during the war:
1Lt Joseph Van Derslice stayed with the 14th after the war. Briefly cashiered in 1865 for reasons unknown, he finally retired out of the 14th and the Army on 23 April 1879.
Acknowledgements:
Civil War: Miscellaneous Documents
Copyright © 2012 14th Infantry Regiment Association
Last modified: February 04, 2017