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diff --git a/34216.txt b/34216.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2d29cb2 --- /dev/null +++ b/34216.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1543 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes of a staff officer of our First New +Jersey Brigade on the Seven Day's Battle on the peninsula in 1862, by E. Burd Grubb + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Notes of a staff officer of our First New Jersey Brigade on the Seven Day's Battle on the peninsula in 1862 + +Author: E. Burd Grubb + +Release Date: November 5, 2010 [EBook #34216] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTES OF A STAFF OFFICER *** + + + + +Produced by Ernest Schaal and The Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + + [Illustration] + + + + + Notes of a Staff Officer + of our + First New Jersey Brigade + on the + Seven Day's Battle on the + Peninsula in 1862 + + + by + E. Burd Grubb + Brevet Brigadier General U. S. Volunteers + + + MOORESTOWN, N. J. + MOORESTOWN PRINTING CO. + 1910. + + + + + The Seven Day's Battle on the Peninsula + as Seen by a Lieutenant on the Staff + + +Camille Baquet, Esq., + Historian of First New Jersey Brigade, + Elizabeth, N. J. + +DEAR SIR: + +In accordance with your request I give you herewith my recollections of +the Battle of Gaines' Mills. In order to give a minute description of +this battle, it may be well to describe where the New Jersey Brigade +started from to go into it, and how it came to be where it did start +from. + +The Brigade had been at the village of Mechanicsville about three and a +half miles from Richmond on the northern side of the Chickahominy during +the latter part of the month of May. It was moved up from Mechanicsville +about a mile and a half west up the Chickahominy near the Meadow Bridge, +but was not on picket at that bridge when Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry +attacked the picket of the United States Cavalry commanded by Captain +Royal and killed a number of his men and desperately wounded that +officer. Captain Royal was well known in Burlington, New Jersey, he +having married a sister of Admiral John Howell of that city. + +The brigade was withdrawn soon after that and moved down the +Chickahominy taking the road on top of the northern ridge and stopping +near Dr. Gaines' house. + +On the 31st of May the brigade was under orders to move at a moment's +notice and the Battle of Fair Oaks was in progress on the southern side +of the river. Part of it could be seen and a good deal of it heard. + +On the morning of the first of June the brigade moved down across the +Chickahominy and out on the battle field of Fair Oaks. General Taylor +informed me that we had been held in reserve through the morning and +were considered the support of the second line. We were not engaged +because the fight was practically over before we reached the field, but +Captain George Wood, whose mother lived next to my father's house in +Burlington and who was captain in a Pennsylvania regiment, was carried +by and spoke to me while I was sitting on my horse with General Taylor +at the edge of the battle field. Captain Wood was shot through the leg. +The brigade was encamped on this battle field along the eastern side of +the road running to Richmond, having crossed on what was known as the +Grapevine Bridge, across the Chickahominy, and while there I visited the +Second Brigade, many of whom, particularly in the Fifth Regiment, came +from Burlington. George Burling, afterwards Gen. Burling, commanded a +regiment. They had had a very desperate fight and many of them had been +killed and wounded. They were camped directly on the spot where they had +fought, and for many reasons it was the most disagreeable camp I ever +saw, dead men and dead horses having been only covered with perhaps six +inches or a foot of earth and the stench and the flies exceeded anything +I ever saw before or since. We remained here until the morning of the +27th of June. All through the afternoon of the 26th up to nine o'clock +that night there had been a heavy battle raging at and around +Mechanicsville and the roar of the guns and the flashes of the shells +had been very continuous. Early in the morning of the 27th the brigade +was moved down with the rest of Slocum's division near the Grapevine +Bridge and over the small hill from which the north side of the +Chickahominy River could be very well seen. + +It is my recollection that the tents which were of course shelter tents, +and the knap-sacks of all the brigade, were left in the camp when we +moved out that morning and the reason I think so is because I was in +charge of the detail which buried the knap-sacks of the entire Fourth +Regiment which were in their camp when we returned late on the night of +the 27th after the battle. These knap-sacks were buried on the morning +of the 28th of June, 1862, and while I have never been at the place +since, although I have visited the battle field of Gaines' Mills twice, +I have always thought that I could find this place. If the members of +the Fourth Regiment have not already done so, of this I do not know. + +About eight o'clock in the morning General Taylor directed me to go over +the river and get some idea of the topography of the ground upon which +we would probably fight. After crossing the river, riding across, I went +to the westward, crossing a field or two, and came to a barn on the top +of which were some signal officers, one of whom I knew, he being from my +own regiment. He asked me to come up on top of the barn, and I climbed +up and from there about half a mile away through a small gap in the +woods, I watched a solid column of the enemy passing from left to right, +until I was sure that a very heavy body of infantry was making that +movement, I then went to the northwestward until I came to our line of +battle. The men were lying down along the edge of the pine woods and so +far as I saw, there was no rifle pit or attempt of any shelter of that +kind, I rode along for certainly the length of the entire division and +got a fair idea of the lay of the land, and I saw a place which has +considerable to do with my account of this battle. It was a swale or +shallow ravine possibly, where it came through the pine woods, about six +feet deep and one hundred feet wide. On the northwest side of it there +was a peach orchard and high grass and from the configuration of the +country, I judged that the swale was formed from the water wash through +that orchard towards the Chickahominy. There was no creek or rivulet +going through it, but there was quite a deep ditch running along in the +fields to the eastward perpendicular to the direction of the swale. Our +line of battle was not in the ditch but considerably to the westward of +it, say one hundred and fifty yards, I do not remember what troops were +there, but I think that at least some of them were Regulars. My reason +for thinking so is because I spoke to and saw regular officers whom I +knew. The line of battle was not extended across this swale when I saw +it in the morning, nor was it in the afternoon when I saw it again. I +extended my observations along the line of battle for probably a mile to +which this swale was nearly a central point. I made careful observations +because I could not tell where our brigade would go in. I made a pencil +sketch of the line as it appeared to me and returned to General Taylor +with as much information as I could give him together with the sketch. +The swale and ditch were marked upon the sketch as was also the barn +where the signal officers were, and the general direction and the +distance from the bridge head as near as I could give it. I do not know +why it occurred to me that the course of the brigade should be to the +left after we crossed the bridge, but it was so, and the reason I did +think so was because I saw immediately that that was the weakest part of +our line of battle. + +About two o'clock in the afternoon we had not yet crossed the bridge. It +will be remembered that one of the names of this battle of Gaines' +Mills, is the "noiseless battle." A four o'clock in the afternoon there +were nearly sixty thousand men engaged, having a great number of +cannon, firing an immense number of cartridges, (of course at that time +loaded with black noisy powder) and it is a fact that persons within two +miles of that battle never heard a sound of it. Ordinarily the noise of +that battle would easily have been heard for fifty miles. + +I remember afterwards that although the smoke of the guns and of the +musketry and the bursting of the shells in the air was distinctly +visible to all of us; yet there was exceedingly little or no noise where +we were until after we crossed the bridge, although we were within +three-quarters of a mile from where the battle was going on. + +I think there are only one or two occasions in the history of the world +in which such peculiar conditions of the atmosphere existed at the time +of battle. About three o'clock one of General Slocum's aides came to +General Taylor with orders to cross the bridge at once, we moved down +and crossed, and were directed to move obliquely to the left and take +position in a large field which was a clover field, in echelon. The +battalions were closed in mass on the centre with intervals of one +hundred and twenty paces between the battalions. The Fourth Regiment was +the left rear echelon; the Third was the next; then the Second; then the +First. The field was a very large one and sloped both ways, first the +rise from the river to the top of it, then a slope towards the pine +woods which I have spoken of on the northern side. In forming the +echelon, all the brigade passed over the crest of the hill. As soon as +the brigade was in this position General Taylor ordered arms in place +rest. + +In front of us and about five hundred yards away there was going on a +very severe battle, and many bullets came up from the woods and some +cannon balls and shells. In a few moments the General sent orders to the +brigade to lie down. Just as we came into position, a brigade which had +been fighting in the woods right in front of us and which contained +Duryea's Regiment of Zouaves of New York, fell back out of the woods not +in very much disorder, but breaking both to the right and left. Their +place was taken by Sykes' Brigade of the regular army which passed into +their place coming from the left and which went into position just about +the time that our men lay down on the hill. The regulars took up a fight +which commenced to rage again with great fury; their line pressed into +the woods and disappeared from our sight. The bullets commenced to come +out of the woods and come in where we were in a very disagreeable +manner, which I distinctly remember, as I sat on my horse with much +more apparent coolness than I really felt, alongside of the General who +certainly was very cool. In a few moments a very great many wounded men +began to come back from the woods, some being carried, some being +assisted, and some limping back themselves; and before very long an aide +of General Slocum's came to General Taylor and ordered him to put his +brigade in line of battle and advance. At this moment an incident +occurred of which I was personally cognizant and part of which I was an +eye witness to. I may digress here for a moment, and say that on the +crest of the hill of which I have spoken and which we passed, lying +between the Fourth and the Third Regiments, was a battery of seven +machine guns, the first that were ever tried in battle, I believe, and +the only ones I think at that time in any army of the world. They were +called the "Union Coffee Mill Guns" and consisted of a single rifle +barrel with an arrangement like a hopper at the butt of the barrel, into +which cartridges were put, and the turning of a crank did the rest. I +have also called to mind the fact that at the battle of Gaines' Mills +the first New Jersey Brigade used a cartridge in which the powder and +ball were enclosed together in some inflammable paper, it not being +necessary to bite the cartridge but merely to put it in the rifle and +ram down. I do not think they were ever used after the Peninsula +Campaign, but the brigade was furnished with from sixty to eighty of +these cartridges per man at the battle of Gaines' Mills, I think the +"Union Coffee Mill Guns" had this same kind of a cartridge, but I am not +sure of this. + +Sergeant Dalzell of the Third New Jersey Regiment in the writhings of +this battle was for a time in charge of this battery and I think that +finally all the guns were lost. The reason that I speak about this +battery so particularly is because it was at a trial of these machine +guns some weeks previous at which I was present, by General Taylor's +orders, I met for the first time the two French officers now known as +the Comte de Paris, the Bourbon Pretender to the throne of France, and +his cousin the Duke de Chartres. These officers I subsequently met on +several occasions when I was sent with messages from General Taylor to +General McClellan while the brigade occupied the extreme right of the +army above Mechanicsville near the Meadow Bridge. I knew them by sight +and from introduction and they did not very much resemble each other. + +Immediately after General Slocum's aide had given orders to General +Taylor to advance his brigade and before the brigade had gotten into +line of battle from the massed formation, an officer riding very fast +and coming down the line from the east rode up to General Taylor and +commenced speaking to him very rapidly in French (both of these officers +whom I have mentioned spoke English perfectly well). General Taylor +neither spoke nor understood French, and he turned to me and said: "Who +the devil is this, and what is he talking about?" I said to him: "This +is the Comte de Paris serving on General McClellan's staff, and he has +come to you by General Porter's orders under which you are to give him +one of our regiments." General Taylor said to me. "Do you know him?" I +said, "Yes, sir, I do." He said: "Very well, then give him the Fourth +Regiment and go and see where he puts it and come back and report." +These last few words saved me a trip to Libby Prison. We started up at +once after the Fourth Regiment where we arrived in a few jumps of our +horses. The French officer was a good deal excited. He was a young man +probably about twenty-five or six years of age. I do not think that he +said anything to me as we were riding, but I do remember that his horse +shied at a dead man who lay in our way and very nearly threw him over +his head. Arrived at the Fourth Regiment whose Colonel Simpson, a West +Point officer, was just beginning to form his line of battle. I +introduced him. Colonel Simpson spoke French very well and their +conversation was in French. I understood it and heard him tell Col. +Simpson just what I had told General Taylor and he said that if Col. +Simpson would get his regiment in columns of fours he would conduct him +where he wanted to go. The regiment was put into columns of fours and +went off to the left front with Col. Simpson, the French officer and +myself riding at the head of it, Col. Simpson on the left of us and the +French officer between us. We had not gone far before I saw that we were +approaching the swale that I have spoken of before, and soon we arrived +at it. To my great surprise there was no more line of battle there than +there was in the morning, although there was a very heavy battle going +on on the right on the eastern side of this swale. My recollection is +that there was not much going on on the left or western side, but I +cannot say that I remember distinctly about that. At the mouth of this +swale, apparently waiting for the Fourth Regiment, was the Eleventh +Pennsylvania Regiment also in columns and also apparently under the +orders of this French officer; for as soon as the Fourth came up both +regiments moved off together through this swale. The rest of this is +soon told. The last I saw of the French officer and Col. Simpson and +the right of that regiment was a swarm of grey coated soldiers with +their rifles in their hands within no more than thirty yards from us, +and with General Taylor's words in my ears to "Come back and report," I +lay flat down on my horse, put both spurs to him and did so. I rode up +the line until I came to some wounded soldiers of the Third Regiment, +and right here I saw Col. Tucker of the Second Regiment carried out of +the woods and put on a stretcher and then shot dead after he was on the +stretcher. I asked some of the Third men where General Taylor was, and +they said "With the Third Regiment," of which regiment he had been +colonel before he was promoted. I dismounted and tied my horse to a +little mulberry tree at the edge of the woods and to which tree General +Taylor's horse was also tied, and which tree is still alive, or was so +within the last four years, as I saw it. I then went up through the +woods about one hundred and fifty yards and came upon the line of battle +and soon found General Taylor parading up and down the line like a +wounded lion and in the midst of one of the most terrible battles I ever +saw. + +As soon as I came close to him and he saw me he said: "Where is the +Fourth?" I said: "Gone to Richmond, sir." I shall never forget how the +old fellow's eyes glared, as with his sword in his hand, he turned to me +and said: "Young man, this is no place for levity." I said: "They are +captured, every man of them." He said: "My God, My God," and fairly +wrung his hands. + +Now this is an incident of the capture of the Fourth Regiment as +witnessed and participated in by a staff officer. The identity of the +French officer who conducted the Fourth Regiment into the woods where it +was lost has been a subject of question ever since. + +Colonel Simpson in his report of the battle and his capture mentions the +name of the Duke de Chartres as having been his conductor. + +When I joined General Taylor he was near the left of the companies of +the Third Regiment; the smoke was so thick that it was impossible to see +twenty yards. The afternoon was very hot and the air close, and probably +the peculiar condition of the atmosphere of which I have spoken had +something to do with it, for I never saw smoke so thick in any battle as +it was at Gaines' Mills. + +The firing of the enemy in our front was very constant, rapid, and +heavy, and while a good many of our men were being hit it appeared to me +that the bullets went high and the bark and the chips fell off the trees +over our heads. All of the men of the Third Regiment were lying down on +the ground loading and firing from that position and the same was true +of the First and Second Regiments who were on the right of the Third. +The first and only order that General Taylor gave me after I joined him +in the woods was given within two or three minutes after I came up to +him and after my report of the Fourth Regiment which I have detailed +above. He said: "Those men are not firing at anything. It is too thick +to see. Go to the regiments and give the order to cease firing and let +the smoke rise." I went along the line, gave the order to every officer +whom I saw--captains, lieutenants, and field officers. There were a +great many of the poor fellows dead and hurt, and my dear cousin, +Penrose Buckley, Captain of Company C, of the Third Regiment, with whom +I had enlisted in May, 1861, was lying on the ground among his men, +several of whom were dead and a number wounded, and he was pressing a +bloody handkerchief to his left hip as I passed along. I said to him: +"How is it with you, Penn?" and he said: "Not bad, Ned, only a buck shot +in my hip." That is the last I ever saw of him. He was shot through the +lungs a few minutes afterwards and lay on that spot four days in agony +and died there. Before this last mortal wound he had a hand to hand +encounter with two of the enemy, one of whom he killed, and the other +shot him through the lungs. This is the testimony of John Stewart, +Sergeant of Company C, who was lying on the ground beside him with his +right arm shot off at the wrist, and who is still living at this day. +After having communicated the order to fire I returned along the line +looking for General Taylor, as I reached about the centre of the Third +Regiment the smoke had risen from the ground as a curtain rolls up +slowly and there was no firing on the part of the enemy, our men +doubtless glad to be relieved from their cramped positions, arose from +the ground, some on their knees, and some standing erect peering through +the smoke. + +As we know now that the enemy were in the sunken road which passed +through the woods parallel with the line of the brigade and where +undoubtedly our line of battle should have been formed in the morning. +This sunken road was deep enough to cover a man to his arm pits and +therefore only the head and shoulders of the enemy were above the level +of the ground, and the enemy was distant only about forty-five yards +when what I am speaking of occurred. I have paced the distance more than +once since on that spot and I believe this to be accurate. + +Both General Taylor and I distinctly heard the clear order, "Aim," come +out of the smoke at the front, and instantly the order, "Fire." The +volley that fell upon the brigade was the most withering I ever saw +delivered, for the men were totally unprepared for it. Under that +volley, the New Jersey Brigade broke all to pieces I do not know whether +before this there was any break in the line of battle to the left of the +New Jersey Brigade. History is somewhat misty about this, but I do know +that the brigade fell back in great disorder upon receiving this volley. + +General Taylor and several of the officers attempted to rally the men, +but this was impossible. The General said to me: "We must get in front +of them. Where's my horse?" It happened that I knew where his horse was +for I had tied my own beast to the same mulberry tree and he was no more +than fifty or sixty yards from where we were. James Morrow, of Company +C, Third Regiment, who is still living, helped me to find these horses, +and directly at the edge of the woods and right in the midst of the +retiring brigade Gen. Taylor ordered me to get in front of the men, +which would be to the rear, for he was coming back to rally them. We had +gone but a few steps when we came to a ditch which I have spoken of +previously and my horse, which was the black stallion so well known to +our brigade, cleared the ditch easily at one bound, Gen. Taylor's horse +balked just on the edge of it and Gen. Taylor very nearly went over his +head. Seeing that the horse would not leap, I dismounted, went through +the ditch and then led him up on the other side, upon which Gen. Taylor +put spurs to his horse and galloped off swinging his sword and calling +to his men to rally. + +One of the curious incidents of my life happened just here. My horse was +very much excited by the noise and confusion, and just as I put one foot +in the stirrup he swung around so that I had great difficulty in getting +the other leg up, finally I did so and was just starting to rejoin Gen. +Taylor when a very tall and handsome young man came to me, and put his +hand on the pommel of my saddle, he had in his other hand a National +Regimental color. The lower part of his face and his chest was covered +with blood. He said to me: "I am hit so hard that I don't think I can go +any further, so I turn this over to you." I took the colors, put my +horse to full run, went through the crowd of retreating men and found +Gen. Taylor, who was forming a line about a quarter of a mile in the +rear of where we had been fighting, and found a small patch of the +Second Regiment, which was the nucleus around which that Regiment was +rallying, and gave the colors to them. + +The curious part of this matter is that I do not remember that I ever +had occasion to mention this incident in public until the year 1888, +when I was Department Commander of the G. A. R. in New Jersey, and at a +Camp Fire in Freehold in the Opera House before a very large audience +and an attentive one, I related it. Upon stating just as I have now, and +saying that I turned those colors over finally to the rallying regiment, +a tall, white-haired man with a long, drooping white moustache rising +from the centre of the audience said: "That is exactly true, I am the +man, and here is the wound," and drawing aside his moustache he showed +that his lips had been almost entirely cut off which was the wound of +which I have spoken and he was the color bearer of our Second Regiment, +who had turned the colors over to me at the Battle of Gaines' Mills. An +account of this curious incident was published in the Freehold papers +the following day. + +As the brigade retreated from the woods we saw a melancholy sight of our +guns of the artillery of our division being captured, and we also had a +glimpse of the rushing to and fro of a small body of cavalry which is +known to be Rush's Lancers, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry. Twenty-one of +those guns were lost right there, and I wish to say that our brigade was +not at any time placed in support of these guns directly. + +The last I saw of the Union Coffee Mills guns they were in a mass +together in a little rise of the ground about two hundred yards back of +our line and this was when we were retreating. I have always understood +here that Sergeant Dalzell, who was the color bearer of the Third +Regiment, was with these guns at that time. + +After returning the colors to a group of the Second Regiment which was +the nucleus of the new line and which line was forming very rapidly, for +the men were not running away in a panic at all, and after Gen. Taylor +got in front of them and called them to rally, they did rally and at +once. It was then getting quite dusk and on the right of our brigade +there came up a brigade from the direction of the Chickahominy and this +I found to be Gen. Meagher's Irish Brigade. This brigade went into +position of the right of our line, and I want to say that our line was +formed before that brigade came up, and of this I am positive. + +While our line was forming, men came in from the front and took +position, regardless of what regiment they belonged and in that line +there were a great many men of other regiments besides the Jersey +Regiments. Gen. Taylor told me to go to the left and help anybody form +the line down to the river, and this I did. Assisting several general +officers whose names I did not know, and about dark there was quite a +good line formed. The left of which extended almost to the river if not +quite there. There were a few pieces of artillery in this line on the +left and some few cavalry. The enemy came out of the woods immediately +after the brigade retreated through the woods, a very solid, good +formation, but after taking the guns which I have spoken of, for some +extraordinary reason they did not come on any farther, and why I have +never been able to ascertain from any account of this battle that I have +ever read. There was no military reason that any one can see why a +charge by the enemy along the line, or at any part of it, after Gen. +Porter's line of battle was broken should not have been entirely and +absolutely successful. + +There is no question that our brigade and others would have fought on +that last line, but I think that it would have been a forlorn hope. The +battle was totally lost and every man knew it. + +The enemy did not advance, and after dark the troops commenced to retire +across the bridges in our rear. These bridges were small, frail things +not much wider than four men could march abreast. + +In the rear of the entire left of the new line of which I spoke, there +was only one of them. The orders to withdraw our brigade came to General +Taylor about quarter of nine o'clock. The enemy had been firing slowly +with artillery and undoubtedly endeavoring to strike the bridges and +many of their shot came close to the bridge heads, but I do not think +that any of them struck the bridge itself. + +Just at nine o'clock as the Third Regiment was going over the bridge and +the General and myself were riding with it, just before we came to the +bridge head Lieutenant Howell of Company I, of the Third Regiment, who +was one of my dearest personal friends, came out of the ranks and shook +hands with me saying how glad he was that we were both alive. He walked +a few paces and turned there to say something else to me or to some of +his company, and a round shot that was fired by the enemy's gun struck +him full in the breast and literally tore him to pieces. + +The brigade crossed the bridge and returned to its camp which they left +in the morning not far from the Fair Oaks battlefield which it reached +about ten o'clock that night. This was one of the most sorrowful nights +that I ever remember. We had lost a great battle, which every man and +officer knew should never have been fought in that way, and at that +place, and every one of us lost dear friends and companions and what was +worse their mangled bodies were at the tender mercy of the enemy. Only a +few wounded men escaped and what few we did get away were taken to the +field hospital at Savage Station and fell into the hands of the enemy +there. This battle was a stupendous military error from beginning to +end. History shows now and our military leaders should have known then, +that, after the battle of Mechanicsville, the day before, in which the +enemy suffered severe repulse, the right wing of our army should have +been withdrawn that night to the south of the Chickahominy River, and +under no circumstances should have been allowed to wait, in that false +position in which they met the fierce assault of the forty thousand +fresh troops of Stonewall Jackson, who was then coming through the +valley, and was known to be coming, and who struck us hard in the place +where we were without entrenchments and without support, on the +afternoon of the 27th of June. Any one who reads history cannot fail to +see that General McClellan's fatal mistake in his Chickahominy campaign +was that he did not advance with his whole force on Richmond after he +had practically won the battle of Fair Oaks. + +The next morning the sorrowful duty of burying the knap-sacks of the +Fourth Regiment to which I have alluded, was performed, and I was +detailed to see that this was done, and I did so and I think I can find +the place, although I have never tried to. The next day the brigade +moved to Savage Station and after a short halt moved on towards White +Oak Swamp. During this halt at Savage Station many of us visited the +field hospitals in which were the wounded whom we had been able to bring +from the Gaines' Mills fight, and many wounded men who had been in that +battle were in tents scattered around the ground of the station house, +and here I paid a last farewell to many a dear friend, among them +Lieutenant Wm. Evans of Company B of the Third Regiment, one of the most +devoted friends of my life, who was shot through the upper part of the +left lung and died within twenty-four hours after we left him. I pushed +into his jacket as I said good-bye, all the money I had, not more than +six or seven dollars except one silver ten cent piece, and this also I +parted with near Malvern Hill as I shall relate. + +When the brigade reached the first bridge from the White Oak Swamp it +was halted and General Taylor was told by an aid of General Slocum's +that we were to be the rear division of the army, and that he must keep +himself in touch with Division Headquarters wherever they were. This +order caused me to ride a great many miles, for I had two horses and +they were both kept pretty busy. As we reached the bridge head, of +course it was a very small bridge, there was a very heavy cannonade +apparently across our front about half a mile away. I was sent to see +what it was and found that the enemy had opened a battery or several +batteries on a pack of our wagons which had in some way become exposed +to them. The hill country was covered thickly with trees and underbrush. +There were very few clearings and scarcely any high ground, and it was +very difficult to see what was going on. I could see, however, that +there was a great panic among the teamsters and that the wagons were +being deserted, and the wagoners riding off on the mules and horses of +the teams. Presently our line of skirmishers appeared facing the +southwest and at that time the head of our column was facing the east, +so the position was very much mixed. The skirmishers advanced towards +the Rebel batteries very rapidly, and while I was looking on the +batteries withdrew. I went back and reported to General Taylor and drew +a diagram of what I had seen and gave it to him, and told him I was +utterly unable to understand the positions, but that these were facts. +An aid of General Slocum's came up with orders to cross the bridge and +turn sharply to the right which would cause us to march about due south. +This we did for probably a mile or more and then came to a fairly good +bridge across White Oak Creek and this the brigade crossed. After +crossing, the creek here ran through a ravine the sides of which were +quite precipitous, the road down to the bridge on one side and up on the +other being very steep. An aid of General Slocum's told General Taylor +that our brigade was now the rear of the army, that there was a piece of +our artillery on the north side of the creek, that he expected General +Taylor to look after it when the pickets and skirmishers were withdrawn. +After awhile, probably half an hour, some of the pickets commenced to +come across the bridge, and having nothing to do I thought I would go +across the bridge and see where that piece of artillery was. I found it +on top of the hill about five hundred yards from the bridge in good +position commanding the road. The officer in charge was a lieutenant of +Williston's battery whom I knew very well. He asked me if I had any +orders for him, when I said no, he said he would like to have an order. + +So after a little while I went back to the brigade. The pickets and +skirmishers were coming across the bridge and after a while a few of our +cavalry came across and after that the pioneers commenced to destroy the +bridge by hewing through the timbers. We were lying down and resting on +the top of the hill on the south side of the ravine when I saw the +pioneers commence to cut the bridge to pieces. I said to General Taylor: +"Why that gun is over on the other side." He said, "How do you know it +is?" I said: "Why I saw it half an hour ago." He used a very strong +expression, pulling his moustache and told me to tell our lieutenant to +"get out of that as quick as the Lord would let him." So I ran down and +stopped the men from cutting the bridge, ran up the other side and told +the officer of the gun what the general had said. They were all ready +and sitting on their horses but had had no order to move. The enemy's +skirmishers who were coming on had fired several shots at them, and I +must say that I never saw a gun go down a hill more rapidly than that +did. To make a long story short they got the gun over all right, and the +enemy's skirmishers shot at our pioneers while they were cutting the +bridge. This was a curious, but as it turned out, a very fortunate +occurrence, for history shows that these were Stonewall Jackson's men, +and that Jackson with a heavy force was behind them. They reported that +this bridge was held strongly with artillery and infantry, and this +report made such an impression upon Jackson that he did not attempt to +force the passage of the creek at that place. Why he did not cross the +creek at a ford about a mile further up of which he should have known, +historians on both sides have never discovered; but that Jackson's delay +on that occasion, at that spot and his counter march gave McClellan the +opportunity to withdraw his armies successfully to Malvern Hill, is the +opinion of all authorities whom I have read upon the subject. + +This was about two o'clock in the afternoon, it must be remembered that +this was when the days were long and also very hot. In half an hour we +received orders to march and move south along the White Oak road towards +Charles City crossroads. After marching about two miles we were halted +and the men were directed to rest along the east side of the road which +was well wooded on the east side, and on the west side were several +quite large clearings. I am sure that General Taylor was not informed +that we were occupying the line of battle, and I am sure that General +Torbert, who was then colonel of the First Regiment, did not know this +until several years after, but it is a fact that we were a part of the +line and an exceedingly important part. While we were lying down along +the edge of the road an aid of General Slocum's rode by and told General +Taylor that General Slocum's headquarters were in the field on the left +or east side of the road about five hundred yards ahead of us, and that +was all he said to him, for I heard it, and he then rode away. In about +fifteen minutes the enemy opened with about sixty pieces of artillery, +firing across the road in front of us and gradually increasing the +rapidity of the firing until it was the most tremendous cannonade I had +ever heard. No enemy was visible to us anywhere, the smoke of those guns +came over the edge of the woods probably eight hundred yards from the +road, and a few hundred yards further along the right of the brigade. +None of those shells came across where we were. While the cannonade was +at its height, and of course such a cannonade as this is always the +precursor of a charge of a line of battle, General Taylor said that he +must have some orders from General Slocum's headquarters as he did not +know what was wanted of him, so he said: "Grubb, ride to General +Slocum's headquarters and ask him what he wants me to do." I had then +one of the most terrible experiences that I ever had under artillery +fire, and what is more, I had two of them, for I rode down that road +across that line of firing, and I think I came nearer being killed by +the flying pieces of fence rails and pieces of trees than by the shells. +I found the oak tree, but I did not find General Slocum, and I came back +to General Taylor, really very much bewildered by the terrible fire, and +told him that General Slocum was not where he said. He merely said: "Go +back and find him." And I had to do what I should have done, of course, +at first. It must be remembered that I was only a little over nineteen +years of age. I finally did find General Slocum more than half a mile +from where I was told he would be, and a very heavy infantry fight going +on in front of him. I told him what General Taylor had said. He did not +even look at me but simply said: "When I want him I will let him know." +Which I had the pleasure of repeating to General Taylor word for word. +The last time I came down the road the cannonade had almost died out, +and the infantry fighting about opposite to where I had seen General +Slocum was very severe. The corps engaged, it turned out, was the Third +Corps and the division on its left which was of course next to our right +because we were right in front in column and had been marching south +when we halted, was General Phil. Kearney's division and commanded by +General Phil. Kearney in person. Now it will be seen that our brigade +being in column of four right in front under the old tactics to have +formed a line of battle the order would have been given front, and all +the men would have turned to the left which would have brought their +backs to the enemy, as the enemy was on our right or west side. To have +formed the line of battle we would have had to have faced by the rear +rank, and while that did not make much difference in merely forming the +line, only so far as the file closers were concerned, any subsequent +manoeuvers from that formation would become exceedingly complicated; and +I doubt whether any of the regiments of the First Brigade at that time +could have successfully performed those manoeuvers. These were some of +the difficulties which the Upton's tactics subsequently adopted, aimed +to obviate and did so. + +General Kearney was the idol and hero of our brigade from the time we +first saw him. He and all his staff were well known to every man and +officer of us; and when Captain Moore of Kearney's staff came riding +down the road waving his hat and calling out that General Kearney had +lost a battery, and wanted the Jersey Brigade to help him get it back, +it seemed to me that the whole brigade heard him because I am sure that +no orders were given to do that which occurred, and I had barely time to +scramble on my horse and join in the rushing throng. General Taylor +called to me as I passed him: "Keep ahead of them and keep them from +going too far. The enemy's line is in the woods right in front of our +guns." Captain Moore, who was talking to him, had probably told him +this. The guns that had been captured were not more than three hundred +yards from us, a little advanced to the west of the road. I had noticed +that they were not gone when I passed along on my ride to General +Slocum's but the melee was so confused that I have not and never had a +very clear idea of it. When I got to where the guns were the road was +somewhat sunken and as the bank was so steep that I could not ride my +horse up, I jumped off and scrambled up. There were a good many men +among the guns before I got there, and the guns were being re-captured. +But I do know that when I passed near a gun, a sergeant of the First +Regiment, whose name was either Hollins or Hollister, had a Rebel +prisoner by the neck. The man, though captured, had not surrendered, and +as I passed him in carrying out the order which I had, to stop the men +from going beyond the guns, he thrust at our sergeant with his bayonet, +missed him, and gave me a prod, the scar of which I carry to this day. +Though it did not disable me then or now, as it was on the inside of the +thigh. I passed the order to halt to several of the officers of our +brigade. It is my impression that there were lots of Kearney's men from +his own division who were there almost instantly; but I do not think +they were there when we first came up. + +I expected that we would receive a withering volley from the woods which +were only across a small field in which the General had told me the +enemy would be. For some blessed reason that volley never came; and in a +few minutes our men were recalled to the road and continued our march, +and towards night fall we went into line of battle along the side of the +road not more than twenty yards from the road side. On the west side our +skirmishers were thrown out perhaps fifty yards more and we engaged with +the Rebel skirmishers until dark. There was a good deal of artillery +firing along the roads which intersected the road on which we were +marching; but most of the shots went through the tree tops and only a +few of our men were injured. The line we were holding and which we held +there from dark until twelve o'clock that night was the gap in the line +into which the enemy had charged and captured Major General McCall and a +large part of his division. + +About nine o'clock that night I, having been constantly engaged under +General Taylor's orders, in passing along our skirmisher line and +getting reports from the officers, came up to where the General was in a +fence corner, and found him utterly exhausted. Neither he nor I had had +any nourishment, except a cup of coffee for breakfast, since the night +before and that coffee had been given to us by some of the men of our +headquarters. The wagon with all our rations was with the train and we +did not see it for thirty-six hours afterwards. + +I said to him: "General, the brigade is very much mixed up and ought to +be straightened out." He said: "Very well, sir, go straighten it out." +And so I went, but I had not gone more than twenty steps before I came +to the conclusion that that was too much of a contract for a young man +of my age, so I went to Colonel Torbert of the First Regiment and stated +the case, just what the General had said, and that I believed that +General Taylor was entirely exhausted, and that the job was too big for +me. He said: "Never mind, sonny, I will fix it up for you." So we went +together and Colonel Torbert arranged the brigade that night. Some of +the companies of the Second were mixed up with the Third, and some of +the Third were mixed up with the First until we straightened them out. +The men were lying down, some of them asleep, all of them cross, and it +was no easy job to shift them around, but we finally got it done about +eleven o'clock. I got back to my old colored man, James Huggs, who had a +blanket for me in the same fence corner where the General was, and I had +about two hours' sound sleep. A little before one o'clock an aid of +General Slocum's gave us marching orders. We found an entire brigade in +the road ready to take our places, and passing through them to the road +we continued our march in column going somewhere, we did not know where, +but headed, we all knew, towards the James River on the way from +Richmond. This last fact was heartbreaking to the men, for from the +moment that we landed at West Point in May our faces had been towards +the Rebel Capitol. Although the battle of Gaines' Mills had been lost +just the day after we were much nearer Richmond than we were now and it +was only the night of the battle of Charles City crossroads that our men +realized that we were retreating. We marched until about seven o'clock +in the morning and then the brigade was given about three hours' rest +along the road. The General and I had some coffee which the men of the +Provost Guard gave us and I went down into my old Company C, of the +Third Regiment, and got from Richard Poole, a private in that company, +who was a painter in Burlington, three hard tack, and after he had given +them to me, just one-half of all he had, I searched in my pocket and +found the silver ten cent piece, that was the last thing I had. Richard +refused to accept this in exchange for the hard tack, but I finally +pressed it upon him as a souvenir, and he showed it to me many times +afterwards. About twelve o'clock the brigade was assembled and marched +along the road towards Malvern Hill which we did not then know by that +name or any other name, but it was a high and commanding position and we +saw a great many of our batteries already in position upon it, and very +readily came to the conclusion that our army was going to make a stand +there. I think the Jersey Brigade was at that time in the rear guard, +and the reason I think so is because after our brigade passed through +the pickets which were at the edge of the hill nothing came behind us +but some cavalry, and I have a good reason to remember that. Within +about a half a mile of the hill on the left hand side of the road was a +fine farm and near the fence were two fine cherry trees full of +cherries. As we passed along, the General and myself being in the rear +of the brigade, he said: "I would like to have some of those very much." +So I immediately said: "I will get you some." I got over the fence and +climbed up a tree dropping my sword and belt in the clover at the foot +of the tree as I went up, I broke off a good many branches and proceeded +to fill myself as quickly as possible. A scouting party of some of our +cavalry came by going toward the hill and an officer told the General +that there were some Rebel scouts not very far behind him, upon which +the General recalled me from the tree, and we proceeded to rejoin the +brigade which had gone up Malvern Hill. When the brigade was halted and +arranged upon the line which had been assigned to us near the top of the +hill, I instantly noticed that I had not my sword and belt and +remembered that they were in the grass at the foot of the cherry tree a +half a mile outside of our lines. I asked the General for permission to +go back and get them and he proceeded to read me a lecture on +carelessness. Saying, among other things, which I distinctly remember +and always have, that "A soldier should lose his head rather than his +sword." So I went back to the picket line and very fortunately for me I +happened to know the captain very well who commanded a cavalry troop +that was on picket on that spot, that is to say, near the base of the +hill. He said to me that he had not seen any Rebel scouts for half an +hour and that he would send two of his men with me to get the sword +which he did, and we all got back safely without seeing anybody, and the +cavalry also got a lot of cherries. I mention this incident so +particularly, because it has a very particular bearing upon a very +extraordinary occurrence that happened that night. There was an immense +park of our wagons not very far from the hill the night before the +battle of Malvern Hill, and while the brigade was on the hill in line of +battle and sleeping behind the breast works which they had made of logs +and earth, a very flimsy sort of breast works, but which by reason of +the admirable position on the hill would have been very effective if +assaulted, General Taylor received an order informing him that the wagon +trains of the army would be burnt that night, and he, accompanied by +some others and my old servant, James Huggs, went down into the wagon +park and took out a small quantity of their personal belongings, among +other things a small hand bag of mine containing some underclothing, my +mother's letters, and a few other things of that kind. I did not go with +them as I was asleep at the root of a tree, and when the order came the +General told my man he did not wish to disturb me. I saw the printed +order the next morning. It was in the same form and apparently the same +type as that which we received from the headquarters of the Army of the +Potomac. General Taylor returned to where he had placed his headquarters +under a great white pine tree, and my old servant, James Huggs, sat at +the camp fire, for, although it had been a hot day, the nights were cool +and the fire was lighted. Huggs says that about eleven o'clock while the +General was walking up and down between the tree and the fire, the +orderly on duty came up to the General and said that a messenger from +General McClellan's headquarters wanted to see him outside of the rifle +pit, and Huggs says that the General walked straight down that way, he, +of course, not going with him. The next morning at grey day light, I +awoke with the most intense gnawing hunger that I had ever experienced +in my life. I had had nothing to eat but three hard tack, two cups of +coffee, and some cherries for two days, and I had ridden probably fifty +miles in those two days. I had, moreover, been in a pretty severe fight +and had an ugly wound in my leg which hurt me every instant I sat in the +saddle. As soon as I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes I saw +within about twenty-five yards of me a small pig rooting along on the +ground, I also saw right close to me a rifle of the orderly's leaning +against the tree, it being the custom then for an orderly merely to have +the ram rod in his hand while he was on duty. I knew there was a +positive order against the discharge of any firearm without permission, +but I was very hungry and there was the pig, so I took deliberate and +careful aim, and killed that pig dead. Simultaneously with the crack of +the rifle came the voice of General Taylor: "If you had missed him, sir, +I would have put you under arrest." He was standing on the other side of +the tree and had not lain down all night. The pig was cooked and eaten +at once. The battle of Malvern Hill which took place that day was a +magnificent pageant for those of our brigade who could see it. The +coming down of a great mass of the enemy on the open plain to their +utter destruction by the awful artillery fire. It was indeed a cruel and +bloody sight, but after it was all over, many of us felt that we were +avenged for what had happened at Gaines' Mills. + +Those of us who can remember can even see today in our mind's eye, +knapsack, hats, and even bodies of men thrown up in the air by the +explosions of our shells in the serried masses of the enemy. Our brigade +was not engaged at all, some men were hit by spent shots and bits of +shells, but I think our casualties were twenty-eight in all. During the +day on more than one occasion my attention was called to the fact that +General Taylor was not wearing his own sword, but the sword that he was +wearing belonged to his son, Captain Taylor, who had been partially +disabled in the battle of Gaines' Mills. I noticed this because the two +swords were not alike at all, and moreover, because I had been the +object of a lesson on carelessness the previous afternoon, but of course +I did not say anything. + +The morning after the battle of Malvern Hill our brigade marched into a +great wheat field at Brandon, near Harrison's Landing, and went into +camp in the mud. As soon as the wagons were up and our tents were +pitched, General Taylor directed me to mount my horse and accompany him. +We went straight down to the James River and up along the river bank +until we came to Berkley Mansion, which was General McClellan's +headquarters. We had an orderly with us and both dismounted and left our +horses with the orderly. I accompanied the General into the house and +upstairs to the second floor. There were a number of wounded men in the +house lying on the floors, and the house was crowded with officers of +all grades. General Taylor went into a room on the second floor which I +afterwards found was General McClellan's private headquarters and in a +few minutes came out and said to me. "I shall be here for some time, you +may make yourself comfortable, and when I want you I will call you." So +I went out of the house, for it was indeed a grewsome place. It was +raining hard, and after telling the orderly to spread an oil cloth +blanket, which I had, over my horse, I looked around for a place to make +myself comfortable, and found a chicken coop with some bright dry straw +on the floor (there were no chickens in it) so I lay down and went to +sleep. In about an hour an orderly called me. The General was standing +on the porch, mounting our horses we rode off towards camp, I riding, of +course, a horse's length behind the General. After going about two or +three hundred yards, he checked his horse and said: "Ride up along side +of me." Which I did. He then said: "Did you notice that I did not have +my sword when I went to General McClellan's headquarters?" I said: "I +did, sir, I noticed that you had neither sword nor belt." He said: "You +see I have got them now." I said: "I do, sir." He said: "Well, I got +them at General McClellan's headquarters." He said: "Last night while +you were asleep an orderly told me that a messenger from General +McClellan wanted to see me outside the rifle pit, I went there and two +men on gray horses met me, one of whom was dismounted. This man +presented a pistol at my head and instantly demanded my sword. Believing +that I was captured and a prisoner there was nothing else for me to do +but give him my sword which I did. Upon taking it he immediately mounted +his horse and rode off." + +That is all that General Taylor ever told me on the subject, and it is +all I know about it. (I may add that General McClellan's body guard +always rode gray horses). The fact is that this occurred, on my word as +a gentleman and a soldier, exactly as I have stated it. + +As the brigade was marching in to the great wheat field at Berkley where +the army was then commencing to encamp, suddenly and without any idea +that the enemy was in the vicinity, several shells came in and exploded +among the wagon trains which were in the road along side of which our +men were marching. My recollection is that not more than a dozen shells +came. A regiment of Zouaves, which I think were the 55th of New York, +went back in double-quick, and I understood captured two guns which the +enemy had run up close to our encampment without any supports whatever. +The official records will show the circumstances of this. I remember +that one of the shells exploded within a few feet of General Taylor's +horse. + +Some incidents of interest occurred during our encampment at Malvern +Hill. It was hot and uncomfortable and sorrowful, for there were many +deaths and bands playing the Dead March were continually heard through +the day. Deaths from sickness and many wounded. + +One night, a few nights after we encamped, we were roused at midnight by +a very lively cannonade from the opposite side of the river. Our camp +was about a quarter of a mile back from the river, the long roll was +beaten throughout the army and the brigade turned out and stood in line. +I do not think there were any casualties in the brigade though there +were some in our division from its shells. One man I remember as Dr. +Oakley asked me to go and see a man in the field hospital who had his +entire stomach carried away by shells and lived four days afterwards. +This wound is reported among the curiosities of the war. I saw the man +twice and strange to say, he appeared to be suffering no pain except +through hunger. + +A few days after our arrival at the Camp, President Lincoln came down +and reviewed the army. I presume by reason of the small space in which +it was necessary to hold it each brigade was drawn up on the northern +side of its own camp in double columns, closed en masse, and the field +officers were dismounted. My clothing, all except the one suit which I +had during the seven days' battle, had been lost and it happened that +the only coat I had was a short jacket coming to the waist, and the only +trousers I had were those which I had worn since the 27th of June. My +saddle had been hit twice with pieces of shell, once while I was in it +and once when I was not. It was not torn much but the screws were all +loosened in it and one of them had worked up and from day to day had +torn my trousers to such an extent that I can only say they were not fit +to appear in review; so upon seeing my condition General Taylor excused +me from going in the review and I sat in the door of my tent next to +General Taylor's and within a few feet of it. President Lincoln rode a +large bay horse and was dressed in a black frock coat and a high silk +hat and rode at the head of the cavalcade with General McClellan and +his staff of probably a hundred officers immediately behind him. They +passed down from east to west along the front of the army, the President +taking off his hat as he passed the colors of each brigade. When they +arrived in front of our brigade they halted and General Taylor and the +President came up to General Taylor's tent, no others were with them. +The President dismounted and my servant, James Huggs, who is still +living, brought camp stools and they sat down under the fly of General +Taylor's tent; it seems that the President wanted a drink of water, the +day being very hot. James Huggs went to the spring a few yards away and +got some water and the President drank heartily of it; as he got up to +go away he saw me standing in the position of a soldier facing him at my +tent door and he said to General Taylor: "I suppose this is one of your +staff, I hope that he has not been wounded?" General Taylor called me to +them and told him that I was Captain Grubb on his staff, and told one or +two very pleasant things about me to the President which caused my +cheeks to tingle and then taking me by the shoulder, he said: "He would +have been in the review but his clothes were not good enough to allow +him." President Lincoln put his hand on my shoulder, I shall never +forget the kind expression of his magnificent eyes, as he looked me in +the face and said: "My son, I think your country can afford to give you +a new pair of breeches." As these were the only words that President +Lincoln ever said to me they impressed themselves very deeply on my +mind. I have never forgotten them and never shall. + +The rest of our stay at Harrison's Landing is filled with unpleasant +memories for me. I had contracted typhoid fever although I did not know +it and tried to fight it off, and did so until the morning the brigade +marched from Harrison's Landing when in the wind and dust of that +morning I mounted my brown stallion with great difficulty, fell over the +other side of him into the dust and the next thing I remember was +awaking up in New York Harbor in the hospital ship some ten days +afterwards with two Sisters of Mercy taking care of me and my old +servant, James Huggs, standing at the foot of the bed. He had hired a +colored man whom he found and helped him carry me down to the water's +edge and succeeded in getting me on board the hospital ship "Spaulding" +in a little dug out canoe, for the anchor of that ship had been raised +and she was the last hospital ship to leave filled with sick and +wounded. + +I did not know that the brigade had been most dreadfully cut up and +General Taylor killed at the Bull Run Bridge until after I had been sent +from the hospital ship to my father's house in Burlington, where I found +a letter from Colonel Torbert commanding the brigade and asking me to +serve on his staff. I joined the brigade just before the Crampton's Pass +battle (and my account of that which I delivered at a reunion of the +brigade at my place, Edgewater Park, printed at their request I herewith +enclose). + +We saw the battle of Antietam and were under a terrible artillery fire +but we were in the reserve and I am sure that I need only say that it +was the opinion of every man and officer in our brigade that if the +Sixth Corps had been thrown forward that afternoon over the Burnside +bridge after Burnside crossed it and placed across the right flank of +the Confederate army, which were all there lying in the wheat field +opposite us, the result of that battle would have been far different +from what it was. + +After Antietam we marched to Bakersville and encamped there and were +there joined by the Twenty-third New Jersey Regiment, into which I was +promoted as Major a few days before the battle of Fredericksburg. (And I +would suggest that as the history of that regiment which, of course, is +part of the history of the brigade, has been carefully collected and +printed by the Regimental Association of the Twenty-third Regiment, and +that regiment was in that brigade until the expiration of its term of +service in June, 1863, and in battle with the brigade in the battles of +Fredericksburg and Salem Church, that that printed history be received +as part of the history of the brigade.) + + E. BURD GRUBB. + + [Illustration] + + + + + The Episode of the Surgeon of the Third Regiment + + +The surgeon of the 3rd New Jersey Regiment was appointed by Governor +Olden about ten days after the regiment arrived in Camp Olden. His name +was Lorenzo Louis Cox, he was a man about twenty-five years of age. He +had a fine appearance, well educated and an excellent surgeon. He was a +grandson of Mr. Redmond Cox of Philadelphia, a member of a well known +family. Redmond Cox was an intimate friend of my father, but my father +had nothing whatever to do with the appointment of Dr. Cox, and did not +know of it until after it was made. + +After the battle of Bull Run, and during the early autumn the Third +Regiment was engaged in erecting Fort Worth, one of the defences of +Washington, about a mile west of Alexandria Seminary. Probably the +uncovering of so much fresh earth which had to be done in erecting the +Fort, which was quite a large one, caused an outbreak of malarial fever, +most of it ordinary chills and fever. The sick call was sounded at +half-past six every morning and a very large proportion of the regiment +filed up to Dr. Cox's tent and received a drink of whiskey and some +quinine pills. Those of the Third Regiment who read this will probably +remember two very ridiculous occurences in this connection. Dr. Cox had +an Irishman who was a private in one of the companies and he was his +assistant. The Doctor had a barrel of whiskey in his tent from which he +served the rations every morning; he noticed that this whiskey became +exhausted more rapidly than in his opinion it should, he therefore +poured into the whiskey barrel a very large quantity of quinine, and the +consequence was that the next morning his man Patrick was so drunk that +he had to be taken down to the creek to be soused to bring him to, and +he could not hear for two or three days. + +The other occurrence was that one morning on guard mount the Adjutant, +whose name was Fairliegh, (an Englishman and the youngest son of Lord +Fairliegh), appeared on his horse, which was a light bay and which had +been striped with white paint on the ribs during the night and every +hair on his tail shaved off. It transpired at the regimental +court-martial that Dr. Cox's Patrick was very largely responsible for +the damage to the Adjutant's horse. During the months of August and +September and also during the whole winter of 1861-1862 the First New +Jersey Brigade picketed in front of their lines, and during August and +September these pickets were not very far from and in front of +Alexandria, not more than three miles at the utmost. The enemy's pickets +were very close to ours and a number of skirmishes along the Little +River turn pike and the corn fields adjacent thereto occurred. Gradually +our picket lines were advanced until, about the latter part of +September, we took in Mrs. Fitzhugh's plantation and picketed almost up +to Annandale. Dr. Cox and his assistant were out along the picket lines +almost every afternoon. Many of the men would be ailing and there was an +occasional gun-shot wound that would have to be looked after. Dr. Cox +rode a very handsome cream-colored mule, and Patrick had an army horse, +Patrick carried the knap-sack of medical stores and surgical instruments +strapped on his back. One afternoon Dr. Cox, who had visited Mrs. +Fitzhugh's plantation several times, and it was at that time a little +outside of our picket lines, started to go there again, when he was +pounced upon by six of the Louden scouts, Confederate Cavalry, and, +although he tried to make his mule run away from them he could not do so +and was captured, Patrick jumped off his horse and ran into the woods +and succeeded in getting back into our lines with his medical knap-sack. +He reported Dr. Cox killed as there had been several pistol shots fired, +Cox was not armed. On the evening of the next day, Dr. Cox returned to +the camp of the Third Regiment and reported the facts about as I have +related them here to Colonel Taylor, and also to all of the officers of +the regiment who were his friends and who were interested in the +occurrence. He told us that he had been taken to Mannassas Junction and +had been for some time in the tent of General Joseph E. Johnson, the +commander of the Rebel Army that then faced us. Everybody was glad of +his release which was of course because of his being a non-combattant. +He resumed his duties and I do not remember that the incident was spoken +of again in the regiment until the following very curious occurrence +took place. + +When the army advanced on Mannassas Junction in March, 1862, the Third +New Jersey Regiment was in the extreme front. The skirmishers of that +regiment captured a train of cars loaded with provisions, and were also +the first in the Rebel encampment at Mannassas. Some of the members of +the regiment entered General Joseph E. Johnson's tent, which had been +evacuated so suddenly that a number of his papers and his military sash +were left which these men obtained. They naturally examined the papers +and were surprised to find a report taken down by a member of General +Johnson's staff of the conversation had with Dr. Cox of the Third New +Jersey Volunteers. This report stated that Dr. Cox had given General +Johnson all the information regarding the troops at and around +Alexandria that he desired and that he Cox had particularly stated the +number of men which General Montgomery commanded at Alexandria. +Fortunately for Cox, the aid stated this number at 10,000, which was +what Cox did say, and which was twice as many as Montgomery had. These +papers were forwarded to Washington, whether through the headquarters of +the regiment or not, I do not know, but a few days after that a squad of +the United States Cavalry came to the Third Regiment and the officer in +command arrested Dr. Cox and took him to Washington where he was +immediately incarcerated in the old Capitol Prison. He remained there +for a very considerable time, my impression is for several months. I +wrote to my father in regard to this and he went to Washington and had +an interview with Edward M. Stanton who was then Secretary of War, Mr. +Stanton had been my father's counsel before the war in Lancaster and was +an intimate friend of his. He had great trouble to get Mr. Stanton to +take the matter up at all, but when he finally did, Cox was found to be +innocent, but foolish. He returned to the regiment but only for a few +days. The men, and a number of the officers would not receive him, and +he resigned and took a position as surgeon of one of the Pacific Mail +Steamers in which position he contracted the chagres fever and died. The +occurrence was a very sad one. Cox was entirely innocent. He was a +perfectly loyal and true man. He was one of the very best surgeons in +the army at that time and almost certainly would have had a brilliant +career. His military life was cut short, and probably his actual life +also from having talked too much. He told me himself, that, in the +interview in General Johnson's tent he had purposely given him all the +false information that he could think of, and that he had purposely +stated Montgomery's troops to be twice their actual strength. + +The correspondence in regard to this will be found in the official +record, see general index, page 211, Lewis L. Cox 13845. + +I have read the correspondence, but the volume in which it is, I do not +now find in my collection. + + E. BURD GRUBB. + +I was First Lieutenant of Co. D, 3d N. J. Vols., and Aide de Camp on the +staff of Brig. General George W. Taylor, First New Jersey Brigade, +during this campaign. + + E. BURD GRUBB. + + [Illustration] + + + + +Transcriber's Notes: + +Small caps have been replaced with ALL CAPS text. + +On the title page, "Moorestown Ppinting" was replaced with "Moorestown +Printing". + +On page 11, On page 11, a Frenchman was referred to as "Duke de +Charteres" but on page 9 he was referred to as "Duke de Chartres". Other +sources show that the Duke of Chartres was at the battle, so the +reference on page 11 was changed to "Duke de Chartres". + +On page 13, a period was added after "happened just here". + +On page 14, a period was added after "at that time". + +On page 18, "creek at a fort" was replaced with "creek at a ford". + +On page 21, "Very vell" was replaced with "Very well". + +On page 23, "containng" was replaced with "containing". + +On page 31, "chargres fever" was replaced with "chagres fever". + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes of a staff officer of our First +New Jersey Brigade on the Seven Day's Battle on the peninsula in 1862, by E. 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