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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c1db254 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51063 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51063) diff --git a/old/51063-8.txt b/old/51063-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 19d3e64..0000000 --- a/old/51063-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2428 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's John Call Dalton, M.D., U.S.V., by John Call Dalton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: John Call Dalton, M.D., U.S.V. - -Author: John Call Dalton - -Release Date: January 28, 2016 [EBook #51063] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHN CALL DALTON, M.D., U.S.V. *** - - - - -Produced by Ian Crann and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - - JOHN CALL DALTON - _M.D., U.S.V._ - - - Privately Printed - 1892 - - - - - Copyright, 1892, - BY CHARLES H. DALTON. - - -_All rights reserved._ - - - _The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A._ - Printed by H. O. Houghton and Company. - - - - -_These pages are the beginning of a narrative of the personal military -experience of John Call Dalton, M. D., Surgeon U. S. V., written during -the last year of his life, at the request of his family, and now -printed for the instruction of its younger generation._ - -_March, 1892._ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - -IN WASHINGTON WITH THE SEVENTH 5 - -THE EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL 35 - -THE SEA ISLANDS AND FORT PULASKI 64 - -MILITARY HISTORY OF JOHN CALL DALTON, M. D. 103 - - - - -IN WASHINGTON WITH THE SEVENTH. - - -On the evening of Saturday, April 13th, 1861, the intelligence reached -New York that Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor, had yielded to the -rebel authorities, after undergoing a bombardment of thirty-six -hours. It was felt by all that this act of violence closed the door -of reconciliation, and dissipated every hope of a peaceful solution -for our political difficulties. Two days afterward President Lincoln -issued his proclamation calling upon the states for seventy-five -thousand troops to reassert the authority of the government, to "cause -the laws to be duly executed," and to "repossess the forts, places, -and property" which had been seized from the Union. The first object -of importance was to secure the safety of the national capital; and -the President had expressed a desire that one regiment from New York, -already organized and equipped, should be sent forward at once for -that purpose. - -Learning that the Seventh regiment had volunteered to meet this call, -and that the assistant surgeon then attached to it had resigned the -position, I applied to be taken in his place, and had the gratification -to receive my appointment on Thursday the 18th. The regiment was under -orders to assemble and start for Washington on the following day. - -Meanwhile other states had also been exerting themselves to forward any -militia regiments that could be had at short notice; and, as usual, -when called upon to act, Massachusetts was the first in the field. -Within three days after the President's proclamation, two regiments -from that state, the Sixth and the Eighth, were on the move. The Sixth -arrived in New York early on the morning of April 18th, by the N. Y. -& New Haven railroad. The terminus of this road was then at Fourth -Avenue and 27th Street, where I saw the regiment disembark and form in -line, before proceeding on its march through the city. Its ranks had -evidently been filled in some measure by new recruits, whose outfit by -no means corresponded altogether with the regimental uniform. There -were common overcoats and slouched hats mingled with the rest. But they -were a solid and serviceable looking battalion; and it was a common -remark that in such an emergency it was a good thing to see the men in -line with their muskets before their uniforms were ready. This regiment -was followed by the Eighth Massachusetts, which passed through the city -twenty-four hours later. - -But at that time every one bound for Washington was too busy with his -own affairs to pay much attention to the movements of others; and the -morning of the 19th was filled to the last moment with indispensable -preparations. Early in the afternoon the Seventh regiment assembled at -its armory, which was then on the east side of Third Avenue, between -Sixth and Seventh Streets. It had received within the past few days -some accessions in new recruits. Its regular members reported for duty -in greater numbers than usual; and when finally ready for departure it -paraded nearly a thousand muskets. From the armory it was marched by -companies to Lafayette Place near by, where the line was formed and I -took my place with the officers of the regimental staff. - -Up to this time our attention had not been especially attracted to -anything beyond our own immediate duties; and for a novice like myself -they were occupation enough. There had been visiting friends and -leave-takers at the armory, and in the adjoining streets there was -the usual crowd of idlers and sight-seers about a militia parade. But -when the regiment wheeled into column, and from the quiet enclosure of -Lafayette Place passed into Broadway, the spectacle that met us was a -revelation. From the curbstone to the top story, every building was -packed with a dense mass of humanity. Men, women, and children covered -the sidewalks, and occupied every window and balcony on both sides, as -far as the eye could reach. The mass was alive all over with waving -flags and handkerchiefs, and the cheers that came from it, right and -left, filled the air with a mingled chorus of tenor and treble and -falsetto voices. It was a sudden and surprising demonstration, as -unlooked for as the transformation scene in a theatre. But that was -hardly the beginning of it. Instead of spending itself in a short -outburst of welcome, it ran along with the head of the column, was -taken up at every step by those in front, and only died away in the -rear. As the regiment moved on past one street after another, it -seemed as if at every block the crowd grew denser and the uproar more -incessant. Along the entire line of march, from Lafayette Place to -Cortlandt Street, there was not a rod of space that was not thronged -with spectators; and all the while the same continuous cry, from -innumerable throats, kept up without a moment's intermission, from -beginning to end. - -No one could witness such a scene without being impressed by it. It -was like the act of a drama magnified in its proportions a hundred -fold, and with the added difference of being a reality. The longer it -continued, the more it affected the senses and the mind; until at last -one almost felt as if he were marching in a dream, half dazed by the -endless repetition of unaccustomed sights and sounds. - -Beside that, it gave us a different idea of the city of New York. -For most of us, especially those of the younger generation, it was -mainly a city of immigration, offering to all comers its varied -opportunities for activity and enterprise. Hardly any one gave a -thought to its local traditions, or believed in the existence of any -unity of sentiment among its inhabitants. But now, all at once, it had -risen up like an enormous family, with a single impulse of spontaneous -enthusiasm, to declare that it valued loyalty and patriotism more than -commerce or manufactures. The time and the occasion had brought out its -latent qualities, and had given them an expression that no one could -misunderstand. - -When we turned from Broadway into Cortlandt Street the tumult partly -subsided; but after crossing the ferry to Jersey City it began again. -There were demonstrative crowds in the railroad depot, and as the train -moved off they followed it with cheers that were repeated at every -station on the route to Philadelphia. It did not take long to discover -that transportation by railroad train, with a regiment of troops on -board, was by no means a luxurious mode of traveling. With no seats to -spare, many standing in the aisles, and the remaining space encumbered -with arms and accoutrements, there was little opportunity for ease or -comfort; and as for sleep, that was out of the question. Sometime -after midnight we reached Philadelphia, and were transferred to the -cars for Washington, at the depot of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and -Baltimore railroad. But here our onward movement ceased. The train -rested stationary in the depot. Expecting every moment the signal -for starting, we could only wait patiently until it should come. -Nevertheless the night wore away, the gray dawn found us still waiting, -and no locomotive had even been coupled on to the train. What could -be the cause of such delay, when everything demanded promptitude and -celerity? We already knew that the Sixth Massachusetts, the pioneer -regiment in advance, had been attacked the day before in the streets -of Baltimore, and had only forced its way through the mob at the -expense of fighting and bloodshed. Was our own march to be obstructed -at the outset by a rebellious city, standing like a fortress across -the route? Or were the railroad officials in sympathy with secession, -and purposely hampering our movements by pretended friendship and -false excuses? The Eighth Massachusetts, which had left New York some -hours before us, was also in the depot, on board another train, -equally helpless with ourselves, and apparently with as little prospect -of getting away. As daylight came, we began to straggle out of the -car-house and up and down the streets of what was then a rather -desolate looking neighborhood. The necessity of foraging for breakfast -gave us for a while some little diversion and occupation; but that was -soon over, and all the forenoon our uneasiness was on the increase. Who -could tell what might be happening even then at the national capital? -And thus far we had barely accomplished one third of the distance from -New York to Washington. There were interviews and consultations between -the field officers and the railroad authorities; and General Benjamin -F. Butler, who was in command of both Massachusetts regiments, also -appeared upon the scene. But for the rest of us there was little food -for thought beyond rumors, doubts, and surmises. So we kept on rambling -to and fro near the depot, and wondering when this thing would come to -an end. - -Toward noon some information began to filter through from headquarters, -and we came to understand, more or less distinctly, what was going -on. In reality the state of affairs was this. The railroad managers -were as anxious as ourselves to facilitate the transportation of the -regiment; but they had no means of overcoming the difficulties of -the situation. The tracks through Baltimore had been obstructed with -barricades, so that the cars could not pass. Even if these should be -cleared away, there was no certainty that the company could retain -control of the depots and rolling stock on the other side of the city. -That would depend on the coöperation of the police and perhaps of the -city militia, neither of which were felt to be reliable. In fact, -the Governor of Maryland and the Mayor of Baltimore had both sent -despatches strongly objecting to the further passage of troops through -the city in its present excited and disorderly condition. Between the -Maryland state line and Baltimore there were two railroad bridges, -crossing the Little Gunpowder and Bush rivers; and both these bridges -had been destroyed by secessionists during the night. To repair them -would need the protection of an armed force, and would be a matter of -further uncertainty and delay. The object of the regiment was to reach -Washington at the earliest possible moment; and for that purpose the -route by Baltimore was evidently impracticable. - -The next accessible point was Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay, where -the grounds of the United States Naval Academy, located at the harbor, -offered an additional advantage. It could be reached by either of two -ways. The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore railroad runs direct -from Philadelphia to the mouth of the Susquehanna river, at the head -of Chesapeake Bay, where at that time there was no bridge, the cars -being taken across on a steam ferry-boat, the _Maryland_, from one side -to the other. The troops might be carried by rail to this point; and -then, taking possession of the ferry-boat, might go down the bay, past -the harbor of Baltimore, to Annapolis. This was the route selected by -General Butler for the Eighth Massachusetts. Our commanding officer, on -the other hand, Colonel Lefferts, decided to charter at once a steamer -capable of taking the regiment from Philadelphia round by sea to the -capes of Virginia, and so up Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis. - -This was accordingly done. The regiment was paraded, marched down to -the pier, and embarked on the _Boston_, a freight and passenger steamer -formerly running between Philadelphia and New York. Her capacity was -just sufficient to receive so large a company with the necessary -supplies; and when all were on board there was hardly more freedom of -space than we had found in the railroad cars. But no more time was lost -in waiting. That afternoon carried us down the river; by sunset we had -entered Delaware Bay; and the next morning, which was Sunday, the 21st, -we were fairly at sea, headed south for the capes of Virginia. - -All that day we ploughed on over a smooth sea, with a fair wind, a -bright sun and a clear sky. The scene everywhere was exhilarating; -and the interest of the expedition increased every hour with the -uncertainty of what lay before us. We were approaching a region where -all was on the border line between loyalty and secession, and which -included the most important military and naval positions in the -country,--Hampton Roads, Fortress Monroe, and the Norfolk Navy Yard. -Intelligence from these points was eagerly looked for, and early in -the afternoon, when nearing the capes, we came within hailing distance -of a schooner bound north under full sail. The information she gave us -was that of the destruction of Norfolk Navy Yard and its abandonment -by the United States authorities. This had been done the day before -by order of the navy department, to prevent the ships and ordnance -falling into the hands of the rebels. It was the best thing to do in -the emergency. All the ships left there had been scuttled, the guns -spiked and the buildings burned; and the enemy in possession could not -have made anything serviceable for aggressive purposes under at least a -month. But we were ignorant of these details. We learned only that the -navy yard was lost; and for anything we knew to the contrary, Hampton -Roads might already be patrolled by rebel gun-boats, and even Fortress -Monroe might have shared the fate of the navy yard. In that case, it -would be no place for an unarmed transport, loaded with troops. As we -entered Chesapeake Bay and passed by the suspicious locality, many eyes -were turned in that direction; and when fairly out of reach of Hampton -Roads, all felt relieved that our way to Annapolis was once more clear. - -That night our course lay up the Chesapeake, and at dawn on the 22d -we were anchored in the harbor of Annapolis. But to the impatient and -inexperienced volunteers it seemed as though the complications of our -journey were to have no end. General Butler had arrived the day before -from the head of the bay with the Eighth Massachusetts regiment, on -the steamer _Maryland_; and he had rendered good service in saving -the United States school ship _Constitution_ from a threatened rebel -attack by towing her out from shore toward the harbor entrance. But -in doing so his own steamer had grounded on a shallow bar, where she -was now lying hard and fast, with the Massachusetts troops still on -board. The first thing to do was to release her, if possible, from this -awkward predicament. Our vessel, the _Boston_, was again put under -steam, and harnessed with heaving-line and hawser to the ferry-boat. -Then she would go to work like a willing draught-horse, and pull this -way and that for five minutes together, straining every nerve to start -her clumsy load, but without effect. Her paddles only brought up from -the bottom such clouds of yellow foam that it made the narrow harbor -look like an enormous mud-puddle; and with every new attempt we began -to think that instead of floating the _Maryland_ we should, in all -likelihood, get stuck fast ourselves. Finally, much to our relief, it -was decided to land the regiment and stores from the _Boston_, and wait -for another tide to liberate the _Maryland_. - -So, in the afternoon the regiment landed and occupied the grounds -of the Naval Academy. There we found that many of the officers and -cadets had left for their southern homes, to side with the rebellion. -Even some of those who remained were by no means encouraging in their -words or manner; they were impregnated with the doctrine of state -sovereignty, as something equal or superior to that of the nation, -and they had an exaggerated idea of the numbers and audacity of the -insurgents who would occupy all roads and dispute every mile of our -advance. One of them told me that he hoped that we would not attempt -it; and declared that if we did so, not half the regiment would reach -Washington alive. I shall never forget the disgust that rose in my -throat, at hearing a man with the uniform of the United States on his -shoulders offer a welcome like that to volunteers who were trying to -save the government that employed him. - -The Governor of Maryland, who was then at Annapolis, also protested -against any forward movement of the troops, and even against their -landing. But these official fulminations had no longer any weight. -It was only the physical obstacles in our way that were now to be -considered. In the evening the officers gathered in council round a -fire on the greensward, and it was decided to move forward at once -by the most practicable route. While this was going on, General -Butler joined the group and was invited to speak with the rest. The -extraordinary character of this man's career from first to last, his -many clever successes and preposterous failures, and the furious -denunciations he has received from both friends and enemies, make it -hard to say what place he will finally hold in public estimation. -But the qualities he displayed on that occasion deserve the cordial -recognition and gratitude of all. When he spoke, it was to the -purpose. With a practical insight and ready comprehension that took -in the situation at a glance, he swept away in a few words the whole -pretentious fabric of state rights, local supremacy, inviolability of -the soil, and such like. The capital of the nation, he said, was in -danger from armed rebellion. We were on our way to protect it with -an armed force. That was a state of war; and it created a necessity -superior to every other claim or consideration. All ordinary laws -and authorities in conflict with it must be in abeyance; and, as for -himself, he should lead his troops to Washington, no matter who or what -might oppose his passage. More than that, he should seize upon any -property or means of transportation necessary to accomplish the object, -without regard to governors, mayors, or railroad companies. - -I have no doubt that the Seventh regiment would have carried out -its design if General Butler had not been there; but it was certain -that his intellectual promptitude and directness of speech imparted -new confidence to all who heard him. He struck the same chord in his -written correspondence with Governor Hicks. During the day he had -received from the governor a formal communication, protesting against -the "landing of northern troops on the soil of Maryland;"--to which -he said in his reply: "These are not northern troops, they are a part -of the whole militia of the United States, obeying the call of the -President." Now that the question is settled, it seems plain enough. -But at that time it was a great satisfaction to hear the doctrine of -supreme nationality proclaimed in the terse and expressive language of -General Butler. - -It was intended that the regiment should march for Washington by the -direct country road, a distance of about thirty miles; and much of the -time next day was spent in scouring the neighborhood for horses, mules, -and wagons, to serve as ambulances and for transporting the baggage -and camp equipage. But in the afternoon dispatches were received from -Washington, directing the troops to come, if possible, by the Annapolis -branch of the Baltimore and Washington railroad, in order that this -important line of communication might be kept open for future use. -This was a single-track road, running twenty miles northwest from -Annapolis to its junction with the Baltimore and Washington line. The -depot at Annapolis was closed and abandoned by the company, and the -track had been disabled for some distance out of town. When General -Butler, with two companies of the Eighth Massachusetts, broke open -the depot, he found there a few passenger and platform cars, with -only one locomotive; and that had been taken to pieces and rendered -unserviceable. But the Massachusetts regiment was largely composed -of mechanics, who were not only good workmen but enterprising and -quick-witted. By a singular chance one of them recognized, among the -fragments of the engine, a piece of machinery which he had himself -helped to make; and he lost no time, with the aid of his comrades, -in putting together again the disjointed limbs of the locomotive, -and making it in a few hours once more fit for work. Others repaired -the railroad track in the neighborhood, and before dawn on the 24th -everything was ready for two companies of the Seventh to move forward -as advance guard on the line of march. - -Soon after daylight the whole regiment was in motion. The locomotive -and a couple of platform cars were in front, carrying a howitzer with -its caisson; and one or two passenger and baggage cars served to carry -baggage and camp equipage, and to provide for the transportation of -sick or wounded. The railroad embankment, which was our only route, -ran through a narrow clearing in the woods, with low hills and swampy -lands alternating on either side. The day was still and warm, and -a few of the men were prostrated by the unaccustomed exertion and -heat. About noon we came up with the advance guard, and from that -point, after a short halt, all moved on together. Missing rails and -broken culverts were a constant impediment to our advance; and toward -evening we came to a deep and wide watercourse, where the long trestle -bridge had been burned a day or two before. But these obstacles only -seemed to stimulate the volunteers. Heretofore their annoyances and -disappointments had been from causes beyond their control. Now that -every difficulty was within reach, they went at it with a will, and -thought of nothing but how to overcome it. The ruined bridge hardly -delayed them three hours. The engineer officer and his men went into -the woods on each side, where a hundred busy hands were soon at work, -felling trees and hauling them into place; and before dark, the stream -was spanned by a new bridge of rough-hewn timbers that carried the -train over safely, and our march began again. - -So it went on all through the night. The missing rails had often been -thrown, for better concealment, into some deep pool or watercourse -near by. But after a little experience, that was the very first place -where they were sought for and generally found. If the search proved -ineffectual, it made little difference at last; for at every siding the -extra rails were taken up and carried forward on the train, to be used -as they might be needed further on. So the track was made serviceable -for ourselves, and left in good condition for those who were to follow. -There was a line of skirmishers in front and one on each flank, to -beat up the enemy, should he be there lying in wait. Once or twice a -few marauders were sighted, tearing up the rails or reconnoitering our -advance; but they all retreated promptly, without firing a shot or -waiting for the head of the column, and none of them were even seen by -the main body. That was all. The desperate resistance we were expected -to meet with from swarming rebels and armed guerrillas turned out to -be a sham. When the advance guard about daylight occupied the village -of Annapolis Junction, there was no opposition. The regiment took -possession of a deserted station, and the railroad communication with -Washington at last was ours. - -It is remarkable how greatly the presence of an armed force conduces -to friendly feeling on the part of the inhabitants. No doubt the -secessionists hereabout had done their best for a few days past to -prevent our ever arriving at Annapolis Junction. But now that we were -there, and especially in need of a freshly cooked breakfast, there was -little difficulty in obtaining one for the officers' mess. The fatigue -and drowsiness that had been almost overpowering during the night, gave -way like magic before the refreshing stimulus of the dawn; and the keen -morning air awakened an appetite that demanded something better than -pork and hardbread from the haversack. Among the neighboring farmhouses -there were some quite ready to supply our wants. - -Early in the forenoon a train made its appearance from the direction -of Washington. It had been sent out to meet us, under guard of a -detachment of National Rifles, a volunteer company of the District -of Columbia; and we were soon on board and under way. The cars were -crowded to the utmost; but we were now nearing our destination, and -every discomfort seemed a trifle. For some distance this side of -Washington the road was picketed; and before long we began to see at -intervals the head and shoulders of a National Rifleman, with his fresh -looking uniform and glittering bayonet, peering at us over the bushes -as the train went by. Finally, about noon, the city came in sight. It -was Thursday, the 25th. We had been six days in getting from New York -to Washington. They had been days of doubt and anxiety, of hindrances, -delays, and stoppages. Every hour was precious, and yet we knew that -with all possible dispatch we might still be too late. And even now, at -the outskirts of the city, we could hardly help looking to see whether -the flag of the nation still floated over the Capitol. The train rolled -into the depot, the regiment disembarked, formed in column, marched -to the White House, reported to the President, and our journey to -Washington was accomplished. - -There was no doubt about the sense of relief created by our arrival. -After nearly a week of isolation and peril, Washington breathed more -freely. The only troops there before us were the Sixth Massachusetts, -a handful of regulars, and about thirty volunteer companies of the -District of Columbia, mainly recent recruits. The Seventh was a full -regiment, well disciplined and thoroughly equipped. What was of still -more consequence, it had opened the door of Annapolis and reëstablished -communication with the north. The Eighth Massachusetts arrived next -day from Annapolis Junction; and within another week one more regiment -from Massachusetts and four from New York followed by the same route. -After that, the city of Baltimore ceased to be an obstruction, and the -trains came through from Philadelphia as usual. By the middle of May -there were nearly twenty-five thousand troops gathered for the defense -of Washington. - -For the first week after our arrival we were quartered in the Capitol -building; but at the end of that time the regiment went into camp a -mile or so north of the city, on Meridian Hill. This was a plateau of -about forty acres, admirably adapted for the purpose. It was on the -direct road to Harper's Ferry, where the rebels were in possession, and -would give security against incursions from that quarter. The camp was -on the east side of the road, where there was a fine suburban estate, -with a large, square-built mansion house and outbuildings. From the -road entrance a well graded avenue led up to the house porch, which -stretched its hospitable covering over the carriage way. The house was -occupied by regimental headquarters and the staff officers. In front -were green fields and orchards, falling away in a gentle slope toward -the city; and beyond was the broad Potomac, with the Virginia shore -and Arlington Heights in the distance. In the rear were the lines of -company tents, and an ample parade-ground, where the regiment was -reviewed every day or two by the President, the Secretary of War, the -general commanding, or some other high civil or military official, who -was usually as much an object of inspection to the troops as the troops -were to him. - -By degrees other camps began to spring up round about us. On the -opposite side of the road were three regiments of New Jersey -volunteers, under General Runyon. A field in front of us was the daily -exercise ground of a mounted battery of the regular army; and farther -down, on the left, was the Twelfth regiment of New York volunteers. The -Eleventh New York, under Colonel Ellsworth, was in camp below the city -beyond the navy yard. This regiment was affiliated with our own through -its second officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Farnham, who had been until then -a lieutenant in the Seventh, and had commanded the skirmish line in the -march from Annapolis. - -The time was coming when the regiment would have something else to -do than drilling and camp duty. Washington was saved from the danger -that menaced it at the outset; and so long as the troops were there, -it was secure from a sudden inroad. But it had no permanent defenses. -The Potomac River was the limit of its territory. On the opposite -shore the rising ground of Arlington Heights commanded all approaches -from that direction; and every day, with a good spyglass, we could see -the fluttering of a secession flag in the little city of Alexandria, -only six or seven miles away. This was a precarious situation for the -seat of government and centre of military operations; and no one was -surprised when it made an attempt to burst its shackles. - -On the 23d of May, at midnight, the regiment was put in motion and -marched down through the city, to the neighborhood of the Long Bridge. -Its departure had been quiet and noiseless, as if the expedition -were a secret to all but the commanding officer. It soon appeared, -however, from signs that the uninitiated are not slow to comprehend, -that something more was going on than the night march of the regiment. -The order to halt came from other sources to our own commander. -After some delay, a part of the New Jersey brigade came up from the -rear and passed on in advance; and there was riding here and there -of officers and messengers, going and coming in various directions. -Nevertheless, everything was done in silence. Not even the occupants of -the neighboring houses seemed to be awakened or disturbed; and it gave -to the scene a mysterious kind of interest to feel that we were on some -errand that neither friends nor enemies were to know of until it was -accomplished. - -Again our column was on the march, and we soon found ourselves at the -entrance of the Long Bridge. We passed between the two guard-houses, -under the black timbers of the draw-frame, and over its three quarters -of a mile of roadway to the Virginia shore. It was the first hour of a -moonlight night, and half a mile farther on, at daybreak, the regiment -was halted and went into bivouac on an open field by the roadside. - -Not long after sunrise a horseman came clattering along the road -from the direction of Alexandria, and as he galloped by toward the -bridge, he flung out to us the news, "Alexandria is taken, and Colonel -Ellsworth is killed." - -This was one of the minor events in the early part of the war that -excited a wide-spread interest, mainly from the dramatic features of -the incident. The Eleventh New York had reached Alexandria by steamer, -and landed there about daylight. Immediately after disembarking, -Colonel Ellsworth had left his regiment, and with a small squad -hastened to secure the telegraph office, to prevent communication with -the south. That done, he noticed, flying above the principal hotel -in the town, a secession flag. It was the flag we had seen so often -for the last fortnight from the direction of Washington. The colonel -effected an entrance, and with his companions mounted to the roof, -hauled down the flag, and brought it away with him. When about halfway -down he was shot dead by the keeper of the hotel, who was lying in -wait for him with a double-barreled gun. Instantly the soldier next -him discharged his musket in the face of the homicide, and, driving -his bayonet through his breast, hurled his body down the remaining -stairway; so that within a minute both the colonel and his assailant -were dead men. None of those in the hotel knew of the arrival of the -regiment, and probably thought they had to do only with a few raiders -from abroad. - -This news of the occupation of Alexandria was our first intimation -of the actual extent of the movement we were engaged in. The truth -was that between midnight and dawn about 12,000 men had crossed the -Potomac by the two bridges at Washington and Georgetown, beside the -Eleventh regiment which went by steamer. They were to hold and fortify -a defensive line extending from below Alexandria, around Arlington -Heights, to the Potomac River above Georgetown; comprising, when all -complete, a chain of twenty-three forts, for the permanent security of -the city on its southern side. Our own destination was a locality not -far from our first bivouac, and where the New Jersey troops, who had -gone before, were already breaking ground for the trenches. - -Next day the men of the Seventh were also set to work with pick and -spade and barrow, excavating the ditch and piling up the rampart along -the lines laid down by the engineers. One fatigue party followed -another, all doing their best, like so many ants on an ant-hill; and -before night the place began to look something like a fortification. -When finished it was the largest of those on the south side of the -river, occupying a space of about fourteen acres. It was an inclosed -bastioned work, covering the two forks of the road; one leading south -to Alexandria, the other southwest toward Fairfax Court House. It -defended the Long Bridge, and secured its possession for ingress and -egress. It was named Fort Runyon, in honor of the general commanding -the New Jersey brigade. - -After a few days on the Virginia shore, the regiment was ordered back -to its camp at Meridian Hill. It had been mustered into service for -one month, to meet an emergency which was now past. Orders for its -return north were received on the 30th of May; and on the 31st it broke -camp and embarked for New York, arriving there on the 1st of June. It -was then mustered out of service, having been under arms forty-three -days. - -This was the "Washington campaign" of the Seventh regiment. It was a -campaign without a battle, and the regiment was not once under fire -from the enemy. Its only casualties were one man killed in camp by the -accidental discharge of a musket, and another wounded in the leg by his -own pistol. But it came to the front at a time when one battalion for -the moment was more needed than a brigade afterward. Though mustered -out as a regiment, it at once began to supply material for other -organizations. Of its members in 1861, more than six hundred entered -the service during the war; over fifty became regimental commanders; -from twenty to thirty, brigadier-generals; and more than one reached -the grade of major-general. With all this depletion, its ranks were -kept tolerably full by new recruits, and it was twice afterward called -into the field for temporary duty, once in 1862, and again in 1863. - - - - -THE EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL. - - -After my return from Washington in 1861, I resigned my commission in -the Seventh regiment, and looked for an opportunity of more permanent -connection with the service. - -The most attractive position which offered was that of surgeon of -brigade, recently established by act of Congress; and, a medical board -having been convened for the examination of candidates, I appeared -before it, passed the examination, and in due time received my -commission as Brigade Surgeon of Volunteers. - -At that time each volunteer regiment had its surgeon and assistant -surgeon, who were in general quite competent to the work they had to -do. Like other regimental officers, they received their appointments -and commissions from the authorities of their own state, and were -permanently attached to their particular regiments, without being -either authorized or required to go elsewhere. - -But when the volunteer army came to be organized into brigades, under -command of brigadier generals with a general staff, it was found that -there were no medical officers to correspond. They were needed to -receive and consolidate the regimental reports, inspect the health of -the commands, establish field hospitals, and perform in every way the -duties of a general medical officer. Such places were filled, so far as -possible, by the surgeons and assistant surgeons of the regular army. -But these were too few in number to provide for the large volunteer -force suddenly called into action; and for that reason the new grade of -brigade surgeon was created. My commission was dated August 3, 1861. - -But it was not until the first week in October that I received orders -to report in Washington at army headquarters. On arriving there, I was -directed to join General Viele's brigade and report for duty to that -officer. - -General Viele's brigade was at Annapolis. So, as soon as possible, I -proceeded, with my horse, baggage, and camp equipage, to Annapolis -Junction, and thence, by the branch road that I had traveled with -the Seventh, to Annapolis. There I found the general and his staff, -quartered in the old St. John's College, a little outside the town. A -locality always looks different when you are arriving and when you are -going away; and, notwithstanding my brief acquaintance with Annapolis -six months before, now that I was coming to it from a different -direction and for another purpose, I should hardly have known it for -the same place. - -The building where we were quartered was a plain brick edifice, several -stories in height, facing the town, with a distant view of the harbor -beyond. In front was the college green, where some of the regiments -were paraded for the presentation of flags. One of these presentations -was made, a week after my arrival, by Governor Hicks, who had now seen -his way clear to support the Union. In the rear and to the westward -were the regimental camps. - -It soon appeared that the troops were gathering at Annapolis in -considerable force. In all, there were three brigades: General -Viele's, General Stevens's, and General Wright's,--the whole forming -a division of a little over twelve thousand men, under command of -General W. T. Sherman. In General Viele's brigade there were five -regiments,--the Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, and Forty-eighth New -York, the Third New Hampshire, and Eighth Maine. This brigade was -the earliest on the ground and ranked first in the division. General -Stevens's was the second brigade, and General Wright's the third. Each -had a brigade surgeon; and a chief medical officer, from the regular -army, was attached to the staff of the division commander. - -It was also claimed that we were going somewhere. Already a number of -transports were in the bay, and others continued to arrive, evidently -for our accommodation. Orders from the commanding general or his -adjutant were dated: "Headquarters, Division E. C." These cabalistic -letters were supposed to indicate in some way our future destination, -though I do not remember ever seeing them, either written or printed, -except as initials. After a time they were understood to mean -Expeditionary Corps; but that hardly made us much wiser as to how far -or in what direction we were bound. - -At the end of a fortnight all was ready. One by one the transports -came into the harbor and took on their load of stores, artillery, -ammunition, and wagons; and finally the troops embarked. Our own -vessel, occupied by General Viele and his staff, was the _Oriental_, -an iron-built ocean steamer of nine hundred tons, formerly a packet -running to Havana. She also carried provisions and ordnance, and one or -two companies of soldiers belonging to the brigade. - -After saying good-by to Annapolis, our vessels steamed slowly together -down the broad highway of the Chesapeake, past the mouth of the Potomac -river, almost as broad, and the next day came to anchor in Hampton -Roads. So far, our voyage was only a preliminary. We had arrived at -a second rendezvous, where the remainder of the expedition was in -waiting; and we now began to have an idea of its real magnitude. -Grouped around us over the ample roadstead, there were war vessels of -all grades and dimensions, from a steam frigate to a gunboat. Whether -they were all to go with us we knew not, but the number of coaling -schooners lying about seemed to indicate that most of them were under -sailing orders. - -However, there was more waiting to be done before the final start, and -we passed a week without shifting our anchorage. Not being responsible -for anything outside our own brigade, we devoted ourselves mainly to -cultivating the virtue of patience. Yet we could not help feeling that -such a military and naval demonstration, gathered at such a point, -could not long remain a secret; and that, wherever we might be bound, -if it were any object to arrive without being expected, the sooner -we could get away the better. For medical officers there was another -cause of anxiety, which I began to appreciate almost as soon as our -anchor was down. When soldiers are on land it is always possible to -care for their sanitary condition. Camps can be cleansed and drained, -or shifted to better ground; and the sick can be placed in hospital, -or isolated at a respectable distance from the rest. But how to do -this with troops confined within the narrow quarters of a ship? And -what if some contagion should break out among them, like smouldering -fire in a haystack? Every exertion was made to keep the transports -in fair condition as to cleanliness and ventilation, and to watch -for the appearance of any suspicious malady. But every day made it -more difficult to do the one, and added to the danger of the other. -Fortunately, we got through without any serious mishap of this kind. - -Meanwhile, we had some entertainment in watching our naval colleagues, -and trying to learn what and who they were. They were in frequent -communication with each other or with the shore; and their trim barges, -with the regular dip of their oars, and a kind of scientific certainty -about the way they went through the water, contrasted well with the -rather sprawly fashion of our own boats and their soldier crews. The -commander of the naval force was Captain Dupont. - -His flagship, the _Wabash_, a double deck steam frigate of forty guns, -was the most imposing object in view. Then came the sloops-of-war -_Mohican_, _Seminole_, and _Pawnee_, with gunboats of various sizes, -and the great transports _Atlantic_, _Baltic_, and _Vanderbilt_, each -of about 3000 tons burden; making altogether, with the additional -transports and supply boats, a fleet of nearly fifty vessels. - -At last the preparations were complete, and on Tuesday, October 29th, -the signal for starting was given. Away from Hampton Roads, through the -mouth of the Chesapeake, past the capes of Virginia, and then at sea, -with prows toward the south, the stately procession moved along, every -vessel in its place. The flagship led the van, with other men-of-war -trailing behind, like ripples, in two diverging lines. Then came the -transports in three columns, formed by the three brigades, and lastly -a few gunboats brought up the rear. The vessels of the first brigade -formed the right column, and as the sun went down the Virginia shore -was just sinking out of sight. The weather was favorable, and every one -felt pleased to see the expedition now fairly on its way. - -Our progress was not very rapid. Many of the war vessels were -slow-going craft, and the rest had to accommodate their speed to the -leisurely rate of five or six knots. We were fully twenty-four hours -in making Cape Hatteras; and, notwithstanding the bad reputation -of this locality, we found there hardly enough wind and sea to be -uncomfortable. The main topic of talk was our destination. No one in -the fleet knew what that was except the two commanders, Captain Dupont -and General Sherman. The commanding officer on each vessel brought with -him sealed orders, which he was not to open unless separated from the -rest. But all were at liberty to guess; and in our discussions there -were three objective points favored by the knowing ones; Bull's Bay -on the coast of South Carolina, Port Royal entrance about a hundred -miles farther down, and Fernandina in Florida. As I knew them all -only as so many names on the map, and had no idea why one should be a -more desirable conquest than the other, I listened for entertainment, -without caring to choose between them. Our military family was made -up of various elements, but all were good-natured and companionable, -and promised to grow still better on acquaintance. General Viele was -a graduate of West Point, and we all looked to him for information in -regard to military affairs. - -The order of sailing became somewhat deranged after a time, though at -the end of two days we were still in sight of the flagship, with from -thirty to forty others in the horizon. So far, the weather had given -us no trouble. But on Friday, November 1st, it began to be rough. The -sky was overcast, the ship rolled and pitched, and the wind howled in a -way that gave warning of worse to come. As the day wore on, there was -no improvement, and before nightfall it was blowing a gale. - -There is a difference between a storm and a gale of wind. A storm is -disagreeable enough, with the driving rain, the lead-colored sky, the -sea covered with foam, and the wet decks all going up and down hill. -There is not much pleasure while that lasts. But in a gale of wind, -discomfort is not what you think of. After the tempest has grown and -gathered strength for five or six hours together, it begins to look -threatening and wicked. The sea is a black gulf around the ship; and -the great waves come rolling at her, one after the other, like troops -of hungry wolves furious to swallow her up. A thousand more are behind -them, and she has to fight them all, single handed, for life or death. -She must keep her head steady to the front, and meet every billow as -it comes without faltering or flinching; for if she loses courage or -strength and falls away to leeward, the next big comber will topple -over her side and she will go under. - -When a good ship is wrestling with such a sea, she does it almost like -a living creature. She sways and settles, and rises and twists, and her -beams groan and creak with the strain that is on them. But her joints -hold, and she answers her helm; and the steady pulsation of her engines -gives assurance of undiminished vitality and motive power. So long -as she behaves in this way, you know that she is equal to the work. -But what if the sea should grow yet fiercer and heavier, and buffet -her with redoubled energy till she is maimed or exhausted? She is a -mechanical construction, knit together with bolts and braces; and the -steam from her boilers is to her the breath of life. However stanch and -true, her power of resistance is limited. But in the elements there is -a reserve of force and volume that is immeasurable; and when they once -begin to run riot, no one can tell how severe it may become or how long -it will last. - -So it was on board the _Oriental_. All that evening the wind increased -in violence. Every hour it blew harder, and the waves came faster and -bigger than before. The sea was no longer a highway; it was a tossing -chaos of hills and valleys, sweeping toward us from the southeast with -the force of the tornado, and reeling and plunging about us on every -side. The ship was acting well, and showed no signs of distress thus -far; but by midnight it seemed as though she had about as much as she -could do. The officers and crew did their work in steady, seamanlike -fashion, and among the soldiers there was no panic or bustle. Once in -a while I would get up out of my berth, to look at the ship from the -head of the companion way, or to go forward between decks and listen to -the pounding of the sea against her bows. At one o'clock, for the first -time, things were no longer growing worse; and in another hour or two -it was certain that the gale had reached its height. Then I turned in -for sleep, wedged myself into the berth with the blankets, and made no -more inspection tours that night. - -Next morning the wind had somewhat abated, though the sea was still -rolling hard, under the impetus of an eighteen hours' blow. The ship -was uninjured and everything on board in good condition. But where -was the fleet? Of all the splendid company that left Hampton Roads -four days ago, only two or three were in sight, looking disconsolate -enough and pitching about like eggshells. We knew afterward that two -of them had gone down, one had thrown overboard her battery of eight -guns to keep from foundering, and others had turned back, disabled, for -Fortress Monroe. But on the whole, most of them had escaped serious -damage, and, like ourselves, were again making headway toward the -south. Nevertheless it was a lonely day, and at nightfall we had no -more companions about us than there were in the morning. - -By this time we knew our destination. The sealed orders were opened and -the ship put on her course. The next day, Sunday, was bright and clear, -with a smooth sea. Other vessels began to appear, moving in the same -direction; and before noon we were off Port Royal entrance, with ten or -eleven ships in company. Stragglers continued to come up as the time -passed, and on Monday morning when the flagship arrived, there were -already twenty-five or thirty sail around her. - -Any land looks pleasant from the sea, when you have been knocking -about for some days in bad weather; and the South Carolina shore had -a particularly attractive appearance for us, partly no doubt because -we knew it would still be rather hard work getting there. It was ten -miles away, but the mirage made it visible; and the long stretch of -beaches and low sand bluffs, with their rows of pines, all sleeping in -the quiet sunshine, had a kind of luxurious, semi-tropical look, at -least to the imagination. Every light-house and buoy had been removed, -and not a sign was left for guidance over the bar. But soon a busy -little steamer was at work, sounding out the channel and placing buoys; -and in the afternoon all except the deeper-draft vessels went in. We -were among the first of the lot; and of those that followed, many -showed the marks of their rough treatment at sea. The big sidewheel -steamer, _Winfield Scott_, came in dismasted, and with a great patch -of canvas over her bows, looking like a man with a broken head. Others -had lost smoke-stacks, or stove bulwarks or wheel-houses. But when all -that could get over the bar were collected inside, they still made a -respectable fleet. The heavier vessels had to wait for another tide. - -That was early next morning, when the _Wabash_ came in, followed by -the rest. A weather-beaten old tar was standing in her fore channels -outside the bulwarks, feeling her way with lead and line; and as the -great ship moved slowly by, we could hear his doleful, monotonous -chant, "By the ma-ark fi-ive," telling that she was in thirty feet -of water and going safely along. She passed through the fleet of -transports and war vessels to her position in advance. - -Meanwhile several gunboats had gone up the harbor, to learn something -about the forts. They were firing away now and then, either at the -enemy on shore or at the rebel gunboats hovering about beyond. We -supposed that their errand was only preliminary, and felt no surprise -at seeing them return after an hour or two and again quietly come to -anchor. But in the afternoon, when the flagship herself got under -way, we expected something more; especially as she had undergone a -transformation and was now in fighting trim. Her topmasts were sent -down, and all her lofty tracery of spars had disappeared. As she moved -off, looking like a champion athlete stripped for the fray, every eye -followed her in eager expectation. Soon a puff of smoke from one of -the rebel batteries, followed by the dull reverberation of the report, -and then another from the opposite shore, spoke out their defiance, as -if they would like nothing better than to begin hostilities at once. -But there was no answering gun from the frigate. On she went, in the -same leisurely fashion, as if she had seen and heard nothing. More guns -from the forts, more smoke and more reverberation. Now she will surely -open her ports and show these blustering rebels, at least with a shot -or two, what it is to fire upon a United States frigate. But no. She -seemed to pause awhile as if in doubt, then turned and came slowly back -toward the fleet, followed to all appearance by the parting scoffs of -the enemy. It was impossible to repress a certain feeling of chagrin at -seeing the flagship apparently chased out of the harbor, on the first -trial, without even firing once in reply. - -That was because we had been looking at something we did not -understand. After getting the reports of the gunboats, the flagship had -gone up to obtain for herself a few more particulars as to the location -and outline of the forts. The cannonading was at too long range to do -her any harm, and her expedition was meant for business, not for show. - -However, the next day must find us ready; and perhaps it would be -none too soon. We had now been four days, off and on, at the harbor -entrance; and by this time all South Carolina knew where we were and -what we had come for. Every additional twenty-four hours gave the enemy -more time for preparation, without any advantage to us; and the longer -the enterprise was deferred, the more difficult it would become. But -the next day there was rather a high wind, with considerable sea; and -accordingly matters again remained _in statu quo_. That was another -disappointment. It seemed almost impossible that it should be so. Were -these old sea-dogs, after coming six hundred miles on purpose, to be -delayed in their work by a little rough water? - -Well, yes. This was to be a contest between ships and forts. The forts -are planted on the solid ground, and their guns are mounted on level -platforms, with every angle of inclination sure and uniform. But the -ships are afloat; and if rolling about with the sea, and their decks -tipping this way and that, their aim must be uncertain and much of -their metal thrown away. Of course, a fort is not to be reduced by -firing guns at it, but by having the shot penetrate where it is meant -to go. Captain Dupont was a man who had come to win, not to fight a -useless battle with no result; and the way he went to work after the -time arrived made it plain to all that he knew equally well when to -stop and when to go ahead. - -On the morning of Thursday, November 7th, everything was favorable. -The sea was smooth, with a gentle breeze from the northeast. About -nine o'clock the war vessels began to move forward between the forts. -The transports were drawn up as near as possible and yet be out of -the line of fire. Our own vessel, the _Oriental_, was the second in -position, General Sherman's being the only one in advance of us. As -for myself, I climbed into the fore cross-trees, and then, seated on -the reefed topsail, with my back against the foot of the topmast, I -had a view that commanded the entire scene. It was a bright, clear -day, with hardly a cloud on the horizon. Before us lay the broad -harbor nearly two and a half miles across, guarded on each side by the -enemy's earthworks. On the right, at Bay Point, was Fort Beauregard, -and on the left, at Hilton Head, Fort Walker, the stronger and more -important of the two. A little to the north of Fort Walker was a high, -two-story house, with a veranda in front, the headquarters of the rebel -commander; and away beyond, moving about in the adjoining creeks, we -could see the tall smoke-stacks and black smoke of the rebel gunboats, -watching an opportunity to capture vessels that might be stranded or -crippled, or to chase them all, should they be defeated. - -And now the battle began. The naval force in a long line of fifteen -ships, passed up midway between the forts, receiving and answering the -fire from each. Near the head of the harbor, five or six were thrown -off for a flanking squadron, to engage the rebel gunboats or enfilade -the enemy's works from the north. The rest, including all the larger -vessels, then turned south, and, passing slowly down in front of Fort -Walker, gave her, one after the other, their heavy broadsides, turning -again, after getting fairly by, to repeat the circuit. From my position -I could see every shell strike. When one of them buried itself in the -ramparts or plunged over into the fort, its explosion would throw up a -vertical column of whirling sand high in the air, followed by another -almost as soon as the first had disappeared. When one from the rebel -batteries burst over the ships, it appeared suddenly like a white ball -of smoke against the sky, that swelled and expanded into a cloudy -globe, and then slowly drifted away to leeward; while a few seconds -later came the sharp detonation of the exploded shell. On both sides -the conflict was unremitting, and along the whole sea-face of the fort -its guns kept on belching their volleys against the fleet. - -About this time we noticed on our left, close in shore, a gunboat that -seemed to be engaging the fort on its own hook. It was a two-masted -vessel, probably of six or seven hundred tons, but it looked hardly -larger than a good sized steam tug; and on its open deck was a single -big gun, firing away at the southeast angle of the fort. It was -the _Pocahontas_. She had been kept back by the gale, and had just -arrived in time to get over the bar while the fight was going on. Her -commander was Captain Percival Drayton, a native of South Carolina, -but one of the stanchest and most gallant officers in the navy of the -United States. The commander of the two forts was his brother, General -Drayton, of the Confederate army, whose plantation on the island was -only two or three miles away. - -When looking at the new comer, I could not help thinking how much -expression there may be in such inanimate things as two pieces of -ordnance. The way the gun on the _Pocahontas_ was worked certainly gave -the idea of skill, determination, and persistency; while that which -answered it from the fort was equally suggestive of vexation, haste, -and a little apprehension. No doubt it was natural for the defenders -to feel so, when, in addition to the cannonading in front and on one -flank, another enemy should appear, to harass them from the opposite -quarter. - -Through all this hurly-burly, the movement of the war vessels was a -masterpiece of concerted action. Round and round they went, following -the flagship in deliberate succession, pounding at the fort with one -broadside going up and with the other coming down. So far as we could -see, not one of them fell out of line, or failed to do her full share -in the engagement. It had been going on now nearly four hours. The -fire of the fort was somewhat lessened, but it was still enough to be -doubtful and dangerous. One great gun in particular, on the southern -half of the sea-front, kept working away with dogged energy, as if -determined to inflict some deadly blow that might retrieve the fortunes -of the day. After a while there seemed to be a cessation. The _Wabash_ -stood motionless before her enemy. She fired a single gun, to which -there was no response. Then a boat shot out from under her quarter; -and pulled straight for the shore. An officer landed, and went up the -bluffs to the fort. For a moment we could see his dark figure running -round the parapet, then down and out by the sally-port, and across the -intervening field to the two-story house, where it disappeared in the -doorway. A few moments later, at the flagstaff on the roof, a flag -mounted swiftly to the top, and then, in sight of all, the stars and -stripes floated out with the breeze, over the coast of South Carolina. - -What followed was a kind of pandemonium. Cheers from the vessels all -over the harbor, with the tooting of steam whistles and music from the -regimental bands, mingled in long reiteration till every vocal organ -was exhausted, and the notes of the "Star-spangled Banner" had traveled -over the Bay Point and back again. The transports began to move in, -and were soon collected as near the beach as they could safely come. -In an hour or two I went ashore with General Viele and others of his -staff, to take a look at the surroundings. The fort was naturally our -first object of interest. Three of its guns dismounted, with their -gun-carriages standing wrong end upward, the parapet and traverses -seamed with shot and shell, and the ground strewn with pieces of -exploded projectiles, told of the hard struggle it had gone through. -The few dead left by the enemy had been decently removed by the marines -who first took possession. A day or two afterward the surgeon of the -fort was found in one of the galleries, dead, and covered with sand -from a bursted shell. In the rear of the fort was a stretch of open -plain, also covered with fragments of shell, over which the fugitives -had passed in their final rout, leaving behind arms, knapsacks, -blankets, and everything that could impede their flight. Traveling over -this field, half a mile or so from the fort, I came upon the body of -a stout fellow, who had been struck down while running for his life. -There was a gaping wound in his breast, into which you might have put a -quart pot; but his countenance was as serene and quiet in expression as -if he had laid down by himself for a few moments' rest. - -General Wright's brigade was landed that afternoon. But it was slow -work, with a shelving beach and no wharf; and the rest of us postponed -disembarking till the next day. When all were on shore, General -Wright's command was located at and about the fort, and that of General -Stevens some distance farther on, near the crossing of a tide-water -creek. Our own brigade, which held the advanced position, was about two -miles northwest of the creeks, on the main road from that direction. -The fort at Bay Point was abandoned by the enemy without further -resistance, and was occupied by a detachment from the second brigade. - -I have understood that this battle made some change in current opinion -as to the efficiency of ships and forts against each other. A fort, or -at least an earthwork, would seem almost impregnable against artillery. -It has no masonry walls to crumble or batter down. Solid shot may bury -themselves in its ramparts without doing the least harm; and when a -shell explodes there, it only throws up a volcanic eruption of earth -and sand, that settles back again nearly in the same place. The day -after the battle at Hilton Head, the walls of the fort were practically -as good as ever, and within a week or two its scarred outlines were all -smoothed over again. On the other hand, a frigate or a sloop-of-war -is vulnerable throughout. A single shot at the water line will make a -leak, hot shot will set her on fire, and exploding shells may derange -her machinery. Her oaken sides are a slight bulwark compared with the -twenty feet of earth in the ramparts of a fort. - -All this was thoroughly appreciated by the enemy, who were prepared for -the attack and confident of success. Captured letters and documents -showed that they had entire faith in their works and guns, and fully -expected to sink the Yankee vessels and teach them a lesson for their -temerity. - -But in one thing ships may be superior to forts; that is, in their -power of defensive action. What decides the day more than anything else -is the number of guns in service and the rapidity of their fire. Ships -may be brought from various directions and concentrated at a given -place, so that their united batteries will far outweigh the armament -of a fort. At Hilton Head the _Wabash_ alone fired, in four hours, 880 -shot and shell; and from the entire fleet no less than 2000 projectiles -must have been hurled upon the fort within that time. The earthwork -itself may withstand this tempest, but its defenders cannot continue to -work their guns. After a time their fortitude must give way under such -a trial, and, as it was in Fort Walker, the moment comes at last for a -final stampede. Of course, this implies that the ships are present in -sufficient force and do their work in the right way. - -But perhaps the victory was due, more than anything else, to the -practical skill and originality of Captain Dupont. He saw at once -that the work at Hilton Head was the important one, and that if that -were reduced, the other would be untenable. When first leading his -ships up the harbor in mid-channel, he engaged both forts at about -two thousand yards distance. On making the turn and coming down again -towards the south, he passed in front of Fort Walker at eight hundred -yards. This distance was of his own choosing, and he had the range -beforehand. But the guns of the fort had to be sighted anew, in the -heat and excitement of actual conflict; not an easy thing to do, even -for the most experienced. After going again toward the north at longer -range, he once more made the turn and repassed the fort on his way -back, this time at six hundred yards. So, the vessels were always in -motion, and after every turn presented themselves to the enemy at a -different distance. It was this second promenade of the ships, pouring -into the fort their terrific broadsides at the short distance of six -hundred yards, that did the effective work of the engagement. At this -time, according to nearly all the commanders' reports, the enemy's shot -mostly passed over the ships, injuring only their spars and rigging. -Throughout the battle none of them were struck more than ten times in -the hull, none were seriously disabled, and two of them were not hit -at all. Captain Dupont said afterward that he believed he had saved a -hundred lives by engaging the fort at close range. - -After the first rejoicings were over, there was a singular feeling of -disappointment in the North at the seeming want of result from the -victory at Port Royal. It was expected that the troops would move at -once into the interior, capture the important cities, and revolutionize -the states of Georgia and South Carolina. One of the newspaper -correspondents wrote home, a few days after the battle, "In three weeks -we shall be in Charleston and Savannah;" and in the popular mind at -that time the possession of a city seemed more important than anything -else, in the way of military success. So when the months of November, -December, and January passed by, without anything being done that the -public could appreciate, there was no little surprise manifested at the -inactivity of the army in South Carolina. - -In reality the military commanders were busy from the outset. The -day after the battle, Captain Gillmore, the chief engineer, made a -reconnaissance to the north side of the island, and laid out there -a work to control the interior water-way between Charleston and -Savannah; and before the end of the month he had commenced his plans -for the reduction of Fort Pulaski, which in due time were brought to -a successful issue. But these movements, and others like them, were -after all secondary in importance to the main object of the Port Royal -expedition, namely, the permanent acquisition of Port Royal itself, as -an aid to the naval operations on the Atlantic coast. - -The government at Washington was by this time fully alive to the -magnitude of the contest and its requirements. One of the most pressing -of these requirements was the blockade; which must be maintained -effectively along an extensive line of coast, exposed to severe -weather during a large part of the year. The vessels of the blockading -squadron must be supplied with stores and coal at great inconvenience -and from a long distance; and when one of them needed repairs it must -be sent all the way to New York or Philadelphia to get a new topmast -or chain cable. This involved much expense, long delays, and the risk -of temporary inefficiency in the blockade. It was important that the -fleet should have, near at hand, a capacious harbor, where store-houses -and workshops might be established, and where shelter might be had for -the necessary inspections and repairs. Port Royal was such a harbor; -and it also served, in course of time, as a base for further military -operations. It had been selected by Captain Dupont and General Sherman -in joint council. - - - - -THE SEA ISLANDS AND FORT PULASKI. - - -The sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia are grouped in a nearly -continuous chain along the coast, between the mainland and the sea. -They are flat, with only a few slight elevations here and there; and -there is not, over their whole area, a single boulder, pebble, or -gravel bed, nor any spot where the ledge rock comes to the surface. -The soil at first seems to be sandy; but you soon discover that it -has mingled with it a fine black loam and is extremely productive. -It yields the "sea-island cotton," a variety of long fibre, formerly -much valued for certain purposes of textile manufacture. There is no -sod or turf, like that of the Northern states, but the fields not -under cultivation produce a tall thin grass, which is soon trampled -out of existence by passing wagons or by soldiers on the march. In the -clearings are the live oak and the great magnolia, both evergreen. -The palmetto is also a conspicuous object, and the dwarf palmetto -grows abundantly under the shadow of the pine woods. Everywhere there -is a large proportion of hard-wood shrubs and trees with polished, -waxy-looking, evergreen leaves. - -There are many extensive plantations, where the owners often remain -during a large part of the year. Their houses are not grouped in -villages, but scattered at a considerable distance apart, each on its -own plantation, with the negro cabins usually in long lines at the rear -or on one side. The roads from one plantation to another run through -the pine woods, or over the plains, bordered on each side by cotton -or corn fields, and marking the only division between them. There is -seldom to be seen such a thing as a rail fence, and of course never a -stone wall. - -Hilton Head, where we were now encamped, was one of the largest of -these islands. It was twelve miles long, in a general east and west -direction, and about five miles in extreme width, north and south. At -its Port Royal end, the sand bluffs rose to the height of eight or -ten feet above the beach, giving the name of "head" more especially -to this part of the island; elsewhere they were generally much lower. -Along its sea-front there was a magnificent beach, ten miles long, -broken only at one place by a creek fordable at half tide. At frequent -intervals on this route there were marks of the slow encroachment of -the sea upon the land. Often you would come upon the white, dry stump -of a dead pine, standing up high above the beach on the ends of its -sprawling roots, like so many corpulent spider legs. Once it grew on -the low bluffs above high-water mark, as its descendants are doing now. -But the sea gradually undermined its roots and washed out the soil from -between them, till it gave up the ghost for want of nourishment, and in -time came to be stranded here, half-way down the beach. It looked as -if the tree had moved down from the bluffs toward the water, though in -reality the beach had moved up past the tree. The same thing was going -on all along the coast in this region. There were trees on the very -edge of the bluff, with their roots toward the sea exposed and bare, -but with enough still buried in the soil on the land side to hold the -trunk upright and give it sap; while here and there was one already -losing its grip and slowly bending over toward the sea. When it has -nothing more to rest on than the sands of the beach, its branches and -trunk decay, but its roots and stump remain for many years whitening in -the sun, like a skeleton on the plains. - -The chain of islands from Port Royal toward Charleston harbor included -Parry, Saint Helena, Edisto, John's and James islands; in the opposite -direction, toward the Savannah river, Daufuskie, Turtle, and Jones' -islands. Inside these were other smaller islands, the whole separated -from each other and from the mainland by sounds and creeks, sometimes -broad but oftener narrow and tortuous, through which small steamers -could find an inside passage from Charleston to Savannah. This -communication was of course cut off when our troops occupied Port Royal. - -At Hilton Head I first made the acquaintance of the southern plantation -negro. Every white inhabitant had disappeared, leaving the slaves alone -in possession. Their inferior appearance, habits, and qualities, their -curious lingo and strange pronunciation were in amusing contrast with -those of the blacks and mulattoes we had seen at the north. When I -met one of them near the Jones plantation and asked him whether he -belonged there, his answer was this: "No mawse, I no bene blahnx mawse -Jones, I bene blahnx mawse Elliot." Not having any idea what he meant, -I repeated the phrase to General Viele, who had some familiarity with -the southern negro, and who gave me the interpretation as follows: -"No master, I did not belong to master Jones, I belonged to master -Elliot." Mr. Elliot was the owner of another plantation near by. Soon -after we took possession of Hilton Head, negroes began to come in from -the neighboring islands, seeking shelter and food. They generally -appeared to rate themselves at the value set upon them by their -former masters. One morning a young black, of the deepest dye and -most cheerful expression of countenance, presented himself at brigade -headquarters, and on being asked whether any others had arrived with -him, he said with a delighted grin: "Yes, mawse, more 'n two hundred -head o' nigger come ober las' night." Most of the field hands were -of this description. But on each plantation there was usually one -man noticeably superior to the rest in manner and language. He was -generally the leader in their religious exercises, and had the gift of -the gab to no small degree; though his uncontrollable propensity to the -use of long words and incongruous expressions often gave a ludicrous -turn to the effect of his eloquence. - -But whatever their grade of capacity or intelligence, the negroes -agreed in one thing. They were well satisfied to live on the -plantations, without control of their former owners, so long as -the crops of the present season would supply them with food. Their -liberation they knew was owing to the success of the Union troops, and -they showed a much more intelligent comprehension of the causes and -probable results of the war than they had been supposed to possess. But -as for doing anything themselves to help it on, that did not appear to -form part of their calculations. They would work for their rations when -destitute, would obey when commanded as they had been accustomed, and -they would aid the Union cause whenever they could do so in a passive -sort of way. But we soon found that we must not look to them for -anything like energetic or spontaneous action. This seemed a strange -indifference to a contest involving the freedom or servitude of their -race, and no doubt accounted for much of the aversion afterward felt by -our troops to the project of transforming some of them into soldiers. - -But if we had remembered where the negroes came from, perhaps we should -not have been so much surprised. Their ancestors had been brought to -this country from the coast of Africa by slave-traders who had bought -them there. They were slaves already, when they were taken on board -ship. They had been captured in war, or seized by native marauders, who -took them for the purpose of reducing them to slavery and selling them -for profit. They were consequently from the least capable and least -enterprising of the negro tribes in Africa; and their descendants in -this country were of the same grade. If they could not resist being -made slaves by other negroes, how could they be expected to take part -in a war between whites, even to recover their own freedom? - -Of course there were exceptions to this. In the month of May following, -a boat's crew brought away from Charleston harbor the barge of the -Confederate General Ripley, and escaped with it to the naval vessels -outside; and not long afterward the negro pilot, Robert Smalls, and his -companions ran the gauntlet of the forts in the night-time with the -steam-tug _Planter_, and delivered her safely to the blockading fleet. -But these were rare instances, and nothing of the kind happened at -Hilton Head. - -What the sea-island negroes appeared to excel in more than anything -else was handling an oar, which they did in a way quite their own. In -their long, narrow "dug-outs," hollowed from the trunk of a Georgia -pine, each man pulling his oar in unison with the rest, they would -send the primitive craft through the water with no little velocity. In -lifting and recovering the oar they had a peculiar twist of the hand -and elbow that no white man could imitate; and their strange sounding -boat songs seemed to give every moment a fresh impulse to the stroke. -These songs had no resemblance to the half-humorous, half-sentimental -"plantation melodies" known to theatre-goers at the north. They were -more like religious rhapsodies in verse. At least, they had many words -and phrases of a religious character; but mingled together, in a kind -of incoherent chant, with many others of different significance, or -even none at all. It was not its meaning that gave value to the song; -it was its sound and cadence. Sometimes the verse would open with a few -words of extempore variation by the leader, and then the other voices -would strike in with the remaining lines as usual. Oftener than not, -the song was a fugue, every one of the half dozen boatmen catching up -his part at the right second, and chiming in all the louder and lustier -for having kept still beforehand. Once in a while the passenger would -be startled at seeing an oarsman suddenly strike the one in front of -him a smacking blow between the shoulders, at the same time injecting -into the melody a short improvised yell, by way of stimulus and -encouragement. Altogether, I have seldom witnessed a more entertaining -performance than one of these semi-barbarous vocal concerts in a South -Carolina dug-out. - -Our brigade camp was in a large cotton-field lying across the road to -the northwest. At the time of our arrival it was covered with tall, -scraggy bushes, their white balls still ungathered; and for a night or -two we bivouacked in the deep furrows between them. But they were soon -removed and the surface quickly trampled down into a serviceable parade -ground, with the regimental camps extending along one side. Brigade -headquarters were in advance of the parade ground, opposite the right -of the line. At one end was the general's tent, fronting upon an oblong -space, enclosed on its two sides by the tents of the staff officers, -orderlies, and employees. Within the enclosed space was a single -live-oak, under which we gathered in the evening round a fire, to -smoke our pipes and talk over arrivals, reconnoissances, or projected -expeditions. - -For some weeks pork and hard-bread were an important part of our fare. -Our private stores from the _Oriental_ were soon exhausted, and much -of the commissary supplies on the transport fleet had been lost or -damaged on the voyage down. Foraging on the plantations did something; -and the general even secured a cow, which he stabled alongside our -camp. But she was of very unprepossessing appearance. Her only fodder -was dry cornstalks; and the milk she gave, in the opinion of most, was -worse than none at all. The same verdict was rendered, after trial, on -the native beef. The most successful venture of this kind was a young -kid, secured in a day's tramp, which I butchered and dressed myself, as -being the only one of the staff entitled to rank as sawbones. After a -time supply ships and sutler schooners reached Port Royal, and our days -of short commons were over. - -But the most gratifying arrival was that of our horses. They had -been shipped with many others, at the starting of the expedition, on -the steamer _Belvidere_, which was among the missing when the fleet -reassembled at Port Royal; and hearing nothing of her, we had given her -up for lost. In reality she had been very roughly handled in the gale, -and many of the animals cast loose, trampled on and thrown overboard; -but she had managed to keep afloat and make her way back to Fortress -Monroe. Here, after some delay, the remainder of the live stock was -reshipped and sent down to Port Royal on another steamer. Fortunately -our own horses were among the survivors. - -The process of getting them on shore was something of a novelty. The -ship could hardly approach nearer than a quarter of a mile from the -beach; so they had to be dumped into the sea and make a landing for -themselves. The way it was done was this. A gangway was opened in -the ship's bulwarks, on the side away from shore; and a gang-plank -with cross cleats laid over the deck to the opening. The animal was -then placed at one end, prepared to "walk the plank" like a pirate's -prisoner. As he would never do this of himself if he knew what was -coming, he is half persuaded into it and half forced. One man starts -him with a little gentle solicitation by the head-stall. At the same -time two strong fellows clasp hands behind him, just above the hocks, -and as he steps forward they follow him with increasing pressure toward -the gangway; so that by the time he comes in sight of the awful void -beyond, his motion is too rapid for effectual resistance and over he -goes with a final splash. - -Most horses, on coming to the surface, after a short reconnoissance -make straight for the shore, where they are taken in hand by men -waiting for them. But some lose their heads and swim away in the wrong -direction, so that they must be followed by boats and captured or -turned back; and a few will persist in getting upon some marshy island -or mud flat, where they flounder about until rescued with no little -trouble and difficulty. So we took the precaution, for our own horses, -to have a boat in waiting alongside the ship, with a long halter shank -attached to the head-stall, by which they could be guided to a safe -landing. On first coming up from his involuntary plunge bath, the -animal's expression is one of unbounded astonishment and indignation -at the outrage; but he soon follows willingly in the boat's wake, and, -once on shore, is quite contented to find himself again in friendly -hands. - -Every one in a brigade camp thinks his own horse the best of the lot. -He listens kindly to the eulogies of his comrades on their respective -mounts, but with full persuasion that every one of them would exchange -with him if he would allow it. My own animal was a bay stallion, -hardly more than fifteen hands high and slab-sided as a ghost; and the -deep hollows over his eyeballs proclaimed that his tenth birthday was -already past. But he had plenty of lightning in his veins, and there -must have been royal blood in his pedigree, though it was a stolen -one. He would go over broken bridges wherever there were timbers enough -for a foothold; and I have taken him out on a flatboat to the middle -of a wide creek and then walked him up a gang-plank to the deck of a -steamer without his showing the least hesitation. Notwithstanding his -slender build, his power of endurance was extreme, and the oddities of -his disposition were an unending source of surprise and entertainment. - -The next enterprise of the expeditionary corps was the siege of Fort -Pulaski, at the mouth of the Savannah river. It was a formidable -casemated work, situated just inside the entrance, and guarding -the approach from below to the city of Savannah. It could not be -successfully attacked by the navy, owing to its size and strength -and the narrow limits of the river channel giving no room for the -evolutions of a fleet. The only place where land batteries could be -planted against it was Tybee island, between it and the sea, where -there were but slender facilities for such an operation. The island was -half sand and half marsh. On its sea-front was a shelving beach, backed -by a low ridge with a few stunted pines and bushes; and on the land -side there was little more than a wide stretch of trembling morass, in -full view of the fort and commanded by its guns. Nevertheless Captain -Gillmore reported that the thing could be done; and early in December -the Forty-sixth regiment was detached from our brigade and sent to -occupy Tybee island. The city of Savannah was fifteen miles above the -fort, on the south side of the river. - -The part assigned to General Viele was to establish a blockade of the -Savannah river, between the city and the fort. In the month of January -we struck camp at Hilton Head and moved southwest to the farther end -of Daufuskie, the last of the islands in that direction suitable for -occupation by troops. From Hilton Head in direct line it was only -fifteen or sixteen miles; but by the circuitous water route through -Port Royal harbor, Scull creek, Calibogue sound, Cooper river, Ramshorn -creek, and New river, it was nearly twice that distance. In its general -features the island was similar to Hilton Head. Our quarters were on a -slightly elevated point, overlooking the lowlands and waterways toward -the Savannah river, which was about three miles away. In that whole -interval there was absolutely nothing to break the uniform level of -the landscape. It was at Daufuskie and thereabout that we came to know -the singular network of land and water communication that marks the -region. From the knoll in front of our headquarters you might see, some -distance away, the masts and smokestack of a gunboat apparently sailing -along through the meadows. Her spars and perhaps her bulwarks might -be visible, with nothing to be seen around them but a wide expanse of -grass-covered flats. Go where she was, and you would find her in a -creek hardly wide enough for her to turn in, but with ample depth of -water and straight vertical sides of black mud, like an enormous ditch. -Passing through one of these creeks in a row-boat at half tide, with -nothing to be seen on either hand above the brink, and other channels -opening into it every half mile or so, all looking alike, it would -be the easiest thing in the world to get lost, and almost impossible -to find your way again without a guide. Steamers of light draft and -not too great length could pass through most of these channels at the -proper tide. - -On one occasion, after going down to Hilton Head for some business -connected with the medical department, I took passage at my return on -the steamer _Winfield Scott_, carrying one of the regiments destined -for Daufuskie. She left Hilton Head at an early hour, and in the -forenoon reached the sinuous channels northwest of Calibogue sound. She -was rather a large vessel to attempt the passage, but with due care -and a flood tide the pilot hoped she might get through. On coming to -a bend in the creek she would run her nose against the opposite bank, -then back a little and try again, turning slowly meanwhile, edging -round by degrees and rubbing the mud off the banks, bow and stern, -till she was clear of the obstruction and ready to go ahead again. -At last she came to a turn that looked rather easier than the rest, -but where there was a narrow spit at the bottom running out from one -side toward the other. In trying to pass, the vessel grounded on this -spit. It was still flood tide, and with vigorous pushing she might get -over. So at it she went, with all steam on and her paddles doing their -best. At each new trial she gained a little, but it was harder work -every time; and she finally succeeded, at full high water, in getting -exactly half-way over. Fifteen minutes later there was no chance. She -was stranded, helpless, on the bar, bow and stern both sinking slowly -with the ebb and weighing her down past hope of deliverance. In an -hour or two her main deck began to crack open, and it was all the men -could do to get a few horses across the widening chasm to be landed on -the neighboring flats. Then we all disembarked and made ourselves as -comfortable as possible while awaiting other means of transportation. -But the _Winfield Scott_ never left that place till she was taken away -piecemeal. She had weathered the November gale at sea, to be wrecked on -a sunshiny forenoon in Ramshorn creek. - -The troops at Daufuskie were a part of the old brigade, together with -the Sixth Connecticut, two or three companies of artillery, and a -detachment of the First New York Engineers. The last were extremely -useful, as much of the work to be done was of an engineering character. -The spot selected for the first blockading battery was a part of Jones' -island called "Venus Point," on the north shore of the Savannah river, -four miles above Fort Pulaski. To reach it from Daufuskie we had to -pass by boats through New river and Wright river into Mud river, and -thence across the marshy surface of Jones' island to Venus Point, a -distance altogether of nearly five miles. The opening from Wright river -into Mud river was an artificial passage called Wall's Cut, excavated -some years before to enable steamers from Charleston by the inside -route to get into the Savannah river. It had been obstructed after the -battle of Port Royal by an old hulk placed crosswise and secured by -piles, to prevent the passage of our gunboats. A company of the New -York Engineers, under Major Beard, opened the passage again by removing -the piles and swinging the hulk round lengthwise against the bank, -where it now lay, a dismal looking object, abandoned at last by friend -and foe. - -Military operations often seem to be going on very slowly, especially -to those at a distance who are unacquainted with the local conditions; -but the work required for an enterprise like the investment of Fort -Pulaski, as we soon found, cannot be done in a hurry. First of all -there must be night reconnoissances by capable and well informed -officers, through intricate waterways and over pathless islands, to -learn the position of the enemy, the obstacles to be encountered, and -the available points for occupation. After that begins the labor of the -troops. Wharves must be built and roads cleared, before the barges and -steamers can be used to advantage for transportation. Jones' island, -the intended location of the battery, was like its neighbors, a marshy -flat covered with reeds and tall grass. Its surface was so treacherous -that a pole or a stick could be thrust down through its superficial -layer of tangled roots into a fathomless underlying quagmire of -soft mud. Twice a month, at the spring tides, it was flooded almost -everywhere to the depth of several inches; and at no time would it bear -with safety a horse, a wagon, or even a loaded wheelbarrow. For the -transportation of anything weighty over its surface to Venus Point, it -must have an artificial causeway. - -Early in February the troops on Daufuskie were set to work in the pine -woods, cutting down saplings of the proper size, and carrying them on -their shoulders to a newly built wharf on the west side of the island. -Ten thousand of these poles were thus brought from the woods to the -water front, there loaded on flatboats and towed round to the landing -place at Jones' island. There they were laid crosswise on the surface, -to form a corduroy road, about three-quarters of a mile in length, to -Venus Point. Then sandbags were carried over, to make something like -firm ground for the gun-platforms, and a dry spot for the magazine. All -the work at this place had to be done in the night time, as it was in -full view of the rebel steamers passing every few days up and down the -river. - -At last all was ready for taking over the armament of the battery. In -the afternoon I went over the corduroy toward Venus Point, and at my -return about dusk, two of the guns were starting on the same road. It -looked then as if the officers and men in charge would have no easy -time of it, but their difficulties turned out much greater than I -supposed. It took all that night and the next to get the guns over and -put them in place. With the carriage wheels guided on a double row of -planks laid end to end, taken up in the rear and laid down in front as -the procession moved on, the shifting tramways were soon covered with -the island mud, smooth and slippery as so much mucilage. When a wheel -happened to get over the edge of its plank, down it would go, hub deep, -in the soft morass; and then the men must set to work with levers to -lift it out again, themselves immersed up to their knees in the same -material. Many of them encased their feet and legs in empty sandbags -tied at the knee, for protection against the all pervading mud. It was -an exhausting labor, sometimes almost disheartening; but perseverance -at last prevailed, and on the morning of the twelfth the six guns were -all in position. - -The next day I paid another visit to the work at Venus Point to see -how it looked. It could hardly be called a fort. It was only a place -where some platforms had been laid down and guns mounted, enclosed by -a low parapet, not so much to repel an enemy as to keep out the tides. -Nevertheless it was named Fort Vulcan, perhaps because it was better -fitted for aggression than for defense. - -While I was there it happened that the rebel steamer came down on her -usual trip from Savannah to Fort Pulaski, and the battery opened on -her for the first time. She was an ordinary river steamboat, painted -white; and her name, the _Ida_, could be read with a good glass upon -her wheelhouse. She evidently suspected something new at Venus Point -and hugged the farther edge of the channel. After some shots had been -launched at her, the artillery officer in charge invited me to try -my hand at the game. So I sighted one of the guns as well as I could -guess at her speed and distance, pulled the lanyard, and watched the -effect of the discharge with no little interest. It was the first time -I had ever had the opportunity of firing at a steamboat. As might be -expected, I failed to make a hit. At that distance she seemed to be -moving very slowly, though she was no doubt making the best of the -time so far as she was able; and while my thirty pound projectile was -traveling across the river, she was going down stream fast enough to -be quite out of its way when it got there. Apparently she escaped all -the shots without serious damage, for she kept on her course toward -Fort Pulaski; but she did not venture to risk it again, and returned to -Savannah by a circuitous channel farther south. - -A week later the passage was more effectually closed by a second -battery established on Bird island, opposite Venus Point and near the -south bank of the river. This was the same kind of low-lying flat with -the other islands in the neighborhood. When I made a visit to the work -some days afterward, it was at the period of a spring tide, and nearly -everything beyond the parapet was submerged. I was taken to the tent -of Major Beard, the commanding officer, in a row-boat. The plank floor -of the tent was just above the water level; but the major was lying, -high and dry, in a bunk of rough boards, smoking his pipe with an air -of supreme satisfaction. He had been from the start most active and -efficient in the work of establishing the blockade, and he now held the -advanced position, where it hardly looked as if he had ground enough to -stand on. He was commissioned as field officer in the Forty-eighth New -York, but had been detached for some weeks on special service at Hilton -Head and Daufuskie. - -During this time we had at brigade headquarters several officers of the -regular army, whose acquaintance I greatly enjoyed. Captain Gillmore, -chief engineer of the expedition, then about thirty-seven years of -age, was with us from the first. Cheerful, hearty, enterprising, and -wholly devoted to his work, he was the moving spirit throughout. He -knew every detail of the engineering and artillery service, and his -knowledge was exact and thorough. It was his examination and advice -that determined the plan for the reduction of Fort Pulaski, and he -fixed upon the location of all the batteries on Tybee island. The river -blockade from Daufuskie was a part of his scheme, and while there he -spared no pains or fatigue to superintend everything and make sure -that it was done right. After this was completed, he returned to Tybee -island, to push on the works at that place with the same unremitting -persistency. The capture of the fort was the occasion of a well -deserved advancement in rank, and before the close of the war he became -major-general of volunteers. - -Lieutenant James H. Wilson, topographical engineer, and Lieutenant -Horace Porter, ordnance officer, were both busy under Captain -Gillmore's direction. Neither mud and water, nor rain or darkness -seemed to discourage them; and they would come in, after a night on -Jones' island, wet, weary, and famished, but as lively and talkative as -ever. Wilson was afterward a cavalry general, and it was a part of his -command that captured Jeff Davis in his flight through Georgia in 1865, -the last brilliant exploit of the war. Porter also became a general, -and served on the staff of General Grant through the Petersburg -campaign. Both were transferred to the batteries at Tybee island after -finishing their work on Daufuskie. General Viele's troops remained, to -keep up the river blockade, and prevent further supplies reaching Fort -Pulaski. - -Our own headquarters had been shifted by this time to a dwelling-house -on the extreme southernmost point of Daufuskie, about a mile from the -regimental camps. It was a spacious well-built mansion, and from a -sort of open veranda on the roof there was a wide prospect, including -the mouth of the Savannah river, with Tybee island and Fort Pulaski on -the opposite shore, a little over three miles away. I sometimes went -up into this crow's nest before sunrise, to watch the strange effect -of the morning mist. At that hour the landscape for miles around was -often covered by a low-lying bank of white cloud, with a few clumps -of trees or small hillocks emerging from it here and there like so -many scattered islands, and everything looking cool and still, without -a sign of animal life or human habitation. Afterward, when the warm -sunbeams began to touch the surface of this cloudy sea, the mists -would slowly melt away into vapor, and I could see the outlines of the -roads and fields and inlets and watercourses coming out, one after -another, like the markings on a map. On two sides of the house was a -flower-garden with carefully trimmed beds and walks, that had evidently -been a favorite with the owner. Roses and camellias were in full bloom -there in February and March, and many other flowering shrubs followed -as the season went on. The cardinal grosbeak nested among them almost -within reach of the windows, and the brown thrush and mocking-bird -reared their broods but a short distance away. - -There was a similar house toward the eastern side of the island, which -we occupied for a brigade hospital. After obtaining the necessary -stores and appliances from Hilton Head, it made a very convenient and -useful establishment. Here we placed all the sick or disabled men, -likely to need a prolonged treatment; thus relieving the regimental -hospitals of all but their temporary cases, and giving the chronic -invalids a better chance for convalescence and recovery. - -We had a new topic of interest about this time in the rebel iron-clad -steamer _Atlanta_, said to be approaching completion at Savannah. -The country had just passed through a spasm of terror and relief -at the unexpected performances of the _Merrimac_ and _Monitor_ at -Hampton Roads; and after that, every one had a realizing sense of -the devastation an iron-clad might accomplish in case there were no -_Monitor_ to oppose her. We knew that such a vessel was getting ready -at Savannah; and for some weeks it appeared doubtful whether our -control of Venus Point and Bird island might not at any moment come to -a sudden termination. As a matter of fact, the _Atlanta_ was getting -on very slowly, and it was not until some weeks after the fall of Fort -Pulaski that she could be put in condition to move. By that time the -monitor _Weehawken_ was in waiting for her; and on her approaching -and opening fire, disabled and captured her in fifteen minutes. -Nevertheless she was the cause of no little foreboding on Daufuskie -during the months of March and April. - -Meanwhile Captain Gillmore was erecting his batteries on Tybee island -along the western side of the sand ridge, toward the fort. Every -night, under the cover of darkness and silence, his working parties -traversed a narrow causeway of fascines and brushwood to the advanced -positions, returning before daybreak to their camps on shore. As the -low parapets and bombproofs gradually rose above the surface, they were -shielded from view by clumps of bushes carefully distributed along the -front; and lastly the heavy guns and ammunition were transported with -the same precautions to their destination. After seven weeks of this -labor, everything was ready. Eleven batteries, mounting sixteen mortars -and twenty guns, were arranged along a sinuous line following the -edge of the morass. From the lookout on our house-top all was in full -view, Fort Pulaski on the right and Tybee island with its concealed -batteries on the left. At that distance nothing was visible to show the -preparations on either side; but the first gun would be seen and heard -from our position almost as well as on the spot. - -Early on the morning of April 10th it began. A mortar at one of the -batteries gave the signal, and the rest chimed in, one after another, -as fast as the gunners could get their range. By ten o'clock all were -in operation, mortars, columbiads, and rifled guns throwing their -shells at the parapet or into the interior of the work, or battering -its nearest wall, at the rate of four discharges per minute. They were -answered with equal activity by the guns of the fort. This kept up all -day long; the volumes of white smoke rolling out from both sides, and -the reports, mellowed a little by the distance, following each other -across the river in almost uninterrupted succession till nightfall. -Then the heavy cannonading was suspended; but every five minutes a -shell from one of the mortar batteries was sent into the fort, to keep -its defenders uneasy and prevent their repairing the damages of the day. - -From our point of observation we could not tell what effect had been -produced thus far on the walls or parapets of either side; but neither -the fire of the fort nor that of the batteries appeared seriously -impaired. It seemed likely that several days might pass before a -decisive result, and we waited patiently to see what the morrow would -bring forth. We could not cross directly to Tybee island without coming -under the guns of the fort, and could only get there by the circuitous -route of Hilton Head, which would take far too much time, and would -not, after all, give us so good a view of both sides as we already had. -Moreover, a new mortar battery was to be established that night, from -General Viele's command, on an island above the fort, to bombard it -from the rear. - -Next morning the music of the great guns began again. Neither side -seemed disabled or disheartened, and the cannonading went on much as -it had done the day before. But we had our own duties to perform, and -however interesting the spectacle we could not watch it continuously. -Early in the afternoon I was at a little distance from the house, when -I missed all at once the sound of the guns. One five minutes passed -by, and then another, but the silence continued. What did it mean? -Were the batteries silenced, and the game played out and lost? That -was hardly likely, because then the fort would no doubt become the -attacking party and keep on worrying the batteries till they could be -abandoned at nightfall. Still this was only a surmise, and we knew -not what reason there might be against it. Hastily regaining our -observatory on the roof, every available telescope was leveled at the -parapet of the fort, where a white flag was visible in place of the -rebel ensign. Pulaski had surrendered. - -I do not think any one expected the end so soon. The fire of the fort -had been nearly as vigorous the second day as the first. Its means of -active defense were evidently far from exhausted; and yet it had given -up the fight, as it were on a sudden, while still able to hold its own -and perhaps tire out the enemy at last. But there was a reason for -this, which we learned soon afterward on our visit to the place. - -Of course every one was anxious to see the captured fort. On the -following day General Viele with his staff went on board a small -steamer and started for the trip. This time we were no longer obliged -to take the crooked route through Wall's Cut and around Jones' island, -but steamed directly down into the Savannah river opposite the fort. As -we approached this frowning stronghold that had so long held us at bay, -its effect was something to be remembered. Its massive walls covering -five or six acres of ground, and its double row of heavy guns, seemed -well able to repel intruders. For nearly three months we had looked -at it with a mingled feeling of desire and dread. It would have been -dangerous at any time to show ourselves within a mile of it; and it -would have been a prison to any who should venture within a few hundred -yards. Now we could tie up at the steamboat landing, and walk over the -long pathway to its gorge, unchallenged by any but our own sentries. -Inside, it was a strange sight; the parade ground was scored with deep -trenches to receive the falling shells, and the interior walls were -fenced with great blindages of square hewn timbers at an angle of -forty-five degrees. For the garrison had been at work on their side, -almost as hard as the besiegers. In many places the blindages were -splintered by shot and shell, and the passage-ways beneath obstructed -with the torn fragments. - -The main effect of the cannonading was to be seen at the southeast -angle of the fort. The outer wall was crumbled and ruined to such a -degree that two of the casemates were open at the front and their guns -half buried in the fallen débris; and the ditch, forty-eight feet wide, -was partly filled with a confused heap of shattered masonry. Here it -was that Captain Gillmore had concentrated the fire of his breaching -batteries. As an army engineer, he was acquainted with the construction -of Fort Pulaski; and he knew that the powder magazine was located at -its northwest angle. This would bring it, after the breaching of the -opposite wall, in the direct line of fire; and when the shells from his -rifled guns began to pass through the opening and strike the defenses -of the magazine, no choice was left to the garrison but surrender. They -found themselves in momentary danger of explosion, and wisely lost no -time in bringing the contest to an end. - -The siege of Fort Pulaski was a very different affair from the battle -of Port Royal. One was a naval, the other a military victory. At -Hilton Head the troops could not have landed anywhere except under the -protection of the navy; and after the reduction of the forts there -was no longer any enemy to oppose them. At Pulaski the troops took -possession of Tybee island, which the rebel commander had neglected -or thought it unnecessary to protect, and planted their batteries on -the only ground from which the fort could be attacked. Some valuable -assistance was rendered by the gunboats in patrolling the neighboring -sounds and inlets, but the main part of the work throughout was that of -the artillerist and engineer. - -I do not know why the enemy failed to interrupt this work by shelling -the narrow strip of land, more than a mile in length, over which all -the material for the batteries had to be transported. They must have -known that something of this kind was the sole purpose for which our -forces had occupied Tybee island; and their elaborate preparations for -defense inside the fort showed that they were fully aware from what -direction the attack would come. Perhaps after the fort was invested -from above, they wished to economize their ammunition for the final -struggle. Still one would think that a few shells expended while the -batteries were in progress would be of more service than an equal -number after their completion. - -But perhaps the enemy were not very well acquainted with Tybee island, -and supposed that our troops could reach the front by some other route -than the one they were really compelled to follow. Notwithstanding the -proximity of the island, it is possible that the rebel commander did -not know its important features for military operations. In General -Barnard's Report on the Defences of Washington in 1861, it appears that -at that time the engineer corps of the regular army had no accurate -surveys of the region south of the Potomac river opposite the national -capital; so that the proper location for a number of the defensive -works could not be fixed upon until after our troops were in possession -of the ground. He even says that many of our engineer officers were -more familiar with the military topography of the neighborhood of Paris -than with that surrounding the city of Washington. If the defenders of -Fort Pulaski in 1862 were equally ignorant of Tybee island, it might -account for their apparent inactivity during the siege operations. - -Captain Gillmore did not rest satisfied with the reduction of Fort -Pulaski. He made it the means of further information in gunnery and -military engineering. His records showed the number of shots fired from -each gun and mortar during the bombardment, the percentage of those -which were effective or failed to reach the mark, and the depth of -penetration of the different kinds of projectiles in the walls of the -fort; and he compared the results with those given by the best military -authorities. It was the first time that rifled cannon had been used -in actual warfare against masonry walls; and he found that they could -do more execution at longer range and with less weight of metal, than -any of the older forms of artillery. He showed that, with such guns, -walls of solid brickwork, over seven feet thick, could be breached at -the distance of nearly one mile; more than twice as far as it had ever -before been thought practicable. Had it not been for his confident and -steady persistence in this design, it is likely that the occupation of -Tybee island would have been a useless enterprise. - -After the fall of Fort Pulaski the troops on Daufuskie island were -released for other duty. General Viele was ordered north, and became -the military governor of Norfolk on its recapture from the enemy early -in May. Before the end of that month, I was again at Hilton Head, -acting as medical director for the troops at that point. - - * * * * * - -[Here the manuscript ends, unfinished.] - - -_After Surgeon Dalton's service with the Seventh Regiment of Infantry -of The National Guard of the State of New York, he was commissioned -by President Lincoln, August 3, 1861, Brigade Surgeon of Volunteers -(afterwards Surgeon United States Volunteers); served as Surgeon -in Chief to General Viele's command in South Carolina; as Medical -Inspector of the Department of the South; and as Chief Medical officer -on Morris Island, South Carolina._ - -_His health became seriously impaired by his long continued service in -the malarial regions of the South, so as to incapacitate him for duty, -and he consequently resigned from the Army, March 5, 1864._ - -_As soon as his health, never fully restored, permitted, he resumed -his work as Professor of Physiology at the College of Physicians and -Surgeons of New York; resigned in 1883; was elected President of the -College in 1884, and so continued until his death, which occurred in -New York, February 12, 1889, at the age of sixty-four years and ten -days._ - - - - -MILITARY HISTORY OF JOHN CALL DALTON, M. D. - -LATE SURGEON U. S. VOLS., - - - _As shown by the records on file in the Office of the Surgeon General - U. S. Army, War Department, Washington, D. C._ - -August 3, 1861: - - Appointed Brigade Surgeon of Volunteers from New York. - -September 22, 1861: - - Reports from New York as awaiting orders. - -September 23, 1861: - - Assigned to General McClellan's command, Headquarters Army of - Potomac, S. O. 257, A. G. O. September 23, 1861. - -September 30, 1861: - - Reports awaiting further orders. [Had asked to be assigned to - General Viele's command.] - -October 8, 1861: - - Reported at Headquarters, General Viele's Brigade, Sherman's - Division, Annapolis, Md., by orders from A. G. O. to November, - 1861. - -December 31, 1861: - - Is reported at Hilton Head, S. C., with General Viele's command. - -January 31, 1862: - - Is reported sick at Washington, D. C. - -February to June, 1862: - - On duty at Daufuskie, S. C., and in South Carolina with Viele's - command. - -July 2, 1862: - - Transferred from Brigade Surgeon to Surgeon U. S. Vols. - -July to August, 1862: - - Acting Medical Director at Hilton Head, S. C. - -September 8, 1862: - - To report to Medical Director in New York. S. O. 228, War - Department, September 8, 1862. - -September 20, 1862: - - Reports from Boston, Mass., as being on sick leave of absence. - -September 30, 1862: - - Still sick at Boston, Mass. - -October 18, 1862: - - Reports to Medical Director at New York city, and is assigned to - duty as Medical Director of Transportation to August, 1863. - -August 26, 1863: - - Ordered to report to the Department of the South by direction of - the Medical Director Department of the East, New York, August 26, - 1863. - -September 8, 1863: - - Reports from Morris Island, S. C., that he has reported to Medical - Director of the Department of the South. - -September 15, 1863: - - Medical Director C. McDougall, Department of the East, requests - that Surgeon Dalton be returned to that Department as soon as the - public interest will permit. - -September 30, 1863: - - Dr. Dalton reports from Morris Island, S. C., as Chief Medical - Officer. - -October 10, 1863: - - Reports that he has been relieved from duty in the Department of - the South and ordered to report to Medical Director Department of - the East at New York. - -October 15, 1863: - - Reports at New York city. - -October 24, 1863: - - Forwards copy of order relieving him from duty in the Department - of the South and ordering him to report at New York city. [S. O. - 558, dated Department of the South, Headquarters in Field, Folly - Island, S. C., 10th October, 1863.] - -October 31, 1863: - - Reports that he is stationed at New York city and assigned to duty - as Medical Attendant on Volunteer Officers, and Medical Director - of Transportation. - -November 30, 1863: - - Same as above. - -December 31, 1863: - - Same. - -January 31, 1864: - - Reports on duty at New York as Examining Surgeon of Recruits, and - Medical Director of Transportation. - -February 29, 1864: - - Same as above. - -March 7, 1864: - - Resignation accepted by the President; to take effect March 5, 1864. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes: - Page 20 - regimeet would have carried _changed to_ - regiment would have carried - Page 62 - reconnaisance to the north _changed to_ - reconnaissance to the north - Page 70 - and their decendants _changed to_ - and their descendants - Page 73 - arrivals, reconnoisances, or projected _changed to_ - arrivals, reconnoissances, or projected - Page 75 - after a short reconnoisance _changed to_ - after a short reconnoissance - Page 82 - must be night reconnoisances _changed to_ - must be night reconnoissances - Page 104 - On duty at Dawfuskie _changed to_ - On duty at Daufuskie - Page 104 - with Veile's command _changed to_ - with Viele's command - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's John Call Dalton, M.D., U.S.V., by John Call Dalton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHN CALL DALTON, M.D., U.S.V. *** - -***** This file should be named 51063-8.txt or 51063-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/0/6/51063/ - -Produced by Ian Crann and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: John Call Dalton, M.D., U.S.V. - -Author: John Call Dalton - -Release Date: January 28, 2016 [EBook #51063] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHN CALL DALTON, M.D., U.S.V. *** - - - - -Produced by Ian Crann and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 511px;"> -<img src="images/i002x.jpg" width="511" height="690" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h1>JOHN CALL DALTON<br /> -<span class="smaller"><i>M.D., U.S.V.</i></span></h1> - -<p class="center margin-top-3">Privately Printed<br /> -1892 -</p> - -<p class="center margin-top-3">Copyright, 1892,<br /> -<span class="smcap">By</span> CHARLES H. DALTON.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>All rights reserved.</i></p> - -<p class="center margin-top-3"><i>The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A.</i><br /> -Printed by H. O. Houghton and Company. -</p> - -<div class="blockquot margin-top-3"> -<p><i>These pages are the beginning of -a narrative of the personal military -experience of John Call Dalton, -M. D., Surgeon U. S. V., -written during the last year of -his life, at the request of his family, -and now printed for the instruction -of its younger generation.</i></p> - -<p><i>March, 1892.</i></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - - -<table class="toc" summary="Contents"> -<tr> - <td class="cht"></td> - <td class="pag"><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="cht">IN WASHINGTON WITH THE SEVENTH</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#IN_WASHINGTON_WITH_THE">5</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="cht">THE EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#THE_EXPEDITION_TO_PORT">35</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="cht">THE SEA ISLANDS AND FORT PULASKI</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#THE_SEA_ISLANDS_AND_FORT">64</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="cht">MILITARY HISTORY OF JOHN CALL DALTON, M. D.</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#MILITARY_HISTORY_OF_JOHN_CALL">103</a></td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="IN_WASHINGTON_WITH_THE" id="IN_WASHINGTON_WITH_THE"></a>IN WASHINGTON WITH THE -SEVENTH.</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">On</span> the evening of Saturday, April 13th, -1861, the intelligence reached New -York that Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor, -had yielded to the rebel authorities, -after undergoing a bombardment of thirty-six -hours. It was felt by all that this act of -violence closed the door of reconciliation, -and dissipated every hope of a peaceful -solution for our political difficulties. Two -days afterward President Lincoln issued his -proclamation calling upon the states for -seventy-five thousand troops to reassert the -authority of the government, to "cause the -laws to be duly executed," and to "repossess -the forts, places, and property" which -had been seized from the Union. The first -object of importance was to secure the safety -of the national capital; and the President -had expressed a desire that one regiment -from New York, already organized and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> -equipped, should be sent forward at once -for that purpose.</p> - -<p>Learning that the Seventh regiment had -volunteered to meet this call, and that the -assistant surgeon then attached to it had resigned -the position, I applied to be taken in -his place, and had the gratification to receive -my appointment on Thursday the -18th. The regiment was under orders to -assemble and start for Washington on the -following day.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile other states had also been -exerting themselves to forward any militia -regiments that could be had at short notice; -and, as usual, when called upon to act, Massachusetts -was the first in the field. Within -three days after the President's proclamation, -two regiments from that state, the Sixth and -the Eighth, were on the move. The Sixth -arrived in New York early on the morning -of April 18th, by the N. Y. & New Haven -railroad. The terminus of this road was -then at Fourth Avenue and 27th Street, -where I saw the regiment disembark and -form in line, before proceeding on its march -through the city. Its ranks had evidently -been filled in some measure by new recruits, -whose outfit by no means corresponded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> -altogether with the regimental uniform. -There were common overcoats and slouched -hats mingled with the rest. But they were -a solid and serviceable looking battalion; -and it was a common remark that in such -an emergency it was a good thing to see the -men in line with their muskets before their -uniforms were ready. This regiment was -followed by the Eighth Massachusetts, -which passed through the city twenty-four -hours later.</p> - -<p>But at that time every one bound for -Washington was too busy with his own -affairs to pay much attention to the movements -of others; and the morning of the -19th was filled to the last moment with -indispensable preparations. Early in the -afternoon the Seventh regiment assembled -at its armory, which was then on the east -side of Third Avenue, between Sixth and -Seventh Streets. It had received within the -past few days some accessions in new recruits. -Its regular members reported for -duty in greater numbers than usual; and -when finally ready for departure it paraded -nearly a thousand muskets. From the -armory it was marched by companies to -Lafayette Place near by, where the line was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> -formed and I took my place with the officers -of the regimental staff.</p> - -<p>Up to this time our attention had not been -especially attracted to anything beyond our -own immediate duties; and for a novice like -myself they were occupation enough. There -had been visiting friends and leave-takers -at the armory, and in the adjoining streets -there was the usual crowd of idlers and -sight-seers about a militia parade. But -when the regiment wheeled into column, -and from the quiet enclosure of Lafayette -Place passed into Broadway, the spectacle -that met us was a revelation. From the -curbstone to the top story, every building -was packed with a dense mass of humanity. -Men, women, and children covered the sidewalks, -and occupied every window and balcony -on both sides, as far as the eye could -reach. The mass was alive all over with -waving flags and handkerchiefs, and the -cheers that came from it, right and left, -filled the air with a mingled chorus of tenor -and treble and falsetto voices. It was a -sudden and surprising demonstration, as unlooked -for as the transformation scene in a -theatre. But that was hardly the beginning -of it. Instead of spending itself in a short<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> -outburst of welcome, it ran along with the -head of the column, was taken up at every -step by those in front, and only died away -in the rear. As the regiment moved on -past one street after another, it seemed as if -at every block the crowd grew denser and -the uproar more incessant. Along the entire -line of march, from Lafayette Place to -Cortlandt Street, there was not a rod of space -that was not thronged with spectators; and -all the while the same continuous cry, from -innumerable throats, kept up without a moment's -intermission, from beginning to end.</p> - -<p>No one could witness such a scene without -being impressed by it. It was like the -act of a drama magnified in its proportions -a hundred fold, and with the added difference -of being a reality. The longer it continued, -the more it affected the senses and -the mind; until at last one almost felt as if -he were marching in a dream, half dazed by -the endless repetition of unaccustomed sights -and sounds.</p> - -<p>Beside that, it gave us a different idea of -the city of New York. For most of us, -especially those of the younger generation, -it was mainly a city of immigration, offering -to all comers its varied opportunities for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> -activity and enterprise. Hardly any one -gave a thought to its local traditions, or -believed in the existence of any unity of -sentiment among its inhabitants. But now, -all at once, it had risen up like an enormous -family, with a single impulse of spontaneous -enthusiasm, to declare that it valued loyalty -and patriotism more than commerce or -manufactures. The time and the occasion -had brought out its latent qualities, and had -given them an expression that no one could -misunderstand.</p> - -<p>When we turned from Broadway into -Cortlandt Street the tumult partly subsided; -but after crossing the ferry to Jersey City it -began again. There were demonstrative -crowds in the railroad depot, and as the -train moved off they followed it with cheers -that were repeated at every station on the -route to Philadelphia. It did not take long -to discover that transportation by railroad -train, with a regiment of troops on board, -was by no means a luxurious mode of traveling. -With no seats to spare, many standing -in the aisles, and the remaining space -encumbered with arms and accoutrements, -there was little opportunity for ease or comfort; -and as for sleep, that was out of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> -question. Sometime after midnight we -reached Philadelphia, and were transferred -to the cars for Washington, at the depot of -the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore -railroad. But here our onward movement -ceased. The train rested stationary in the -depot. Expecting every moment the signal -for starting, we could only wait patiently -until it should come. Nevertheless the -night wore away, the gray dawn found us -still waiting, and no locomotive had even -been coupled on to the train. What could -be the cause of such delay, when everything -demanded promptitude and celerity? We -already knew that the Sixth Massachusetts, -the pioneer regiment in advance, had been -attacked the day before in the streets of -Baltimore, and had only forced its way -through the mob at the expense of fighting -and bloodshed. Was our own march to be -obstructed at the outset by a rebellious city, -standing like a fortress across the route? -Or were the railroad officials in sympathy -with secession, and purposely hampering our -movements by pretended friendship and -false excuses? The Eighth Massachusetts, -which had left New York some hours -before us, was also in the depot, on board<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> -another train, equally helpless with ourselves, -and apparently with as little prospect -of getting away. As daylight came, we -began to straggle out of the car-house and -up and down the streets of what was then -a rather desolate looking neighborhood. -The necessity of foraging for breakfast gave -us for a while some little diversion and -occupation; but that was soon over, and all -the forenoon our uneasiness was on the increase. -Who could tell what might be -happening even then at the national capital? -And thus far we had barely accomplished -one third of the distance from New York -to Washington. There were interviews -and consultations between the field officers -and the railroad authorities; and General -Benjamin F. Butler, who was in command -of both Massachusetts regiments, also appeared -upon the scene. But for the rest of -us there was little food for thought beyond -rumors, doubts, and surmises. So we kept -on rambling to and fro near the depot, and -wondering when this thing would come to -an end.</p> - -<p>Toward noon some information began to -filter through from headquarters, and we came -to understand, more or less distinctly, what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> -was going on. In reality the state of affairs -was this. The railroad managers were as -anxious as ourselves to facilitate the transportation -of the regiment; but they had no -means of overcoming the difficulties of the -situation. The tracks through Baltimore -had been obstructed with barricades, so that -the cars could not pass. Even if these -should be cleared away, there was no certainty -that the company could retain control -of the depots and rolling stock on the other -side of the city. That would depend on -the coöperation of the police and perhaps of -the city militia, neither of which were felt -to be reliable. In fact, the Governor of -Maryland and the Mayor of Baltimore had -both sent despatches strongly objecting to -the further passage of troops through the -city in its present excited and disorderly -condition. Between the Maryland state -line and Baltimore there were two railroad -bridges, crossing the Little Gunpowder and -Bush rivers; and both these bridges had -been destroyed by secessionists during the -night. To repair them would need the -protection of an armed force, and would be -a matter of further uncertainty and delay. -The object of the regiment was to reach<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> -Washington at the earliest possible moment; -and for that purpose the route by Baltimore -was evidently impracticable.</p> - -<p>The next accessible point was Annapolis -on the Chesapeake Bay, where the grounds -of the United States Naval Academy, located -at the harbor, offered an additional advantage. -It could be reached by either of two -ways. The Philadelphia, Wilmington and -Baltimore railroad runs direct from Philadelphia -to the mouth of the Susquehanna -river, at the head of Chesapeake Bay, where -at that time there was no bridge, the cars -being taken across on a steam ferry-boat, -the <i>Maryland</i>, from one side to the other. -The troops might be carried by rail to this -point; and then, taking possession of the -ferry-boat, might go down the bay, past the -harbor of Baltimore, to Annapolis. This -was the route selected by General Butler -for the Eighth Massachusetts. Our commanding -officer, on the other hand, Colonel -Lefferts, decided to charter at once a steamer -capable of taking the regiment from Philadelphia -round by sea to the capes of Virginia, -and so up Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis.</p> - -<p>This was accordingly done. The regiment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> -was paraded, marched down to the -pier, and embarked on the <i>Boston</i>, a freight -and passenger steamer formerly running -between Philadelphia and New York. -Her capacity was just sufficient to receive -so large a company with the necessary -supplies; and when all were on board there -was hardly more freedom of space than we -had found in the railroad cars. But no -more time was lost in waiting. That afternoon -carried us down the river; by sunset -we had entered Delaware Bay; and the -next morning, which was Sunday, the 21st, -we were fairly at sea, headed south for the -capes of Virginia.</p> - -<p>All that day we ploughed on over a -smooth sea, with a fair wind, a bright sun -and a clear sky. The scene everywhere -was exhilarating; and the interest of the -expedition increased every hour with the -uncertainty of what lay before us. We -were approaching a region where all was on -the border line between loyalty and secession, -and which included the most important -military and naval positions in the -country,—Hampton Roads, Fortress Monroe, -and the Norfolk Navy Yard. Intelligence -from these points was eagerly looked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> -for, and early in the afternoon, when nearing -the capes, we came within hailing distance -of a schooner bound north under full -sail. The information she gave us was that -of the destruction of Norfolk Navy Yard -and its abandonment by the United States -authorities. This had been done the day -before by order of the navy department, to -prevent the ships and ordnance falling into -the hands of the rebels. It was the best -thing to do in the emergency. All the -ships left there had been scuttled, the guns -spiked and the buildings burned; and the -enemy in possession could not have made -anything serviceable for aggressive purposes -under at least a month. But we were ignorant -of these details. We learned only -that the navy yard was lost; and for anything -we knew to the contrary, Hampton -Roads might already be patrolled by rebel -gun-boats, and even Fortress Monroe might -have shared the fate of the navy yard. In -that case, it would be no place for an unarmed -transport, loaded with troops. As -we entered Chesapeake Bay and passed by -the suspicious locality, many eyes were -turned in that direction; and when fairly -out of reach of Hampton Roads, all felt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> -relieved that our way to Annapolis was -once more clear.</p> - -<p>That night our course lay up the Chesapeake, -and at dawn on the 22d we were -anchored in the harbor of Annapolis. But -to the impatient and inexperienced volunteers -it seemed as though the complications -of our journey were to have no end. General -Butler had arrived the day before from -the head of the bay with the Eighth Massachusetts -regiment, on the steamer <i>Maryland</i>; -and he had rendered good service in saving -the United States school ship <i>Constitution</i> -from a threatened rebel attack by towing her -out from shore toward the harbor entrance. -But in doing so his own steamer had -grounded on a shallow bar, where she was -now lying hard and fast, with the Massachusetts -troops still on board. The first -thing to do was to release her, if possible, -from this awkward predicament. Our vessel, -the <i>Boston</i>, was again put under steam, -and harnessed with heaving-line and hawser -to the ferry-boat. Then she would go to -work like a willing draught-horse, and pull -this way and that for five minutes together, -straining every nerve to start her clumsy -load, but without effect. Her paddles only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> -brought up from the bottom such clouds of -yellow foam that it made the narrow harbor -look like an enormous mud-puddle; and -with every new attempt we began to think -that instead of floating the <i>Maryland</i> we -should, in all likelihood, get stuck fast ourselves. -Finally, much to our relief, it was -decided to land the regiment and stores from -the <i>Boston</i>, and wait for another tide to -liberate the <i>Maryland</i>.</p> - -<p>So, in the afternoon the regiment landed -and occupied the grounds of the Naval -Academy. There we found that many of the -officers and cadets had left for their southern -homes, to side with the rebellion. Even -some of those who remained were by no -means encouraging in their words or manner; -they were impregnated with the doctrine -of state sovereignty, as something -equal or superior to that of the nation, and -they had an exaggerated idea of the numbers -and audacity of the insurgents who -would occupy all roads and dispute every -mile of our advance. One of them told me -that he hoped that we would not attempt it; -and declared that if we did so, not half the -regiment would reach Washington alive. -I shall never forget the disgust that rose in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> -my throat, at hearing a man with the uniform -of the United States on his shoulders -offer a welcome like that to volunteers who -were trying to save the government that -employed him.</p> - -<p>The Governor of Maryland, who was -then at Annapolis, also protested against -any forward movement of the troops, and -even against their landing. But these official -fulminations had no longer any weight. -It was only the physical obstacles in our -way that were now to be considered. In -the evening the officers gathered in council -round a fire on the greensward, and it was -decided to move forward at once by the -most practicable route. While this was -going on, General Butler joined the group -and was invited to speak with the rest. -The extraordinary character of this man's -career from first to last, his many clever -successes and preposterous failures, and the -furious denunciations he has received from -both friends and enemies, make it hard to -say what place he will finally hold in public -estimation. But the qualities he displayed -on that occasion deserve the cordial recognition -and gratitude of all. When he spoke, -it was to the purpose. With a practical<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> -insight and ready comprehension that took -in the situation at a glance, he swept away -in a few words the whole pretentious fabric -of state rights, local supremacy, inviolability -of the soil, and such like. The capital of -the nation, he said, was in danger from -armed rebellion. We were on our way to -protect it with an armed force. That was -a state of war; and it created a necessity -superior to every other claim or consideration. -All ordinary laws and authorities in -conflict with it must be in abeyance; and, -as for himself, he should lead his troops to -Washington, no matter who or what might -oppose his passage. More than that, he -should seize upon any property or means of -transportation necessary to accomplish the -object, without regard to governors, mayors, -or railroad companies.</p> - -<p>I have no doubt that the Seventh <a name="p20_regiment" id="p20_regiment"></a>regiment -would have carried out its design if -General Butler had not been there; but it -was certain that his intellectual promptitude -and directness of speech imparted new confidence -to all who heard him. He struck -the same chord in his written correspondence -with Governor Hicks. During the day he -had received from the governor a formal communication,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> -protesting against the "landing -of northern troops on the soil of Maryland;"—to -which he said in his reply: "These -are not northern troops, they are a part of -the whole militia of the United States, obeying -the call of the President." Now that -the question is settled, it seems plain enough. -But at that time it was a great satisfaction -to hear the doctrine of supreme nationality -proclaimed in the terse and expressive language -of General Butler.</p> - -<p>It was intended that the regiment should -march for Washington by the direct country -road, a distance of about thirty miles; and -much of the time next day was spent in scouring -the neighborhood for horses, mules, -and wagons, to serve as ambulances and for -transporting the baggage and camp equipage. -But in the afternoon dispatches were -received from Washington, directing the -troops to come, if possible, by the Annapolis -branch of the Baltimore and Washington -railroad, in order that this important line of -communication might be kept open for -future use. This was a single-track road, -running twenty miles northwest from Annapolis -to its junction with the Baltimore and -Washington line. The depot at Annapolis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> -was closed and abandoned by the company, -and the track had been disabled for some -distance out of town. When General Butler, -with two companies of the Eighth -Massachusetts, broke open the depot, he -found there a few passenger and platform -cars, with only one locomotive; and that -had been taken to pieces and rendered unserviceable. -But the Massachusetts regiment -was largely composed of mechanics, -who were not only good workmen but enterprising -and quick-witted. By a singular -chance one of them recognized, among the -fragments of the engine, a piece of machinery -which he had himself helped to make; -and he lost no time, with the aid of his comrades, -in putting together again the disjointed -limbs of the locomotive, and making -it in a few hours once more fit for work. -Others repaired the railroad track in the -neighborhood, and before dawn on the 24th -everything was ready for two companies of -the Seventh to move forward as advance -guard on the line of march.</p> - -<p>Soon after daylight the whole regiment -was in motion. The locomotive and a -couple of platform cars were in front, carrying -a howitzer with its caisson; and one or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> -two passenger and baggage cars served to -carry baggage and camp equipage, and to -provide for the transportation of sick or -wounded. The railroad embankment, which -was our only route, ran through a narrow -clearing in the woods, with low hills and -swampy lands alternating on either side. -The day was still and warm, and a few of -the men were prostrated by the unaccustomed -exertion and heat. About noon we -came up with the advance guard, and from -that point, after a short halt, all moved on -together. Missing rails and broken culverts -were a constant impediment to our -advance; and toward evening we came to -a deep and wide watercourse, where the long -trestle bridge had been burned a day or two -before. But these obstacles only seemed to -stimulate the volunteers. Heretofore their -annoyances and disappointments had been -from causes beyond their control. Now -that every difficulty was within reach, they -went at it with a will, and thought of nothing -but how to overcome it. The ruined -bridge hardly delayed them three hours. -The engineer officer and his men went into -the woods on each side, where a hundred -busy hands were soon at work, felling trees and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> -hauling them into place; and before dark, -the stream was spanned by a new bridge of -rough-hewn timbers that carried the train -over safely, and our march began again.</p> - -<p>So it went on all through the night. -The missing rails had often been thrown, -for better concealment, into some deep pool -or watercourse near by. But after a little -experience, that was the very first place -where they were sought for and generally -found. If the search proved ineffectual, it -made little difference at last; for at every -siding the extra rails were taken up and -carried forward on the train, to be used as -they might be needed further on. So the -track was made serviceable for ourselves, -and left in good condition for those who -were to follow. There was a line of skirmishers -in front and one on each flank, to beat -up the enemy, should he be there lying in -wait. Once or twice a few marauders were -sighted, tearing up the rails or reconnoitering -our advance; but they all retreated -promptly, without firing a shot or waiting -for the head of the column, and none of -them were even seen by the main body. -That was all. The desperate resistance we -were expected to meet with from swarming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> -rebels and armed guerrillas turned out to be -a sham. When the advance guard about -daylight occupied the village of Annapolis -Junction, there was no opposition. The -regiment took possession of a deserted station, -and the railroad communication with -Washington at last was ours.</p> - -<p>It is remarkable how greatly the presence -of an armed force conduces to friendly feeling -on the part of the inhabitants. No -doubt the secessionists hereabout had done -their best for a few days past to prevent our -ever arriving at Annapolis Junction. But -now that we were there, and especially in -need of a freshly cooked breakfast, there was -little difficulty in obtaining one for the officers' -mess. The fatigue and drowsiness -that had been almost overpowering during -the night, gave way like magic before the -refreshing stimulus of the dawn; and the -keen morning air awakened an appetite that -demanded something better than pork and -hardbread from the haversack. Among the -neighboring farmhouses there were some -quite ready to supply our wants.</p> - -<p>Early in the forenoon a train made its -appearance from the direction of Washington. -It had been sent out to meet us, under<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> -guard of a detachment of National Rifles, -a volunteer company of the District of -Columbia; and we were soon on board and -under way. The cars were crowded to the -utmost; but we were now nearing our destination, -and every discomfort seemed a -trifle. For some distance this side of -Washington the road was picketed; and -before long we began to see at intervals the -head and shoulders of a National Rifleman, -with his fresh looking uniform and glittering -bayonet, peering at us over the bushes as -the train went by. Finally, about noon, the -city came in sight. It was Thursday, the -25th. We had been six days in getting -from New York to Washington. They -had been days of doubt and anxiety, of -hindrances, delays, and stoppages. Every -hour was precious, and yet we knew that -with all possible dispatch we might still be -too late. And even now, at the outskirts of -the city, we could hardly help looking to -see whether the flag of the nation still floated -over the Capitol. The train rolled into -the depot, the regiment disembarked, formed -in column, marched to the White House, -reported to the President, and our journey -to Washington was accomplished.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was no doubt about the sense of -relief created by our arrival. After nearly -a week of isolation and peril, Washington -breathed more freely. The only troops -there before us were the Sixth Massachusetts, -a handful of regulars, and about thirty -volunteer companies of the District of -Columbia, mainly recent recruits. The -Seventh was a full regiment, well disciplined -and thoroughly equipped. What -was of still more consequence, it had opened -the door of Annapolis and reëstablished -communication with the north. The -Eighth Massachusetts arrived next day from -Annapolis Junction; and within another -week one more regiment from Massachusetts -and four from New York followed by -the same route. After that, the city of -Baltimore ceased to be an obstruction, and -the trains came through from Philadelphia -as usual. By the middle of May there were -nearly twenty-five thousand troops gathered -for the defense of Washington.</p> - -<p>For the first week after our arrival we -were quartered in the Capitol building; but -at the end of that time the regiment went -into camp a mile or so north of the city, -on Meridian Hill. This was a plateau of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> -about forty acres, admirably adapted for the -purpose. It was on the direct road to -Harper's Ferry, where the rebels were in -possession, and would give security against -incursions from that quarter. The camp -was on the east side of the road, where there -was a fine suburban estate, with a large, -square-built mansion house and outbuildings. -From the road entrance a well graded -avenue led up to the house porch, which -stretched its hospitable covering over the -carriage way. The house was occupied by -regimental headquarters and the staff officers. -In front were green fields and orchards, -falling away in a gentle slope toward the -city; and beyond was the broad Potomac, -with the Virginia shore and Arlington -Heights in the distance. In the rear were -the lines of company tents, and an ample -parade-ground, where the regiment was reviewed -every day or two by the President, -the Secretary of War, the general commanding, -or some other high civil or military -official, who was usually as much an object -of inspection to the troops as the troops -were to him.</p> - -<p>By degrees other camps began to spring -up round about us. On the opposite side<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> -of the road were three regiments of New -Jersey volunteers, under General Runyon. -A field in front of us was the daily exercise -ground of a mounted battery of the regular -army; and farther down, on the left, was -the Twelfth regiment of New York volunteers. -The Eleventh New York, under -Colonel Ellsworth, was in camp below the -city beyond the navy yard. This regiment -was affiliated with our own through its second -officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Farnham, -who had been until then a lieutenant in the -Seventh, and had commanded the skirmish -line in the march from Annapolis.</p> - -<p>The time was coming when the regiment -would have something else to do than drilling -and camp duty. Washington was saved -from the danger that menaced it at the outset; -and so long as the troops were there, -it was secure from a sudden inroad. But it -had no permanent defenses. The Potomac -River was the limit of its territory. On the -opposite shore the rising ground of Arlington -Heights commanded all approaches from -that direction; and every day, with a good -spyglass, we could see the fluttering of a -secession flag in the little city of Alexandria, -only six or seven miles away. This was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> -precarious situation for the seat of government -and centre of military operations; and -no one was surprised when it made an attempt -to burst its shackles.</p> - -<p>On the 23d of May, at midnight, the regiment -was put in motion and marched down -through the city, to the neighborhood of the -Long Bridge. Its departure had been quiet -and noiseless, as if the expedition were a -secret to all but the commanding officer. It -soon appeared, however, from signs that the -uninitiated are not slow to comprehend, that -something more was going on than the night -march of the regiment. The order to halt -came from other sources to our own commander. -After some delay, a part of the -New Jersey brigade came up from the rear -and passed on in advance; and there was -riding here and there of officers and messengers, -going and coming in various directions. -Nevertheless, everything was done in silence. -Not even the occupants of the neighboring -houses seemed to be awakened or disturbed; -and it gave to the scene a mysterious kind of -interest to feel that we were on some errand -that neither friends nor enemies were to -know of until it was accomplished.</p> - -<p>Again our column was on the march, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> -we soon found ourselves at the entrance of the -Long Bridge. We passed between the two -guard-houses, under the black timbers of the -draw-frame, and over its three quarters of a -mile of roadway to the Virginia shore. It -was the first hour of a moonlight night, and -half a mile farther on, at daybreak, the regiment -was halted and went into bivouac on -an open field by the roadside.</p> - -<p>Not long after sunrise a horseman came -clattering along the road from the direction -of Alexandria, and as he galloped by -toward the bridge, he flung out to us the -news, "Alexandria is taken, and Colonel -Ellsworth is killed."</p> - -<p>This was one of the minor events in the -early part of the war that excited a wide-spread -interest, mainly from the dramatic -features of the incident. The Eleventh New -York had reached Alexandria by steamer, -and landed there about daylight. Immediately -after disembarking, Colonel Ellsworth -had left his regiment, and with a -small squad hastened to secure the telegraph -office, to prevent communication with the -south. That done, he noticed, flying above -the principal hotel in the town, a secession -flag. It was the flag we had seen so often<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> -for the last fortnight from the direction of -Washington. The colonel effected an entrance, -and with his companions mounted to -the roof, hauled down the flag, and brought -it away with him. When about halfway -down he was shot dead by the keeper of the -hotel, who was lying in wait for him with a -double-barreled gun. Instantly the soldier -next him discharged his musket in the face -of the homicide, and, driving his bayonet -through his breast, hurled his body down the -remaining stairway; so that within a minute -both the colonel and his assailant were dead -men. None of those in the hotel knew of -the arrival of the regiment, and probably -thought they had to do only with a few -raiders from abroad.</p> - -<p>This news of the occupation of Alexandria -was our first intimation of the actual -extent of the movement we were engaged -in. The truth was that between midnight -and dawn about 12,000 men had crossed the -Potomac by the two bridges at Washington -and Georgetown, beside the Eleventh regiment -which went by steamer. They were -to hold and fortify a defensive line extending -from below Alexandria, around Arlington -Heights, to the Potomac River above Georgetown;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> -comprising, when all complete, a -chain of twenty-three forts, for the permanent -security of the city on its southern side. -Our own destination was a locality not far -from our first bivouac, and where the New -Jersey troops, who had gone before, were -already breaking ground for the trenches.</p> - -<p>Next day the men of the Seventh were -also set to work with pick and spade and -barrow, excavating the ditch and piling up -the rampart along the lines laid down by the -engineers. One fatigue party followed another, -all doing their best, like so many ants -on an ant-hill; and before night the place -began to look something like a fortification. -When finished it was the largest of those on -the south side of the river, occupying a space -of about fourteen acres. It was an inclosed -bastioned work, covering the two forks of -the road; one leading south to Alexandria, -the other southwest toward Fairfax Court -House. It defended the Long Bridge, and -secured its possession for ingress and egress. -It was named Fort Runyon, in honor of the -general commanding the New Jersey brigade.</p> - -<p>After a few days on the Virginia shore, the -regiment was ordered back to its camp at -Meridian Hill. It had been mustered into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> -service for one month, to meet an emergency -which was now past. Orders for its return -north were received on the 30th of May; -and on the 31st it broke camp and embarked -for New York, arriving there on the 1st of -June. It was then mustered out of service, -having been under arms forty-three days.</p> - -<p>This was the "Washington campaign" -of the Seventh regiment. It was a campaign -without a battle, and the regiment was not -once under fire from the enemy. Its only -casualties were one man killed in camp by -the accidental discharge of a musket, and another -wounded in the leg by his own pistol. -But it came to the front at a time when one -battalion for the moment was more needed -than a brigade afterward. Though mustered -out as a regiment, it at once began to supply -material for other organizations. Of its -members in 1861, more than six hundred -entered the service during the war; over -fifty became regimental commanders; from -twenty to thirty, brigadier-generals; and more -than one reached the grade of major-general. -With all this depletion, its ranks were kept -tolerably full by new recruits, and it was -twice afterward called into the field for temporary -duty, once in 1862, and again in 1863.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="THE_EXPEDITION_TO_PORT" id="THE_EXPEDITION_TO_PORT"></a>THE EXPEDITION TO PORT -ROYAL.</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">After</span> my return from Washington in -1861, I resigned my commission in -the Seventh regiment, and looked for an -opportunity of more permanent connection -with the service.</p> - -<p>The most attractive position which offered -was that of surgeon of brigade, recently established -by act of Congress; and, a medical -board having been convened for the examination -of candidates, I appeared before -it, passed the examination, and in due time -received my commission as Brigade Surgeon -of Volunteers.</p> - -<p>At that time each volunteer regiment had -its surgeon and assistant surgeon, who were -in general quite competent to the work they -had to do. Like other regimental officers, -they received their appointments and commissions -from the authorities of their own -state, and were permanently attached to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> -their particular regiments, without being -either authorized or required to go elsewhere.</p> - -<p>But when the volunteer army came to be -organized into brigades, under command of -brigadier generals with a general staff, it -was found that there were no medical officers -to correspond. They were needed to -receive and consolidate the regimental reports, -inspect the health of the commands, -establish field hospitals, and perform in every -way the duties of a general medical officer. -Such places were filled, so far as possible, -by the surgeons and assistant surgeons of -the regular army. But these were too few -in number to provide for the large volunteer -force suddenly called into action; and for -that reason the new grade of brigade surgeon -was created. My commission was -dated August 3, 1861.</p> - -<p>But it was not until the first week in -October that I received orders to report in -Washington at army headquarters. On -arriving there, I was directed to join General -Viele's brigade and report for duty to that -officer.</p> - -<p>General Viele's brigade was at Annapolis. -So, as soon as possible, I proceeded, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -my horse, baggage, and camp equipage, to -Annapolis Junction, and thence, by the -branch road that I had traveled with the -Seventh, to Annapolis. There I found the -general and his staff, quartered in the old -St. John's College, a little outside the town. -A locality always looks different when -you are arriving and when you are going -away; and, notwithstanding my brief acquaintance -with Annapolis six months before, -now that I was coming to it from a -different direction and for another purpose, -I should hardly have known it for the same -place.</p> - -<p>The building where we were quartered -was a plain brick edifice, several stories in -height, facing the town, with a distant view -of the harbor beyond. In front was the -college green, where some of the regiments -were paraded for the presentation of flags. -One of these presentations was made, a week -after my arrival, by Governor Hicks, who -had now seen his way clear to support the -Union. In the rear and to the westward -were the regimental camps.</p> - -<p>It soon appeared that the troops were -gathering at Annapolis in considerable force. -In all, there were three brigades: General<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> -Viele's, General Stevens's, and General -Wright's,—the whole forming a division -of a little over twelve thousand men, under -command of General W. T. Sherman. In -General Viele's brigade there were five regiments,—the -Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, -and Forty-eighth New York, the Third -New Hampshire, and Eighth Maine. This -brigade was the earliest on the ground and -ranked first in the division. General Stevens's -was the second brigade, and General -Wright's the third. Each had a brigade -surgeon; and a chief medical officer, from -the regular army, was attached to the staff -of the division commander.</p> - -<p>It was also claimed that we were going -somewhere. Already a number of transports -were in the bay, and others continued -to arrive, evidently for our accommodation. -Orders from the commanding general or his -adjutant were dated: "Headquarters, Division -E. C." These cabalistic letters were -supposed to indicate in some way our future -destination, though I do not remember ever -seeing them, either written or printed, except -as initials. After a time they were -understood to mean Expeditionary Corps; -but that hardly made us much wiser as to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> -how far or in what direction we were -bound.</p> - -<p>At the end of a fortnight all was ready. -One by one the transports came into the -harbor and took on their load of stores, -artillery, ammunition, and wagons; and -finally the troops embarked. Our own vessel, -occupied by General Viele and his staff, -was the <i>Oriental</i>, an iron-built ocean steamer -of nine hundred tons, formerly a packet running -to Havana. She also carried provisions -and ordnance, and one or two companies -of soldiers belonging to the brigade.</p> - -<p>After saying good-by to Annapolis, our -vessels steamed slowly together down the -broad highway of the Chesapeake, past the -mouth of the Potomac river, almost as broad, -and the next day came to anchor in Hampton -Roads. So far, our voyage was only a -preliminary. We had arrived at a second -rendezvous, where the remainder of the -expedition was in waiting; and we now -began to have an idea of its real magnitude. -Grouped around us over the ample roadstead, -there were war vessels of all grades -and dimensions, from a steam frigate to a -gunboat. Whether they were all to go -with us we knew not, but the number of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> -coaling schooners lying about seemed to -indicate that most of them were under sailing -orders.</p> - -<p>However, there was more waiting to be -done before the final start, and we passed a -week without shifting our anchorage. Not -being responsible for anything outside our -own brigade, we devoted ourselves mainly -to cultivating the virtue of patience. Yet -we could not help feeling that such a military -and naval demonstration, gathered at -such a point, could not long remain a secret; -and that, wherever we might be bound, if it -were any object to arrive without being expected, -the sooner we could get away the -better. For medical officers there was another -cause of anxiety, which I began to -appreciate almost as soon as our anchor was -down. When soldiers are on land it is always -possible to care for their sanitary condition. -Camps can be cleansed and drained, -or shifted to better ground; and the sick -can be placed in hospital, or isolated at a respectable -distance from the rest. But how -to do this with troops confined within the -narrow quarters of a ship? And what if -some contagion should break out among -them, like smouldering fire in a haystack?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> -Every exertion was made to keep the transports -in fair condition as to cleanliness and -ventilation, and to watch for the appearance -of any suspicious malady. But every day -made it more difficult to do the one, and -added to the danger of the other. Fortunately, -we got through without any serious -mishap of this kind.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, we had some entertainment -in watching our naval colleagues, and trying -to learn what and who they were. They -were in frequent communication with each -other or with the shore; and their trim -barges, with the regular dip of their oars, -and a kind of scientific certainty about the -way they went through the water, contrasted -well with the rather sprawly fashion of our -own boats and their soldier crews. The -commander of the naval force was Captain -Dupont.</p> - -<p>His flagship, the <i>Wabash</i>, a double deck -steam frigate of forty guns, was the most -imposing object in view. Then came the -sloops-of-war <i>Mohican</i>, <i>Seminole</i>, and <i>Pawnee</i>, -with gunboats of various sizes, and the -great transports <i>Atlantic</i>, <i>Baltic</i>, and <i>Vanderbilt</i>, -each of about 3000 tons burden; -making altogether, with the additional transports<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> -and supply boats, a fleet of nearly fifty -vessels.</p> - -<p>At last the preparations were complete, -and on Tuesday, October 29th, the signal for -starting was given. Away from Hampton -Roads, through the mouth of the Chesapeake, -past the capes of Virginia, and then at sea, -with prows toward the south, the stately -procession moved along, every vessel in its -place. The flagship led the van, with other -men-of-war trailing behind, like ripples, in -two diverging lines. Then came the transports -in three columns, formed by the three -brigades, and lastly a few gunboats brought -up the rear. The vessels of the first brigade -formed the right column, and as the sun -went down the Virginia shore was just sinking -out of sight. The weather was favorable, -and every one felt pleased to see the -expedition now fairly on its way.</p> - -<p>Our progress was not very rapid. Many -of the war vessels were slow-going craft, and -the rest had to accommodate their speed to -the leisurely rate of five or six knots. We -were fully twenty-four hours in making Cape -Hatteras; and, notwithstanding the bad reputation -of this locality, we found there -hardly enough wind and sea to be uncomfortable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> -The main topic of talk was our -destination. No one in the fleet knew what -that was except the two commanders, Captain -Dupont and General Sherman. The -commanding officer on each vessel brought -with him sealed orders, which he was not to -open unless separated from the rest. But all -were at liberty to guess; and in our discussions -there were three objective points favored -by the knowing ones; Bull's Bay on -the coast of South Carolina, Port Royal entrance -about a hundred miles farther down, -and Fernandina in Florida. As I knew them -all only as so many names on the map, and -had no idea why one should be a more desirable -conquest than the other, I listened -for entertainment, without caring to choose -between them. Our military family was -made up of various elements, but all were -good-natured and companionable, and promised -to grow still better on acquaintance. -General Viele was a graduate of West Point, -and we all looked to him for information in -regard to military affairs.</p> - -<p>The order of sailing became somewhat -deranged after a time, though at the end of -two days we were still in sight of the flagship, -with from thirty to forty others in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> -horizon. So far, the weather had given us -no trouble. But on Friday, November 1st, -it began to be rough. The sky was overcast, -the ship rolled and pitched, and the -wind howled in a way that gave warning of -worse to come. As the day wore on, there -was no improvement, and before nightfall -it was blowing a gale.</p> - -<p>There is a difference between a storm and -a gale of wind. A storm is disagreeable -enough, with the driving rain, the lead-colored -sky, the sea covered with foam, and -the wet decks all going up and down hill. -There is not much pleasure while that lasts. -But in a gale of wind, discomfort is not what -you think of. After the tempest has grown -and gathered strength for five or six hours -together, it begins to look threatening and -wicked. The sea is a black gulf around the -ship; and the great waves come rolling at -her, one after the other, like troops of hungry -wolves furious to swallow her up. A thousand -more are behind them, and she has to -fight them all, single handed, for life or -death. She must keep her head steady to -the front, and meet every billow as it comes -without faltering or flinching; for if she -loses courage or strength and falls away to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> -leeward, the next big comber will topple -over her side and she will go under.</p> - -<p>When a good ship is wrestling with such -a sea, she does it almost like a living creature. -She sways and settles, and rises and -twists, and her beams groan and creak with -the strain that is on them. But her joints -hold, and she answers her helm; and the -steady pulsation of her engines gives assurance -of undiminished vitality and motive -power. So long as she behaves in this way, -you know that she is equal to the work. -But what if the sea should grow yet fiercer -and heavier, and buffet her with redoubled -energy till she is maimed or exhausted? -She is a mechanical construction, knit together -with bolts and braces; and the steam -from her boilers is to her the breath of life. -However stanch and true, her power of -resistance is limited. But in the elements -there is a reserve of force and volume that -is immeasurable; and when they once begin -to run riot, no one can tell how severe it may -become or how long it will last.</p> - -<p>So it was on board the <i>Oriental</i>. All -that evening the wind increased in violence. -Every hour it blew harder, and the waves -came faster and bigger than before. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> -sea was no longer a highway; it was a tossing -chaos of hills and valleys, sweeping toward -us from the southeast with the force of -the tornado, and reeling and plunging about -us on every side. The ship was acting well, -and showed no signs of distress thus far; but -by midnight it seemed as though she had -about as much as she could do. The officers -and crew did their work in steady, seamanlike -fashion, and among the soldiers -there was no panic or bustle. Once in a while -I would get up out of my berth, to look at the -ship from the head of the companion way, -or to go forward between decks and listen -to the pounding of the sea against her bows. -At one o'clock, for the first time, things were -no longer growing worse; and in another -hour or two it was certain that the gale had -reached its height. Then I turned in for -sleep, wedged myself into the berth with the -blankets, and made no more inspection tours -that night.</p> - -<p>Next morning the wind had somewhat -abated, though the sea was still rolling hard, -under the impetus of an eighteen hours' -blow. The ship was uninjured and everything -on board in good condition. But -where was the fleet? Of all the splendid<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> -company that left Hampton Roads four days -ago, only two or three were in sight, looking -disconsolate enough and pitching about like -eggshells. We knew afterward that two of -them had gone down, one had thrown overboard -her battery of eight guns to keep from -foundering, and others had turned back, disabled, -for Fortress Monroe. But on the -whole, most of them had escaped serious -damage, and, like ourselves, were again making -headway toward the south. Nevertheless -it was a lonely day, and at nightfall we -had no more companions about us than there -were in the morning.</p> - -<p>By this time we knew our destination. -The sealed orders were opened and the ship -put on her course. The next day, Sunday, -was bright and clear, with a smooth sea. -Other vessels began to appear, moving in -the same direction; and before noon we were -off Port Royal entrance, with ten or eleven -ships in company. Stragglers continued to -come up as the time passed, and on Monday -morning when the flagship arrived, there -were already twenty-five or thirty sail around -her.</p> - -<p>Any land looks pleasant from the sea, -when you have been knocking about for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> -some days in bad weather; and the South -Carolina shore had a particularly attractive -appearance for us, partly no doubt because -we knew it would still be rather hard work -getting there. It was ten miles away, but -the mirage made it visible; and the long -stretch of beaches and low sand bluffs, with -their rows of pines, all sleeping in the quiet -sunshine, had a kind of luxurious, semi-tropical -look, at least to the imagination. Every -light-house and buoy had been removed, and -not a sign was left for guidance over the -bar. But soon a busy little steamer was at -work, sounding out the channel and placing -buoys; and in the afternoon all except the -deeper-draft vessels went in. We were -among the first of the lot; and of those that -followed, many showed the marks of their -rough treatment at sea. The big sidewheel -steamer, <i>Winfield Scott</i>, came in dismasted, -and with a great patch of canvas over her -bows, looking like a man with a broken -head. Others had lost smoke-stacks, or -stove bulwarks or wheel-houses. But when -all that could get over the bar were collected -inside, they still made a respectable fleet. -The heavier vessels had to wait for another -tide.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> - -<p>That was early next morning, when the -<i>Wabash</i> came in, followed by the rest. -A weather-beaten old tar was standing in -her fore channels outside the bulwarks, feeling -her way with lead and line; and as the -great ship moved slowly by, we could hear -his doleful, monotonous chant, "By the -ma-ark fi-ive," telling that she was in thirty -feet of water and going safely along. She -passed through the fleet of transports and -war vessels to her position in advance.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile several gunboats had gone up -the harbor, to learn something about the -forts. They were firing away now and then, -either at the enemy on shore or at the rebel -gunboats hovering about beyond. We supposed -that their errand was only preliminary, -and felt no surprise at seeing them return -after an hour or two and again quietly come -to anchor. But in the afternoon, when the -flagship herself got under way, we expected -something more; especially as she had undergone -a transformation and was now in -fighting trim. Her topmasts were sent down, -and all her lofty tracery of spars had disappeared. -As she moved off, looking like -a champion athlete stripped for the fray, -every eye followed her in eager expectation.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> -Soon a puff of smoke from one of the rebel -batteries, followed by the dull reverberation -of the report, and then another from the -opposite shore, spoke out their defiance, as -if they would like nothing better than to -begin hostilities at once. But there was no -answering gun from the frigate. On she -went, in the same leisurely fashion, as if she -had seen and heard nothing. More guns -from the forts, more smoke and more reverberation. -Now she will surely open her -ports and show these blustering rebels, at -least with a shot or two, what it is to -fire upon a United States frigate. But no. -She seemed to pause awhile as if in doubt, -then turned and came slowly back toward -the fleet, followed to all appearance by the -parting scoffs of the enemy. It was impossible -to repress a certain feeling of chagrin -at seeing the flagship apparently chased -out of the harbor, on the first trial, without -even firing once in reply.</p> - -<p>That was because we had been looking -at something we did not understand. After -getting the reports of the gunboats, the -flagship had gone up to obtain for herself a -few more particulars as to the location and -outline of the forts. The cannonading was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> -at too long range to do her any harm, and -her expedition was meant for business, not -for show.</p> - -<p>However, the next day must find us ready; -and perhaps it would be none too soon. -We had now been four days, off and on, at -the harbor entrance; and by this time all -South Carolina knew where we were and -what we had come for. Every additional -twenty-four hours gave the enemy more -time for preparation, without any advantage -to us; and the longer the enterprise was -deferred, the more difficult it would become. -But the next day there was rather a high -wind, with considerable sea; and accordingly -matters again remained <i>in statu quo</i>. That -was another disappointment. It seemed -almost impossible that it should be so. -Were these old sea-dogs, after coming six -hundred miles on purpose, to be delayed in -their work by a little rough water?</p> - -<p>Well, yes. This was to be a contest -between ships and forts. The forts are -planted on the solid ground, and their guns -are mounted on level platforms, with every -angle of inclination sure and uniform. But -the ships are afloat; and if rolling about with -the sea, and their decks tipping this way and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> -that, their aim must be uncertain and much -of their metal thrown away. Of course, a -fort is not to be reduced by firing guns at it, -but by having the shot penetrate where it is -meant to go. Captain Dupont was a man -who had come to win, not to fight a useless -battle with no result; and the way he went -to work after the time arrived made it plain -to all that he knew equally well when to -stop and when to go ahead.</p> - -<p>On the morning of Thursday, November -7th, everything was favorable. The sea was -smooth, with a gentle breeze from the northeast. -About nine o'clock the war vessels -began to move forward between the forts. -The transports were drawn up as near as -possible and yet be out of the line of fire. -Our own vessel, the <i>Oriental</i>, was the second -in position, General Sherman's being the only -one in advance of us. As for myself, I -climbed into the fore cross-trees, and then, -seated on the reefed topsail, with my back -against the foot of the topmast, I had a view -that commanded the entire scene. It was a -bright, clear day, with hardly a cloud on the -horizon. Before us lay the broad harbor -nearly two and a half miles across, guarded -on each side by the enemy's earthworks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> -On the right, at Bay Point, was Fort Beauregard, -and on the left, at Hilton Head, Fort -Walker, the stronger and more important -of the two. A little to the north of Fort -Walker was a high, two-story house, with a -veranda in front, the headquarters of the -rebel commander; and away beyond, moving -about in the adjoining creeks, we could see -the tall smoke-stacks and black smoke of -the rebel gunboats, watching an opportunity -to capture vessels that might be stranded or -crippled, or to chase them all, should they -be defeated.</p> - -<p>And now the battle began. The naval -force in a long line of fifteen ships, passed -up midway between the forts, receiving and -answering the fire from each. Near the -head of the harbor, five or six were thrown -off for a flanking squadron, to engage the -rebel gunboats or enfilade the enemy's works -from the north. The rest, including all the -larger vessels, then turned south, and, passing -slowly down in front of Fort Walker, gave -her, one after the other, their heavy broadsides, -turning again, after getting fairly by, -to repeat the circuit. From my position I -could see every shell strike. When one of -them buried itself in the ramparts or plunged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> -over into the fort, its explosion would throw -up a vertical column of whirling sand high -in the air, followed by another almost as -soon as the first had disappeared. When -one from the rebel batteries burst over the -ships, it appeared suddenly like a white ball -of smoke against the sky, that swelled and -expanded into a cloudy globe, and then -slowly drifted away to leeward; while a few -seconds later came the sharp detonation of -the exploded shell. On both sides the conflict -was unremitting, and along the whole -sea-face of the fort its guns kept on belching -their volleys against the fleet.</p> - -<p>About this time we noticed on our left, -close in shore, a gunboat that seemed to be -engaging the fort on its own hook. It was -a two-masted vessel, probably of six or seven -hundred tons, but it looked hardly larger -than a good sized steam tug; and on its -open deck was a single big gun, firing away -at the southeast angle of the fort. It was -the <i>Pocahontas</i>. She had been kept back -by the gale, and had just arrived in time to -get over the bar while the fight was going -on. Her commander was Captain Percival -Drayton, a native of South Carolina, but one -of the stanchest and most gallant officers in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> -the navy of the United States. The commander -of the two forts was his brother, -General Drayton, of the Confederate army, -whose plantation on the island was only two -or three miles away.</p> - -<p>When looking at the new comer, I could -not help thinking how much expression -there may be in such inanimate things as -two pieces of ordnance. The way the gun -on the <i>Pocahontas</i> was worked certainly gave -the idea of skill, determination, and persistency; -while that which answered it from the -fort was equally suggestive of vexation, haste, -and a little apprehension. No doubt it was -natural for the defenders to feel so, when, in -addition to the cannonading in front and on -one flank, another enemy should appear, to -harass them from the opposite quarter.</p> - -<p>Through all this hurly-burly, the movement -of the war vessels was a masterpiece -of concerted action. Round and round they -went, following the flagship in deliberate succession, -pounding at the fort with one broadside -going up and with the other coming -down. So far as we could see, not one of -them fell out of line, or failed to do her full -share in the engagement. It had been going -on now nearly four hours. The fire of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> -fort was somewhat lessened, but it was still -enough to be doubtful and dangerous. One -great gun in particular, on the southern half -of the sea-front, kept working away with -dogged energy, as if determined to inflict -some deadly blow that might retrieve the -fortunes of the day. After a while there -seemed to be a cessation. The <i>Wabash</i> -stood motionless before her enemy. She -fired a single gun, to which there was no -response. Then a boat shot out from under -her quarter; and pulled straight for the -shore. An officer landed, and went up the -bluffs to the fort. For a moment we could -see his dark figure running round the parapet, -then down and out by the sally-port, -and across the intervening field to the two-story -house, where it disappeared in the -doorway. A few moments later, at the -flagstaff on the roof, a flag mounted swiftly -to the top, and then, in sight of all, the stars -and stripes floated out with the breeze, over -the coast of South Carolina.</p> - -<p>What followed was a kind of pandemonium. -Cheers from the vessels all over -the harbor, with the tooting of steam whistles -and music from the regimental bands, -mingled in long reiteration till every vocal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> -organ was exhausted, and the notes of the -"Star-spangled Banner" had traveled over -the Bay Point and back again. The transports -began to move in, and were soon collected -as near the beach as they could safely -come. In an hour or two I went ashore -with General Viele and others of his staff, to -take a look at the surroundings. The fort -was naturally our first object of interest. -Three of its guns dismounted, with their -gun-carriages standing wrong end upward, -the parapet and traverses seamed with shot -and shell, and the ground strewn with pieces -of exploded projectiles, told of the hard -struggle it had gone through. The few -dead left by the enemy had been decently -removed by the marines who first took possession. -A day or two afterward the surgeon -of the fort was found in one of the galleries, -dead, and covered with sand from a bursted -shell. In the rear of the fort was a stretch -of open plain, also covered with fragments of -shell, over which the fugitives had passed in -their final rout, leaving behind arms, knapsacks, -blankets, and everything that could -impede their flight. Traveling over this -field, half a mile or so from the fort, I came -upon the body of a stout fellow, who had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> -been struck down while running for his life. -There was a gaping wound in his breast, -into which you might have put a quart pot; -but his countenance was as serene and quiet -in expression as if he had laid down by himself -for a few moments' rest.</p> - -<p>General Wright's brigade was landed that -afternoon. But it was slow work, with a -shelving beach and no wharf; and the rest -of us postponed disembarking till the next -day. When all were on shore, General -Wright's command was located at and about -the fort, and that of General Stevens some -distance farther on, near the crossing of a -tide-water creek. Our own brigade, which -held the advanced position, was about two -miles northwest of the creeks, on the main -road from that direction. The fort at Bay -Point was abandoned by the enemy without -further resistance, and was occupied by a -detachment from the second brigade.</p> - -<p>I have understood that this battle made -some change in current opinion as to the -efficiency of ships and forts against each -other. A fort, or at least an earthwork, -would seem almost impregnable against artillery. -It has no masonry walls to crumble -or batter down. Solid shot may bury themselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> -in its ramparts without doing the least -harm; and when a shell explodes there, it -only throws up a volcanic eruption of earth -and sand, that settles back again nearly in -the same place. The day after the battle at -Hilton Head, the walls of the fort were -practically as good as ever, and within a -week or two its scarred outlines were all -smoothed over again. On the other hand, -a frigate or a sloop-of-war is vulnerable -throughout. A single shot at the water line -will make a leak, hot shot will set her on -fire, and exploding shells may derange her -machinery. Her oaken sides are a slight -bulwark compared with the twenty feet of -earth in the ramparts of a fort.</p> - -<p>All this was thoroughly appreciated by -the enemy, who were prepared for the attack -and confident of success. Captured letters -and documents showed that they had entire -faith in their works and guns, and fully expected -to sink the Yankee vessels and teach -them a lesson for their temerity.</p> - -<p>But in one thing ships may be superior to -forts; that is, in their power of defensive -action. What decides the day more than -anything else is the number of guns in service -and the rapidity of their fire. Ships may<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> -be brought from various directions and concentrated -at a given place, so that their -united batteries will far outweigh the armament -of a fort. At Hilton Head the <i>Wabash</i> -alone fired, in four hours, 880 shot and shell; -and from the entire fleet no less than 2000 -projectiles must have been hurled upon the -fort within that time. The earthwork itself -may withstand this tempest, but its defenders -cannot continue to work their guns. -After a time their fortitude must give way -under such a trial, and, as it was in Fort -Walker, the moment comes at last for a -final stampede. Of course, this implies that -the ships are present in sufficient force and -do their work in the right way.</p> - -<p>But perhaps the victory was due, more -than anything else, to the practical skill and -originality of Captain Dupont. He saw at -once that the work at Hilton Head was the -important one, and that if that were reduced, -the other would be untenable. When first -leading his ships up the harbor in mid-channel, -he engaged both forts at about two thousand -yards distance. On making the turn -and coming down again towards the south, -he passed in front of Fort Walker at eight -hundred yards. This distance was of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> -own choosing, and he had the range beforehand. -But the guns of the fort had to be -sighted anew, in the heat and excitement of -actual conflict; not an easy thing to do, -even for the most experienced. After going -again toward the north at longer range, he -once more made the turn and repassed the -fort on his way back, this time at six hundred -yards. So, the vessels were always in -motion, and after every turn presented themselves -to the enemy at a different distance. -It was this second promenade of the ships, -pouring into the fort their terrific broadsides -at the short distance of six hundred yards, -that did the effective work of the engagement. -At this time, according to nearly all -the commanders' reports, the enemy's shot -mostly passed over the ships, injuring only -their spars and rigging. Throughout the -battle none of them were struck more than -ten times in the hull, none were seriously -disabled, and two of them were not hit at all. -Captain Dupont said afterward that he believed -he had saved a hundred lives by engaging -the fort at close range.</p> - -<p>After the first rejoicings were over, there -was a singular feeling of disappointment in -the North at the seeming want of result from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -the victory at Port Royal. It was expected -that the troops would move at once into the -interior, capture the important cities, and -revolutionize the states of Georgia and South -Carolina. One of the newspaper correspondents -wrote home, a few days after the -battle, "In three weeks we shall be in -Charleston and Savannah;" and in the popular -mind at that time the possession of a city -seemed more important than anything else, -in the way of military success. So when -the months of November, December, and -January passed by, without anything being -done that the public could appreciate, there -was no little surprise manifested at the inactivity -of the army in South Carolina.</p> - -<p>In reality the military commanders were -busy from the outset. The day after the -battle, Captain Gillmore, the chief engineer, -made a <a name="p62_reconnaissance" id="p62_reconnaissance"></a>reconnaissance to the north side of -the island, and laid out there a work to control -the interior water-way between Charleston -and Savannah; and before the end of -the month he had commenced his plans for -the reduction of Fort Pulaski, which in -due time were brought to a successful issue. -But these movements, and others like them, -were after all secondary in importance to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> -the main object of the Port Royal expedition, -namely, the permanent acquisition of -Port Royal itself, as an aid to the naval -operations on the Atlantic coast.</p> - -<p>The government at Washington was by -this time fully alive to the magnitude of the -contest and its requirements. One of the -most pressing of these requirements was the -blockade; which must be maintained effectively -along an extensive line of coast, exposed -to severe weather during a large part -of the year. The vessels of the blockading -squadron must be supplied with stores and -coal at great inconvenience and from a long -distance; and when one of them needed repairs -it must be sent all the way to New -York or Philadelphia to get a new topmast -or chain cable. This involved much expense, -long delays, and the risk of temporary -inefficiency in the blockade. It was important -that the fleet should have, near at hand, -a capacious harbor, where store-houses and -workshops might be established, and where -shelter might be had for the necessary inspections -and repairs. Port Royal was such a -harbor; and it also served, in course of time, -as a base for further military operations. It -had been selected by Captain Dupont and -General Sherman in joint council.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="THE_SEA_ISLANDS_AND_FORT" id="THE_SEA_ISLANDS_AND_FORT"></a>THE SEA ISLANDS AND FORT -PULASKI.</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> sea islands of South Carolina and -Georgia are grouped in a nearly continuous -chain along the coast, between the -mainland and the sea. They are flat, with -only a few slight elevations here and there; -and there is not, over their whole area, a -single boulder, pebble, or gravel bed, nor any -spot where the ledge rock comes to the surface. -The soil at first seems to be sandy; -but you soon discover that it has mingled -with it a fine black loam and is extremely -productive. It yields the "sea-island cotton," -a variety of long fibre, formerly much -valued for certain purposes of textile manufacture. -There is no sod or turf, like that -of the Northern states, but the fields not -under cultivation produce a tall thin grass, -which is soon trampled out of existence by -passing wagons or by soldiers on the march. -In the clearings are the live oak and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> -great magnolia, both evergreen. The palmetto -is also a conspicuous object, and the -dwarf palmetto grows abundantly under the -shadow of the pine woods. Everywhere there -is a large proportion of hard-wood shrubs -and trees with polished, waxy-looking, evergreen -leaves.</p> - -<p>There are many extensive plantations, -where the owners often remain during a -large part of the year. Their houses are -not grouped in villages, but scattered at a -considerable distance apart, each on its own -plantation, with the negro cabins usually in -long lines at the rear or on one side. The -roads from one plantation to another run -through the pine woods, or over the plains, -bordered on each side by cotton or corn fields, -and marking the only division between them. -There is seldom to be seen such a thing as -a rail fence, and of course never a stone wall.</p> - -<p>Hilton Head, where we were now encamped, -was one of the largest of these islands. -It was twelve miles long, in a general -east and west direction, and about five -miles in extreme width, north and south. At -its Port Royal end, the sand bluffs rose to the -height of eight or ten feet above the beach, -giving the name of "head" more especially<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> -to this part of the island; elsewhere they -were generally much lower. Along its sea-front -there was a magnificent beach, ten -miles long, broken only at one place by a -creek fordable at half tide. At frequent -intervals on this route there were marks of -the slow encroachment of the sea upon the -land. Often you would come upon the -white, dry stump of a dead pine, standing -up high above the beach on the ends of its -sprawling roots, like so many corpulent -spider legs. Once it grew on the low bluffs -above high-water mark, as its descendants -are doing now. But the sea gradually undermined -its roots and washed out the soil -from between them, till it gave up the ghost -for want of nourishment, and in time came -to be stranded here, half-way down the -beach. It looked as if the tree had moved -down from the bluffs toward the water, -though in reality the beach had moved up -past the tree. The same thing was going -on all along the coast in this region. There -were trees on the very edge of the bluff, -with their roots toward the sea exposed and -bare, but with enough still buried in the -soil on the land side to hold the trunk upright -and give it sap; while here and there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> -was one already losing its grip and slowly -bending over toward the sea. When it has -nothing more to rest on than the sands of -the beach, its branches and trunk decay, but -its roots and stump remain for many years -whitening in the sun, like a skeleton on the -plains.</p> - -<p>The chain of islands from Port Royal -toward Charleston harbor included Parry, -Saint Helena, Edisto, John's and James -islands; in the opposite direction, toward -the Savannah river, Daufuskie, Turtle, and -Jones' islands. Inside these were other -smaller islands, the whole separated from -each other and from the mainland by sounds -and creeks, sometimes broad but oftener -narrow and tortuous, through which small -steamers could find an inside passage from -Charleston to Savannah. This communication -was of course cut off when our troops -occupied Port Royal.</p> - -<p>At Hilton Head I first made the acquaintance -of the southern plantation negro. -Every white inhabitant had disappeared, leaving -the slaves alone in possession. Their -inferior appearance, habits, and qualities, their -curious lingo and strange pronunciation were -in amusing contrast with those of the blacks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> -and mulattoes we had seen at the north. -When I met one of them near the Jones -plantation and asked him whether he belonged -there, his answer was this: "No -mawse, I no bene blahnx mawse Jones, I -bene blahnx mawse Elliot." Not having any -idea what he meant, I repeated the phrase -to General Viele, who had some familiarity -with the southern negro, and who gave me -the interpretation as follows: "No master, -I did not belong to master Jones, I belonged -to master Elliot." Mr. Elliot was -the owner of another plantation near by. -Soon after we took possession of Hilton -Head, negroes began to come in from the -neighboring islands, seeking shelter and -food. They generally appeared to rate themselves -at the value set upon them by their -former masters. One morning a young -black, of the deepest dye and most cheerful -expression of countenance, presented himself -at brigade headquarters, and on being -asked whether any others had arrived with -him, he said with a delighted grin: "Yes, -mawse, more 'n two hundred head o' nigger -come ober las' night." Most of the -field hands were of this description. But on -each plantation there was usually one man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> -noticeably superior to the rest in manner and -language. He was generally the leader in -their religious exercises, and had the gift -of the gab to no small degree; though his -uncontrollable propensity to the use of long -words and incongruous expressions often -gave a ludicrous turn to the effect of his -eloquence.</p> - -<p>But whatever their grade of capacity or -intelligence, the negroes agreed in one thing. -They were well satisfied to live on the plantations, -without control of their former owners, -so long as the crops of the present season -would supply them with food. Their liberation -they knew was owing to the success -of the Union troops, and they showed a -much more intelligent comprehension of the -causes and probable results of the war than -they had been supposed to possess. But as -for doing anything themselves to help it on, -that did not appear to form part of their -calculations. They would work for their -rations when destitute, would obey when -commanded as they had been accustomed, -and they would aid the Union cause whenever -they could do so in a passive sort of -way. But we soon found that we must not -look to them for anything like energetic or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> -spontaneous action. This seemed a strange -indifference to a contest involving the freedom -or servitude of their race, and no doubt -accounted for much of the aversion afterward -felt by our troops to the project of -transforming some of them into soldiers.</p> - -<p>But if we had remembered where the -negroes came from, perhaps we should not -have been so much surprised. Their ancestors -had been brought to this country from -the coast of Africa by slave-traders who had -bought them there. They were slaves already, -when they were taken on board ship. -They had been captured in war, or seized by -native marauders, who took them for the purpose -of reducing them to slavery and selling -them for profit. They were consequently -from the least capable and least enterprising -of the negro tribes in Africa; and their <a name="p70_descendants" id="p70_descendants"></a>descendants -in this country were of the same -grade. If they could not resist being made -slaves by other negroes, how could they be -expected to take part in a war between -whites, even to recover their own freedom?</p> - -<p>Of course there were exceptions to this. -In the month of May following, a boat's -crew brought away from Charleston harbor -the barge of the Confederate General Ripley,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> -and escaped with it to the naval vessels outside; -and not long afterward the negro -pilot, Robert Smalls, and his companions ran -the gauntlet of the forts in the night-time -with the steam-tug <i>Planter</i>, and delivered -her safely to the blockading fleet. But these -were rare instances, and nothing of the kind -happened at Hilton Head.</p> - -<p>What the sea-island negroes appeared to -excel in more than anything else was handling -an oar, which they did in a way quite -their own. In their long, narrow "dug-outs," -hollowed from the trunk of a Georgia -pine, each man pulling his oar in unison -with the rest, they would send the primitive -craft through the water with no little velocity. -In lifting and recovering the oar they -had a peculiar twist of the hand and elbow -that no white man could imitate; and their -strange sounding boat songs seemed to give -every moment a fresh impulse to the stroke. -These songs had no resemblance to the half-humorous, -half-sentimental "plantation melodies" -known to theatre-goers at the north. -They were more like religious rhapsodies in -verse. At least, they had many words and -phrases of a religious character; but mingled -together, in a kind of incoherent chant,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> -with many others of different significance, or -even none at all. It was not its meaning -that gave value to the song; it was its sound -and cadence. Sometimes the verse would -open with a few words of extempore variation -by the leader, and then the other voices -would strike in with the remaining lines -as usual. Oftener than not, the song was a -fugue, every one of the half dozen boatmen -catching up his part at the right second, -and chiming in all the louder and lustier -for having kept still beforehand. Once in a -while the passenger would be startled at seeing -an oarsman suddenly strike the one in -front of him a smacking blow between the -shoulders, at the same time injecting into -the melody a short improvised yell, by way -of stimulus and encouragement. Altogether, -I have seldom witnessed a more entertaining -performance than one of these semi-barbarous -vocal concerts in a South Carolina -dug-out.</p> - -<p>Our brigade camp was in a large cotton-field -lying across the road to the northwest. -At the time of our arrival it was covered -with tall, scraggy bushes, their white balls -still ungathered; and for a night or two we -bivouacked in the deep furrows between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> -them. But they were soon removed and the -surface quickly trampled down into a serviceable -parade ground, with the regimental -camps extending along one side. Brigade -headquarters were in advance of the parade -ground, opposite the right of the line. At -one end was the general's tent, fronting -upon an oblong space, enclosed on its two -sides by the tents of the staff officers, orderlies, -and employees. Within the enclosed -space was a single live-oak, under which we -gathered in the evening round a fire, to -smoke our pipes and talk over arrivals, <a name="p73_reconnoissances" id="p73_reconnoissances"></a>reconnoissances, -or projected expeditions.</p> - -<p>For some weeks pork and hard-bread -were an important part of our fare. Our -private stores from the <i>Oriental</i> were soon -exhausted, and much of the commissary -supplies on the transport fleet had been -lost or damaged on the voyage down. Foraging -on the plantations did something; -and the general even secured a cow, which -he stabled alongside our camp. But she -was of very unprepossessing appearance. -Her only fodder was dry cornstalks; and -the milk she gave, in the opinion of most, -was worse than none at all. The same verdict -was rendered, after trial, on the native<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> -beef. The most successful venture of this -kind was a young kid, secured in a day's -tramp, which I butchered and dressed myself, -as being the only one of the staff entitled -to rank as sawbones. After a time supply -ships and sutler schooners reached Port -Royal, and our days of short commons were -over.</p> - -<p>But the most gratifying arrival was that -of our horses. They had been shipped with -many others, at the starting of the expedition, -on the steamer <i>Belvidere</i>, which -was among the missing when the fleet reassembled -at Port Royal; and hearing nothing -of her, we had given her up for lost. -In reality she had been very roughly handled -in the gale, and many of the animals cast -loose, trampled on and thrown overboard; -but she had managed to keep afloat and -make her way back to Fortress Monroe. -Here, after some delay, the remainder of -the live stock was reshipped and sent down -to Port Royal on another steamer. Fortunately -our own horses were among the survivors.</p> - -<p>The process of getting them on shore was -something of a novelty. The ship could -hardly approach nearer than a quarter of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> -mile from the beach; so they had to be -dumped into the sea and make a landing -for themselves. The way it was done -was this. A gangway was opened in the -ship's bulwarks, on the side away from -shore; and a gang-plank with cross cleats -laid over the deck to the opening. The -animal was then placed at one end, prepared -to "walk the plank" like a pirate's prisoner. -As he would never do this of himself if he -knew what was coming, he is half persuaded -into it and half forced. One man starts him -with a little gentle solicitation by the head-stall. -At the same time two strong fellows -clasp hands behind him, just above the hocks, -and as he steps forward they follow him -with increasing pressure toward the gangway; -so that by the time he comes in sight -of the awful void beyond, his motion is too -rapid for effectual resistance and over he -goes with a final splash.</p> - -<p>Most horses, on coming to the surface, -after a short <a name="p75_reconnoissance" id="p75_reconnoissance"></a>reconnoissance make straight for -the shore, where they are taken in hand by -men waiting for them. But some lose their -heads and swim away in the wrong direction, -so that they must be followed by boats -and captured or turned back; and a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> -will persist in getting upon some marshy -island or mud flat, where they flounder -about until rescued with no little trouble -and difficulty. So we took the precaution, -for our own horses, to have a boat in waiting -alongside the ship, with a long halter -shank attached to the head-stall, by which -they could be guided to a safe landing. -On first coming up from his involuntary -plunge bath, the animal's expression is one -of unbounded astonishment and indignation -at the outrage; but he soon follows willingly -in the boat's wake, and, once on shore, -is quite contented to find himself again in -friendly hands.</p> - -<p>Every one in a brigade camp thinks his -own horse the best of the lot. He listens -kindly to the eulogies of his comrades on -their respective mounts, but with full persuasion -that every one of them would exchange -with him if he would allow it. My -own animal was a bay stallion, hardly more -than fifteen hands high and slab-sided as a -ghost; and the deep hollows over his eyeballs -proclaimed that his tenth birthday was -already past. But he had plenty of lightning -in his veins, and there must have been -royal blood in his pedigree, though it was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> -stolen one. He would go over broken -bridges wherever there were timbers enough -for a foothold; and I have taken him out -on a flatboat to the middle of a wide creek -and then walked him up a gang-plank to the -deck of a steamer without his showing the -least hesitation. Notwithstanding his slender -build, his power of endurance was extreme, -and the oddities of his disposition -were an unending source of surprise and entertainment.</p> - -<p>The next enterprise of the expeditionary -corps was the siege of Fort Pulaski, at -the mouth of the Savannah river. It was -a formidable casemated work, situated just -inside the entrance, and guarding the approach -from below to the city of Savannah. -It could not be successfully attacked by the -navy, owing to its size and strength and the -narrow limits of the river channel giving no -room for the evolutions of a fleet. The -only place where land batteries could be -planted against it was Tybee island, between -it and the sea, where there were but -slender facilities for such an operation. -The island was half sand and half marsh. -On its sea-front was a shelving beach, backed -by a low ridge with a few stunted pines and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> -bushes; and on the land side there was little -more than a wide stretch of trembling morass, -in full view of the fort and commanded -by its guns. Nevertheless Captain Gillmore -reported that the thing could be done; and -early in December the Forty-sixth regiment -was detached from our brigade and sent to -occupy Tybee island. The city of Savannah -was fifteen miles above the fort, on the -south side of the river.</p> - -<p>The part assigned to General Viele was -to establish a blockade of the Savannah -river, between the city and the fort. In the -month of January we struck camp at Hilton -Head and moved southwest to the farther -end of Daufuskie, the last of the islands -in that direction suitable for occupation by -troops. From Hilton Head in direct line it -was only fifteen or sixteen miles; but by the -circuitous water route through Port Royal -harbor, Scull creek, Calibogue sound, -Cooper river, Ramshorn creek, and New -river, it was nearly twice that distance. In -its general features the island was similar to -Hilton Head. Our quarters were on a -slightly elevated point, overlooking the lowlands -and waterways toward the Savannah -river, which was about three miles away.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> -In that whole interval there was absolutely -nothing to break the uniform level of the -landscape. It was at Daufuskie and thereabout -that we came to know the singular -network of land and water communication -that marks the region. From the knoll in -front of our headquarters you might see, -some distance away, the masts and smokestack -of a gunboat apparently sailing along -through the meadows. Her spars and perhaps -her bulwarks might be visible, with -nothing to be seen around them but a wide -expanse of grass-covered flats. Go where -she was, and you would find her in a creek -hardly wide enough for her to turn in, but -with ample depth of water and straight vertical -sides of black mud, like an enormous -ditch. Passing through one of these creeks -in a row-boat at half tide, with nothing to -be seen on either hand above the brink, and -other channels opening into it every half -mile or so, all looking alike, it would be -the easiest thing in the world to get lost, -and almost impossible to find your way -again without a guide. Steamers of light -draft and not too great length could pass -through most of these channels at the proper -tide.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p> - -<p>On one occasion, after going down to -Hilton Head for some business connected -with the medical department, I took passage -at my return on the steamer <i>Winfield Scott</i>, -carrying one of the regiments destined -for Daufuskie. She left Hilton Head at -an early hour, and in the forenoon reached -the sinuous channels northwest of Calibogue -sound. She was rather a large vessel to attempt -the passage, but with due care and a -flood tide the pilot hoped she might get -through. On coming to a bend in the creek -she would run her nose against the opposite -bank, then back a little and try again, turning -slowly meanwhile, edging round by -degrees and rubbing the mud off the banks, -bow and stern, till she was clear of the obstruction -and ready to go ahead again. At -last she came to a turn that looked rather -easier than the rest, but where there was a -narrow spit at the bottom running out from -one side toward the other. In trying to -pass, the vessel grounded on this spit. It -was still flood tide, and with vigorous pushing -she might get over. So at it she went, -with all steam on and her paddles doing -their best. At each new trial she gained a -little, but it was harder work every time;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> -and she finally succeeded, at full high water, -in getting exactly half-way over. Fifteen -minutes later there was no chance. She -was stranded, helpless, on the bar, bow and -stern both sinking slowly with the ebb and -weighing her down past hope of deliverance. -In an hour or two her main deck began to -crack open, and it was all the men could do -to get a few horses across the widening -chasm to be landed on the neighboring -flats. Then we all disembarked and made -ourselves as comfortable as possible while -awaiting other means of transportation. -But the <i>Winfield Scott</i> never left that place -till she was taken away piecemeal. She -had weathered the November gale at sea, to -be wrecked on a sunshiny forenoon in Ramshorn -creek.</p> - -<p>The troops at Daufuskie were a part of -the old brigade, together with the Sixth Connecticut, -two or three companies of artillery, -and a detachment of the First New York -Engineers. The last were extremely useful, -as much of the work to be done was of -an engineering character. The spot selected -for the first blockading battery was a part -of Jones' island called "Venus Point," on -the north shore of the Savannah river, four<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> -miles above Fort Pulaski. To reach it -from Daufuskie we had to pass by boats -through New river and Wright river into -Mud river, and thence across the marshy -surface of Jones' island to Venus Point, a -distance altogether of nearly five miles. The -opening from Wright river into Mud river -was an artificial passage called Wall's Cut, -excavated some years before to enable steamers -from Charleston by the inside route to -get into the Savannah river. It had been -obstructed after the battle of Port Royal by -an old hulk placed crosswise and secured by -piles, to prevent the passage of our gunboats. -A company of the New York Engineers, -under Major Beard, opened the passage -again by removing the piles and swinging -the hulk round lengthwise against the bank, -where it now lay, a dismal looking object, -abandoned at last by friend and foe.</p> - -<p>Military operations often seem to be going -on very slowly, especially to those at a -distance who are unacquainted with the local -conditions; but the work required for an enterprise -like the investment of Fort Pulaski, -as we soon found, cannot be done in a hurry. -First of all there must be night <a name="p82_reconnoissances" id="p82_reconnoissances"></a>reconnoissances -by capable and well informed officers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> -through intricate waterways and over pathless -islands, to learn the position of the enemy, -the obstacles to be encountered, and -the available points for occupation. After -that begins the labor of the troops. -Wharves must be built and roads cleared, -before the barges and steamers can be used -to advantage for transportation. Jones' island, -the intended location of the battery, -was like its neighbors, a marshy flat covered -with reeds and tall grass. Its surface -was so treacherous that a pole or a stick -could be thrust down through its superficial -layer of tangled roots into a fathomless underlying -quagmire of soft mud. Twice a -month, at the spring tides, it was flooded -almost everywhere to the depth of several -inches; and at no time would it bear with -safety a horse, a wagon, or even a loaded -wheelbarrow. For the transportation of -anything weighty over its surface to Venus -Point, it must have an artificial causeway.</p> - -<p>Early in February the troops on Daufuskie -were set to work in the pine woods, cutting -down saplings of the proper size, and -carrying them on their shoulders to a newly -built wharf on the west side of the island. -Ten thousand of these poles were thus<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> -brought from the woods to the water front, -there loaded on flatboats and towed round -to the landing place at Jones' island. There -they were laid crosswise on the surface, to -form a corduroy road, about three-quarters -of a mile in length, to Venus Point. Then -sandbags were carried over, to make something -like firm ground for the gun-platforms, -and a dry spot for the magazine. All the -work at this place had to be done in the -night time, as it was in full view of the -rebel steamers passing every few days up -and down the river.</p> - -<p>At last all was ready for taking over the -armament of the battery. In the afternoon -I went over the corduroy toward Venus -Point, and at my return about dusk, two of -the guns were starting on the same road. It -looked then as if the officers and men in -charge would have no easy time of it, but -their difficulties turned out much greater -than I supposed. It took all that night and -the next to get the guns over and put them -in place. With the carriage wheels guided -on a double row of planks laid end to end, -taken up in the rear and laid down in front -as the procession moved on, the shifting -tramways were soon covered with the island<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> -mud, smooth and slippery as so much mucilage. -When a wheel happened to get over -the edge of its plank, down it would go, -hub deep, in the soft morass; and then the -men must set to work with levers to lift it -out again, themselves immersed up to their -knees in the same material. Many of them -encased their feet and legs in empty sandbags -tied at the knee, for protection against -the all pervading mud. It was an exhausting -labor, sometimes almost disheartening; -but perseverance at last prevailed, and on -the morning of the twelfth the six guns -were all in position.</p> - -<p>The next day I paid another visit to the -work at Venus Point to see how it looked. -It could hardly be called a fort. It was -only a place where some platforms had been -laid down and guns mounted, enclosed by -a low parapet, not so much to repel an enemy -as to keep out the tides. Nevertheless -it was named Fort Vulcan, perhaps because -it was better fitted for aggression than for -defense.</p> - -<p>While I was there it happened that the -rebel steamer came down on her usual trip -from Savannah to Fort Pulaski, and the battery -opened on her for the first time. She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> -was an ordinary river steamboat, painted -white; and her name, the <i>Ida</i>, could be -read with a good glass upon her wheelhouse. -She evidently suspected something new at -Venus Point and hugged the farther edge of -the channel. After some shots had been -launched at her, the artillery officer in charge -invited me to try my hand at the game. So -I sighted one of the guns as well as I could -guess at her speed and distance, pulled the -lanyard, and watched the effect of the discharge -with no little interest. It was the -first time I had ever had the opportunity of -firing at a steamboat. As might be expected, -I failed to make a hit. At that distance -she seemed to be moving very slowly, -though she was no doubt making the best -of the time so far as she was able; and -while my thirty pound projectile was traveling -across the river, she was going down -stream fast enough to be quite out of its -way when it got there. Apparently she escaped -all the shots without serious damage, -for she kept on her course toward Fort Pulaski; -but she did not venture to risk it -again, and returned to Savannah by a circuitous -channel farther south.</p> - -<p>A week later the passage was more effectually<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -closed by a second battery established -on Bird island, opposite Venus Point and -near the south bank of the river. This was -the same kind of low-lying flat with the -other islands in the neighborhood. When -I made a visit to the work some days afterward, -it was at the period of a spring tide, -and nearly everything beyond the parapet -was submerged. I was taken to the tent of -Major Beard, the commanding officer, in a -row-boat. The plank floor of the tent was -just above the water level; but the major -was lying, high and dry, in a bunk of rough -boards, smoking his pipe with an air of -supreme satisfaction. He had been from -the start most active and efficient in the -work of establishing the blockade, and he -now held the advanced position, where it -hardly looked as if he had ground enough -to stand on. He was commissioned as field -officer in the Forty-eighth New York, but -had been detached for some weeks on special -service at Hilton Head and Daufuskie.</p> - -<p>During this time we had at brigade headquarters -several officers of the regular army, -whose acquaintance I greatly enjoyed. -Captain Gillmore, chief engineer of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> -expedition, then about thirty-seven years of -age, was with us from the first. Cheerful, -hearty, enterprising, and wholly devoted to -his work, he was the moving spirit throughout. -He knew every detail of the engineering -and artillery service, and his knowledge -was exact and thorough. It was his -examination and advice that determined the -plan for the reduction of Fort Pulaski, and -he fixed upon the location of all the batteries -on Tybee island. The river blockade from -Daufuskie was a part of his scheme, and -while there he spared no pains or fatigue to -superintend everything and make sure that -it was done right. After this was completed, -he returned to Tybee island, to push -on the works at that place with the same unremitting -persistency. The capture of the -fort was the occasion of a well deserved advancement -in rank, and before the close of -the war he became major-general of volunteers.</p> - -<p>Lieutenant James H. Wilson, topographical -engineer, and Lieutenant Horace Porter, -ordnance officer, were both busy under -Captain Gillmore's direction. Neither mud -and water, nor rain or darkness seemed to -discourage them; and they would come in,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> -after a night on Jones' island, wet, weary, and -famished, but as lively and talkative as ever. -Wilson was afterward a cavalry general, -and it was a part of his command that captured -Jeff Davis in his flight through Georgia -in 1865, the last brilliant exploit of the -war. Porter also became a general, and -served on the staff of General Grant through -the Petersburg campaign. Both were -transferred to the batteries at Tybee island -after finishing their work on Daufuskie. -General Viele's troops remained, to keep up -the river blockade, and prevent further supplies -reaching Fort Pulaski.</p> - -<p>Our own headquarters had been shifted by -this time to a dwelling-house on the extreme -southernmost point of Daufuskie, about a -mile from the regimental camps. It was a -spacious well-built mansion, and from a sort -of open veranda on the roof there was a -wide prospect, including the mouth of the -Savannah river, with Tybee island and Fort -Pulaski on the opposite shore, a little over -three miles away. I sometimes went up -into this crow's nest before sunrise, to watch -the strange effect of the morning mist. At -that hour the landscape for miles around -was often covered by a low-lying bank of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> -white cloud, with a few clumps of trees or -small hillocks emerging from it here and -there like so many scattered islands, and -everything looking cool and still, without -a sign of animal life or human habitation. -Afterward, when the warm sunbeams began -to touch the surface of this cloudy sea, the -mists would slowly melt away into vapor, -and I could see the outlines of the roads -and fields and inlets and watercourses coming -out, one after another, like the markings -on a map. On two sides of the house was -a flower-garden with carefully trimmed beds -and walks, that had evidently been a favorite -with the owner. Roses and camellias -were in full bloom there in February and -March, and many other flowering shrubs -followed as the season went on. The cardinal -grosbeak nested among them almost -within reach of the windows, and the brown -thrush and mocking-bird reared their broods -but a short distance away.</p> - -<p>There was a similar house toward the -eastern side of the island, which we occupied -for a brigade hospital. After obtaining -the necessary stores and appliances from -Hilton Head, it made a very convenient -and useful establishment. Here we placed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> -all the sick or disabled men, likely to need -a prolonged treatment; thus relieving the -regimental hospitals of all but their temporary -cases, and giving the chronic invalids a -better chance for convalescence and recovery.</p> - -<p>We had a new topic of interest about this -time in the rebel iron-clad steamer <i>Atlanta</i>, -said to be approaching completion at Savannah. -The country had just passed through a -spasm of terror and relief at the unexpected -performances of the <i>Merrimac</i> and <i>Monitor</i> -at Hampton Roads; and after that, every -one had a realizing sense of the devastation -an iron-clad might accomplish in case there -were no <i>Monitor</i> to oppose her. We knew -that such a vessel was getting ready at Savannah; -and for some weeks it appeared -doubtful whether our control of Venus -Point and Bird island might not at any moment -come to a sudden termination. As a -matter of fact, the <i>Atlanta</i> was getting on -very slowly, and it was not until some -weeks after the fall of Fort Pulaski that she -could be put in condition to move. By -that time the monitor <i>Weehawken</i> was in -waiting for her; and on her approaching -and opening fire, disabled and captured her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> -in fifteen minutes. Nevertheless she was -the cause of no little foreboding on Daufuskie -during the months of March and -April.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Captain Gillmore was erecting -his batteries on Tybee island along the -western side of the sand ridge, toward the -fort. Every night, under the cover of darkness -and silence, his working parties traversed -a narrow causeway of fascines and -brushwood to the advanced positions, returning -before daybreak to their camps on -shore. As the low parapets and bombproofs -gradually rose above the surface, they -were shielded from view by clumps of -bushes carefully distributed along the front; -and lastly the heavy guns and ammunition -were transported with the same precautions -to their destination. After seven weeks of -this labor, everything was ready. Eleven -batteries, mounting sixteen mortars and -twenty guns, were arranged along a sinuous -line following the edge of the morass. -From the lookout on our house-top all was -in full view, Fort Pulaski on the right and -Tybee island with its concealed batteries on -the left. At that distance nothing was visible -to show the preparations on either side;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> -but the first gun would be seen and heard -from our position almost as well as on the -spot.</p> - -<p>Early on the morning of April 10th it -began. A mortar at one of the batteries -gave the signal, and the rest chimed in, one -after another, as fast as the gunners could -get their range. By ten o'clock all were in -operation, mortars, columbiads, and rifled -guns throwing their shells at the parapet or -into the interior of the work, or battering -its nearest wall, at the rate of four discharges -per minute. They were answered with -equal activity by the guns of the fort. This -kept up all day long; the volumes of white -smoke rolling out from both sides, and the -reports, mellowed a little by the distance, -following each other across the river in -almost uninterrupted succession till nightfall. -Then the heavy cannonading was suspended; -but every five minutes a shell from -one of the mortar batteries was sent into -the fort, to keep its defenders uneasy and -prevent their repairing the damages of the -day.</p> - -<p>From our point of observation we could -not tell what effect had been produced thus -far on the walls or parapets of either side;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> -but neither the fire of the fort nor that of -the batteries appeared seriously impaired. -It seemed likely that several days might -pass before a decisive result, and we waited -patiently to see what the morrow would -bring forth. We could not cross directly -to Tybee island without coming under the -guns of the fort, and could only get there by -the circuitous route of Hilton Head, which -would take far too much time, and would -not, after all, give us so good a view of both -sides as we already had. Moreover, a new -mortar battery was to be established that -night, from General Viele's command, on an -island above the fort, to bombard it from the -rear.</p> - -<p>Next morning the music of the great -guns began again. Neither side seemed -disabled or disheartened, and the cannonading -went on much as it had done the day before. -But we had our own duties to perform, -and however interesting the spectacle -we could not watch it continuously. Early -in the afternoon I was at a little distance -from the house, when I missed all at once -the sound of the guns. One five minutes -passed by, and then another, but the silence -continued. What did it mean? Were the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> -batteries silenced, and the game played out -and lost? That was hardly likely, because -then the fort would no doubt become the -attacking party and keep on worrying the -batteries till they could be abandoned at -nightfall. Still this was only a surmise, and -we knew not what reason there might be -against it. Hastily regaining our observatory -on the roof, every available telescope -was leveled at the parapet of the fort, where -a white flag was visible in place of the rebel -ensign. Pulaski had surrendered.</p> - -<p>I do not think any one expected the end -so soon. The fire of the fort had been -nearly as vigorous the second day as the -first. Its means of active defense were evidently -far from exhausted; and yet it had -given up the fight, as it were on a sudden, -while still able to hold its own and perhaps -tire out the enemy at last. But there was a -reason for this, which we learned soon afterward -on our visit to the place.</p> - -<p>Of course every one was anxious to see -the captured fort. On the following day -General Viele with his staff went on board a -small steamer and started for the trip. This -time we were no longer obliged to take the -crooked route through Wall's Cut and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> -around Jones' island, but steamed directly -down into the Savannah river opposite the -fort. As we approached this frowning -stronghold that had so long held us at bay, -its effect was something to be remembered. -Its massive walls covering five or six acres -of ground, and its double row of heavy guns, -seemed well able to repel intruders. For -nearly three months we had looked at it with -a mingled feeling of desire and dread. It -would have been dangerous at any time to -show ourselves within a mile of it; and it -would have been a prison to any who should -venture within a few hundred yards. Now -we could tie up at the steamboat landing, -and walk over the long pathway to its gorge, -unchallenged by any but our own sentries. -Inside, it was a strange sight; the parade -ground was scored with deep trenches to -receive the falling shells, and the interior -walls were fenced with great blindages of -square hewn timbers at an angle of forty-five -degrees. For the garrison had been at -work on their side, almost as hard as the -besiegers. In many places the blindages -were splintered by shot and shell, and the -passage-ways beneath obstructed with the -torn fragments.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p> - -<p>The main effect of the cannonading was -to be seen at the southeast angle of the fort. -The outer wall was crumbled and ruined to -such a degree that two of the casemates -were open at the front and their guns half -buried in the fallen débris; and the ditch, -forty-eight feet wide, was partly filled with -a confused heap of shattered masonry. -Here it was that Captain Gillmore had concentrated -the fire of his breaching batteries. -As an army engineer, he was acquainted -with the construction of Fort Pulaski; and -he knew that the powder magazine was located -at its northwest angle. This would -bring it, after the breaching of the opposite -wall, in the direct line of fire; and when the -shells from his rifled guns began to pass -through the opening and strike the defenses -of the magazine, no choice was left to the -garrison but surrender. They found themselves -in momentary danger of explosion, -and wisely lost no time in bringing the contest -to an end.</p> - -<p>The siege of Fort Pulaski was a very -different affair from the battle of Port Royal. -One was a naval, the other a military victory. -At Hilton Head the troops could not -have landed anywhere except under the protection<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> -of the navy; and after the reduction -of the forts there was no longer any enemy -to oppose them. At Pulaski the troops -took possession of Tybee island, which the -rebel commander had neglected or thought -it unnecessary to protect, and planted their -batteries on the only ground from which -the fort could be attacked. Some valuable -assistance was rendered by the gunboats -in patrolling the neighboring sounds -and inlets, but the main part of the work -throughout was that of the artillerist and engineer.</p> - -<p>I do not know why the enemy failed to -interrupt this work by shelling the narrow -strip of land, more than a mile in length, over -which all the material for the batteries had -to be transported. They must have known -that something of this kind was the sole -purpose for which our forces had occupied -Tybee island; and their elaborate preparations -for defense inside the fort showed that -they were fully aware from what direction -the attack would come. Perhaps after the -fort was invested from above, they wished -to economize their ammunition for the final -struggle. Still one would think that a -few shells expended while the batteries<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> -were in progress would be of more service -than an equal number after their completion.</p> - -<p>But perhaps the enemy were not very -well acquainted with Tybee island, and supposed -that our troops could reach the front -by some other route than the one they were -really compelled to follow. Notwithstanding -the proximity of the island, it is possible -that the rebel commander did not know its -important features for military operations. -In General Barnard's Report on the Defences -of Washington in 1861, it appears that at -that time the engineer corps of the regular -army had no accurate surveys of the region -south of the Potomac river opposite the national -capital; so that the proper location -for a number of the defensive works could -not be fixed upon until after our troops -were in possession of the ground. He even -says that many of our engineer officers were -more familiar with the military topography -of the neighborhood of Paris than with that -surrounding the city of Washington. If -the defenders of Fort Pulaski in 1862 were -equally ignorant of Tybee island, it might -account for their apparent inactivity during -the siege operations.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p> - -<p>Captain Gillmore did not rest satisfied -with the reduction of Fort Pulaski. He -made it the means of further information in -gunnery and military engineering. His records -showed the number of shots fired from -each gun and mortar during the bombardment, -the percentage of those which were -effective or failed to reach the mark, and the -depth of penetration of the different kinds -of projectiles in the walls of the fort; and -he compared the results with those given by -the best military authorities. It was the -first time that rifled cannon had been used -in actual warfare against masonry walls; -and he found that they could do more execution -at longer range and with less weight -of metal, than any of the older forms of -artillery. He showed that, with such guns, -walls of solid brickwork, over seven feet -thick, could be breached at the distance of -nearly one mile; more than twice as far as -it had ever before been thought practicable. -Had it not been for his confident and steady -persistence in this design, it is likely that -the occupation of Tybee island would have -been a useless enterprise.</p> - -<p>After the fall of Fort Pulaski the troops -on Daufuskie island were released for other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> -duty. General Viele was ordered north, -and became the military governor of Norfolk -on its recapture from the enemy early -in May. Before the end of that month, I -was again at Hilton Head, acting as medical -director for the troops at that point.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>[Here the manuscript ends, unfinished.]</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>After Surgeon Dalton's service with the -Seventh Regiment of Infantry of The -National Guard of the State of New York, -he was commissioned by President Lincoln, -August 3, 1861, Brigade Surgeon of Volunteers -(afterwards Surgeon United States -Volunteers); served as Surgeon in Chief to -General Viele's command in South Carolina; -as Medical Inspector of the Department -of the South; and as Chief Medical -officer on Morris Island, South Carolina.</i></p> - -<p><i>His health became seriously impaired by -his long continued service in the malarial -regions of the South, so as to incapacitate -him for duty, and he consequently resigned -from the Army, March 5, 1864.</i></p> - -<p><i>As soon as his health, never fully restored, -permitted, he resumed his work as Professor -of Physiology at the College of Physicians -and Surgeons of New York; resigned in -1883; was elected President of the College -in 1884, and so continued until his death, -which occurred in New York, February 12, -1889, at the age of sixty-four years and -ten days.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="MILITARY_HISTORY_OF_JOHN_CALL" id="MILITARY_HISTORY_OF_JOHN_CALL"></a>MILITARY HISTORY OF JOHN CALL -DALTON, M. D.</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="center">LATE SURGEON U. S. VOLS.,</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<p><i>As shown by the records on file in the Office of the -Surgeon General U. S. Army, War Department, -Washington, D. C.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p class="endlist">August 3, 1861:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Appointed Brigade Surgeon of Volunteers from -New York.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 22, 1861:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports from New York as awaiting orders.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 23, 1861:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Assigned to General McClellan's command, -Headquarters Army of Potomac, S. O. 257, -A. G. O. September 23, 1861.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 30, 1861:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports awaiting further orders. [Had asked to -be assigned to General Viele's command.]</p> - -<p class="endlist">October 8, 1861:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reported at Headquarters, General Viele's -Brigade, Sherman's Division, Annapolis, Md., -by orders from A. G. O. to November, 1861.</p> - -<p class="endlist">December 31, 1861:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Is reported at Hilton Head, S. C., with General -Viele's command.</p> - -<p class="endlist">January 31, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Is reported sick at Washington, D. C.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p> - -<p class="endlist">February to June, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">On duty at <a name="p104_Daufuskie" id="p104_Daufuskie"></a>Daufuskie, S. C., and in South Carolina -with <a name="p104_Vieles" id="p104_Vieles"></a>Viele's command.</p> - -<p class="endlist">July 2, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Transferred from Brigade Surgeon to Surgeon -U. S. Vols.</p> - -<p class="endlist">July to August, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Acting Medical Director at Hilton Head, S. C.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 8, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">To report to Medical Director in New York. -S. O. 228, War Department, September 8, -1862.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 20, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports from Boston, Mass., as being on sick -leave of absence.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 30, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Still sick at Boston, Mass.</p> - -<p class="endlist">October 18, 1862:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports to Medical Director at New York city, -and is assigned to duty as Medical Director -of Transportation to August, 1863.</p> - -<p class="endlist">August 26, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Ordered to report to the Department of the -South by direction of the Medical Director -Department of the East, New York, August -26, 1863.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 8, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports from Morris Island, S. C., that he has -reported to Medical Director of the Department -of the South.</p> - -<p class="endlist">September 15, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Medical Director C. McDougall, Department of -the East, requests that Surgeon Dalton be -returned to that Department as soon as the -public interest will permit.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - -<p class="endlist">September 30, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Dr. Dalton reports from Morris Island, S. C., as -Chief Medical Officer.</p> - -<p class="endlist">October 10, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports that he has been relieved from duty in -the Department of the South and ordered to -report to Medical Director Department of the -East at New York.</p> - -<p class="endlist">October 15, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports at New York city.</p> - -<p class="endlist">October 24, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Forwards copy of order relieving him from duty -in the Department of the South and ordering -him to report at New York city. [S. O. 558, -dated Department of the South, Headquarters -in Field, Folly Island, S. C., 10th October, 1863.]</p> - -<p class="endlist">October 31, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports that he is stationed at New York city -and assigned to duty as Medical Attendant -on Volunteer Officers, and Medical Director -of Transportation.</p> - -<p class="endlist">November 30, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Same as above.</p> - -<p class="endlist">December 31, 1863:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Same.</p> - -<p class="endlist">January 31, 1864:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Reports on duty at New York as Examining Surgeon -of Recruits, and Medical Director of -Transportation.</p> - -<p class="endlist">February 29, 1864:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Same as above.</p> - -<p class="endlist">March 7, 1864:</p> - -<p class="endnote">Resignation accepted by the President; to take -effect March 5, 1864.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -</div> -<div class="transnote"> - -<p>Transcriber's Notes:</p> - -<p class="translist">Page <a href="#p20_regiment">20</a><br /> -regimeet would have carried <i>changed to</i><br /> -regiment would have carried</p> - -<p class="translist">Page <a href="#p62_reconnaissance">62</a><br /> -reconnaisance to the north <i>changed to</i><br /> -reconnaissance to the north</p> - -<p class="translist">Page <a href="#p70_descendants">70</a><br /> -and their decendants <i>changed to</i><br /> -and their descendants</p> - -<p class="translist"> Page <a href="#p73_reconnoissances">73</a><br /> -arrivals, reconnoisances, or projected <i>changed to</i><br /> -arrivals, reconnoissances, or projected</p> - -<p class="translist">Page <a href="#p75_reconnoissance">75</a><br /> -after a short reconnoisance <i>changed to</i><br /> -after a short reconnoissance</p> - -<p class="translist">Page <a href="#p82_reconnoissances">82</a><br /> -must be night reconnoisances <i>changed to</i><br /> -must be night reconnoissances</p> - -<p class="translist">Page <a href="#p104_Daufuskie">104</a><br /> -On duty at Dawfuskie <i>changed to</i><br /> -On duty at Daufuskie</p> - -<p class="translist">Page <a href="#p104_Vieles">104</a><br /> -with Veile's command <i>changed to</i><br /> -with Viele's command</p> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's John Call Dalton, M.D., U.S.V., by John Call Dalton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHN CALL DALTON, M.D., U.S.V. *** - -***** This file should be named 51063-h.htm or 51063-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/0/6/51063/ - -Produced by Ian Crann and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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