History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"The rebels had now api)roached very close; still, hardly a head could liave been visible to them a-s we crouched behind the low stone wall. At a point about twenty rods from us their line was somewhat broken by the remaining portions of two fences that had bounded a narrow lane or farm-road which extended along our front. As they rose over the top of the first fence and sprang down into the lane, and again rose upon the top of the second, they were altogether too tempting a mark to be resisted, and, so far as I heard, without a word of command being given, a sheet of flame burst from our line. My own wish would liave been to reserve our fire until they had come even nearer, but perhajjs I was wrong. Tiiey still pressed on, liowever, for some distance, when they wavered and halted. Several of their color-bearers now advanced swiftly, apparently in obedience to previous orders, and, attended by their color-guards, planted their battle-flags in the gnmnd, one in par- ticular directly in front of the centre of our regiment and not ten rods away. Finding our fire too liot to be endured, these brave men threw themselves upon the ground around their flags, waiting for their com- rades to advance and rally round them. "On our part, we loaded and fired incessantly. It may seem extravagant, Init it is the simple truth, that the enemy's line broke abd commenced to fall back in front of the Fourteenth sooner than anywhere else, for the reason that most of us were armed with breech- loading guns, which could be loaded and fired with great rapidity, and which did terrible execution. " Remembering their own tactics, we no sooner saw them commence to waver than we gave a tremcnchms yell, — not a hurrah, but a wild, fierce cry that was taken up all down our line. We now turned our aim with fearful effect upon their second line, already dis- ordered by the retreating fragments of the first. Am- munition coming short, we begged, borrowed, and almost fought with each other for cartridges. We continued to yell and fire simultaneously. The rebel officers vainly strove to rally their men; their ranks were soon broken ; all semblance of order ceased, and what had advanced as an army began falling back as a mob. Not all at once, or rapidly, however. They still turned and fired as they retreated, and here and there made a brief stand. " We now became conscious of the voice of Maj. Ellis crying for us to fire ' left oblique,' and turned our aim in that direction ; and indeed it w.is time, for the regiment upon our left had been hard pressed, and had almost given way. The rebels had advanced closer to them than at any other point, and had nearly pierced their line. Just as we turned a daring South- erner leai>ed lightly upon one of the guns which had been left behind when the battery retired for want of horses to remove it, and waved his hat or his hand for his comrades to follow him. He did not remain there a single instant, but fell riddled through, and, owing to our cross-fire, the rebels at this point also were soon in full retreat." In this engagement the Fourteenth cajiturcd five rebel colors belonging to the following regiments, — First Tennessee, Fourteenth Tennessee, Sixteenth North Carolina, Fifty-second North Carolina, and the Fourth Virginia. Besides these trophies, it also captured more than its own number of rebel prisoners. Its loss in the action was sixty-six out of a force of about one hundred and sixty. Not a few excellent men — among them Captains Hawley, Doten, Goddard, and Fiskc — were taken from this regiment by generals of brigade and divi- sion in the Second Corps to serve as staff'-olficers, but comrades of theirs equally brave remained with the command. However culpable in its temerity, it warms one's heart to remcndier the exploit of Lieut. -Col. Moore, when, upon a certain occasion,. as " officer of the day," he inspected the <livision picket-line. In ftill regi- mentals, with crimson sash crossing his brea.st, he stepped boldly over the parapet of " Fort Hell," before Petersburg, and, disdaining the shelter of in- trenchments, walked erect down to the picket-line and began his rounds, owing his life solely to the ad- miration of the scores of rebel sharpshooters not two liundrcd yards away. Better worthy of admiration, though, is the quiet MILITARY HISTORY. 49 heriiism of frallant Maj. I'roatcli, ulio, at Murtdu's Ford, when liis riglit hand was sliattoriMl liy a Ijnlh't, eauitht up his sword with Iiis k't't and oontinued to pursue the retreatini; enemy, or are some of the in- stances given hy Capt. (i<jddard in liis graceful "Me- morial of the Deceased Otiicers of tlie Fourteenth Connecticut Volunteers." Nor were such examples of courage found otdy among the commissioned officers. Time would fail to speak of instances like that of Bergt. Kusscll (xlenn, thrice wounded, the last time just in the act of enter- ing the enemy's works ; (jr of Edwin 8troud, wlio am- putated a ]iart of his own shattered foot with his jiocket-knife; or of the gallant fellows wdio, at (xettys- l>urg and upon other fields, at the risk of their lives, ventured out under fire to relieve the sufferings of their wounded opjionents. It is impossible, also, to speak in detail here of the weary marches of the Fourteentli, or of each of its numerous engagements. Let two i|aotations coneludi' this very imperfect sketch, — the first an extract i'nnn the final official report of Col. Theodore G. Ellis, and the concluding one from a history of the regimental colors, puldished in connection with the exercises on " Battle-Flag Day," 8ei)t. 17, 1879. EXTUACT KEoM OFFICIAL EEPORT. " It is worthy of note that this regiment, during the three years that it was in ac-tive service, was never taken away from the front. It participated in all the great battles fought by tlic iVrmy of the Potomac after it went into the field in the latter part of August, 18t)2, until the fall of Richmond and the surrender of Lee. It lias taken part in thirty-three (33) battles and skirmishes. The regiment has eapture<l five col- ors ancl four guns from the enemy in fair fight, and more prisoners than the original number of the regi- ment, and at Beams' IStatiou drew ort' part of Me- Kuight's and part of the Third Xew Jersey Batteries, which had been left to the enemy. The actual loss in killed and wounded has been upwards of eight hun- dred, besides the many, counted as missing, wdio occupy unknown graves in the Wilderness and around Petersburg. "In repeated instances the regimental commanclcrs have earned and received commendation from their superior officers, but, from a feeling of modesty, have not recorded it. The character and standing of the regiment in the field was considered of the greatest imjiortanee, and little was done for reputation at home. A high state of discipline was always main- tained ; so that the regiment was called ' the Four- teenth Regulars,' and wdiicli obtained for it a reputa- tion unsurpassed by any other. Wlule under my com- mand the regiment never, even under the hc)ttest fire, gave way or fell liack witliout orders, and often held its position with fixed bayonets after the ammuni- tion was exhau.sted. The regimental band, w liich was second to none in the army, took its share of praise." MEJIOIiAMiA EESPECTIXG THE nil.olts OF TUE Fofn- TEE-NTH KEGI.MEXT CONXEfTIil-T VoMXTEEliS. "Biitt/f o/Aiifiiiam.—The stafi'of the United States color was shot in two liy a bullet, and the eagle's head knocked ofi' by a i)icre of shell. The color-bearer, 8ergt. Thomas .1. Mills, of New London, who had been a lieutenant in the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, was mortally wounded, when Sergt. George Augustus Foote, of Guilford, volunteered to take his ])lacc, and carried the flag the remainder of the day. Another member of the color-guard is saitl to have been killed in this engagement, but his name is un- known to the writer. " Battle iif Fredcrickxhurg. — The regiment wa ! badly cut U]) in the charge upon Marye's Heights, and Sergt. Charles E. Dart, of Rockville, who carried the State ilag, was mortally wounded. Sergt. (Jeorge Augustus Foote attempted to fill his place, but was shot in the leg and fell. His biographer, ('a]it. God- dard, says, 'After lying on the fielil a short time he tried to rise, but was instantly fired upon again by the rel)els, wounding him slightly in the head and in the hip. All the rest of that awlul day he lay still where he had fallen. Three times our men charged over him, of course tramjiling on his wounded leg, while he, half deliriou-, begged them to kill him to end his sutt'erings. But no one had time then to attend to one poor wounded fellow. That night he managed to crawl oft' to a little hut near the field, where some other wounded men had hung out a yellow flag. Here they lay with a little hard-tack, and .still less water, till the third day after the fight, when tliey were vis- ited by a rebel officer with a few men. He spoke roughly to them, asking what they were here for, and two or three began whining and saying they did not want to fight the South, but were drafted and obliged to come, wdien Foote coolly lifted his head and said, "/came to fight rebels, and I have fought them; and if ever I get well I will cojiie back and fight them again." " Bully for you," said the otficer; "you are a boy that I like," and at once gave him some water out of his own canteen, sent one of his men for more water, washed his leg and foot and bound it up as well as he could, paroled him, and helped him across the river to the Lacy House hospital. In fact, he and his men gave him a blanket and cheered lum as the wagon drove oftV " The State flag was picked up, not far from the fainf)Us sunken road held by the reliel infantry, by William B. Hincks and Frederick B. Doten,of ]?ridge- port. It renuiined in their keeijing during the day, and they brought it safely from the field at the close of the engagement. Sergt. Dart died at St. JIary's Hospital, Washington, D. C, Jan. fi, 1803. The con- stitution of Sergt. (afterwards Lieut.) Foote was im- paired by his wound, w Inch was eventually the cause of his death.