History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

K'uvr liultiniore bcfure the next ilay :it iiijuti, Tliis was hite at night, ami iu those days oi' anipU- a|i|iarel, eiiuiiiagc, and transportation it was not an easy task to land a tliousand men and all their belongings early in the morning. The order was liUed, however. By eleven o'eloek next day everything was on hoard ready to move to Washington, and before twchc the regiment had moved from the eity of B.dtimore. But so erowded were the rails by army travel and trans- ]iortation that the regiment only reached its destina- tion about dusk. On applieation mxt moiiiing at liea(U|Uarters it wa.s ordered to nuireh tlirotigh the eity to Teiiallytown and encamp at Fort Kearney, in the defenses of Washington. At this post the regiment was immediately put to work iu intreuchments. It expected to liave been .sent along to Sigel, and did not like the delay. It very likely worked with less will at its task of dig- ging than it would have done except in face of its disappointment. At any rate, after several reports cd' its not lieing good diggers liad been made, (jrders came Ibr the regiment to emiiark at ( ieoigelowii on Nov. 'i. bS():2, and to proceed liy the way <d' Ah\- andria. ami the Manassas Railroad, and to report to Gen. Sigel at Gainesville. It reached this place on tin' thinl evening after its departure irom Fort Kearney after dark. It first struck u]ion Gen. McLean's lirigadc. That gallant olliier at (jnce desired to take it into his com- mand, and .seemed very happy over the chamc It was made up of Ohio men, all but one regiment of whom were Americans, the One Hnmlred and Sev- enth Ohio of the brigade being mostly (rcrman. The Seventeenth now seemed well jileased with its fortune and at home; no more grumbling at any lot in its military life was ever afterwards heard from the command. But of its hardships in extent and variety tlie regiment liad as large a share as falls to the lot of any command. Soon after we joined his corjis ( ien. Sigel rode into our camp with his staff, and aeeompanie(l by the lieautifnl wife of Prince Salni- Salni, to thank us for our persistenee in joining his eomnumd. The Eleventh Corps was at this time the reserve of the xVrmy of the Potomac. The brigade and division in which the Seventeenth was were guarding Thor- oughfare Gap, in the Bull Run Mountains. After a .stay at Gainesville of about two weeks, an order came at midniglit — as such things usually canu> — to be ready to nujve at daylight in the morning. Our march was m)rthward to Hojiewell Gap and Antioch Church on same range. After some days here, like midnight orders were sent in to movi' iu the nioruing. Our niarcdi that day was from Antioch ('hureli to- wards Chaidilly. Our Hrst night was spent in the sj)lendid winter ipiarters of the rebel force, ami our destination was Chantilly. There, in the midst of wide plains and a very rich and fruitful country, the regiment held its camp with its brigade and corps, 5 till orders again came to semi to hospital all disabled, to be ready iu the morning for march. This was the beginning of our seven days' m:ireh as reserve of Burnside's movemeid on Frederickshnrg. The regiment had by this time become pretty well seasoned to military duty in the field. The knap- sacks, stuffed at first with photographs, writing ma- terial, and all sorts of home-traps, had wonderfully shrunken. (Jn the previous marches the Ohio boys had shown them some pretty long legs, but on this seven days' march the Seventeenth nuide them stretch theirs, with interest a<lded. .\s is known to most, the regiments alternate front and rear cNcry day, tlie regiment at the front always having the brightest outlook and, somehow or umjther, marching the easiest; that in the rear seems to (h'ag along with tiresome step, and often lags when at the front they make good time. ,\t Bacon's Rai'e-Course Clinreh, ahout two days' niareli from Falmouth, the terrilih' cannonade of the eonlliet (d' Frederickshnrg was distinctly heard, and on tin' next day, at noon, the mws of l'.innsi(h''s re- pulse was announced to the regiments. The corps, however, kept on to Falmouth, after a night's rest at which place they were ordered back to cam]> at Staf- ford Court-Honse. This was the jdai'c where tlie Seventeenth, whic-h had saved its rations in going down, gave a sup|ier to an < )liio regiment, whicli luid eaten up all its own. This lirotherly act was never forgotten by the Ohio boys. At Stafford Cimrt-House, passed (ju our march to Falmouth, the regiment arrived back about December Itjth and made camp in the woods. It was one of the nmst picturesque winter-camps that could be imag- imd. On each side of a street, running u|i a gentle sh)|ie of pine-forest, the regiment built huts, with camp-fires in front. The sight of their cheerful blaze ste]) by step up that ascent was at night (du'ering ami lovely. About the 20th of February an order came to Ijreak camp and march to Belle Plain. This was again in reserve to Burnside's army, on what is known as the mud-march. Our movement was onlered to follow up a contemplated second att.aek on Fredericksburg, Imt which purpose the storm and the miry state of the roads thwarted. At Belle Plain the regiment ami division were ' ordered to oceujiy the huts of the force whieli had nujved towards Fredericksburg. Thes<' were con- structed, with great neatness and nuich ingenious [ architecture, along brinks and declivities of ravines. But such good quarters wi"re only our lot for a very few days. The return of their former occupants from tlieir un.suece.ssful move required our evacuation of theirquarters. The regimentsoon relnnu'd to Brooks' Station, near its old camp at Stafford ( 'ourt-Ibjuse, and hutted for the winter. Our camp was ordered into a forest of oak and beech and all the woods of Virginia. The ground 58 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. was covered with snow, but axes were plenty, and the regiment soon sheltered itself in fine style. Here the time piK-sed quietly in drill and camp-duties till, on tlie 2(>th of A])ril, 1863, orders were issued to take in haversack seven days' rations, put everything in liglit marching order, and be in readiness for move- ment the next morning at daybreak. On that day the regiment marched westward to near Hartwood Church, and encamped for the night. This route was that of the Kh'vcnth and Twelfth Corps. Early the ne.xt morning movement was made towards Bar- rett's Ford, on the Kapi)ahannock. This river was then crossed on a pontoon-bridge by night, and the regiment bivouacked for a few hours' rest some mile or so beyond, in tlie adjacent woods. Here the Twelfth Corps j)iussed it early in the morning, and all moved on towards (ierniania Ford of the Rapidan. 8(mie of the forces ahead of us had not so good luck as the Eleventli Corjis, and many were forced to ford the river in a high state of the flood, which was strong and up to their necks. The Seventeenth, however, and most of the Eleventh Corps, passed on a temporary bridge, and bivouacked for the rest of the night some mile or two beyond. Early the next day the movement was resumed, and about five o'clock in the afternoon the battle-ground of Chancellorsville was reached, near the Hatch house, which was made the headquarters of our brigade and division. This was the liome of a man formerly from Milford, Conn., but as arrant a rebel as if a native Virginian. Our camp for the night was at the west of this Hatch house. The next morning tlic regiment was put in line along the Culpeper road to receive Gen. Hooker. The whole corps were placed in .similar positions. About eleven o'clock the general, with a brilliant staff, rode down the lines in review. In the afternoon of that day tlie commander of our brigade, (Sen. McLean, ordered the right wing of the regiment to be posted around the west and south bor- ders of the Hatch house garden, which was in rear of the Hatch house and south of the Culpeper road. This wits to lie under the immediate command of Lieut.-Col. 'Walter. Tlic left wing of the regiment, under the immediate command of JIaj. Brady, wa.s ordered into position along the Culpeper road in sup- port of Dykeman's Batter)', which was stationed south of the road, and facing south. Col. Noble was ordered to take his position between the two wings, which were some rods ajiart, and to have oversight of the action and conduct of each. The whole theory of the expected battle seemed to look for an attack from the south, and all the troops of the brigade and corps in sight of our position were aligned under that idea. Col. Noble was the next day. May 2<1, appointed officer of the day for the division, and as sudi had inspection of the picket- lines thrown forward to the south of our jiosition and to the west of the Hatcli house, in the wilderness. When on his rounds, a cavalrj' vidette rode up from the front, with information of heavy forces of the enemy iiassing along our front towards the rear. He was told to ride in to headquarters and give the in- formation at the Hatch house, wliicli was ])ointed out to him. Afterwards, during the day, another horseman rode up to our position with like informa- tion, and was again directed to report at the adjacent headquarters to Gen. Devens and Gen. McLean. He rode up to the front of the house, where they were seated. At this time two companies of the regiment — Com- pany G and Comjiany I — were on jiicket in dense woods at our right, on the border of the wilderness. About five o'clock in the afternoon of May 2d sharp firing of some light cannon was heard on our right. It seemed to be light field-pieces, and was sup|)osed to lie what is called a jackass-battery. All was quiet for a wliile, and then came sjiarp, nervous firing on our right announcing an attack of the enemy driving in our pickets ; this was the skirmish-line of Jack- son's force. Large masses of the enemy soon poured down upon our flank, and the air seemed full of mis- siles. Tlie shell fell among the horses of Dykeman's Battery and killed one; others screamed and burst fast over the battle-ground.