This Mighty Scourge

With a short narrative of the Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas

I recently finished reading Professor William L. Shea’s newest book, “Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign.”  This is an excellent book on the little known Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas.  I am hoping to have a text based interview with Dr. Shea published in the near future.  While reading the book I came upon the heroic story of CSA Colonel Joseph C. Pleasants.  I was so intrigued by Pleasants that I decided to write an article on the Confederate hero.  It can be read by clicking HERE.  As a companion to that article, I decided to write the following narrative on another American hero, Lieutenant Colonel John C. Black, who commanded the 37th Illinois Infantry, of the Federal Army of the Frontier, at Prairie Grove.  Black would fight in the opposing lines against Colonel Pleasants’ Arkansas infantry.  Both of their stories are fascinating and deserve to be told.

Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Black

John Charles Black was born on January 27, 1839 in Lexington, Mississippi.  The family would move to Danville, Illinois in 1847.  His father, John, was a Presbyterian minister and would marry Josephine Culbertson.  She would bear him four children, with John Charles being the oldest.  His father, having died in 1847, would leave Josephine to raise the four children.  She would marry William Fithiane and continue to reside in Danville.(i)

With the outbreak of the Civil War, John and his younger brother William, would enlist in the 11th Indiana Infantry, commanded by future major general, and author, Lew Wallace.  Enlisting as a private, he would reach the rank of sergeant-major during his 90 day term of enlistment.  During his tenure with the 11th Indiana, Black would fight at Romney, West Virginia, earning accolades for his bravery.  After being mustered out of the 11th, Black would return to Danville where he would help recruit Company K, 37th Illinois Infantry.  He would be elected captain of the company, with William being elected first lieutenant.(ii)  With the formal organization of the 37th, John would be appointed major, with William being promoted to captain of the company.  Known as the Fremont Rifles, the 37th Illinois would be commanded by Colonel Julius White.  Officially mustering into service on September 18, 1861, at Chicago, Illinois, it would depart for St. Louis, Missouri the next day.  After arriving in St. Louis they would be reviewed by US Major General John C. Fremont, during which his wife, Jessie Benton Fremont, tied red, white and blue ribbons to the staff of their regimental colors.

From St. Louis the 37th Illinois would be sent to Boonville, Missouri in early October.  On October 13, the regiment, less two companies left at Boonville, would march with Fremont to Springfield, Missouri, where CSA Major General Sterling Price’s Missouri Home Guard was garrisoned.  By the time they arrived, the Confederates had retreated into northwest Arkansas.  The regiment would be reunited in southwest Missouri, in February 1862, where it became part of the newly christened Army of the Southwest, commanded by US Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis.

Curtis would waste little time, quickly pursuing the retreating Confederate army on the Wire Road.  Pushing through Cassville, Missouri, Curtis’ Federal forces would march into northwest Arkansas where they would be camped on Sugar Creek in early March 1863.  On March 7, CSA Major General Earl Van Dorn would launch a surprise attack against the Federal army at Pea Ridge, Arkansas.  During the first day’s fight, the 37th Illinois would be brigaded with the 59th Illinois and the Peoria Battery.  Commanded by Colonel White, the brigade would repulse a much larger Confederate force at Oberson’s Field, during the opening engagement of the battle.  Fighting in a woodlot, north of Leetown, Major Black’s 37th Illinois would perform bravely in the seesaw fight.  They would sleep on their arms that night.  The battle would resume the next day when Curtis would rout the larger Confederate force, that had little ammunition.  During the hard fought battle, the 37th Illinois would suffer 135 casualties, 21 being killed in action.  Colonel White would be promoted to brigadier general after the battle, and would be sent east.  Lieutenant Colonel Myron Barnes would be promoted to colonel with Black being promoted lieutenant colonel.

During the summer of 1862 the 37th was assigned guard duty in southwest Missouri.  Frequently fighting bands of guerillas, the regiment would endure significant marching during that hot summer.  Black would lead an independent command against a Rebel force at Neosho, Missouri successfully driving them into present day Oklahoma.  Over two days, Black would march his regiment over 100 miles, engage in a significant skirmish and capture over 300 prisoners.  Inevitably, this independent performance would garner much attention.

By late September the 37th Illinois was pulling out of their camps, near Springfield, Missouri.  With US Brigadier General John M. Schofield now in command of the Army of the Frontier, it contained two Missouri Divisions commanded by brigadier generals James Totten and Francis Herron.  Moving east to connect with Schofield was a mixed division of soldiers called the Kansas Division.  This division was commanded by Brigadier General James G. Blunt.  On September 30, some of Blunt’s forces were surprised by a Confederate cavalry attack at Newtonia, Missouri.  With the Confederates holding the village, Schofield and Blunt quickly sent reinforcements to the vicinity, launching a large artillery attack on the Confederate position on October 4. Offering scant resistance, the Rebel calvary quickly vacated the area.  One Texas cavalier aptly described the rout, “The men were panic stricken and nothing could be done with them, in fact I think the officers were in the forefront.”(iii)  The 37th Illinois, and the rest of the Missouri divisions, continued pushing after the fleeing Confederate cavalry.  Without a fight the Confederacy had given up their only lodgement in southwest Missouri.

Over the coming four weeks Brigadier General Francis Herron, now commanding the two Federal Missouri Divisions with Schofield on sick leave in St. Louis, marched his men across southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas.  These foot sore soldiers had quite a journey: Cassville, Missouri, Pea Ridge Arkansas, Huntsville, Arkansas, Bentonville, Arkansas, Cross Hollows, Arkansas (near Pea Ridge), Osage Springs, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas and finally, on December 1, they arrived at Camp Lyon, near Springfield, Missouri.  Unfortunately, their stay would be quite short.  During the same period of time James Blunt had pushed his Kansas Division to the very entrance of the Boston Mountains, in northwest Arkansas.  After forcing the Confederate cavalry from the area of Cane Hill, Arkansas, Blunt bivouacked his men there.  This drastically changed the strategic situation for Confederate theater commander Major General Thomas Hindman.  With Blunt’s forces gathered at Cane Hill, they could easily flank his position, south of the Boston Mountains, by using any of five major roads in the area.  Hindman determined that the best action was offensive and would set his Trans-Mississippi Army in motion.  With Blunt in overall command of the three Federal divisions, he ordered Herron to bring the two Missouri Divisions to his aid with celerity.  They moved out of December 3, 1862.

Meanwhile, changes had occurred within the 37th Illinois.  Colonel Myron Barnes had retired.  Taking his place in command of the regiment was Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Black.  Black’s intrepid foot soldiers had earned the moniker “The Illinois Greyhounds” for their quick mobility.  They would get to prove it again during their forced march to Blunt’s relief.  As Shea describes in his book, “Fields of Blood,” Herron’s Missouri Divisions would be marching within six hours of receiving Blunt’s dispatch – “What followed was an epic of human endurance.”(iv)  Herron’s soldiers would endure a march of nearly 120 miles to reach Blunt.

On December 5 Hindman had his army on the move early.  They had been camped at Lee Creek, in the Boston Mountains.  Hindman believed that Blunt would expect the main assault to be on his position at Cane Hill.  Pushing north on Cove Creek Road, Hindman changed his mind.  Upon reaching the junction of Cove Creek and Van Buren roads, he decided to push the majority of his army north while sending only a small detachment northwest on the Van Buren Road, from Morrow’s.  His plan was to place the majority of his Trans-Mississippi Army between Blunt and Herron, and defeat the two wings separately.  To make his feint against Blunt he sent Lieutenant Colonel James C. Monroe’s Arkansas Cavalry and Brigadier General Mosby Parsons’ Missouri infantry brigade towards Reed’s Mountain.  Parsons was to remain in reserve as Monroe’s troopers pushed across Reed’s Mountain.  Facing them was US Lieutenant Colonel Owen Bassett’s 2d Kansas Cavalry.  Holding the high ground, the Kansans were able to repel the first Rebel attack, at which point Parsons’ infantrymen joined the fray.  With his cavalry in a rough position, Blunt ordered US Colonel Thomas Ewing, Jr.’s 11th Kansas Infantry to their support.  These troops were able to hold Reed’s Mountain and the two opposing forces held their positions throughout the day until Parsons pulled his infantry back to Cove Creek Road to rejoin the army.

Meanwhile, the rest of Hindman’s forces continued their march north on Cove Creek Road.  Hindman planned on pushing to the Fayetteville Road where his army would approach Prairie Grove on two parallel roads.  Once at Prairie Grove, he intended on pushing north, to the Illinois River, to attack Herron’s strung out Missouri Divisions.  Unfortunately, all did not go according to plan.  Upon reaching Prairie Grove, CSA Brigadier General Francis Shoup’s Division formed a defensive line on the north facing slopes of the hill that Prairie Grove occupied.  Instead of pushing north towards the Illinois River, in an offensive move to hammer Herron, he instead settled into a defensive position.  The stage was rapidly being set for a major confrontation.

After Herron’s two Missouri Divisions crossed the Illinois River, they entered Crawford’s Prairie.  Here they established a heavy artillery presence while the infantry began to assemble.  This made any Confederate offensive operations a very difficult proposition.  While Hindman’s forces commanded Crawford’s Prairie from the heights of Prairie Grove, the superiority of the Federal artillery would make an assault on their position very difficult.  Additionally, Hindman had received no significant information on any movement Blunt was making with his Kansas Division.  Instead of being the pursuer, Hindman suddenly found himself the pursued – two Federal divisions in his front and one lurking somewhere in his rear. 

While Herron’s two divisions were preparing in Crawford’s Prairie, there was a noticeable lack of preparation taken place on the slopes of Prairie Grove.  Perhaps it was due to a feeling of superiority that the heights provided or perhaps it was complacency amongst the Confederate high command.  Regardless, as 1:30 p.m. approached, General Shoup ordered Captain William D. Blocher to “stir things up.”  Blocher quickly ordered a howitzer fired which caused no damage to the enemy.  Captain David Murphy’s Battery F, 1st Missouri Light Artillery, responded to the single howitzer shot with a heavy barrage from his six guns.  These guns found there mark as described by a Confederate officer, “The enemy greatly outnumbered us and outranked us in the character of cannon, having the most improved rifle guns, and handled them with remarkable skill.”(v)

With the artillery duel continuing, Herron pushed his first wave of infantry towards the Rebel position along the hill.  This consisted of Major Henry Starr’s 20th Wisconsin, Lieutenant Colonel John McNulta’s 94th Illinois and Lieutenant Colonel Samuel McFarland’s 19th Iowa.  As these three regiments pushed through the cornfields, in front of the ridge, John Black’s 37th Illinois tensely waited on Crawford’s Hill supporting the Federal artillery posted there.  Posted to his left were Colonel John Clark’s 26th Indiana and Lieutenant Colonel Joseph B. Leake’s 20th Iowa.  As they watched, from across the open prairie, the 19th Iowa and 20th Wisconsin pushed towards the Rebel line held by CSA Brigadier General James F. Fagan’s Arkansas Brigade.  McNulta’s 94th Illinois inexplicably broke off from the rest of the Third Division’s infantry, pushing further east towards the Rebel’s right flank, held by CSA Colonel Joseph Shelby’s Missouri Cavalry Brigade.  This would cause two things to happen.  First Shoup would pull Colonel Emmett MacDonald’s Cavalry Brigade from the bench in front of the ridge, sending it to reinforce Shelby’s dismounted troopers.  Secondly, he directed CSA Colonel Dandridge McRae to send three of his brigade’s five Arkansas regiments to reinforce the left flank of Fagan’s brigade.  These regiments would extend the Confederate left flank past the Fayetteville Road.  With Black’s Illinoisans watching from Crawford’s Prairie, the 19th Iowa and 20th Wisconsin slammed into Fagan’s Brigade.  After a severe fight, some of which was hand-to-hand, the two regiments would be forced back to their jump off point in the prairie.  An Iowan from the 19th regiment described the situation as the Rebels “raised up on three sides of us and poured an incessant fire into our ranks.  They were on one side of the fence and we were on the other.”(vi)  This fight at the Borden Orchard decimated the ranks of both the Federal regiments.  The fate of McNulta’s 94th Illinois was much different.  Described as remaining in the background, they suffered 34 casualties, only one of which was killed.  As described by William L. Shea, each of the companies of the 19th Iowa and 20th Wisconsin, that scaled the hill, suffered more casualties than the entire 94th Illinois suffered.

With the remnants of the Federal regiments retreating, several of Fagan’s Arkansas regiments quickly pursued them and were greeted by tremendous artillery fire, quickly forcing them to retrace their steps.  Brigadier General Herron would succinctly describe the Confederate counterattack, “The fighting was desperate beyond description.”(vii)

Around 3:00 p.m., General Herron ordered US Colonel Daniel Huston to make his division ready - including John Black’s 37th Illinois.  By this time, the division had been in reserve near Crawford Hill for several hours.  Many of the men had been lying on the ground for several hours and were quite cold.  With the the Third Division pulled back to Crawford’s Prairie and the Rebels back in line on the hillside, the tactical situation was similar to what the sides faced when the battle had started – with the exception of hundreds of wounded and dead soldiers between the lines!  Huston, having witnessed the repulse of the Federal Third Division, and the failed Confederate counterattack, had ordered Black’s 37th Illinois and the 26th Indiana forward to the Fayetteville Road.  After pulling down the fences that ran along the road, the path for attack was open.  However, from their position they would be marching across open ground and subject to enfilade fire from McRae’s Arkansans.  With the arrival of Huston’s Division in his front, Shoup pleaded for reinforcements.  His division had suffered severely in its morning battle with the Federal Third Division and may not withstand another attack.  Hindman quickly sent Colonel Robert Shaver’s Arkansas Brigade to his support.  Shaver was part of Brigadier General Daniel Frost’s Division and this would be the first of his troops sent to the north section of the battlefield.  This represented a significant change in Hindman’s mindset as he had kept all of Frost’s soldiers in reserve where they could be used to prevent a surprise attack from Blunt’s Kansas Division at Cane Hill.  Was this an act of desperation or was Hindman certain that his feint against Cane Hill had totally fooled Blunt?

At the time of the Battle of Prairie Grove, Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Black was 23 years old.  Well educated and ambitious, Black had been rapidly promoted in the volunteer army after his strong performance at the Battle of Pea Ridge.  Waving his sword and shouting out orders, Black’s presence on the battlefield was not lost on his soldiers, one of which remarked that his long hair “gave him rather a peculiarly grand appearance.”(viii)  On this early December afternoon, in 1862, Black would provide his most valuable service to his country.  Pushing his regiment southeast towards the Borden House, nearly parallel with the bench, the 37th Illinois would be closest to the Rebel line.  With the 26th Indiana on their left, the Illinoisans would receive enfilade fire from the Confederate position.  Upon reaching the Borden house, Black gave his men time to break ranks before dressing their lines on the other side of the structure.  Unfortunately the time expended reforming their lines caused them to be become separated from the Hoosiers.  Reaching the orchard, the men from Illinois were greeted with the horrible site of the day’s festival of death – soldiers from both sides sprawled out in every conceivable way – some dead, some dying and some severely wounded.  The 26th Indiana had briefly fought in the wooded thicket to their east, but were quickly repulsed with the men streaming to the rear.  Black formed his regiment along a fence line on the north side of the orchard.  With smoke from the guns reducing visibility, the Illinoisans peered towards the hill, while shadows were lengthening with the rapidly gathering blanket of dusk.  The men inevitably heard commands being yelled out along the hillside and watched as Fagan’s Arkansas Brigade “rose like a wall before us.”  Letting loose a volley of musketry, the Rebels advanced towards Black’s men along the fence.  Black’s soldiers, now veterans, held their line and returned fire, opening gaps in Fagan’s line that would quickly close.  Black noted that, “The enemy were in immense force immediately in my front, advancing and firing as rapidly as they came….(the hail of bullets) did not seem to check them at all in their advance.”  Another Federal officer described their return fire, “The leaden hail came in one continuous stream of fire, not unlike a severe hail storm.”(ix)  One of these hissing missiles found its mark slamming into the humerus bone of Black’s uninjured left arm.  The severely wounded officer did not move to the rear but remained in the saddle, providing a calming influence over his severely pressed troops.

Facing Lieutenant Colonel Black’s 37th Illinois, in the orchard, was Charles Adams’ Arkansas Infantry regiment.  Part of Shaver’s Brigade, most of his Arkansans had never been in battle.  With a continuous storm of musketry, most of Adams’ regiment quickly made their way to the rear, not stopping until they reached the Buchanan house, nearly a mile in the rear.  Unfortunately, the retreat of Adams’ regiment did little to ease the pressure Black’s Illinoisans were receiving from three sides.  Fearing his regiment would be captured, Black ordered his men to retreat with few wasting any time making their way to the foot of the hill.  From there they would need to cross an expanse of open ground to reach the main Federal line.  With musketry and the occasional artillery ordnance chasing them along, Black’s 37th Illinois finally made it back to the Federal lines.  Unfortunately they would return with nearly 20% less men than they had started the day with.  Fortunately for the Federal goal – securing Missouri – General Blunt would arrive from the west with his Kansas Division.  While they would attack the Confederates and be repulsed, they would survive a counterattack on their position.  The next day, Blunt would meet with Hindman and agree to a truce to remove the dead and wounded. Hindman would use the truce to retreat from Prairie Grove.  His Trans-Mississippi Army would spend the winter at Fort Smith, while Blunt would continue to press his Army of the Frontier, marching back and forth across southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas.  The total butcher’s bill for the fight at Prairie Grove would be nearly 2,600 casualties evenly spread across the two armies.

With the advent of spring the campaign season of 1863 opened.  The 37th Illinois would take part in the Battle of Chalk Bluffs, near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on May 2, 1863.  From southeast Missouri, Black would be sent, as part of Herron’s division, to Vicksburg where his regiment would be placed in the siege lines on June 13.  The proud 37th Illinois would take a prominent role in the Siege of Vicksburg and would march in to the town on July 4, 1863.  Over the coming months Black would lead his regiment during engagements in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.  By this time Black had been promoted to colonel and was commanding a brigade that included the 26th Indiana, 20th Iowa and 37th Illinois.  In February 1864 the men of the 37th would re-enlisted for three years, or the duration of the war.  Mustering back into service on February 28 they would receive a 30 day furlough before heading for Memphis.  From here they were ordered to pursue CSA Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry into central Tennessee.  Over the coming months they would again see service in Arkansas and Louisiana.  In January 1865 the brigade would be sent to Pensacola, Florida from New Orleans.  On March 13, Colonel Black received brevet promotion to brigadier general of volunteers.  In April the brigade would participate in the siege and storming of Fort Blakely and would enter Mobile, Alabama.  After returning Texas the brigade would slowly be mustered out of service, with the 37th Illinois mustering out on May 15, 1865, the 20th Iowa on July 8, 1865 and the 26th Indiana on January 15, 1866.  All told, the 37th Illinois, Black’s original regiment, would travel 17,800 miles during the war (14,600 miles by steamer and 3,300 miles by foot) while suffering 233 casualties from all causes.

After the war, General Black would practice law and would become U.S. District Attorney of Chicago.  He would be elected to the U.S. Congress, as a Democrat, and would serve Illinois in that capacity for six terms.  He would be elected president of the Grand Army of the Republic and serve in that capacity from 1903–1904.  From 1904 through 1913 he would serve as president of the United States Civil Service Commission.  Having received severe wounds to both of his arms, he was significantly disabled after the war.  He was recognized for his brave and gallant service by being awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery at the Battle of Prairie Grove.  His citation follows:

Gallantly charged the position of the enemy at the head of his regiment, after 2 other regiments had been repulsed and driven down the hill, and captured a battery; was severely wounded.”(x)

General Black would marry Adaline Livona Griggs in 1867.  Together they would have three children: Gracia Mildred (1870), John B. (1872) and Helene (1883).  He would die suddenly on August 17, 1915 in Chicago, Illinois.  He is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Danville, Illinois.  General John Charles Black is a true American HERO.

(i) John Charles Black, on Ancestry.com, was used to research this article.
(ii) See John Charles Black at the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and the Illinois Civil War Regiment and Unit Histories.
(iii) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by UNC Press in 2009, Pg. 28.
(iv) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by UNC Press in 2009, Pg. 128.
(v) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by UNC Press in 2009, Pg. 160.
(vi) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by UNC Press in 2009, Pg. 176.
(vii) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by UNC Press in 2009, Pg. 180.
(viii) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by UNC Press in 2009, Pg. 189.
(ix) Shea, William L., Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign, published by UNC Press in 2009, Pgs. 190–191.
(x) Proft, R.J. (Bob), United States of America’s Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients and Their Official Citations, published by Highland House II in 2006, Pg. 809.

Seymour “Hiram” Hall was born in Barkersville, New York on September 26, 1835.  Little is known of Hiram’s early life.  With the outbreak of the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln’s call for 75,000 state militia volunteers on April 15, 1861, Hiram would begin recruiting soldiers for the 27th New York Infantry.  On May 21, 1861 he would be commissioned second lieutenant of Company G and be mustered into Federal service on June 15, 1861 in Elmira, New York.  On April 25, he would be promoted to captain.  He would lead his company at First Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, Seven Days, South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg.  The 27th New York would officially muster out of Federal service on May 31, 1863.  The three year soldiers in the 27th would be assigned to the 16th New York Battalion, commanded by Hall.(i)

The 121st New York Infantry, often called Upton’s Regulars after their second commander, Emory Upton, had been decimated during the Chancellorsville Campaign while fighting in US Major General John Sedgwick’s VI Corps, at Salem Church.  Upton, desiring to fill out his regiment requested all the able bodied three year men he could obtain.  Knowing of the 16th New York Battalion, Upton petitioned VI Corps headquarters for the men.  The men of the 16th were given the option of joining a Massachusetts battery, a Federal battery of the 121st.  Most of the men chose the 121st.  On June 16, 1863, Hall took command of Company F, 121st New York.  While the VI Corps saw little action in the Battle of Gettysburg, they were engaged in the pursuit of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia during his retreat from Gettysburg.  Seeing action during the Bristoe Campaign, from October 9–22, they would find themselves facing the Army of Northern Virginia, on opposite sides of the Rappahannock River, as winter approached. 

Many of the soldiers believed Army of the Potomac commander, US Major General George Gordon Meade, would enter the winter months with no additional fighting.  However, Meade had different ideas.  Believing he could out maneuver Lee along the Rappahannock River line, he determined to push across the river.  During the upcoming battle, Hiram Hall would provide his most valuable service to his country.

Robert E. Lee had constructed a strong bridgehead at Rappahannock Station with two artillery redoubts and connecting trenches, on the north bank.  CSA Major General Jubal Early’s 2d Corps Division manned the works, with the rest of Lee’s army south of the river commanding all the major fords.  He believed that any significant attack, by Meade, would require him to divide his forces.  Lee’s plans proved quite prescient.  On November 6, Meade ordered the I, II and III Corps to cross the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford, while the V and VI Corps would push across at Rappahannock Station.  They were ordered to move on the morning on November 7.  Major General William French would command the left wing, while Sedgwick would command the right wing.  Meade’s tactical plan was to have French’s wing push across the river, at Kelly’s Ford, in an effort to divert Lee’s attention from the main attack by Sedgwick.(ii)  Once across, they would push west to join the rest of the army that had crossed at Rappahannock Station.  From there, the Army of the Potomac would push south towards Brandy Station.

On the morning of November 7, the 121st New York, with the rest of the V and VI Corps pushed south from Warrenton.  Emory Upton was commanding the Second Brigade of US Brigadier General Horatio Wright’s First Division.  With Sedgwick commanding the right wing, Wright commanded the VI Corps and US Brigadier General David Russell commanded the First Division.  Opposing them at Rappahannock Station were two brigades commanded by CSA Brigadier Generals Robert F. Hoke and Harry Hays.  Hays’ Louisianans had earned the moniker, “Louisiana Tigers,” for their fighting prowess.  Both brigades were seasoned veterans of the Army of Northern Virginia.  Once Sedgwick had his forces in place he began to pound Early’s Confederates with artillery.  He maintained this fire throughout the afternoon, causing much consternation, and many casualties at the bridgehead.  Meanwhile, Upton’s brigade, consisting of the 121st New York, 5th Massachusetts, 95th and 96th Pennsylvania were joined by US Colonel Peter Ellmaker’s Third Brigade, consisting of the 6th Maine, 5th Wisconsin, 49th and 119th Pennsylvania.  Commanded by David Russell, they were assigned the unenviable task of carrying the works manned by Hays’ “Louisiana Tigers” and Hoke’s North Carolinians.  With dusk beginning to blanket the field, Russell’s division pushed out of the woods and towards the bridgehead.  Partially protected by the railroad embankment, the division was able to get very close to the fortifications before they were engaged by Hays’ soldiers.  Upton would detach companies B and D, as skirmishers.  They were commanded by Captain John Fish.  Upton was very clear in his orders to Fish, “When the line advances upon your right, you will advance – you will drive the enemy off that crest, you will use your judgment and act as if you had a separate command: but remember one thing – I want my brigade line to get there as soon as any of them.”(iii)  Clinton Beckwith described the action, “We moved forward briskly and soon discovered the Rebel skirmish line.  They waited a good while, an age I thought, before they fired on us, and I knew someone would get hit.  Finally they let go and we started on a run after them, and they skedaddled.  One fellow waited until Jack Marden, one of our boys, got close to him, and then fired and hit Jack.  But the ball, striking something in Jack’s pocket, glanced off.  The Rebel shouted, ‘I surrender,’ but Jack shot and wounded him badly….The artillery in the fort was now firing rapidly and the cannon shots flew over us and went after our fellows who were coming up behind.  The Reb skirmishers kept falling back, but kept up a sharp fire.”(iv)  Soon, Fish and his skirmishers, along with the rest of the 121st New York, were upon the works.

Hiram Hall’s Company F was part of the attacking column.  Upon reaching the Rebel works, he was able to reform his lines.  The fighting became hand-to-hand, with several casualties coming from bayonet wounds.  With darkness quickly covering the battlefield, the action is described in “Upton’s Regulars,” by Salvatore Cilella: “(the Louisiana brigade remained) sanguine and defiant….Upton could see their colors in the gathering night, inscribed with “Cedar Run,” “Manassas Second,” “Winchester,” “Harpers Ferry,” “Sharpsburg,” “Fredericksburg,” “Chancellorsville,” and “Gettysburg.”  Without waiting for Russell for further instructions, Upton sent Capt. Seymour Hall to tell Russell that he had accomplished his mission and had reformed his lines parallel to the rifle pits that were still crawling with rebel soldiers.  He intended to attack again.”(v)  Upton had advised his men, “Boys, or rather Old 121st, I am with you again.  We are going to make a charge, and some of you will fall, but you will all go to heaven.  And I am going with you over the works.”  With that, Hall’s Company F, and the rest of the 121st New York stormed the rifle pits, performing a left face they rolled up the flank of the 6th, 54th and 57th North Carolina regiments.  Many of the Confederates surrendered and the 121st New York was able to capture a regimental flag.  All told, with the 5th Maine at their side, the 121st New York was able to capture seven Confederate flags, 103 officers, 1,300 enlisted men and 1,200 weapons.  One captured Rebel asked how many corps were involved in the attack.  When he was told only two regiments carried out the assault the “mortification” was “extreme.”  After the battle Upton reported, “The success at Rappahannock had a most electrifying effect throughout the army.”(vi)

Hall would continue to lead Company F, 121st New York Infantry, through some of the most bloody battles of the Eastern Theater: The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the North Anna and Cold Harbor.  In April 1864, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 43d United States Colored Troops.  He would lead these men at the Battle of the Crater, Weldon Railroad, Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run and the Appomattox Campaign.  He would receive a brevet promotion to brigadier general on March 13, 1865.

After the war, Hall would move with his wife, Augusta, to Carrollton, Missouri and finally to Kansas.  She bore him five children: Clarence, Harry, John, Mabel and Augusta.  Seymour H. Hall would die on July 1, 1908 in Kansas City, Kansas and is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas.

For his bravery, and gallant leadership, Hall would receive two Medals of Honor on August 17, 1891 – one for his actions at Gaines’s Mill and the other for his heroism at Rappahannock Station.  The official citation reads:

Although wounded at Gaines Mill, Va., he remained on duty and participated in the battle with his company.  At Rappahannock Station, Va., while acting as an aide, rendered gallant and prompt assistance in reforming the regiments inside the enemy works.(vii)

Captain Seymour Hall is a true American HERO.

(i) Cilella, Salvatore G., Upton’s Regulars: The 121^st New York Infantry in the Civil War, published by the University Press of Kansas in 2009, Pg. 184.
(ii) Cilella, Salvatore G., Upton’s Regulars: The 121^st New York Infantry in the Civil War, published by the University Press of Kansas in 2009, Pg. 235.
(iii) Cilella, Salvatore G., Upton’s Regulars: The 121^st New York Infantry in the Civil War, published by the University Press of Kansas in 2009, Pg. 237.
(iv) Best, Isaac O., History of the 121^st New York State Infantry, published by Lieut. Jas. H. Smith in 1921, Pgs. 100–101.
(v) Cilella, Salvatore G., Upton’s Regulars: The 121^st New York Infantry in the Civil War, published by the University Press of Kansas in 2009, Pg. 240.
(vi) Cilella, Salvatore G., Upton’s Regulars: The 121^st New York Infantry in the Civil War, published by the University Press of Kansas in 2009, Pg. 243.
(vii) R.J. (Bob) Pfoft, Editor, United States of America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Fifth Edition, Pg. 883.

James Barton Wiley was born in Ohio between 1836 and 1838.  By 1850 he was living with his parents, Jacob and Mary Wiley, in Noble, Ohio.  He was the oldest of seven siblings.  He was the only son of Jacob and Mary.  He would marry Catherine Coffee on February 2, 1854 in Noble County, Indiana.  Together they would have three children: Mary Jane (1856), John M. (1859) and William S. (1862).  Wiley would often go by his middle name on official records, including his marriage certificate and the 1860 Federal Census record which listed the Wiley residence in Baker, Indiana.(i)

With the outbreak of hostilities, Wiley would enlist as a private in Company H, 59th New York Infantry.  His date of enlistment was September 20, 1861 at Bellville, Ohio.  In speaking with a couple of his ancestors, this author has been unable to determine why he would enlist in a New York regiment when he lived in Indiana and entered the service in Ohio.  The only logical conclusion is that Ohio had filled her volunteer requirements and the state had not authorized the formation of additional regiments by his enlistment date.

The 59th New York was officially mustered into Federal service in November 1861 and would leave New York City on November 23.  Proceeding to Washington City they would serve in US Brigadier General James Wadsworth’s command, defending Washington, through May 1862.  In July 1862 the 59th New York would join the Army of the Potomac and be assigned to the Third Brigade (Brigadier General Napoleon J.T. Dana), Second Division (US Major General John Sedgwick) of US Major General Edwin Sumner’s II Corps.  Commanding the 59th New York was Colonel William L. Tidball.  Leaving Washington City, they would join their new command at Harrison’s Landing on the James River Peninsula.  By this time The Seven Days was over and the Army of the Potomac, commanded by US Major General George B. McClellan was preparing to leave Harrison’s Landing to return to Alexandria, Virginia.  Private James Wiley would see no action while at Harrison’s Landing.(ii)

By August 28, 1862, the II Corps was located at Fairfax Court House, Virginia, and would be involved in covering US Major General John Pope’s retreating Army of Virginia from their rout at Second Manassas.  After the defeat of Pope’s army, CSA General Robert E. Lee determined to invade the North in an effort to recruit troops and provide relief for wary Virginians who had suffered through nearly all of the fighting in the Eastern Theater.  Pushing into Maryland during the first days of September, Lee would begin an effort to recruit Marylanders who were loyal to the Confederacy – an effort that turned out to be in vain.

Meanwhile, in Washington City, McClellan began to organize the remnants of Pope’s Army of Virginia using some of them to fill the ranks of his Army of the Potomac.  A master of organization, McClellan quickly had his army back in shape.  With intelligence mounting, that Lee had pushed into Maryland, McClellan quickly began planning his movements.  On September 6, the Army of the Potomac left Washington, in several columns, to find Lee’s army.  The first action of the Maryland Campaign would occur at South Mountain on September 14, when US Major General Joseph Hooker’s I Corps would engage portions of CSA Major Generals James Longstreet and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s army wings.  The fighting at South Mountain would take place at Fox’s Gap, Crampton’s Gap and Turner’s Gap and would be intense.  Hooker was severely pressed while trying to push through the gaps.  The II Corps, including the 59th New York, would be sent to reinforce Hooker, but would arrive to find the I Corps alone at South Mountain – Lee having pulled his forces back.

On September 16, Sumner’s II Corps would be on the east side of Antietam Creek, facing the majority of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia (CSA Major General A.P. Hill’s Light Division was at Harpers Ferry) deployed around Sharpsburg, Maryland – just west of Antietam Creek.  On the morning of September 17, Hooker’s I Corps, having crossed Antietam Creek north of the Confederates, pushed south towards the left flank of Lee’s forces.  Pushing through the “Corn Field” they would be heavily engaged against Jackson’s Left Army Wing.  With the fighting going back-and-forth, across the Corn Field, the I Corps would suffer terrible casualties.  At 7:20 a.m., McClellan would order the II Corps to reinforce Hooker’s I Corps, and US Major General Joseph Mansfield’s XII Corps which had become engaged east of the Corn Field, near the North Woods.  The plan was for Sumner’s II Corps to push towards the Dunker Church, slamming into the left of Jackson’s Confederate lines.  Two of the II Corps divisions were to attack in force.  Unfortunately, US Major General William H. French’s division would veer to the left instead of staying on Sedgwick’s Second Division’s left flank.  This would leave the Second Division, including Wiley’s 59th New York, unsupported as they pushed through the Corn Field towards the West Woods.  Crossing the Hagerstown Pike, the general order was to keep the Dunker Church on their left, and rear.  Pushing straight forward, the three brigades of Sedgwick’s division would not find the enemy in their front, but with their left flank refused and facing north into Sedgwick’s left flank.  Confusion reigned throughout Sedgwick’s division and it became especially pronounced within Dana’s brigade.  His troops, including Wiley’s 59th New York, were receiving heavy enemy fire from a direction they did not expect – their left - enfilading their lines.  Additionally, the division was receiving heavy artillery fire from CSA Major General J.E.B. Stuart’s horse artillery located on a rocky rise to their right.(iii)  Sumner, maintaining his composure, rode up and down his lines, encouraging his soldiers to remain steady.  One of Dana’s soldiers wrote home describing Sumner’s actions, “We were completely flanked on the left and in two minutes more could have been prisoners of war if Gen Sumner himself had not rode in through a terrific fire of the enemy and brought us off……My men fell around me like dead flies on a frosty morning.”(iv)  The 59th New York’s baptism of fire was harsh.  The regiment did not handle themselves well.  With the field shrouded by smoke, they fired unknowingly into the backs of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry.  Not hearing the Massachusetts men yelling at them to cease firing, they would continue to fire into them until Sumner rode up and “cussed them out.”  Sedgwick’s division was able to retreat across the Hagerstown Pike and reform.  The fighting at Antietam would move south to the Bloody Lane, where the II Corps divisions of French and US Major General Israel Richardson would continue the fight.  The fighting on the Federal right would diminish as the action at the Bloody Lane intensified.  US Major General Ambrose Burnside’s IX Corps would attack on the far left, after which the Battle of Antietam sputtered to a close.  Sergeant James Wiley, along with the 59th New York, had experienced their first major fighting, on a grand scale, at Antietam.

Wiley would continue to serve with the 59th New York through upcoming battles at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville – each being terrible Federal defeats.  Once again, after the Battle of Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee decided to invade the North.  From July 1–3, 1863, the Army of the Potomac, commanded then by US Major General George Gordon Meade, would battle Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in the small southern Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg.  US Major General Winfield S. Hancock now commanded the II Corps.  The Second Division was now commanded by US Brigadier General John Gibbon with the Third Brigade being commanded by Colonel Norman J. Hall.  The 59th New York was in Hall’s brigade and was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Max Thoman.  Brigadier General John Caldwell’s First Division would see action on the second day of Gettysburg, the other two divisions would not be involved.  On the third day of battle, the II Corps other divisions, commanded by US Brigadier General Alexander Hays, and Gibbon, would see significant action during CSA Major General George E. Pickett’s famous charge.  Positioned along Cemetery Ridge, Hays division held the II Corps right flank while Gibbon’s division held the left.  Gibbon received some support from US Colonel Edmund Dana’s I Corps’ brigade.  Pickett’s combined command, which included his 1st Corps Division and CSA Brigadier General J. Johnston Pettigrew’s Division and portions of CSA Major General Richard H. Anderson’s Division, both of the 3d Corps, totaled approximately 12,500 soldiers.  After CSA Colonel E. Porter Alexander’s 1st Corps artillery bombarded the Federal lines for over an hour, Pickett’s troops dressed ranks along Seminary Ridge and pushed towards Hancock’s II Corps.  It was approximately 3:00 p.m.  Crossing the fields between Seminary Ridge and Cemetery Ridge, the Confederates would start to receive artillery shelling.  Crossing a fence along the Emmittsburg Road, they pushed towards the Federal line, its soldiers well protected behind a stone wall.  As they closed to within small arms range, they received a terrible storm of lead as the Federal infantry opened on them.  The Confederate charge would be repulsed, with only a handful of regiments breaking through the II Corps’ line.  The 59th New York would receive a direct assault from the 48th Georgia Infantry regiment.(v)  During the hard fighting here, some of which was hand-to-hand, Wiley would capture the Georgia regiment’s battle flag.  He would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg, on December 1, 1864.  His citation reads, “Capture of flag of a Georgia regiment.”

Meade’s Army of the Potomac would repulse Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg, ending the bloodiest battle on American soil.  Lee would retreat back into Virginia, with Meade’s army slowly pursuing them, essentially “nipping at their heels.”

Wiley, and the 59th New York Infantry, would continue to serve their country.  They would be engaged in all the remaining battles in the eastern theater including Mine Run, the Overland Campaign, Petersburg Campaign and Appomattox Court House.  On June 22, 1864, during the fighting at Jerusalem Plank Road, 1st Sergeant James Wiley would be captured.  He would be sent south to the Confederate Prison at Camp Sumter – better known as Andersonville.  He would suffer, with his fellow prisoners, from malnutrition, poor drinking water and exposure to the elements.  On February 7, 1865, Wiley would die from dysentery – most likely never knowing he had been awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry at Gettysburg.  James Barton Wiley is a true American HERO.

(i) James Barton Wiley, at Ancestery.com was used to research this article.
(ii) The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System was used to research this article.
(iii) Walker, Francis A., History of the Second Army Corps in the Army of the Potomac, Second Edition, published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1891, Pgs. 100–107.
(iv) Sears, Stephen W., Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam, published by Ticknor & Fields in 1983, Pgs. 227–228.
(v) Hess, Earl J., Pickett’s Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg, published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2001, Pg. 91.

Patrick DeLacey was born on November 25, 1835 near Carbondale, Pennsylvania.  Not much is known about DeLacey’s early life and education.  DeLacey would enlist in Company A, 143d Pennsylvania Infantry on August 26, 1862.(i)  His rank upon enlistment was sergeant.  The 143d would organize at Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and officially muster into Federal service on October 18, 1862.(ii)

The 143d Pennsylvania Infantry would be in garrison duty around Washington City.  They would be assigned there from November 7, 1862 through January 17, 1863.  In January 1863 the 143d would be assigned to US Colonel Roy Stone’s Second Brigade, US Major General Abner Doubleday’s Third Division of US Major General John F. Reynolds’s I Corps.  At the Battle of Chancellorsville, Reynolds’s I Corps would be involved in the Federal defense of the Rappahannock River crossing at U.S. Ford.  Holding the far right flank of the defensive line, the I Corps would be instrumental in allowing US Major General Joe Hooker’s Army of the Potomac to safely retreat across the Rappahannock River, ending the primary fighting at Chancellorsville.

On July 1, 1863, during the first day’s fighting at Gettysburg, DeLacey and the 143d Pennsylvania would be posted along the Chambersburg Pike, during the initial Confederate assaults along McPherson’s Ridge.  They stayed in this advanced position throughout the fighting on McPherson’s Ridge, and would be the last Federal regiment to pull back through the streets of Gettysburg.  CSA Lieutenant General A.P. Hill recalled their fighting retreat stating they, “fought for some time with much obstinacy,” and he would never forget their color-bearer, “turning round every now and then to shake his fist at the advancing rebels.”(iii)  They would suffer 253 casualties of the 465 soldiers brought to Gettysburg – a casualty rate of 54.4%.(iv)  After their beating on July 1, the 143d Pennsylvania, and most of the I Corps, would remain in reserve near Cemetery and Culp’s Hills.  DeLacey, and the I Corps, would be involved in the pursuit of CSA General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, from July 5–24, 1863.  After the Gettysburg Campaign, the 143d Pennsylvania Infantry would be assigned various garrison duties, until the spring campaign season of 1864. 

Prior to US Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign, the 143d Pennsylvania would be reassigned to Roy Stone’s Third Brigade, US Brigadier General James S. Wadsworth’s Fourth Division of US Major General Gouverneur K. Warren’s V Corps.  At the opening battle of the Overland Campaign, the Battle of the Wilderness, Sergeant Patrick DeLacey would provide his most gallant service to the United States.  On the second day of the battle, May 6, Stone’s brigade was posted west of Brock Road on the Orange Plank Road.  Warren’s V Corps was engaged in a hot battle against CSA Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps.(v)  During the fighting at this important crossroads, DeLacey ran ahead of the Federal lines, shooting a Confederate color-bearer, before returning to his own lines.  His gallantry rallied much of his brigade, and division, allowing for a successful holding action while awaiting additional reinforcements. 

DeLacey would remain in the 143d Pennsylvania Infantry through the remainder of the Civil War, fighting at Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and the Weldon Railroad.  The 143d Pennsylvania would be ordered to Hart’s Island, New York, in February 1865, to guard the prison camp there.  During his service, Patrick DeLacey would be promoted to full Sergeant Major on October 6, 1864 and Second Lieutenant on May 24, 1865.  For his actions at the Wilderness, DeLacey was awarded the Medal of Honor, on April 24, 1894.  His citation read:

Running ahead of the line, under a concentrated fire, he shot the color bearer of a Confederate regiment on the works, thus contributing to the success of the attack.(vi)

After the Civil War, Lieutenant Patrick DeLacey would run for Superior Judge in Pennsylvania.  He would die in Scranton, Pennsylvania on April 27, 1915.  He was 84.  He was buried at Saint Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pennsylvania.  DeLacey is a true American HERO.

(i)  Ancestry.com was used to research this article.  Click here for additional information.
(ii) The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System was used to research this article.
(iii) Trudeau, Noah Andre, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, published by Harper Collins in 2002, Pg. 233.
(iv) Trudeau, Noah Andre, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, published by Harper Collins in 2002, Pg. 567.
(v) Rhea, Gordon C., The Battle of the Wilderness: May 5–6, 1864, published by Louisiana State University Press in 1994, Pg. 296.
(vi) R.J. (Bob) Pfoft, Editor, United States of America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Fifth Edition, Pg. 849.

Francis A. Waller was born on August 15, 1840 in Gurneyville, Ohio.  Waller moved to Vernon County, Wisconsin in 1853.  After the Confederate firing on Fort Sumter, on April 12, 1861, Abraham Lincoln would issue a proclamation, on April 15, calling for 75,000 state militia, for 90 days, to suppress the rebellion of the southern states.  Waller, then 20 years of age, answered Lincoln’s call and enlisted as a private, in Company I, of the 6th Wisconsin Infantry.  Organized at Camp Randall, Wisconsin, the 6th would be officially mustered into Federal service on July 16, 1861.(i)

Waller, with his 6th Wisconsin would leave for Washington City, and would remain there until July 28, 1861.  In June 1862, the regiment would be assigned to US Brigadier General John Gibbon’s Fourth Brigade, of Rufus King’s First Division in the III Corps of the Army of Virginia.  They would see some action at Cedar Mountain on August 9.  Gibbon’s brigade, then called the “Black Hat” brigade, would be comprised of all western regiments: 2nd Wisconsin, 6th Wisconsin, 7th Wisconsin and the 19th Indiana.  On their march, to intercept CS Major General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s Left Wing, thought to be at Centreville, Virginia, the brigade would be surprised by the Confederates at the Battle of Brawner’s Farm.  The brigade would suffer terribly at this opening battle of Second Manassas, and would earn a reputation for bravery.  In September 1862, during the Maryland Campaign, they would be heavily engaged at South Mountain, earning the new nickname – Iron Brigade.  On September 17, at the Battle of Antietam, Waller, would participate in some of the hardest fighting at the Corn Field.  Again, the Iron Brigade would suffer tremendously.  From December 12–15, they would fight at the Battle of Fredericksburg.  Continuing to earn a reputation for hard fighting, they would be engaged at the Battle of Chancellorsville, in early May 1863.

CS General Robert E. Lee, determined to take the fight to the north, would invade Pennsylvania in June 1863.  The Federal Army of the Potomac, with its new commander, US Major General George G. Meade, pursued Lee.  On July 1, he found the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  On that day, then corporal, Francis Waller would provide his most valuable service to the United States.  Fighting would commence early that day, between US Brigadier General John Buford’s cavalry division and CS Major General Henry Heth’s Confederate infantry division.  Buford’s dismounted cavalry was able to slow Heth’s approach to Gettysburg until US Major General John Reynold’s I Corps was able to arrive.  The Iron Brigade was part of the I Corps and was one of the first infantry brigades to arrive at the rapidly developing Battle of Gettysburg.  While the rest of the brigade (2nd Wisconsin, 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana and 24th Michigan) fought at Herbst Woods, on McPherson’s Ridge, the 6th Wisconsin was sent north of the Chambersburg Pike to reinforce US Brigadier General Lysander Cutler’s brigade.  As the battle raged, between 10:30 a.m and 11:15 a.m., the reinforced Confederate line began to push the Federals back, towards the Lutheran Seminary.  The portion of Cutler’s line, that included the 6th Wisconsin was refused, facing north, near an unfinished railroad cut.  This railroad cut proved fateful for CS Brigadier General Joseph R. Davis’ brigade, comprised of Mississippians and North Carolinians.  Davis would push three regiments of his brigade, into the cut, in an effort to flank the Federal I Corps.  Unfortunately the walls of the cut proved to high to allow accurate musket fire, or artillery support.  Pushing through the cut, the Confederates became easy targets for the Federal regiments arrayed on the south bank of the cut.  The 14th Brooklyn, 95th New York and the 6th Wisconsin opened a withering fire on the soldiers trapped in the cut.  Many of the Confederates surrendered, but plenty determined to fight their way out.  The fighting devolved to hand-to-hand combat.  During the hardest fighting, Waller engaged the color bearer of the 2nd Mississippi Infantry, Corporal William B. Murphy.  The two would fight gallantly for the cherished flag.  Waller triumphed, killing Murphy and securing the Mississippi colors.  For his brave, and selfless actions, Waller would be awarded the Medal of Honor.  During the fighting at Gettysburg, the Iron Brigade would suffer 1,212 casualties of the 1,883 soldiers (64%) that arrived at McPherson’s Ridge.(ii)

Waller would continue to serve with the 6th Wisconsin, through the remainder of the Civil War.  He would fight at Mine Run, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Five Forks and Appomattox Court House.  Waller would receive promotions to 2nd Lieutenant on December 21, 1864 and 1st Lieutenant on March 23, 1865.  On December 1, 1864, Waller would be awarded the Medal of Honor.  His official citation reads:

“Capture of flag of 2d Mississippi Infantry (C.S.A.). (iii)

After the Civil War, Lieutenant Waller would return to Vernon County, Wisconsin.  He would die on April 30, 1911 in Bentford, South Dakota.  He is buried at Walnut Mound Cemetery in Retreat, Wisconsin.  Francis Waller is a true American HERO.

(i) The Civil War Soldiers and Sailor System was used to research this article.
(ii) The Gettysburg National Military Park website was used to research this article.  Click here to view the transcript.
(iii) The Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients website was used to research this article.

Henry H. Taylor was born in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, near Galena, on July 4, 1841, to John W. Taylor and Temperance Stringfield.  Taylor would enlist, on May 9, 1861, after Abraham Lincoln’s call for 75,000 state militia, after the firing on Fort Sumter.  He would be assigned to the 45th Illinois Infantry on November 20, 1861.  The regiment would officially be mustered into Federal service on December 25, 1861, at Camp Douglas, Illinois.(i)

The 45th Illinois would fight in many of the most significant battles in the Western Theater including: Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg Campaign, Atlanta Campaign and the Carolinas Campaign.  Taylor mustered in as a private and would advance to sergeant of Company C, where he would be a color bearer.

During the fighting, at Vicksburg, Mississippi, Taylor would provide his most important service to the United States.  On June 25, 1863, after the reduction of the Third Louisiana Redan, by an underground mine, the infantry would be sent into the breach.  A Union soldier described the explosion, “All at once a dead heavy roll, a hundred shouts, and you could see nothing but a black cloud of dirt and powder smoke, throwing the earth thirty of forty feet in the air, and about half of the wall rolled over the ditch as if turned by a ponderous plow.  Instantaneous with this was the crack of a hundred cannon, as though they were all pulled off by one lanyard….while the infantry advanced with a yell that none but soldiers can give, rushed up the breastworks and a galling fire ensued between the rebs at the bottom and at the top.”(ii)  The 45th Illinois was part of US Brigadier General Mortimer D. Leggett’s First Brigade, assigned to US Major General John Logan’s First Division of US Major General James B. McPherson’s XVII Corps.  Led by Colonel Jasper A. Maltby, the 45th Illinois rushed into gaping hole left after the detonation of the mine.  The fighting would be described by Leggett as “desperate.”(iii)  Taylor, as color bearer, was in the front of his regiment.  As they clawed their way to the top of the Third Louisiana Redan, Sergeant Taylor would plant the regiment’s colors on the works.  A soldier in the 20th Illinois (in the same brigade as the 45th Illinois) described what they encountered at the redan, “The up-heaved earth was soft, and our feet sank deep into the loose dirt as we rushed over the dead and dying up the incline to the foot-wide crest of undisturbed earth, which, fortunately for the defenders of the Fort, remained to obstruct the on-slaught of the union forces.”(iv)  The fighting would continue well into the night.  The Federal troops would finally pull back about 75 feet, a position they held through the surrender, on July 4.

Taylor would receive the Medal of Honor for his valor during the fight at what would be called, “General Logan’s Canal.”  After the surrender, the 45th Illinois would be the first regiment to enter Vicksburg.  General Leggett described the scene, “The Forty-fifth Illinois was the first regiment to march into Vicksburg, receive the surrender, and hoist the flag on the court house.  The whole of one division went in on the 4th of July, and no other troops.  The Forty-fifth was part of the first brigade which I had commanded, and it was for its gallantry in breaking the Confederate line as well as for its other services in the campaign, that I gave it the front on that day.”(v)

Taylor would remain in the 45th Illinois Infantry until he mustered out on September 8, 1864, after his three year term of enlistment expired.

The following is the citation that Sergeant Henry H. Taylor received with his Medal of Honor, on September 1, 1893.

“Was the first to plant the Union colors upon the enemy works.”(vi)

After the Civil War, Taylor and his wife, Margery, would reside in Wyandotte, Kansas.  He would work as a banker.  He died on May 3, 1909 at Leavenworth, Kansas.  Sergeant Henry H. Taylor is a true American HERO.

(i) The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System was used to research this article.
(ii) Ballard, Michael B., Vicksburg: The Campaign That Opened the Mississippi, published by The University of North Carolina Press 2004, Pgs. 367–368.
(iii) Beyer, Walter F., Keydel, Oscar Frederick, Duffield, Henry Martin, Deeds of Valor, published by Perrien-Keydel Co. 1907, Pg. 215.
(iv) Ballard, Michael B., Vicksburg: The Campaign That Opened the Mississippi, published by The University of North Carolina Press 2004, Pg. 368.
(v) Beyer, Walter F., Keydel, Oscar Frederick, Duffield, Henry Martin, Deeds of Valor, published by Perrien-Keydel Co. 1907, Pg. 215.
(vi) R.J. (Bob) Pfoft, Editor, United States of America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Fifth Edition, Pg. 1020.

James Milton Pipes was born in Dotysburg, Pennsylvania on November 10, 1840.(i)  The son of Washington Pipes, and Cynthia Clark, his great-grandfather was Captain John Pipes, Jr., a veteran of the Revolutionary War.  Very little is known about the early life of James.

On August 18, 1862 J.M. Pipes enlisted in the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry at Jacksonville, Pennsylvania.  He received $27 in bounty and bonus payments for enlisting.  Upon enlisting Pipes was said to be 5’10” tall with dark hair and hazel eyes.  He listed “farmer” as his occupation.  The 140th Pennsylvania was mustered into Federal service at Pittsburg, and Harrisburg, on September 8, 1862.  The regiment would move to Parktown, Maryland, after mustering, and would be assigned to guarding the North Central Railroad until December 1862.  In mid-December 1862 they would be assigned to US Major General Darius Couch’s II Corps, Army of the Potomac.  Assigned to US Brigadier General Samuel Zook’s Third Brigade of US Major General Winfield S. Hancock’s First Division, it would see its first action at the Battle of Chancellorsville.(ii)  The 140th would see action on the first day of Chancellorsville, covering the withdrawal of US Major George G. Meade’s V Corps, to the east of the Chancellorsville Tavern.  For the rest of the battle Couch’s II Corps would hold the left perimeter, of the Federal battle line, around the Chancellor homestead.

From Chancellorsville, then Sergeant Pipes would head north with the Army of the Potomac, to Pennsylvania.  The II Corps would suffer during this march, through Maryland and then into Pennsylvania.  The 140th was still assigned to the First Division (US Brigadier General John Caldwell), Third Brigade (Zook).  During this difficult march, one member of the 140th commented, “The weather is very hot.  The dust is shoe mouth deep.”(iii)  With Darius Couch assigned to reserve command, the II Corps had a new commander: Winfield S. Hancock – now know as “Hancock the Superb.”

On July 1 the Battle of Gettysburg commenced.  North of Gettysburg, US Brigadier General John Buford’s cavalry division opened the battle against  CS Major General Henry Heth’s Division, of CS Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell (A.P.) Hill’s 3rd Corps.  Buford was able to contain Heth’s advance into Gettysburg, until US Major General John Reynolds’ I Corps, and US Major General Oliver O. Howard’s XI Corps arrived on the battlefield.  Reynold’s would be killed early in the action, with command devolving to his senior division commander, US Major General Abner Doubleday.  With the arrival of the XI Corps, command would then pass to O.O. Howard.  Hancock arriving at Gettysburg well ahead of his Corps, would rush to the battle.  Taking command of the two army corps, he would organize the fighting retreat towards Cemetery Ridge, south of Gettysburg.  Here he would quickly fortify Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill and with the arrival of his II Corps he would extend the army’s left flank south along Cemetery Ridge.

On July 2, with the new Army of the Potomac commander George G. Meade in overall command, the Federal line looked much like an inverted fish hook – with the barbed hook looping northeast around Culp’s Hill and the eye south of Cemetery Ridge, near Little Round Top.  That was as least the plan.  Unfortunately, US Major General Daniel Sickles had placed his III Corps a full mile west of the line, forming a large square salient.  Within this salient some of the most brutal fighting would occur at the Peach Orchard, Wheat Field and the Devil’s Den.  Meade finding Sickles out of position declined Sickles’ offer to pull back, stating, “You cannot hold this position, but the enemy will not let you get away without a fight, & it may begin now as at any time.” (iv)  How prescient Meade’s comment was.  Within a short time, a large portion of CS Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps would be slamming into the overextended III Corps line.

Meade would immediately order portions of Hancock’s II Corps to support Sickles’ III Corps.  Caldwell’s Division was sent towards the salient.  This included the following brigades: Colonel Edward Cross’s First Brigade, Colonel Patrick Kelly’s Second Brigade (Irish Brigade), Zook’s Third Brigade and Colonel John Brooke’s Fourth Brigade.  Sergeant J.M. Pipes’ 140th Pennsylvania was on the move with Zook’s brigade.  Prior to departing their position on Cemetery Ridge, a surreal act took place.  Father William Corby, a Catholic priest with the Iron Brigade, stood on a rock, raised his hand, and offered blessing and absolution to the soldiers heading into battle.  An officer in attendance recalled the scene, “The brigade stood in a column of regiments, closed in mass.  Father Corby…addressing the men, said that each one could receive the benefit of absolution by making a sincere Act of Contrition and firmly resolving to embrace the first opportunity of confessing his sins,….and reminded them of the high and sacred nature of their trust as soldiers…..Then, stretching his right hand toward the brigade, Father Corby pronounced the words of absolution….The service was more than impressive, it was awe-inspiring.”(v)  While Father Corby’s absolution was primarily given to the Irish Brigade, it has been well documented that other regiments, from other brigades were in attendance.  It is not hard to envision Pipes’ 140th Pennsylvania marching by this “awe-inspiring” sight, removing their hats, and saying a prayer, knowing that this might be their last.  This is obviously conjecture, on my part, but it is well documented that many men outside the Irish Brigade, including high ranking officers were there.

With Caldwell’s division pushing south, towards the Wheat Field, additional reinforcements were being pushed west, from the vicinity of Little Round Top.  These V Corps brigades were commanded by Colonel William Tilton, Colonel Jacob Sweitzer, Colonel Hannibal Day and Colonel Sidney Burbank.  Their point of convergence, with Caldwell’s division, would be a small wheat field that much of Sickles’ III Corps was being pushed towards, from the west.  They had met an unresistible Confederate force, commanded by James Longstreet, that overpowered the outer lines of Sickles’ salient at Sherfy’s Peach Orchard, crushing it, and pushing it back.  This would cause Sickles’ headquarters to be untenable.  As plans were being made to pull back, Sickles would be hit by an artillery projectile, below the right knee.  Command would pass to US Major General David Birney.

Caldwell’s Division, including Zook’s brigade, pushed towards the Wheat Field.  It was nearing 6:00 PM and the sun was beginning to move low to the horizon.  Approaching from the northeast was Zook’s brigade, including the 140th Pennsylvania.  As a sergeant, Pipes would be in command of a squad of individuals within Company A.  The 140th would reach the Wheat Field through a rocky section of woods, known then as “Stony Hill,” and would do most of its fighting just outside the field.  Pushing quickly through “Stony Hill” they would run headlong into an overpowering Confederate force, commanded by CS Brigadier General Joseph Kershaw.  Additionally, Zook’s brigade would be enfiladed from the left, by another Confederate brigade commanded by Brigadier General Paul Semmes.  This proved to much to handle, so Zook’s and Kelly’s brigades would slowly pull back.  It was during this pull back that Pipes would distinguish himself.  Falling back across the Wheat Field, Sergeant Pipes and First Lieutenant J.J. Purman, also of Company A, came upon a fallen comrade.  He asked them to help remove him from the battlefield.  With the Rebels closing in on them, they determined to place the soldier behind some rocks, hoping to protect him from enemy fire.  Carrying the soldier to the rocks, they placed him comfortably out of the way of the enemy fire.  Sergeant Pipes later wrote of what happened at the Wheat Field.

“The question confronted us: shall we be captured or take the slim chance of crossing that field?  Of course we took the chance.  We had hardly started when a wounded comrade pleaded to be taken off the field, as he could not rise.  The rebels, who were very close upon us, called, ‘Halt, you damned Yankees, Halt!’  We however, carried this comrade some thirty of forty steps and placed him behind some large boulders where he would have protection from the fire from both sides, and being trampled upon.

This occupied but a few moments, but the delay was fatal to our attempt to cross the wheat field.  We had just started on a good double-quick, when Lieutenant Purman called out: ‘I am hit!’  I was then but a few steps from him, and the next moment I received a wound in the leg, and replied: ‘I am wounded too!’   Realizing that I could not aid the lieutenant, having only one sound leg, I thought, ‘goodbye comrades,’ and using my gun for crutch, commenced to hop off the battle-field, but had only gotten a few paces, when to my surprise, I found myself right among the Confederates.”(vi)

Many of the 140th Pennsylvania had been captured.  They were removed to an old barn, then being used as a field hospital.  On July 3 the field hospital was captured by the Federal army, and Sergeant Pipes was moved to a II Corps field hospital.  After the failed charge of CS Major General George Pickett’s division, the action at Gettysburg slowly faded.  At the close of action on July 3, the Army of the Potomac held the field.  Gettysburg had been a glorious victory.  Unfortunately, Meade was in no position to mount a serious chase, and Robert E. Lee was able to reach Northern Virginia, with his Army of Northern Virginia.  Lee, in his haste was unable to retrieve his fallen soldiers – most left where they fell.

For the remainder of 1863, J.M. Pipes’ 140th Pennsylvania saw sporadic action.  They participated in action around Auburn, Virginia and Bristoe Station.  In September the II Corps was reorganized, with the 140th being assigned to US Colonel Nelson A. Miles’ First Brigade of US Brigadier General Francis Barlow’s First Division.  Winfield Scott Hancock remained in command of the II Corps.

In the spring of 1864 the United States had a new commander of all armies, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant.  Grant had come east, from the western theater, when the U.S. Congress revived the rank of lieutenant general.  When Lincoln officially promoted him to this rank he was the first American to hold the rank, since George Washington.  Instead of commanding from an office in Washington City, Grant chose to command from the field.  Leaving George Meade in command of the Army of the Potomac, Grant would have his headquarters with the army.  This arrangement would cause some strain, as Meade felt he was second-in-command.  However, they were able to build a good working relationship, that would last through the end of the Civil War.

With the advent of spring a new campaign season opened.  Officially called Grant’s Overland Campaign, it was a series of terrific battles that would start in early May, with the Battle of the Wilderness and would result in a series of moves, by Lee’s right flank.  The II Corps, and Pipes’ 140th Pennsylvania, would be involved in all of the battles, starting with the Wilderness, moving to Spotsylvania Court House, the North Anna and culminating in early June at Cold Harbor, Virginia.  A new level of combat was achieved, during the Overland Campaign.  Grant throwing his army at prepared field works and fortifications, and then moving to the next battle.  At the Wilderness, Nelson Miles brigade would arrive on May 6, to defend the Federal position at the intersection of the Orange Plank Road and the Brock Road.  The 140th Pennsylvania would be assigned the far left flank of the II Corps.  Their position was critical, for it protected Grant’s route to move around Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia – which was accomplished overnight May 6–7.

Relocating from the Wilderness battlefield, US Major General Gouverneur Warren’s V Corps and US Major General John Sedgwick’s VI Corps, would move behind Hancock’s II Corps, and move southeast on the Brock Road.  The going was slow, moving this large of force on one road.  The II Corps, including Miles’ brigade would be the army’s rear guard – an unenviable job in the darkness of the Wilderness.  After a cavalry fight at the Todd’s Tavern the Army of the Potomac made there way towards Spotsylvania Court House.  Lee’s army would take a parallel course by way of Shady Grove Church and the Block House Bridge, arriving at Spotsylvania in time to throw up significant field works.  With the II Corps late start, they encountered significant resistance from CS Major General William Mahone’s Division, and CS Major General Wade Hampton’s Cavalry.  This fighting took place at Todd’s Tavern, with Miles’ First Brigade positioned west of the tavern, on the Catharpin Road.  With the 61st New York, and Pipes’ 140th Pennsylvania on Miles’ right flank, they took a severe beating.  Both regiments folded under the onslaught, with the next regiment in line, the 183rd Pennsylvania holding strong.  This effort, and arriving reinforcements from US Colonel Thomas Smyth’s Irish Brigade, helped the II Corps escape disaster and move to Spotsylvania.  Much can be gleaned from Hancock’s adjutant, Francis Walker, who stated, “Expectation of battle was now at its height, as it was not doubted that the Confederates were attempting to ‘counter’ upon General Meade, answering his advance upon Spotsylvania by a movement into his right and rear.”(vii)

After arriving at Spotsylvania the II Corps was positioned on the right flank, with its right posted on both sides of the Po River.  Grant had determined to punch a hole in the Confederate salient, better known as the Mule Shoe, on May 12.  He picked the II Corps to lead this assault.  After dark on May 11, the II Corps proceeded to a position near the Brown house, north of the Mule Shoe.  By 4:30 AM on May 12, the II Corps pushed off.  Nelson Miles’ First Brigade, was positioned behind Colonel John R. Brooke’s Fourth Brigade, on the left wing of the attacking formation.  Moving alongside the left flank of Smyth’s Irish Brigade, Miles’ brigade went over the Confederate works.  The movement was quick and deadly, with nary a shot being discharged before reaching the Mule Shoe.  A Pennsylvanian later stated that the Confederates fought, “…hand to hand after we reached this vantage ground (the Mule Shoe).”(viii)  This hand-to-hand fighting would wage here through much of the morning, with Barlow’s division moving to the left side of the salient.  Overnight, Lee would pull his army back to the base of the salient, further entrenching his troops.  After the bloody fighting on May 12, Grant determined to push on.  He would next meet Lee’s army at the North Anna River, where he would quickly realize he could not afford a general engagement against Lee’s position.  With a brilliant overnight movement, Grant next pushed his army to Cold Harbor.  A place that is described as neither cold, or a harbor.

On June 1 the II Corps was holding the right flank, of the Army of the Potomac, now positioned just west of Old Cold Harbor.  The Battle of Cold Harbor would be initiated by US Brigadier General John H. Martindale’s XVIII Corps division and US Brigadier General Henry Lockwood’s V Corps division.  They would slam into two Confederate divisions commanded by Brigadier General Joseph Kershaw and Major General George E. Pickett.  They would be bloodily repulsed, pulling back to their original lines.  A late evening attack by the II Corps, in an effort to turn Lee’s left flank, also failed to bring success.  Overnight, on June 1, Grant would consolidate his army closer to Cold Harbor.  Pulling the II Corps from the right flank, he would move them to the left flank, with Pipes’ 140th Pennsylvania holding the second line, on the far left flank.  Ordered to attack at 4:30 AM on June 3, Miles’ brigade was in an extremely exposed position, with orders to attack, across open ground.  Along this path, they would cross the Dispatch Station Road, seeking cover in the depression of the road.  The only regiment that could advance, against the galling fire from from CS Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton’s Brigade, of Virginians, was US Colonel Charles E. Hapgood’s 5th New Hampshire.  He would reach Edgar’s Salient, but would receive little support.  The supporting brigades were all held up near the Dispatch Station Road.  The 5th New Hampshire, taking 550 men into battle, would suffer 202 casualties.  Nearby, the 7th New York Heavy Artillery would suffer far worse, a total of 422 casualties. 

After another futile attack, by US Major General Horatio Wright’s VI Corps, against the Confederate center, a stalemate would take place.  The Battle of Cold Harbor proved to be one of Grant’s most costly, earning him the nickname, “Butcher Grant.”  Grant’s army would hold its lines through June 12, when it would once again brilliantly disengage from Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, stealing a march on Lee, crossing the Chickahominy and James Rivers.  Reaching Petersburg, ahead of Lee’s army, they squandered a terrific opportunity to sever Lee’s supply lines, which were effectively held by a small garrison commanded by CS General P.G.T. Beauregard.

Over the coming ten months, Grant would lay siege to both Petersburg and Richmond.  One significant battle would feature Pipes’ 140th Pennsylvania.  On August 24, in an effort to turn Lee’s right flank, Grant sent Hancock’s II Corps south, to cut the Weldon Railroad – the major supply line for the Army of Northern Virginia.  Moving south on August 24, Hancock would reach Ream’s Station and set his army to building basic fortifications.  The next day, August 25, Hancock’s faulty line would be attacked by CS Major General Henry Heth’s Division.  During the action, the Confederates would capture nine heavy guns and twelve regimental colors.  Hancock’s famous II Corps would be shattered during the fighting, losing the only independent engagement Hancock would ever fail to win.  During the fighting, Pipes, now a captain, would once again serve bravely during the incredibly “hot fight.”  In an effort to scout the flank of the Confederate forces, Captain Pipes was leading Company A, which was acting as a skirmish line.  During this action Pipes would receive a minie ball wound to his upper right arm, while attempting to aid one of his soldiers.  He would be transferred to Emory Hospital, in Washington, DC, where his arm would be amputated.  During his convalescence, on February 17, 1865, Captain Pipes would resign from the Federal army.(ix)  He would receive an artificial arm in December 1869.

After the Civil War, Captain Pipes would move to West Virginia, where his father had previously moved to.  On November 10, 1870 he would marry Martha Purdy.  They would have five children.  He would work in public service for the remainder of his life: as Treasurer of Marshall County West Virginia, West Virginia Secretary of State, pension agent in the U.S. War Department and Clerk in the U.S. Senate.  He also served as Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic’s (GAR), Department of the Potomac.

On April 5, 1898 Captain Pipes would receive his country’s highest military honor when he received two Congressional Medal of Honor citations.  The first was for his gallant service at the Wheat Field of Gettysburg.  The second was for his brave conduct, under fire, at Second Ream’s Station.  The following is the text from his citation.

While a sergeant and retiring with his company before the rapid advance of the enemy at Gettysburg, he and a companion stopped and carried to a place of safety a wounded and helpless comrade; in this act both he and his companion were severely wounded.  A year later, at Reams Station, Va., while commanding a skirmish line, voluntarily assisted in checking a flank movement of the enemy, and while so doing was severely wounded, suffering the loss of his arm. (x)

Captain J.M. Pipes, while living in Washington, D.C., became ill with pneumonia.  He would die on December 1, 1928.  He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, next to Martha, who preceded him in death in 1923.  James Milton Pipes is a true American HERO.

(i) Pipes, Robert J., James Milton Pipes Page, was used to research this article, manuscript can be viewed here.
(ii) Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System was used to research this article.
(iii) Trudeau, Noah Andre, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, published by Harper Collins 2002, Pg. 54.
(iv) Trudeau, Noah Andre, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, published by Harper Collins 2002, Pg. 326.
(v) Trudeau, Noah Andre, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, published by Harper Collins 2002, Pg. 303.
(vi) Pipes, Robert J., James Milton Pipes Page, was used to research this article, manuscript can be viewed here.
(vii) Rhea, Gordon C., The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, May 7–12, 1864, published by Louisiana State University Press 1997, Pg. 80.
(viii) Rhea, Gordon C., The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, May 7–12, 1864, published by Louisiana State University Press 1997, Pg. 236.
(ix) Pipes, Robert J., James Milton Pipes Page, was used to research this article, manuscript can be viewed here.
(x) R.J. (Bob) Pfoft, Editor, United States of America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Fifth Edition, Pg. 971.

William B. Hincks was born in either 1841, or 1842, in Maine.  He would later move to Bridgeport, Connecticut.  On July 22, 1862, at either 19 or 20 years of age, young William would enlist in the 14th Connecticut Infantry.  He would officially muster into service at Hartford, Connecticut, on August 23, 1862.  The 14th, commanded by Colonel Dwight Morris, would arrive in Washington, D.C., on August 25, and would be placed in the Second Brigade, Third Division (US Brigadier General William French) of US Major General Edwin V. Sumner’s II Corps. 

Private Hincks was assigned to Company A, and was considered industrious, and brave.  Hincks, and the remainder of the 14th Connecticut would have little time to settle in.  After US Major General John Pope’s debacle at Second Manassas, his Army of Virginia would return to Washington, D.C.  Abraham Lincoln, with his hands tied, turned back to US Major General George B. McClellan, to command the eastern theater.  McClellan would waste little time as it was quickly determined that CS General Robert E. Lee was moving into Maryland.  McClellan would rapidly push after him along different routes, all leading through passes in South Mountain.  This would be Hincks’ first experience in battle – and it would define what the young man would expect from battle.

On September 17, 1862, at the Battle of Antietam, Sumner’s II Corps was ordered to support US Major General Joseph Hooker’s I Corps advance, on the Confederate left, along the Hagerstown Pike.  Hooker would advance through the infamous Corn Field, an area of tremendous slaughter, while the Second Division (US Major General John Sedgwick), of Sumner’s II Corps would push diagonally from the East Woods towards the Dunker Church and West Woods.  Hincks’ Division, commanded by William French, somehow became disoriented and did not guide on Sedgwick’s Division.  Instead, he marched his men in a southernly direction slowly losing sight of Sedgwick.  Coming over a rise Hincks, the 14th Connecticut and the rest of the division, became silhouetted against the sky and were decimated by musketry from the 6th Alabama commanded by a little known colonel – John Brown Gordon.  Part of CS Brigadier General Robert E. Rodes’s Brigade, they would be waiting for the Federals in a sunken road – now called Bloody Lane.  As line after line of French’s Division passed over the rise, they were met with severe musketry.  However, due to their numerical superiority, and with relief from US Major General Israel B. Richardson’s First Division, which included the Irish Brigade, the Sunken Road became untenable for the Rebels, they would be forced to pull back.  At the end of Antietam, the Second Brigade, now commanded by Dwight Morris, which included Hincks’s 14th Connecticut, would be severely punished, suffering 529 casualties.  Hincks and Company A, of the 14th Connecticut, received their “baptism of fire” and proved up to the challenge.

After Antietam, Robert E. Lee would retreat back to the safety of Virginia.  Unfortunately, McClellan was slow to react – stating he needed time to re-fit his army.  He would be removed from overall command of the Army of the Potomac on November 8, 1862.  Hincks, and the rest of the Army of the Potomac, now had a new commander, US Major General Ambrose Burnside.  Burnside immediately made plans to cross the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg before Robert E. Lee could react.  Essentially reaching the south side of the Rappahannock first would leave the road to Richmond wide open for the Union Army.  Arriving at the Rappahannock ahead of the Army of Northern Virginia, Burnside’s plan was coming together.  Unfortunately, his pontoons had not arrived in time.  This gave Lee the necessary time to reach Fredericksburg and entrench his army – setting the stage for the Battle of Fredericksburg.

The Army of the Potomac, now divided into three Grand Divisions, brought battle against Robert E. Lee on December 13, 1862.  The battle opened on the Federal left, when US Major General William Franklin’s Left Grand Division assaulted CS Lieutenant General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s 2nd Corps.  Initially, the Federal forces had some success.  However, before long, Jackson’s 2nd Corps pushed Franklin’s forces back beyond the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad tracks.

US Major General Edwin V. Sumner’s Right Grand Division, including the II Corps, now commanded by US Major General Darius Couch, assaulted the high ground above Fredericksburg.  Master Sergeant William B. Hincks’s 14th Connecticut was still in the Second Brigade of William French’s Third Division.  It would attack the left side of a “sunken road” heavily defended by CS Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps.  Having had time to organize behind the stone wall of the Sunken Road, French’s Division had no chance.  They would be roughly handled and quickly repulsed before reaching the wall.  The 14th Connecticut, now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sanford Perkins, would also suffer.  At the end of the battle, Burnside’s Army of the Potomac would never reach the Sunken Road and would end up retreating across the Rappahannock River on December 14.

In May 1863 Hincks would again fight with the II Corps at the Battle of Chancellorsville.  The 14th Connecticut would support the Federal lines around the Chancellor tavern, and would again suffer significant losses.  Due to their losses at Fredericksburg, the 14th was now commanded by Major Theodore Ellis.  The Army of the Potomac, under the overall command of US Major General Joseph Hooker, would suffer a terrible defeat at Chancellorsville.

After Chancellorsville the 14th Connecticut would head north, following Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, as it once again headed past the Mason-Dixon Line.  Sergeant Major Hincks would provide his country his most valuable service in early July 1863, at the Battle of Gettysburg.  The Army of the Potomac, now commanded by US Major General George Gordon Meade, would bring battle against the Army of Northern Virginia July 1–3.  By July 3, Meade’s army had established a significant line of battle, shaped like a fish hook, running from Culp’s Hill on the north to Little Round Top on the south.  The II Corps, now commanded by US Major General Winfield S. Hancock, held the center of the Union line along Cemetery Ridge.  The 14th Connecticut, still in the Second Brigade (Colonel Thomas A Smyth), Third Division (Brigadier General Alexander Hays) of the II Corps would be assigned just north of the “Angle” of Hancock’s salient on Cemetery Ridge and would maintain the brigade’s left flank.  This portion of the line would be directly in the path of CS Major General George E. Pickett’s famous charge.  Commanding the 14th Connecticut, Major Theodore Ellis would brace his men for the coming onslaught from CS Brigadier General James J. Pettigrew’s North Carolinians and Colonel Birkett D. Fry’s mixed brigade of Alabamans and Tennesseans.  The Federal troops could see Pickett’s troops coming   thefrom nearly a mile away.  Bracing, the Federals were told to hold their fire, until the Rebels came across the fence north of the Codori Farm, running along the Emmitsburg Road.  Once they crossed, the Federal artillery opened large gaping holes in the Confederate formation, which quickly closed as the Rebels reformed.  As they approached closer division, brigade and regimental commanders would allow their commands to open with musketry, further decimating the Rebel formation.

Opposing the 14th Connecticut was CS Captain Bruce Phillips’ 14th Tennessee.  As they closed in on Ellis’s regiment, the Tennesseans planted their regimental flag sporting twelve separate battle honors.  With the intensity of the Federal musketry and cannister coming from the artillery, many men of the 14th Tennessee were forced to lay down on the ground to save themselves.  Ellis seeing the flag apparently unprotected asked for volunteers to capture it.  Hincks, and two other Connecticut soldiers, leaped from behind the wall and ran towards the flag some 50 yards in the distance.  Immediately after jumping the wall, one Connecticut soldier was shot.  Outrunning his other companion, Hincks would reach the flag under tremendous fire, grab the colors, swinging his saber over the prone Confederates, and run back to the safety of his lines.

The Federal defense along Cemetery Ridge would win the day – and the battle, for Gettysburg.  Robert E. Lee would never again take his entire Army of Northern Virginia into the North.  The 14th Connecticut would remain with the Army of the Potomac for many additional battles including Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Deep Bottom, Petersburg, Sailors’s Creek and Lee’s surrender, at Appomattox Court House.

Sergeant Major William B. Hincks would be awarded the highest military honor for his actions at Gettysburg.  On December 1, 1864 he would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Following, is his citation.

During the highwater mark of Pickett’s charge on 3 July 1863 the colors of the 14th Tenn. Inf. C.S.A. were planted 50 yards in front of the center of Sgt. Maj. Hincks’ regiment.  There were no Confederates standing near it but several lying down around it.  Upon a call for volunteers by Maj. Ellis, commanding, to capture this flag, this soldier and 2 others leaped the wall.  One companion was instantly shot.  Sgt. Maj. Hincks outran his remaining companion running straight and swift for the colors amid a storm of shot.  Swinging his saber over the prostrate Confederates and uttering a terrific yell, he seized the flag and hastily returned to his lines.  The 14th Tenn. carried 12 battle honors on its flag.  The devotion to duty shown by Sgt. Maj. Hincks gave encouragement to many of his comrades at a crucial moment in the battle.(i)

After the Civil War, Sergeant Major William B. Hincks worked as a treasurer of a gas company and Secretary and Treasurer of City Savings Bank.  Hincks died at Bridgeport, Connecticut, on November 7, 1903.  He was approximately 64 years old.  Sergeant Major Hincks is a true American HERO.

(i) R.J. (Bob) Pfoft, Editor, United States of America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Fifth Edition, Pg. 897.

Yesterday, I woke up, in my hotel, in Manassas, Virginia.  Turning the television on, the History Channel was showing a program on the 54^th Massachusetts Infantry – a unit comprised of United States Colored Troops.  Nearing its end, the program highlighted the 54^th Massachusetts charge of Fort Wagner, in Charleston, South Carolina.  I was very moved by the actions of sergeant William H. Carney.  Pulling out my book, on Medal of Honor recipients, I quickly did some research of Carney.  The following article was inspired by the program.

William Harvey Carney was born on February 29, 1840, as a slave, in Norfolk, Virginia.  Like his father, before him, Carney was able to escape, to Massachusetts, using the Underground Railroad.  At the start of the Civil War, Carney was a free man, living in the Boston area.  With Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, taking effect on January 1, 1863, Carney enlisted in the 54^th Massachusetts Infantry – the famed “colored” regiment, as a sergeant.  Organized in Readville, Massachusetts, the 54^th would be mustered into Federal service on May 13, 1863.  The commander of the 54^th was US Colonel Robert S. Gould.  Shaw was handpicked, by Massachusetts Governor John Andrew, to lead this famed regiment.  Leaving Boston, on May 28, 1863, they would be assigned to the X Corps at Hilton Head, South Carolina.  Carney, and his regiment would arrive at St. Simon’s Island on June 9.  Moving to Morris Island, from July 16–18, they would prepare for the assault on Fort Wagner.

The 54^th Massachusetts Infantry would be called upon, during the battle of Fort Wagner, to charge the Confederate works.  With daylight quickly fading, on July 18, Colonel Gould would give his regiment a moving talk, to inspire them before they charged, finishing, “Forward, Fifty-Fourth, Forward!”(i)  With a cheer, the 54^th would move across the open plain, approaching Battery Wagner.  Carney, would be leading his men, towards the ramparts.  Approaching under a withering fire, Carney would see the color bearer go down, dropping their regimental flag.  Picking the flag up, he would charge to the ramparts, planting the flag there, being wounded in the process.  Colonel Gould would also reach the works, being shot through the heart and dying instantly.  The 54^th would be forced to retreat, during which Carney would be wounded two additional times, the most serious being a shoulder wound.  He would return to the Federal lines, before falling from his wounds.  Upon reaching the lines, he stated, “Boys, I only did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground!”(ii)  Due to Carney’s wounds, he would retire from active service.

After the Civil War, William Carney would be a postal employee and a popular speaker.  On May 23, 1900, he would be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his gallantry.  Carney’s brave actions were the earliest awarded, a Medal of Honor, to a soldier in the United States Colored Troops.  His citation reads:

When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon.  When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded.”(iii)

Carney died on December 8, 1908, in Boston, at the age of 68.  He is buried in the family plot at Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

(i) The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, at Wikipedia.
(ii) William Harvey Carney, at Wikipedia.
(iii) R.J. (Bob) Pfoft, Editor, United States of America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Fifth Edition, Pg. 829.

Patrick Ginley was born in Ireland, on December 22, 1822.  In 1860, young Patrick was a private in the 69^th Regiment New York National Guards. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he would volunteer for his adopted country, being assigned to Company G, 1^st New York Light Artillery.  The 1^st New York Light would serve the United States in 44 engagements, in the east, and would not muster out until 1865.

Ginley, and his 1^st New York battery would be with the Army of the Potomac, from the Peninsula Campaign, through CS General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, at Appomattox Court House.  It was during the Petersburg Campaign, that Ginley would provide his most important service – specifically on August 25, 1864 at the Battle of Ream’s Station.

In an effort, to get below Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, cutting their communications, and supplies, US Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, would send the II Corps south of Petersburg.  Commanded by US Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, one of the most well respected commanders in the army, the II Corps would push south, along the Weldon Railroad, on August 24.  They would engage the Confederates, at Ream’s Station in this “recognizance in force,” the next day.  The Confederates were commanded by CS Major General Henry Heth.

The Battle of Ream’s Station, also called the Second Battle of Ream’s Station, was a significant defeat for the United States.  Tearing up track, on the Weldon Railroad, the II Corps would meet Heth’s Division of the 3^rd Corps at Ream’s Station.  Defending a poor position, Hancock’s Corps would be attacked, and overrun, by Heth’s single division.  During the battle, the Federals would suffer 2,750 casualties, compared to 814 for Heth’s Division.

During the battle, Ginley would be detailed for orderly service.  With his captain engaging the Confederates, in a very “hot” battle, Ginley would be sent with a message, to General Hancock.  Ginley was sent back, by headquarters staff, to find out what troops were battling US Major General Francis Barlow’s division.  Going back through the same cut, he had just traversed, Ginley, and Colonel Walker would ride through raking Confederate fire.  Unfortunately, unknown to Ginley, or Walker, a large Confederate detachment had flanked the Federals out of their works here, and they were riding directly towards them.

Walker would enter the cut first, and pull up his horse, dismounting.  It was at this time that Ginley realized they were amongst the enemy.  Attempting to turn his horse around, a Rebel volley into the works, would send his horse reeling, landing on young Patrick, who feared it had broken his leg.  Cutting himself from his horse, he found he had suffered no significant injury.  Looking around, Ginley found that he was alone, except for a lone cannon.  Ginley, and another Federal soldier charged towards the gun, without being seen by the Rebels.  With battle smoke partially hiding them, they were able to get to the gun.  It was at this time that they were seen by a Confederate, and told to get away from the gun.  Not moving, Ginley’s companion was shot dead.  Hiding behind the gun, Ginley was somewhat protected.  Pulling on the lanyard, the big gun bucked and emptied its contents into the Confederates on the breastworks – mowing a swath through them, and scattering many of them.  During the confusion, Ginley was able to escape, running most of the way across a field, before the Rebels knew he had escaped.  With yells from the enemy, and their bullets whizzing by him, and cheers from the Federals who had witnessed his heroism, Ginley made it back to his lines.  The young Irishman was not done.  Grabbing a flag, from a dead color bearer, and a saber, he ran back, and forth, across the front, rallying the Federal troops, carrying canister for the guns and in many cases actually firing the cannons.  His wild actions steadied the troops around him and brought them together in fighting order.  With a volley, from an advancing group of Massachusetts troops, the Rebels scattered.  Ginley with a cheer planted the flag on the ramparts as the “boys in blue” swarmed over the works, after the Confederates.

After the battle, Hancock would state, “Ginley, you are the hero of the day.”(i)  Later, General Grant, with his hand on Ginley’s shoulder would state,

“Private Ginley, it is not to-day nor to-morrow that you and every man undergoing the hardships of this war will be remembered by the country for his services.  But every hero sooner or later receives his just reward.  In this day of history making, when the deeds of individual valor are taking their places in the record of the War of the Rebellion, when the records are in the hands of those at Washington who helped to make them, each individual act of heroism of which there is a record will be recognized.”(ii)

On October 31, 1890, private Patrick Ginley would receive the highest honor, in the land, for his services 26 years previously, being awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Honor.  The citation read,

“The command having been driven from the works, he, having been left alone between the opposing lines, crept back to the works, put 3 charges of canister in one of the guns, and fired the piece directly into the body of the enemy about to seize the works; he then rejoined his command, took the colors, and ran toward the enemy, followed by the command, which recaptured the works and the guns.”(iii)

After receiving his Medal of Honor, Patrick Ginley would live 26 more years, dying in New York, on April 5, 1917.  He is buried at Cavalry Cemetery in Queens, New York.  For his actions, on August 25, 1864, at Ream’s Station, Virginia, Patrick Ginley is a true American Hero.

(i) The Story of American Heroism, published by J.W. Jones, 1897, p.485.
(ii) The Story of American Heroism, published by J.W. Jones, 1897, p.483.
(iii) R.J. (Bob) Pfoft, Editor, United States of America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Fifth Edition, Pg. 875.