OR XL P1 (Broadfoot Sup.) #46: Report of Colonel Dennis D. Ferebee, 4th NC Cav, June 10-15, 1864¹

SOPO Editor’s Note: The Broadfoot Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies is rare and not sold in single volumes.  As a courtesy to researchers, I’m making available summaries of the reports contained in this set relevant to the Siege of Petersburg.

Summary: This nearly two-page report from Colonel Dennis D. Ferebee of the 4th North Carolina Cavalry covers the regiment’s actions leading up to and during the first day of the Second Battle of Petersburg on June 15, 1864.  Ferebee describes in detail the Battle of Baylor’s Farm from the Confederate perspective.  It was a small fight east of the main Dimmock Line, in which Ferebee’s regiment and a section of Graham’s Petersburg Artillery fought a delaying action against Hinks’ Division of the Eighteenth Corps, Army of the James.  Interestingly to me, although Hinks’ Division was an all-Black division with the exception of the officers, Ferebee does not note this in his official report.

Source: North Carolina Department of Archives and History, exact location not noted.

Available Online?: No. Please CONTACT US if you know where on the site this report is located, or if you have a copy you’d be willing to share.  I would like to publish this report on my site in full.

 

Source:

Unit: 48th North Carolina

Unit Affiliation: (Cooke), Heth, Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia

Title: Writings of a Rebel Colonel: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Samuel Walkup, 48th North Carolina

Author: Kemp Burpeau, Editor

SOPO’s Take: Samuel H. Walkup was a Presbyterian, Whig, descendant of Revolutionary War veterans, a voracious reader, a lawyer, and a slaveowner. Despite that last his views on slavery were complicated, as the editor explains in his biography. He served with the 48th North Carolina for most of its existence. He saw action in a variety of places, most importantly French’s Farm in the Seven Days, Antietam, on Marye’s Heights in an exposed position at Fredericksburg, Bristoe Station, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor. He was wounded on June 15, 1864 north of the James River while Heth’s Division was searching for where Grant’s Union armies might have gone. Walkup soldiered on for a few months before taking a leave of absence to recover from his wounding. He returned to his regiment in 1865, now located near Hatcher’s Run, witnessed Fort Stedman, and retreated with his regiment on April 2, 1865, eventually surrendering at Appomattox. Burpeau does a solid job editing, filling in a lot of missing information and helping the reader understand Walkup’s references to people, places, and events.  He also provides a nearly 40 page biography of the Confederate Colonel. Walkup’s letters and journal entries provide a fairly meaty look at the 48th North Carolina, which served in Cooke’s North Carolina Brigade at Petersburg.  He doesn’t hold back on such famous Confederate leaders as A. P. Hill and even Robert E. Lee!  I know of no other unit history for this regiment, so Walkup’s writing also serves as a sort of de facto history of the regiment for the times he was present. Anyone interested in Cooke’s Brigade, North Carolina forces, or unit histories in the eastern Theater will find this a useful and interesting read.

I debated whether or not to mention this last part, but I feel it must be said.  Here’s some unsolicited advice for aspiring authors and editors of Civil War books: leave modern day politics out of your book! If you don’t you can live with the consequences of lost sales.  The editor went on such a screed in the first paragraph of his Preface I considered sending it back to McFarland outright without reading another word, but I’m glad I soldiered on.  It seems apparent Burpeau holds extreme political views, and despite agreeing with his sentiment regarding the treatment of African-Americans who were forced to endure slavery, it was extremely off-putting and something I’ve never seen in a Preface until now.  I hope this sort of thing remains an outlier. Despite this, I still recommend the book for the content of Walkup’s correspondence (both for its quality as well as the scarcity of material on the 48th North Carolina), the biography of the Colonel, and the times when the editor sticks to explaining Walkup’s correspondence. After writing this paragraph I went to Amazon to link to the book there and it seems the Preface was noted by both reviewers, one of which doesn’t appear to have even read past it.

Book Summary/Review:

SOPO Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:

Publisher: McFarland, https://mcfarlandbooks.com/

Publisher Info:

About the Book
Lawyer, planter and politician Samuel Hoey Walkup (1818–1876) led the 48th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War. A devout Christian and Whig nationalist, he opposed secession until hostilities were well underway, then became a die-hard Confederate, serving in the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days battles through Appomattox.

Presenting Walkup’s complete and annotated writings, this composite biography of an important but overlooked Southern leader reveals an insightful narrator of his times. Having been a pre-war civilian outside the West Point establishment, he offers a candid view of Confederate leadership, particularly Robert E. Lee and A.P. Hill. Home life with his wife Minnie Parmela Reece Price and the enslaved members of their household was a complex relationship of cooperation and resistance, congeniality and oppression. Walkup’s story offers a cautionary account of misguided benevolence supporting profound racial oppression.

About the Author(s)
Kemp Burpeau is a local government attorney and college history professor with past service on the North Carolina Historical Commission and reviewer for the Society of Civil War Historians and The Civil War News. He lives in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

Bibliographic Details
Samuel Walkup
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 231
Bibliographic Info: 9 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8669-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4448-6
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents
Preface  1
Biography  3
Walkup’s Civil War Journal and Correspondence  39
Chapter Notes  163
Bibliography  215
Index  221

Publication Date: 2021

ISBN-13: 978-1-4766-8669-1

Links to Read/Buy:

1. Writings of a Rebel Colonel: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Samuel Walkup, 48th North Carolina (McFarland Books)
2. Writings of a Rebel Colonel: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Samuel Walkup, 48th North Carolina (Amazon.com)

Defeat of Wilson’s Raiders.

CAMP, SIXTY-SECOND GEORGIA REGIMENT, CAVALRY,
NEAR PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA,
July 2, 1864.

DEAR TELEGRAPH: I have just returned from an eight days’ trip “up the country,” after the Yankee raiding party under [Brigadier] General [James H.] Wilson, and as I have not written you any account of the movements of the Sixty-second [Georgia Cavalry] in some time, probably a description of the part it took in the pursuit of these “raiders” would not be uninteresting to many of your readers, who have friends in this regiment.¹

The brigade to which we were “temporarily” attached ([Brigadier] General [James] Dearing’s) [Dearing/Hampton/Cavalry/ANV]² in company with General [Rufus] Barringer’s [North Carolina Cavalry Brigade, Barringer/Rooney Lee/Cavalry/ANV] left camp on the morning of June 21 [22?] [1864]³ and went to Reams’ Station (ten and one-half miles from Petersburg on the Railroad) as we were supposed to drive away any raiding party that might attempt to tear up the track or do any other damage to the railroad. On arriving there we found that a large raiding party of Yankees under General Wilson had just crossed, after having done the railroad a little injury, by tearing up the track for a short distance and burning a few cross-ties.

General [William H. F. “Rooney”] Lee, being in command, immediately started us after them, General Barringer’s Brigade in front. After a brisk ride of five or six miles, his advance came up with the rear, and sharp skirmishing ensued. We continued to skirmish with them until near Ford’s Depot, on the South Side Railroad. We captured a good many prisoners from them and wounded several during this day’s march.⁴ Having rested for four or five hours during the night, we pushed on after them early in the morning [of June 23, 1864], but they had reached Ford’s Depot, on the South Side Road, in time to destroy two long trains of cars with five locomotives attached, to burn all the public buildings at the station, and then decamp, before we could come up with them.

Fired with a spirit of revenge at the sight of these burning ruins, and the tales of woe the frightened ladies eagerly poured into their ears, our men were eager to overtake the “robbers” and put an end to some of them, and if possible all. The Yanks kept along the main road (the enemy knew not of); we came up with their advance near Blacks and White’s, a station near Nottoway Court-House on the South Side Railroad also, and where the country road intersects in a deep cut. Colonel William Booth Taliaferro’s [7th Confederate Cavalry] Regiment being in the advance was soon dismounted, deployed in the woods on our right (a large field being on our left) and advanced against the enemy, who were in the “cut” which ran at right angles to the road, and forming a long curve, we being on the inner side of this curve, the enemy on the outer, both ends extending around the right and left of our line, giving them the advantage, not only of the railroad cut and the deep ditch on the top of the banks on each side, but of an enfilading fire also. Colonel Taliaferro’s Regiment, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel [Thomas D.] Claiborne, having advanced some distance in the direction of the railroad, were soon hotly engaged with the enemy.⁵

Colonel [Joel R.] Griffin’s [62nd Georgia] Regiment [soon to become the 8th Georgia Cavalry] was now dismounted and was led by Colonel Griffin at a double-quick down the road, and into the woods to the support of Colonel Claiborne. Our men were carried forward under a hot fire and placed in position, on Colonel Claiborne’s right. Captain [Edward] Graham’s Battery [aka the Petersburg Virginia Artillery]—two pieces—was now brought forward and placed in position on the left of the road in the open field, within 400 yards of the enemy, and immediately opened fire upon them with cannister, shot and shell. As each regiment was brought forward and placed in position, the firing along the lines increased. As soon as all was ready, a charge was ordered and under the protecting fire of our battery, which was very effectual, our troops advanced, sending up such a “yell” as only Southerns can, drove the Yankees out of the railroad cut, away from their fence rail breastworks, and held the position for some minutes, but being enfiladed by the enemy’s fire from the left, and about to be flanked on our right, we fell back some twenty-five yards in rear of the railroad. Soon the Yankees were discovered advancing, and our men poured a very destructive fire in their ranks, mowing them down by scores. The firing was now at its height, and the mingled roar of the musketry and heavy lumbering of the artillery, seemed to rend the whole heavens. Soon the enemy regained the railroad cut, which was evacuated by us as being useless, unless we could drive the enemy from our extreme left and prevent their crossing. Though of but little use to us, it was of immense service to the enemy, being a great protection as a breastwork to their men. The fire was slackened and only a few straggled shots were fired. A lull of some fifteen minutes took place; suddenly (as if mutually enraged at the sound of these desultory shots) each party fired volley after volley into the other, and the report of the musketry swelled into a long, loud and prolonged roar, which was wafted from hill to hill for miles away and startled the peaceful citizens of this beautiful country….

Our men, becoming tired of this Yankee style of fighting, determined to drive them out of the railroad cut again. The word being passed along the lines, a loud huzza was given and away they went, driving the enemy before them and out of the cut, but as before, seeing that it was useless to try to hold it, our valiant men again retired. The Yankees made three attempts to charge our line but were easily and bloodily repulsed each time. Seeing the enemy massing their troops on their right, (our left), preparatory to making an assault on our lines, Colonel Griffin detached all his men but two companies and sent them to the threatened point, just as the Yanks made the only “charge” worthy of the name during the day. After a hot fight of ten minutes, they were driven back with heavy loss. Again our men were made ready to charge and this time took and held possession of the railroad, and soon after the enemy retired, but our forces were too weak to pursue, and we were contented with our success. For eight long hours—from 12 o’clock m[eridian aka noon]. till 8 p.m.—had we fought a force of the picked men of the United States Army, six times our own, and finally whipped them. General Lee says it was the hardest cavalry fight of the war. Our loss all told was sixty-four killed, wounded and missing, forty-one of which were from the Sixty-second Georgia, Colonel Griffin’s Regiment.

The enemy’s loss could not have been less than seventy-five killed, nearly 300 wounded and about forty prisoners. We had between 600 and 800 men engaged—the enemy had 5,000.⁶ Our men behaved splendidly—troops never fought better, while the firing of the artillery could not be excelled. Night closed the scene, and her sable covering was a fit sight for such a scene—it had been a warm day and our men suffered much from heat and thirst, but more from hunger than all else—as General Dearing had sent our wagons back to Petersburg, fearing their capture, and our men were compelled to do without a morsel of food all that day and a large part of the next.

I must [sic, not] close this sketch without paying just tribute to the cool skill and daring bravery of Colonel Griffin. He was ever in the front in a charge, and in the rear in a retreat. He handled his troops as if he knew when, where and how to strike the most telling blow. He held the right of our line with a mere handful of men, while he sent all his force to the left to the assistance of Colonel Taliaferro’s Regiment [7th Confederate Cavalry], which was bravely contending against vastly superior numbers, and his timely reinforcements gained us the day. Captain Brown exhibited great coolness and daring bravery in charging the enemy’s lines. Sergeant [James W.] Calhoun, of Company B, O. S. Sergeant Harran⁷, and Sergeants [Thomas A.] Hannah and [Robert J.] Arington, of company F, deserve special mention for their gallant conduct under the hottest fire. Many others on other parts of the field did equally as well, but I can mention only a few who came under my own observation. Our brigade, having no wagons or anything to eat, or any means of getting provisions or forage, was left here, when General Barringer’s followed on after the enemy. The next morning [sic, June 26]⁸, after the raiders were repulsed at the Staunton River Bridge by the militia and were returning, and had passed us, we followed on in their wake. A messenger having been sent to General [Wade] Hampton to inform him of the movements of the raiders, we had nothing to do but follow the enemy and let General Hampton finish them, which he came very near doing, killing, wounding and capturing about 2,000 of their number, taking eighteen pieces of the finest artillery in the United States Army, thirty-five wagons, as many ambulances, and last, but not least, nearly 1,000 horses and 700 Negroes they had stolen.⁹

Thus terminated this great thieving expedition of Major-General Wilson. The damage done to us will hardly compensate for his losses, as he must have killed not less than 1,000 horses on the roads, 127 having been counted for twenty-seven miles, and that not on the main road the Yankees traveled. It would be great injustice to the people of the counties of Nottoway, Dinwiddie, Lunenburg, Brunswick and Mechlenburg [sic, Mecklenburg], through which we passed were I not to give them deserved mention. Though in many instances deprived of nearly everything they once possessed, whenever advised of our approach large buckets of ham and biscuits, buckets of milk, and huge bowls of butter greeted us at every house, and when no time was allowed for this, buckets of ice water were substituted—none the less acceptable. Each and every one seemed to vie with each other in assisting us. No fears of the Yankees, ever afterwards burning their houses, detained the men from acting as our guides, or fighting the enemy with us, or the ladies from feasting us….

Very truly,

“GRANT.”¹⁰,¹¹

SOPO Editor’s Note: This article was transcribed by Bryce Suderow. No images were provided with the transcription. If you can locate an image of this article, please CONTACT US.

If you are interested in helping us transcribe newspaper articles like the one above, please CONTACT US.

Source/Notes:

OR XL P1 (Broadfoot Sup.) #45: Newspaper Account of the 62nd GA Cav, June 21-30, 1864¹

SOPO Editor’s Note: The Broadfoot Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies is rare and not sold in single volumes.  As a courtesy to researchers, I’m making available summaries of the reports contained in this set relevant to the Siege of Petersburg.

Summary: Unidentified newspaper correspondent “GRANT” of the 62nd Georgia Cavalry gives a four-page account of his regiment’s movements and actions chasing after the Union raiders under James H. Wilson during the Wilson-Kautz Raid of late June to early July 1864. The 62nd Georgia Cavalry was temporarily attached to Dearing’s Brigade, Hampton’s Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia during this time. The 62nd Georgia Cavalry eventually became part of the 8th Georgia Cavalry not long after this raid was finished.

Source: Macon Daily Telegraph & Confederate, July 14, 1864, p. 2, c. 4-5

Available Online?: Yes. I have published this article on my site.

 

Source:

Siege of Petersburg Itinerary: 85th Pennsylvania

Unit Affiliations:

(1), 1, X, Army of the James

(1), 1, XXIV, Army of the James (while attached to 199th PA)

Provost Guard, 1, XXIV, Army of the James

 

Note: At the start of June 1864, the regiment was in the Bermuda Hundred trenches near Ware Bottom Church.

June 1864

June 1, 1864

• “The Regiment on picket since 5 o clock last evening; at 3 a. m. the enemy opened with a heavy fire of artillery; a shell passed through Lieut. Col. Campbell’s tent; two flags of truce came from the enemy, the bearers of one came to notify the pickets to keep inside the rifle pits; relieved at 5 p. m. by the 39th Illinois; enemy opened heavy artillery fire for half an hour about 11 p. m.; weather pleasant.”¹

 

June 2, 1864

• “The enemy attacked pickets at 6 a. m., and drove them from first line of rifle pits; Regiment at trenches all day; also during the night; began raining before dark and continued until after midnight.”²

 

June 3, 1864

• “Cold, damp morning; a detachment of the Regiment ordered to the advanced posts; Regiment went on picket at 5 p. m.; Adolph Hathaway, Company F, killed on the picket line.”³

 

June 4, 1864

• “Beautiful morning; enemy perfectly quiet in front; Regiment returned to camp in the evening through a heavy rain.”⁴

 

 

June 5, 1864

• “Day broke cloudy, soon followed by rain; part of the Regiment ordered on picket in the evening; the enemy opened an artillery fire on our camps at 6.30 p. m., which was responded to by our batteries; ceased at 7 p. m.; the commissary issued a ration of soft bread; the Sanitary Commission, sauer-kraut and pickles.”⁵

 

 

June 6, 1864

• “Delightful weather; fresh beef and clothing issued to the men; several flags of truce passed between the lines in reference to burying the dead lying between the lines; the companies relieved from picket last evening ordered on fatigue duty in the forenoon and again on picket at 6 p. m., relieving the Regiment’s pickets.”⁶

 

 

June 7, 1864

• “Pleasant weather; light artillery fire from the enemy’s batteries; Regimental pickets relieved at 6 p. m.”⁷

 

 

June 8, 1864

• “Fair weather; Regiment in camp, some of the men building bomb proofs in camp; Regiment stacked arms in the trenches during the night.”⁸

 

 

June 9, 1864

• “Delightful weather; musketry fire in front; Regiment goes on picket at 6 p. m.”⁹

 

 

June 10, 1864

• “Pleasant weather; Regiment on picket; relieved at 6 p. m.; no firing in front throughout the day; 327 rations of whiskey were issued to the men on their return from the picket-line; news of Lincoln’s re-nomination caused favorable comment in camp.”¹⁰

 

 

June 11, 1864

• “Weather pleasant; Regiment in camp; some of the men engaged building bomb proofs; Private William H. Mahoney, Company C, fell from bomb proof breaking an arm; Quartermaster Beall applied for furlough but his application was returned disapproved; Col. Howell assumed command of the division owing to illness of Gen. Terry: Lieut. Norman B. Ream, who was severely wounded February 22, returned to Regiment.”¹¹

 

*****

 

SOPO Editor’s Note: On the night of June 12, 1864, The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign began as Grant removed his forces from the Cold Harbor battlefield and prepared to cross the James River.

June 12, 1864

• “A pleasant, quiet Sunday; no firing at the front; Regiment went on picket at 6 p. m.; 133d Ohio Regiment (100 days men) temporarily assigned to Howell’s brigade.”¹²

 

 

June 13, 1864

• “Pleasant weather; Regiment on picket; all quiet along the picket-line; relieved at 6 p. m. and returned to camp; men treated to a ration of whiskey on their return to camp; Regiment ordered in the trenches at 11 p. m.”¹³

 

 

June 14, 1864

• “Weather pleasant; rather cool for June; Gen. Grant visited Gen. Butler’s headquarters; Gen. Gillmore relieved of the command of the 10th Corps and Gen. Terry temporarily assigned to the command; Brig. Gen. R. S. Foster, commanding Third Brigade temporarily assigned to the command of the division; Sergt. Thomas M. Harford, Company I, played a joke on Private John W. Rowland, Company B, on duty at Regimental Hospital; the latter was constantly boasting of always being the first to secure the New York and Philadelphia papers on their arrival at camp; Harford picked up some old, discarded papers, secured an old mule on which he came galloping into camp where he knew Rowland to be; the latter secured one and without examining it himself, rushed with it to Dr. Sandt, who grasped it quite eagerly expecting to get the latest news, but at a glance his joy turned to chagrin; his disappointment being made evident by forceful language aimed at Rowland; it was difficult to decide which was the greatest victim of the joke, the Dr. or Rowland; prayer-meeting in camp in evening; Regiment lay in the trenches during night.”¹⁴

 

 

June 15, 1864

• “Pleasant day; Grant’s army crossing the James River; Regiment went on picket at 6 p. m.; enemy kept up quite a stir in front of Regiment’s picket throughout most of the night; a portion of Lee’s army crossed the James River to the south bank near the Howlett House.”¹⁵

 

 

June 16, 1864

• “At daybreak the enemy was discovered to have abandoned his works; the pickets were immediately advanced to occupy them; after pressing the rear guard of the enemy a superior force compelled the Union forces to fall back, the Regiment resuming former position on the picket line about 6 p. m.; Com. Sergt. Bell went to the front where the Regiment was in position with rations but was forced to retire without issuing, as just then the Regiment was engaged in an effort to hold the enemy’s outer works; Bell asked Lieut. Col. Campbell what he should do with the rations, the latter excitedly replied: ‘To hell with your rations! I have no time to consider such things,’ and then dashed down the Regimental line on a gallop, soon lost to sight in a thicket, with his orderly endeavoring to follow in his wake; before Sergt. Bell could repeat the orders of the lieutenant-colonel, Teamster Fred Lowry, who was driving the commissary-wagon team, spying the enemy advancing in overwhelming force, was driving pell-mell to the rear, and did not halt until he reached camp; Fred saved the rations from the enemy and also from his Regimental comrades that day, the latter having been forced to retire to the position formerly held by them, holding the enemy at bay during the night without supper or sleep; Col. Howell was wounded during the day and had his horse shot under him.”¹⁶

 

 

June 17, 1864

• “Immediately after daybreak the enemy’s sharpshooters opened fire on our lines and kept up a sharp fire during the day; late in the afternoon the enemy advanced in superior force and drove the Regiment back about 200 yards, where it remained until 10.30 p. m., when it was relieved by the 67th Ohio; during the day four men of the Regiment were instantly killed; three taken prisoners of war, and several others wounded; those instantly killed were Privates Patterson Jobes, and Taylor Reynolds, Company A; Henry Fry, Company F, and Jesse Dial, Company H; prisoners of war: Privates Thomas Orbin, Moses Smith and Joshua Torrence, Company B; among the wounded were Lieut. Norman B. Ream, Company H, and Sergt. John G. Woodward, Company C, the latter mortally; Lieut. Ream returned to the Regiment on the evening of June 11, although not fully recovered from his wound of February 22, and was voluntarily at the front, in command of a portion of the Regiment; the enemy’s bullet struck him below his former wound on the lower right limb; the lieutenant remarked to those nearest him that the enemy was exceedingly kind not to have disabled his other limb.”¹⁷

 

 

June 18, 1864

• “Although the Regiment was relieved of duty on the picket line before midnight it did not reach camp until 3 a. m.; the enemy remained quiet in front during the forenoon; Company A sent the remains of Patterson Jobes home for burial; about 4 p. m. the enemy attacked the position held by the 67th Ohio and drove it back; the Regiment was immediately ordered to re-inforce the latter, and the combined force, after a spirited contest, forced the enemy to retire; the Regiment remaining on picket during the night at the same position it had held on the 17th; in regaining the former position, Privates Ross Rush, Company H, and Jacob Deselms, Company E, were instantly killed, and the following were wounded: Capt. R. R. Sanner and Private William Hileman, Company H; Privates John Clendaniel, and Hiram Haver, Company D, and Private Isaac L. Hall, Company K; Gen. W. T. H. Brooks assumed command of the 10th Corps.”¹⁸

 

 

June 19, 1864

• “As if by mutual consent the pickets on both sides refrained from firing at each other during the day; the Regiment was relieved by a detachment of the 67th Ohio and returned to camp at 7 p. m.”¹⁹

 

 

June 20, 1864

• “The men were congratulating themselves that they would have a good night’s rest, as the enemy was quiet in front, when they received orders to get ready for an expedition, with 100 rounds of cartridges, two days rations, in light marching orders; Regiment left camp at 5 p. m., and marched to the bank of the James River where it bivouacked during the night near Jones Landing at a point called Jones Neck.”²⁰

 

 

June 21, 1864

• “Immediately after daybreak the Regiment crossed the James River to the north bank, on a pontoon-bridge thrown across the river during the night, and heavy details were immediately put to work fortifying the approaches to the bridge on the north side of the James; seven companies of the Regiment went on picket in the evening; Com. Sergt. Bell brought a ration of whiskey to the men, with other rations, but was not permitted to take it to the picket-line; no signs of the enemy being near during the first day and night.”²¹

 

 

June 22, 1864

• “No signs of the enemy until noon when his skirmishers advanced, but soon retired when the pickets opened fire on them; Regiment relieved of picket duty by the 10th Connecticut about dark; Sergt. John G. Woodward who was mortally wounded on June 17, died at Regimental hospital; President Lincoln passed by the camp of the Regiment at Bermuda Hundred.”²²

 

 

June 23, 1864

• “Weather very warm; orders issued to pitch tents which were shortly revoked, followed by orders to get ready to return to Bermuda Hundred camp, which were also countermanded; three companies of the Regiment ordered on picket; the other companies lay in line of battle during the night in expectation of an attack by the enemy.”²³

 

 

June 24, 1864

• “During the afternoon that part of the Regiment not on picket was detailed for fatigue duty erecting a redan on the hill in front; while the men were in expectancy of receiving orders to return to the Bermuda Hundred camp they received word they were to remain on the north side of the James two days longer; fresh beef had been issued to the company cooks in the Bermuda Hundred camp, and it was cooked awaiting them, as the Regiment was expected to arrive in time for supper.”²⁴

 

 

June 25, 1864

• “Regiment re-crossed the James River during the forenoon [from north of the James River in the Deep Bottom Bridgehead], starting about 11 a. m., arriving at former camp [near Ware Bottom Church] about 3 p. m., and the men were permitted to rest in their tents during the night.”²⁵

 

 

June 26, 1864

• “James A. Proudfit, formerly a member of Company A, visited the Regimental camp as a member of a committee of the Christian Commission; the other members were Dr. Wales, Dr. Pollock and Mr. Mercer. Hosp. Steward Bebout returned from furlough; John Wibley, who was discharged on Surgeon’s certificate from Company A, May 1, 1862, returned to the company today; he was drafted March 1, 1864, for three years, and at his request was assigned to his former company; Regiment ordered on picket at 6 p, m.; the relieved pickets reported that they could distinctly hear the enemy engaged at religious service during the day.”²⁶

 

 

June 27, 1864

• “Regiment on picket-line until 6 p. m.; the ‘Johnnies’ showed no disposition to fire upon the ‘Yankees’; Regiment returned to camp in the evening; prior to its return Com. Sergt. Bell took out a ration of whiskey, which was distributed to the men.”²⁷

 

 

June 28, 1864

• “Regiment lay in camp all day and the following night ; prayer-meeting in camp in the evening; Regimental provision return indicates the strength of the Regiment as 398.”²⁸

 

 

June 29, 1864

• “Men lay in camp throughout the day; the Christian Commission issued some sanitary supplies to the Regiment; quiet at the immediate front, but heavy cannonading in the direction of Petersburg; Regiment went on picket on the left open field; enemy’s pickets were very friendly.”²⁹

 

 

June 30, 1864

• “Regiment on picket until 6 p. m.; relieved by the 39th Illinois; Sergt. David D. Watson, of Company B, who had been sent north to General Hospital by authority of Surgeon, returned to the Regiment today and learned that he had been reduced to the ranks during his absence; Sutler R. M. Modisette, visited the camp today, his first appearance since the Regiment left South Carolina; Regiment mustered for pay in the evening, after returning from the picket-line, by Lieut. Col. Campbell.”³⁰

 

 

July 1864

July 1, 1864

• “Regimental inspection at 9 a. m. by a staff officer of the Second Brigade. An order was read directing that 1st Lieut. John A. Gordon, who had been detached on recruiting service in 1862; then detached elsewhere and court-martialed and sentenced to be dismissed from the service, be returned to duty, by order of the President; Regiment lay in camp all day; prayer-meeting in the evening.”³¹

 

July 2, 1864

• “Fresh bread and fresh meat issued to the men; Q. M. Beall was appointed brigade quartermaster on the staff of Col. Howell; Regiment went on picket at 6 p.m.”³²

 

 

July 3, 1864

• “Extremely hot day; Regiment on picket until 6 p. m., when it was relieved and returned to camp, the men receiving a drink of whiskey on their arrival.”³³

 

 

July 4, 1864

• “Regiment lay in camp during the day; the commissary drew a barrel of whiskey containing 43 gallons; this was medicated by five ounces of quinine; one of the men belonging to Company C, decrying the quality of the whiskey, saying it was not fit to drink, was ‘tied up’ as punishment for his impertinence; George Bolsinger of Company I was taken to the Washington Insane Asylum by Sergt. John G. Stevens, Company I; Corp. B. F. Campbell, Company G, and Private Samuel Johnson, Company I; Regiment went on picket at 6 p.m.”³⁴

 

 

July 5, 1864

• “Regiment on picket until 6 p. m., when it was relieved by the 62d Ohio; orders were issued for all men detailed on duty at Regimental headquarters, in the commissary’s and quartermaster’s departments to return to their companies for duty.”³⁵

 

July 6, 1864

• “Regiment had a good day’s rest in camp; commissary drew pickles, cabbage and beets; 11 heads of cabbage and 30 pounds of beets to the hundred rations; these vegetables are issued in lieu of rice, as comparatively few of the men care for the latter; prayer-meeting in camp in the evening.”³⁶

 

July 7, 1864

• “Commissary department received two days rations of cabbage and one day’s ration of beets; also another barrel of whiskey; Regiment went on picket at 6 p. m. in an open field in front; slight rain; heavy cannonading in the direction of Petersburg; very little firing between the pickets.”³⁷

 

July 8, 1864

• “Regiment on picket until evening, when it was relieved by the 62d Ohio; flag of truce went to the enemy during the day said to relate to sending letters to prisoners of war; on returning to camp the men received a drink of whiskey minus the quinine, the supply of the latter having been exhausted; general rejoicing among the men in con sequence.”³⁸

 

July 9, 1864

• “Regiment in camp during the day; went on picket in the evening; as a pastime in camp many of the men would take the brass plugs from unexploded shells fired by the enemy and make rings and other ornaments; while Private Walter O. Donnell, Company A, was removing the plug from a shell it exploded, killing him instantly, and wounding three others of the company, viz.: Privates William Milligan, William Morrison and John S. Butterfoss; Sergt. Stevens. Corp. Campbell and Private Johnson, who were detailed to take Private George Bolsinger to the Insane Asylum, returned to the Regiment.”³⁹

 

July 10, 1864

• “Regiment lay on picket; all quiet in front; relieved in the evening by the 39th Illinois; Lieut. Johnson of Company I, wounded on May 20, returned to the Regiment.”⁴⁰

 

July 11, 1864

• “Regiment lay in camp all day, and the men were permitted to rest during the night undisturbed; Private George W. Chick, who had been absent sick, returned to the Regiment; weather extremely warm; thunder-storm in the evening.”⁴¹

 

July 12, 1864

• “Regiment in camp during the day; went on picket at 6 p.m.; cannonading in the direction of Petersburg.”⁴²

 

July 13, 1864

• “Regiment on picket until evening when it returned to camp; Gen. Brooks, commanding the 10th Corps, issued orders prohibiting commissioned officers from being on too familiar terms with the men; Lieut. Col. Campbell gave notice that this order would be strictly enforced.”⁴³

 

July 14, 1864

• “Regiment in camp during the day; went on picket at 6 p.m.”⁴⁴

 

July 15, 1864

• “Regiment on picket during the day; the pickets of the enemy continue friendly; Regiment returned to camp at 6 p. m.; standing order for the Regiment to be in line of battle at 3.30 a. m. every day.”⁴⁵

 

July 16, 1864

• “Regiment in camp during the day; general inspection by Capt. R[ichard]. W. Dawson, assistant inspector-general of the brigade; Regiment went on picket at 6. p. m. in open field.”⁴⁶

 

July 17, 1864

• “Regiment on picket until 6 p. m., when relieved by the 39th Ill. Regiment.”⁴⁷

 

July 18, 1864

• “Regiment ordered to the intrenchments shortly after midnight, some deserters from the enemy having reported a general attack to be made; Regiment remained in camp during the day; prayer-meeting in the evening; Gen. Brooks relinquished the command of the 10th Corps to Gen. Terry; Gen. R. S. Foster assuming command of the First Division.”⁴⁸

 

July 19, 1864

• “Heavy rain all day, the first heavy rain for several weeks ; Companies A, B, G and K detailed for picket duty at Point of Rocks; the other companies on picket near Ware Bottom Church; continues to rain throughout the night.”⁴⁹

 

July 20, 1864

• “Day opens cloudy and threatening rain; showers at intervals during the day; pickets at Ware Bottom Church relieved at 6 p. m.; Companies A, B, G and K remain on picket at Point of Rocks; Regimental commissary wagon took rations to them.”⁵⁰

 

July 21, 1864

• “Companies in camp called into line at 3 a. m.; details from companies in camp go on picket in the evening; four companies remain on picket at Point of Rocks; the ration of fresh bread has been reduced from 22 ounces to 18; Maj. Gen. D. B. Birney assigned to command of 10th Corps, subject to the approval of the President.”⁵¹

 

July 22, 1864

• “Companies C, E, H and I sent to Point of Rocks to relieve the four companies on picket there; the details on picket at Ware Bottom Church relieved in the evening; Companies A, B, G and K return to camp from Point of Rocks.”⁵²

 

July 23, 1864

• “Private James Beatty, Company C, home on furlough, was married and over-stayed his time, and being charged with desertion, is now being court-martialed; Companies C, E, H and I remain on picket near Point of Rocks; Maj. Gen. D. B. Birney resumes command of 10th Corps, and Gen. Terry reassumed command of the 1st Division.”⁵³

 

July 24, 1864

• “Companies C, E, H and I still on picket near Point of Rocks; balance of Regiment go on picket near Ware Bottom Church; raining all night; cold and very disagreeable.”⁵⁴

 

July 25, 1864

• “Day opens exceedingly cold and raining, but by noon clears up, the balance of the day being very pleasant; the companies on picket at Ware Bottom Church relieved in the evening; Companies C, E, H and I on picket near Point of Rocks were relieved at 4 p. m. and returned to camp.”⁵⁵

 

July 26, 1864

• “Regiment called out at 3.30 a. m. and stood in line of battle until a half hour after sunrise; Sergt. Greer Hair, Company A, received a letter from Thomas J. Barr of same company, the latter being a prisoner of war in Richmond; Regiment went on picket in open field at 6 p. m.”⁵⁶

 

July 27, 1864

• “Regiment remains on picket until evening when it is relieved and returns to camp; Second Corps and a division of cavalry cross the James River to the north bank at Jones Landing, and recapture some guns near Fort Darling captured by the enemy in May.”⁵⁷

 

July 28, 1864

• “Owing to illness and wounds Col. Howell was granted leave of absence; Col. Francis B. Pond, 62d Ohio, assigned to the command of the brigade during his absence; part of the Regiment went on picket in the woods at 6 p.m.”⁵⁸

 

July 29, 1864

• “Regimental provision return indicates the total number of men present entitled to draw rations as 371; commissary department drew 116 lbs. of onions; 116 lbs. of turnips and 77 lbs. of beets; detachment of the Regiment on picket relieved by another detachment from the Regiment in the evening.”⁵⁹

 

July 30, 1864

• “Orders were issued for the Regiment to be in readiness to move at a moment’s notice with two days rations, and in light marching orders; three companies went on picket at 6 p. m., relieving the pickets of the Regiment on duty at the front.”⁶⁰

 

July 31, 1864

• “Regiment called out at 3.30 a. m. and remained in line of battle until a half hour after sunrise; Capt. R. R. Sanner, Company H, wounded June 18, returned to the Regiment; Companies A, F and D went on picket at 6 p. m., relieving Companies K, G and B.”⁶¹

 

 

 

August 1864

August 1, 1864

• “A nice summer day but quite warm; a petition from the enlisted men of the Regiment was sent to Gov. Curtin invoking his influence to have the Regiment mustered out of the service at the expiration of three years from the date of first muster in October 16, 1861; Regiment went on picket in the evening, in the woods.”⁶²

 

August 2, 1864

• “Regiment on picket in the woods near Ware Bottom Church until 6 p. m.; all quiet in front; constitutional amendment granting soldiers in the field the right of suffrage voted on in Pennsylvania today.”⁶³

 

 

August 3, 1864

• “Regiment lay in camp all day; some rain in the afternoon, but otherwise the day was pleasant; provision return of the Regiment indicates 386 men present; drew 386 lbs. of potatoes and 109 lbs. of turnips; Regimental quartermaster ordered to surrender his team to brigade quartermaster; team to be furnished the Regiment when needed on application to the latter.”⁶⁴

 

August 4, 1864

• “Regiment in line of battle shortly after 3 a. m., until half an hour after sunrise; company drill for an hour in the forenoon, the first drill since the Regiment returned to Virginia; Regiment went on picket in the evening.”⁶⁵

 

August 5, 1864

• “Regiment on picket near Ware Bottom Church; no firing between the pickets, but some shots were fired from a battery of the enemy near the Howlett house at some boys bathing in the James River; Regiment relieved in the evening by the 16th New York Heavy Artillery; heavy cannonading near Petersburg.”⁶⁶

 

August 6, 1864

• “Regiment in camp during the day; company drill for an hour in the forenoon and again for an hour in the afternoon; perfectly quiet in front but incessant cannonading near Petersburg; an order read asking for 600 volunteers from the 10th corps for fatigue duty not to exceed 20 days; it is understood the duty required is to dig a mine near Petersburg.”⁶⁷

 

August 7, 1864

• “A beautiful summer day; general inspection at 9 a. m.; dress parade in the evening, after which there was preaching by the Rev. Pearce of the Christian Commission; this was the first sermon in the Regimental camp for a long time, and Lieut. Col. Campbell made it compulsory for every man not on duty to attend, under penalty of being placed in arrest for not turning out; prayer-meeting followed preaching; volunteers for fatigue duty ordered to report at corps headquarters tomorrow at 10 a. m.”⁶⁸

 

August 8, 1864

• “Regiment under arms at 3.30 a. m.; company drill for an hour and a half in the forenoon, and again for the same length of time in the afternoon; four companies of the Regiment went on picket in the evening; a number of the officers of the Regiment visited City Point, using a wagon as a conveyance.”⁶⁹

 

August 9, 1864

• “One hundred men detailed for fatigue duty at the fortifications in front during the forenoon; the order for volunteers for fatigue duty to appear at corps headquarters countermanded, owing to the entire quota required from the corps having been furnished by the 16th New York Heavy Artillery; a few minutes before noon an ammunition barge at City Point exploded, killing 12 enlisted men, 2 citizen employees, 1 citizen not employed by the Government and 28 colored laborers; wounding 3 commissioned officers, 4 enlisted men, 15 citizen employees, 86 colored laborers and 18 others, soldiers and citizens, not belonging at the wharf; Companies E, H and K were ordered on duty at the Landing after the explosion; company drill for an hour and a half in the forenoon and again in the afternoon for an hour and a half; Companies F, D and I went on picket in the evening; the four companies from the Regiment were relieved and returned to camp.”⁷⁰

 

August 10, 1864

• “The four companies in camp had company drill for an hour and a half in the forenoon and again in the afternoon; Companies F, D and I return from picket duty in the evening.”⁷¹

 

August 11, 1864

• “Company drill in the forenoon for an hour and a half, and again in the afternoon, followed by dress parade; prayer-meeting in camp in the evening.”⁷²

 

August 12, 1864

• “Regiment in line of battle from 3 a. m. until after sunrise; company drill for an hour and a half during the forenoon; extremely hot day; Regiment went on picket in the evening.”⁷³

 

August 13, 1864

• “The last night for the Regiment to do picket duty in front of the Bermuda Hundred position near Ware Bottom Church; at 11 a. m. orders were received for the brigade to be in readiness to move at a moment’s notice, with three days cooked rations in haversacks, and ammunition in sufficient quantity to indicate a severe engagement was anticipated; the Regiment was relieved from picket duty, and other details returned to camp; tents were struck and the brigade lay in readiness until nearly midnight when the column moved towards the James River.”⁷⁴
• “The First and Second Brigades left the intrenchments in front of Bermuda Hundred at 11 p. m. for Deep Bottom.”⁷⁵

 

August 14, 1864

• “Arrived in the morning and found the Third Brigade already there. Attacked the enemy near the Kingsland road just after daybreak and carried the rifle-pits and intrenchments, taking 71 prisoners. In the afternoon a portion of the division again successfully attacked the enemy and captured a battery with four guns. At night moved to Strawberry Plains.”⁷⁶
• “Regiment crossed the James River on Pontoon-bridge about 2 a. m. and marched out to within a short distance of the picket line of Foster’s brigade, where it went into bivouac, the men lying on their arms in line of battle; shortly after the break of day, before the men had breakfasted, firing began on the picket line in the immediate front, and the Regiment was advanced as if to the support of the pickets; however, before reaching the picket line the Regiment was moved to the left of the position occupied by Foster’s brigade, and with the other regiments of Col. Howell’s brigade, charged the enemy’s works with cheers, carrying his rifle-pits and driving him into his main works on New Market Heights; during this charge the Regiment lost one officer, and two men killed, and ten men wounded; among the casualties were 1st Lieut. William T. Campbell, and Private Samuel H. Immel (Company K); Sergt. James R. Peters (Company E), instantly killed; among the wounded were Sergt. Jesse E. Jones, Company G, Corp. Crawford H. Scott, and Priv. James Minerd, Company I; 1st Sergt. Oliver H. Sproul and Private Paul Rankin, Company K; 1st Sergt. James A. Swearer, Company C; after capturing the enemy’s breast-works in advance of his main works, the men were allowed to take a rest and get breakfast; during the afternoon and early part of the night the Regiment made several short moves; it began to rain about dark and continued steadily during the fore part of the night thoroughly drenching the men.”⁷⁷

 

August 15, 1864

• “Advanced beyond Long Bridge road to Deep Run.”⁷⁸
• “The Regiment moved to the right about 1 a. m. and crossed Four Mile Creek, taking position to the right of the Second Corps near the crossing of the River and Quaker roads; about 9 a. m. moved up the latter road for two or three miles; from here, at 1 p. m., 100 men under Capt. Hughes were ordered to the front as skirmishers to support the pickets of the Second Corps, where they remained until after dark, returning to the Regiment between 8 and 9 o clock p. m.; during the afternoon, Private Dennis Farrell of Company A, was instantly killed, and Private Andrew Caleb Lynn, Company I, and Musician Lemuel Thomas, Company C, were mortally wounded, the latter living only until the following day; Lynn died August 21; Musician Thomas was assisting Surgeon Kurtz take care of the wounded; the latter was partially standing on one leg, with the other crossing it and with one arm, partially reclining on a tree; while in this position a solid shot or unexploded shell from the enemy s battery in front ricocheted, striking the heel of the shoe turned outward and thence to Musician Thomas head, knocking the latter unconscious; Surgeon Kurtz, although suffering great pain, immediately gave his attention to Thomas and remained continuously on duty; Major Abraham, and several men were wounded, among the latter were Sergt. Rinehart B. Church (Company F), Privates William W. Balsley (Company C) and Jackson Kimble (Company F); Com. Sergt. Bell issued two days rations to the men in the afternoon, while they were lying in range of the musketry fire of the enemy, the ‘zip’ of the balls being quite numerous at the time; towards evening, as he was returning to the south side of the James River, Gen. Grant and a solitary orderly passed him; just then the general espied a severely wounded man lying by the roadside; he immediately dismounted, and with the assistance of the orderly, carried the wounded man to the shade of a hemlock tree, then mounted his horse and continued his journey to the south bank of the James.”⁷⁹

 

August 16, 1864

• “Attacked and carried the enemy’s works at Deep Run, capturing about 300 prisoners and 6 battle-flags.”⁸⁰
• “This was the bloodiest day in the calendar of the 85th Regiment; the day broke cloudy and misty but extremely warm; at 9 a. m. the Regiment was ordered to move to the right and support a portion of Foster’s brigade, then engaging the skirmishers of the enemy; by the time the enemy’s skirmishers had retired within their fortifications the Regiment was about a half mile to the right of Fussell’s Mill and about 100 yards from the enemy’s works, concealed from the enemy by a dense wood; Foster’s men were then withdrawn and the 85th Regiment, on the right of Howell’s brigade under command of Col. Pond, charged the enemy’s main works, with a cheer carrying it, and capturing three stand of colors and over a hundred prisoners; the enemy being re-inforced and attacking the brigade on both flanks forced it to retire about 4 p. m., when it fell back some distance and threw up some rifle-pits, about 300 yards from the enemy’s position; in this charge 20 men were instantly killed, 12 mortally wounded, and between 40 and 50 more or less severely wounded; Capt. W. W. Kerr, Company A, was made prisoner of war; Capt. Lewis Watkins, Company E, and Capt. Levi M. Rogers, Company F, received death wounds, and Adjt. D. W. Shields, Capt. Geo. H. Hooker, and Lieut. A. S. Dial, Company B, and Lieut. E. A. Russell, Company F, were among the wounded.”⁸¹

 

August 17, 1864

• “The Regiment occupied a position directly in rear of where it charged the enemy’s works the previous day; during the afternoon there was a truce for three hours to bury the dead; during the afternoon rations were issued to the Regiment.”⁸²

 

August 18, 1864

• “Attacked near Deep Run by the enemy, who were repulsed with loss.”⁸³
• “Nothing of importance occurred during the day, the Regiment remaining in same position it held the previous day; steady rain most of the day; about 9 p. m. the enemy advanced along the whole front driving in our pickets, but on receiving a steady fire along the whole line, soon retired, and the picket line was re-established in our front; Col. Howell having returned and assumed command of the brigade, early in the day was in his element during this attack, riding along the line in the darkness with cheering words to the men, as though it were a holiday amusement.”⁸⁴

 

August 19, 1864

• “About 1 a. m., the Regiment retired from its position and moved to a point near Malvern Hill, on the New Market road, where it went into bivouac,”⁸⁵

 

August 20, 1864

• “During the night the First and Second Brigades recrossed the James River and returned to the intrenchments in front of Bermuda Hundred, the Third Brigade returning to Deep Bottom.”⁸⁶
• “The Regiment remained near the New Market road not far from Malvern Hill, until shortly after dark, when it started to return to its former camp at Bermuda Hundred, crossing the James River on the pontoon-bridge at Jones Neck about 11 p. m.”⁸⁷

 

 

August 21, 1864

• “After an all night march the Regiment arrived at the Bermuda Hundred camp shortly after daybreak; the men, though tired, went to work with vim, putting their old camp in order; about dark orders were issued to be ready to move at a moment’s notice with one day’s rations in haversacks.”⁸⁸

 

August 22, 1864

• “About 1 a. m., the Regiment left the Bermuda Hundred camp and marched over to the bank of the Appomattox River; halted there, and after an hour’s rest returned to its former camp, arriving there before daybreak; nothing of importance occurred during the day, the men being permitted to rest in camp; orders were issued for the men to remain in camp to be in readiness for ‘any movement that may be directed’; orders issued to form line in trenches at 4 a. m.”⁸⁹

 

August 23, 1864

• “The Regiment was in line at trenches at 4 a. m., remaining there until a half hour after daybreak; general inspection at 2 p. m.; detail from the Regiment went on picket at 5 p. m.; all quiet in front; the enemy’s artillery keep up an incessant fire on the men working on Dutch Gap Canal.”⁹⁰

 

August 24, 1864

• “Orders issued to have everything in readiness to move at a moment’s notice after 12 m[eridian, aka noon].; struck tents and had everything in readiness to move by noon; detail on picket relieved at 6 p. m.; Regiment moved at 8 p. m., crossing the Appomattox River at Point of Rocks and continued on forced march towards Petersburg until midnight.”⁹¹

 

August 25, 1864

• “Regiment, with the exception of picket detail, continues march until 1 a. m., when it arrives near Petersburg; relieves a Regiment of the 18th Corps on picket duty in the trenches at 4 a. m.; constant exchange of shots between pickets during day and night; also artillery fire.”⁹²

 

August 26, 1864

• “Clear morning; constant firing at front; 1st sergeants of Companies ordered to the rear to lay off camp; the site of the former camp of the 2d Pennsylvania. Heavy Artillery was selected, although in easy range of fire of the enemy’s pickets it is concealed from their view being in a woods; however, the bullets of the enemy are constantly zipping through the camp.”⁹³

 

August 27, 1864

• “Regiment in trenches and on picket; James Cairney and Joseph Banks of Company C were severely wounded by the same bullet, fired by a sharpshooter of the enemy, the bullet passing through Cairney’s body and lungs and then striking Banks; they had taken breakfast to the company on picket and were returning to camp when wounded; sharp artillery duel during the afternoon; Coehorn mortars are used quite freely; Regiment relieved after dark and returned to camp.”⁹⁴

 

August 28, 1864

• “An unusually heavy picket firing in our front at daybreak; Regiment formed in line of battle anticipating an attack; the day was pleasant; artillery and musketry fire was almost continuous throughout the day and night.”⁹⁵

 

August 29, 1864

• “Regiment under arms at daybreak; remained in camp until evening when it was ordered to the front for picket duty; our batteries bombarded Petersburg for some time during the fore part of the night.”⁹⁶

 

August 30, 1864

• “Constant exchange of shots between pickets during the night and day with no casualties in the Regiment; Regimental camp moved about half a mile to the left by the men who had been on camp guard and fatigue duty; Regiment remains on picket at the front.”⁹⁷

 

August 31, 1864

• “Regiment on picket; general cessation of hostilities along the picket line, the sentinels on both sides meeting each other and exchange papers, coffee and sugar for tobacco; Regiment relieved at dark and return to camp in new location; mustered for pay at 10 p. m.”⁹⁸

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 1864

September 1, 1864

• “Regiment called out at 4 a. m., standing in line of battle until half an hour after daybreak; while Henry K. Atchison, Company G, was working on the company muster-rolls in his tent an unexploded shell or solid shot of the enemy shattered one of his arms so badly that it had to be amputated near the shoulder; Col. Howell was assigned to the temporary command of the 3d Division of the 10th Corps during the sickness of Brig. Gen. William Birney; this division is comprised of colored troops.”⁹⁹

 

September 2, 1864

• “The Regiment was in line of battle at 4 a. m. (this being a standing order to govern the Regiment while in camp), remaining until a half hour after daybreak; a man of the 2d Corps, who deserted at Gettysburg was shot for desertion; he was recently captured serving in the Confederate army; Regiment went on picket at dark; nights cool and days hot.”¹⁰⁰

 

September 3, 1864

• “Regiment on picket; extensive bantering with enemy s pickets there being a tacit agreement not to fire on each other; however, constant firing continues on the right and left; Alexander Welsh, a recruit for Company A, arrived today; his brother, Joseph Welsh, was killed at Deep Bottom on August 16, but Alexander was not apprised of his brother’s death until he arrived at camp; some of the Regiment witnessed a rare army execution hanging; the victim of the gallows belonged to a regiment of the First Division, and had shot and killed a member of his regiment in battle against whom he held a grudge; he was detected, convicted by court-martial and expiated his crime at the end of a rope, his brigade witnessing the execution, forming three sides of a hollow square around the gallows.”¹⁰¹

 

September 4, 1864

• “Regiment on picket; friendly relations still exist with the pickets in our front although there is a constant fire on the right and left; bartering continues; return to camp at dark; receive the cheering news of the capture of Atlanta.”¹⁰²

 

September 5, 1864

• “Regiment in line at 4 a. m.; remained in camp all day; the capture of Atlanta was celebrated in the evening by a terrific bombardment of Petersburg, all the batteries having range of the city participating, during which the martial bands rendered patriotic airs; the enemy threw a few shells into the Regimental camp; no casualties; heavy rain and thunder-storm shortly after dark.”¹⁰³

 

 

September 6, 1864

• “Day broke with a cold drizzling rain; Regiment remained in camp until dark when it went on picket, and in the reserve trenches; cold autumn rain during the night making it very disagreeable and uncomfortable; cars now running close to camp on track recently laid, and attract the fire of the enemy’s batteries.”¹⁰⁴

 

 

September 7, 1864

• “The Regiment on picket in trenches until the afternoon; when relieved moved camp into the Fourteen-gun battery (subsequently designated Fort Morton); raining during the night.”¹⁰⁵

 

 

September 8, 1864

• “Regiment in Fourteen-gun battery [soon to be Ft. Morton]; several companies encamping immediately in rear, protected from the enemy’s fire by bomb-proofs; rained during the night.”¹⁰⁶

 

 

September 9, 1864

• “Regiment remained in fort [Ft. Morton]; weather cloudy and misty with occasional drizzling rain; very little firing during forenoon; during the afternoon the enemy concentrated heavy artillery fire on the fort occupied by the Regiment without injury or casualties.”¹⁰⁷

 

 

September 10, 1864

• “Regiment lay in the fort; location of companies arranged; constant fire kept up by batteries on both sides; Sergt. George W. Ramage, Company I, slightly wounded.”¹⁰⁸

 

 

September 11, 1864

• “Regiment ordered to construct bomb-proofs in rear of the fort; the men devoted the day to this work; raining most of the time; President Lincoln ordered this day to be observed as one of Thanksgiving for the recent victories at Atlanta and Mobile Bay; Sergt. Jacob Deffenbaugh, Company I; Sergt. Howard Kerr, Company D; and Private George Orbin, Company C, returned to the Regiment, having been absent sick.”¹⁰⁹

 

 

September 12, 1864

• “Regiment still at Fourteen-gun battery (Fort Morton); the men continued working on bomb-proofs during the day in rear of the battery.”¹¹⁰

 

 

September 13, 1864

• “Regiment still in Fort Morton; the men finish bomb-proofs in rear of the fort; Gen. Howell mortally injured by his horse rearing and falling on him as he was returning to his quarters from Gen. Birney s headquarters about 1 a.m.”¹¹¹

 

September 14, 1864

• “Regiment in Fort Morton; Col. Howell died at brigade hospital in the evening before dark; 12 men of Company A were detailed to serve as provost-guard at division headquarters.”¹¹²

 

 

September 15, 1864

• “Regiment in Fort Morton; funeral services conducted at the brigade hospital by the Masonic fraternity at the remains of Col. Howell, the procession of the order from brigade headquarters was led by the band of the 39th Illinois Regiment.”¹¹³

 

 

September 16, 1864

• “Regiment in Fort Morton; continues firing on the picket lines in front and some artillery fire concentrated on the fort, but no resultant casualties in Regiment; Dr. Howell, brother of Col. Howell, of Woodbury, New Jersey, arrived for the purpose of escorting the Colonel’s body home.”¹¹⁴

 

September 17, 1864

• “Beautiful morning; the Regiment temporarily relieved of garrison duty and escorted the remains of Col. Howell to division headquarters; following the ambulance bearing the Colonel’s body was ‘Old Charley,’ the horse he brought from Camp LaFayette in 1861, and which he had ridden so often; Regiment returned to Fort Morton; Dr. Howell departed with the Colonel’s remains in the afternoon; ration returns indicated 281 men present.”¹¹⁵

 

 

September 18, 1864

• “Pleasant autumn day; Regiment still at Fort Morton; no religious services of any kind in camp; orders issued to have things in order for regular monthly inspection; Capt. Rolla O. Phillips, Company D, left for Pennsylvania in an endeavor to get recruits sent to the Regiment; comparatively quiet in front.”¹¹⁶

 

 

September 19, 1864

• “Regiment at Fort Morton; the first sergeants have joined in a petition to Gen. Grant to have the men of the Regiment mustered out at the expiration of three years from date of enlistment; Regiment inspected in the afternoon by the acting assistant inspector-general of the Third Brigade, First Division, Tenth Corps; Lieut. William H. Davis, who had been on special duty with Company I since May 22, returned to Company C.”¹¹⁷

 

 

September 20, 1864

• “A private of Company C, convicted of theft by court-martial, had his head shaved, after which he was marched through the brigade camp, the band playing the ‘Rogue’s March’; orders issued for the men not to leave the fort; the petition to Gen. Grant asking that the men be mustered out at the expiration of three years from date of enlistment was presented at the headquarters of the general by Sergt. John B. Norris, Company B; this petition was received by Lieut. Col. Theodore S. Bowers, assistant adjutant-general, of Gen. Grant s staff, who notified Sergt. Norris that the petition would have to come through the proper channel, before it could have attention from the headquarters of the army.”¹¹⁸

 

 

September 21, 1864

• “Regiment still at Fort Morton; immediately after daybreak all the batteries fired a salute in honor of a victory of Sheridan’s on September 19; first sergeants held a conference in reference to petition for discharge of the men at expiration of three years’ service; orders issued to have three days rations in haversacks and three in wagons; men anticipate early marching orders.”¹¹⁹

 

 

September 22, 1864

• “Regiment at Fort Morton; petition forwarded to Gen. Grant through proper channel; Regimental commissary received two and a half barrels of onions and some pickles from the Sanitary Commission.”¹²⁰

 

 

September 23, 1864

• “Regiment at Fort Morton; detail constructing large bomb-proof in the fort by order of Lieut. Col. Campbell; men notified that the paymaster is expected daily.”¹²¹

 

 

September 24, 1864

• “Regiment’s last day at Fort Morton; at 8 a. m. a salute was fired in honor of Sheridan’s victory in the Shenandoah valley; late in the afternoon received orders to pack up and prepare to leave; at 9 p. m. left Fort Morton and marched to within a short distance of corps headquarters and bivouacked for the night.”¹²²

 

 

September 25, 1864

• “Regiment near corps headquarters; laid out camp and pitched tents, just north of the road between City Point and Petersburg, the field in which the camp is pitched is bordered by a creek; the 10th Corps is apparently to be held in reserve as it has been relieved from duty at the front by the 2nd Corps, and is now concentrated near Gen. Birney’s headquarters.”¹²³

 

 

September 26, 1864

• “Regiment encamped along the road between City Point and Petersburg, near corps headquarters; orders to put bunks in tents; also to resume company drill six hours daily; company drill in the afternoon; Private James E. Sayers, Company F, promoted to 1st Sergeant and placed in command of the company, the commissioned officers all being absent; prayer-meeting in the evening, the first religious services in Regimental camp for some weeks.”¹²⁴

 

 

September 27, 1864

• “Regiment encamped between City Point and Petersburg; company drill during the forenoon; general inspection of the brigade in the afternoon; the petition forwarded to Gen. Grant requesting that the men be mustered out of the service at the expiration of three years from date of enlistment was returned by Gen. Birney disapproved; Chaplain Craig, 62d Ohio Regiment, held religious service in the camp of the 85th Regiment, preaching from Isaiah, Chap. 28, Verse 16: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner stone; a sure foundation.’”¹²⁵

 

September 28, 1864

• “Regiment left camp between City Point and Petersburg at 3 p. m., having received orders during the forenoon to be in readiness to move at that hour with two days rations in haversacks; crossed the Appomattox River at Broadway Landing, and the James River at Jones Landing, arriving at Deep Bottom about midnight where it went into bivouac.”¹²⁶

 

 

September 29, 1864

• “The Regiment was routed out shortly after 3 a. m., and after a hurried breakfast, and at the glow of dawn was in line of battle, and just as day began to break advanced over the same ground Howell’s brigade had charged over at New Market Heights on August 14. With very little resistance the Regiment, at the head of the brigade, advanced out the New Market road until it was within three miles of Richmond, without any casualties; later in the day it was ordered to retire, and it fell back to a fortified position about a mile west of Four Mile Run Church, near the Robinson house.”¹²⁷

 

 

September 30, 1864

• “The Regiment remained in same position it occupied after falling back from in front of Richmond near the Robinson house, and devoted the day in strengthening the fortifications; Com. Sergt. Bell arrived with commissary supplies at daybreak; in the evening he issued fresh bread, and about midnight issued another day’s rations; the men were pretty well soaked as it rained quite steadily during the night; Sergt. John T. Norris, Company C, was captured by the enemy.”¹²⁸

 

 

 

October 1864

October 1, 1864

• “The Regiment with the brigade, made a reconnaissance on the Darbytown road, to within three or four miles of Richmond without much opposition; this was a tiresome march, as the roads were muddy, and a drizzling rain falling continuously throughout the day and during the night.”¹²⁹

 

October 2, 1864

• “Regiment remained in bivouac during the forenoon; shortly after noon the enemy made an attack on the pickets but were readily repulsed and the Regiment, after standing in line of battle a couple of hours, was permitted to break ranks.”¹³⁰

 

 

October 3, 1864

• “No firing in front and the Regiment remained in bivouac throughout the day; O. F. Lyon, Company A, made an attempt to get Gen. Butler interested in having the men discharged at the end of their three years enlistment but got no satisfaction.”¹³¹

 

October 4, 1864

• “Regiment receives shelter tents and pitched camp; Sergt. Sylvanus Hasson, Company K, (made an attempt to see Gen. Grant in reference to the muster-out of the men whose term of service had expired, but failed to get an interview; no firing in front but heavy cannonading on the left; Thomas Thompson, Company A, died in hospital at Fortress Monroe.”¹³²

 

October 5, 1864

• “Quiet in front; Regiment in line before daybreak; continue strengthening fortifications and improving conditions about camp ; daily details are made for picket duty from the Regiment; 199th Pennsylvania Regiment assigned to First Brigade, and ordered to garrison Deep Bottom fortifications.”¹³³

 

October 6, 1864

• “Conditions remain unchanged; during the day the knapsacks of the men were brought out to camp but were not distributed, and were taken to the rear without any explanation to the men; received two days rations.”¹³⁴

 

October 7, 1864

• “Regiment stood in line in anticipation of an attack from before daylight until an hour after daybreak; about ten o’clock the cavalry was driven back and Terry’s division was ordered to their support; the enemy was soon repulsed with heavy loss, the First Brigade following his retreating columns for about two miles; the Regiment had but four casualties, among whom were Private John S. Wagoner, Company C, wounded; Priv. Jeremiah Hartzell, Company E, wounded; Regiment in the advance on picket during the night.”¹³⁵

 

October 8, 1864

• “Shortly after daybreak the cavalry relieved the Regiment from picket duty and it took position inside the fortifications; signed pay rolls and are told will receive pay tomorrow; cool and windy during the day, and uncomfortably cold at night.”¹³⁶

 

October 9, 1864

• “Regiment returns to former position near Four Mile Run Church and strengthen fortifications, working until 9 p. m.; receive six months pay.”¹³⁷

 

October 10, 1864

• “Regiment improved conditions in camp; no firing in front; Peter A. Johns of Uniontpwn, Penna. arrived in camp bringing election papers for the Regiment; owing to illness of Gen. Birney, Gen. Terry assumed command of the Tenth Corps, and Brig. Gen. Adelbert Ames to the command of the First Division.”¹³⁸

 

October 11, 1864

• “Regiment in line of battle from 4.30 a. m. until after daybreak as usual; all quiet in front; this being election day for State officials and congressmen in Pennsylvania, an election was held in Regiment; 116 Republican and 60 Democratic votes were cast.”¹³⁹

 

October 12, 1864

• “Regiment in line at 4 a. m.; lay in camp during forenoon; about 2 p. m. received light marching orders with three days rations; at 4 p. m. Regiment moved out the New Market road some distance with the other regiments of the brigade, but soon returned to camp without meeting the enemy.”¹⁴⁰

 

October 13, 1864

• “Regiment routed out at 3 a. m. and by four o clock was marching over the same route covered the day before; moved with the division across the Darbytown road to the plains lying between it and the Charles City road, and advanced towards Richmond again; after several ineffectual attempts to carry the enemy’s works by the 10th Corps, the entire force retired, the Regiment reaching camp about dark; having eight light casualties; among the wounded were Pvt. David W. Baker, Company B, Pvt. George Rodeback, Company C, Sergt. C. E. Eckels, Company E; Corp. Nicholas Derbins, and Pvt. Jacob Huffman, Company F; M. F. Bradley and Samuel E. Johnson, Company I.”¹⁴¹

 

October 14, 1864

• “Regiment received orders about 2 p. m. to report at Butler’s headquarters; started at 3 p. m., leaving the veterans who re-enlisted, and recruits in camp; arrived at Aiken’s Landing about sunset and bivouacked for the night.”¹⁴²

 

October 15, 1864

• “Crossed on pontoon bridge at Aiken’s Landing and march to Jones Landing and from there was ordered to Bermuda Hundred, where it embarked on the U. S. Steamer Ironsides at 3 p. m., and arrived at Jamestown Island about 9 p. m., disembarked and bivouacked for the night.”¹⁴³

 

October 16, 1864

• “Embarked on the transport Blackbird in the forenoon, reaching Norfolk about noon, and thence, without disembarking, across to Portsmouth; disembarked and marched through the town to the Whitehead Farm and bivouacked for the night.”¹⁴⁴

 

 

 

October 17, 1864

• “Pitched camp during the forenoon in a grove about a half mile west of Portsmouth, called Oak Forest.”¹⁴⁵

 

 

October 18, 1864

• “Remained at Oak Forest camp awaiting orders; Sergt. Swearer, who had been ill with chills and fever, was sent to U. S. General Hospital in Portsmouth.”¹⁴⁶

 

 

October 19, 1864

• “In Oak Forest camp awaiting orders; received two days rations; a number of the comrades attend colored church where 23 colored women presented a communion service set to the church; they had a musical treat, rendered by colored vocalists, male and female.”¹⁴⁷

 

 

October 20, 1864

• “In camp at Oak Forest grove awaiting orders.”¹⁴⁸

 

 

October 21, 1864

• “Awaiting orders at Oak Forest camp; a large number of the men attended the Norfolk Theatre at night to witness ‘The Pioneer Patriot’; Gen. Israel Vogdes is in command of the post; received two days rations.”¹⁴⁹

 

 

October 22, 1864

• No entry

 

 

October 23, 1864

• “In Oak Forest camp awaiting orders.”¹⁵⁰

 

 

October 24, 1864

• No entry

 

 

October 25, 1864

• No entry

 

 

October 26, 1864

• “Lieut. Elmore A. Russell, Company F, and Marquis L. Gordon, Company G, received commissions today, the former as captain and the latter as lieutenant; they were not mustered.”¹⁵¹

 

 

October 27, 1864

• No entry

 

 

October 28, 1864

• “At Oak Forest camp awaiting orders; Surg. Sandt arrived in camp from the Army of the James.”¹⁵²

 

 

October 29, 1864

• “Awaiting orders at Oak Forest camp; 5 officers and 56 men were detailed to guard prisoners from Point Lookout, Md., to Pulaski, Georgia, the points at which prisoners were then exchanged.”¹⁵³

 

 

October 30, 1864

• No entry

 

 

October 31, 1864

• “Awaiting orders at Oak Forest camp, mustered for pay by Lieut. Col. Campbell; the latter had a petition circulated addressed to Governor Curtin in which the signers agree to re-enlist provided that all the commissioned officers of the Regiment will tender their resignations; Sergeants George W. Ramage, Company I, Sylvanus Hasson, Company K; and Privates Isaac F. Overholt, Company B, and Joseph A. Demuth, Company D, signed it; prayer-meeting in camp in the evening.”¹⁵⁴

 

 

November 1864

November 1, 1864

• “Awaiting orders at Oak Forest camp, Portsmouth, Va.”¹⁵⁵

 

November 2, 1864

• “Awaiting orders at Oak Forest camp, Portsmouth, Va.; Lieut. Col. Campbell is having the names of engagements in which the Regiment participated inscribed on the Regimental colors.”¹⁵⁶

 

November 3, 1864

• “Regiment moved from Oak Forest camp to Norfolk, Va.; quartered in buildings in different parts of the City; headquarters on South Catherine Street; Companies A and F occupied Concert Hall on Talbot Street; the sick and convalescent remained in camp at Oak Forest; camp and garrison equipage turned in.”¹⁵⁷

 

November 4, 1864

• “No change in situation, except the sick, convalescents, and Regimental baggage were moved from Oak Forest camp to Norfolk.”¹⁵⁸

 

November 5, 1864

• “No further change in situation; a number of the Regiment attended the Opera House at night to see Charlotte Thompson in Camille.”¹⁵⁹

 

November 6, 1864

• “No change in situation; a number of the Regiment attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Union Church in the morning, and the Methodist Protestant Church at night; at the latter place they witnessed a marriage ceremony performed in the basement of the church; a white woman married to a negro soldier.”¹⁶⁰

 

November 7, 1864

• “No change in situation ; the Regiment doing provost duty in Norfolk, and well represented nightly at the Opera House.”¹⁶¹

 

November 8, 1864

• “Regiment on provost duty in Norfolk; election day; Regiment polled 136 votes as follows: Lincoln 106; McClellan 30; the vote from Washington County was, Lincoln 40; McClellan 2.”¹⁶²

 

November 9, 1864

• “Regiment on provost duty in Norfolk; a number of the Regiment attended service at the Methodist Protestant Church at night.”¹⁶³

 

November 10, 1864

• “Regiment on provost duty in Norfolk; Sergt Geo. S. Fulmer, Company D, and Private Nathan Morgan, Company I, had a verbal altercation which ended without resort to physical violence.”¹⁶⁴

 

November 11, 1864

• “Provost duty in Norfolk; a number of the enlisted men had a heated verbal altercation with Lieut. Col. Campbell, due to the apparent indifference of the lieutenant-colonel in having the Regiment mustered out; the men all having served a considerable period over three years from date of enlistment, and many of them three years from date of the second muster, and no indications of being discharged; after the controversy the lieutenant-colonel started for department headquarters.”¹⁶⁵

 

November 12, 1864

• “Regiment on provost duty in Norfolk; paymaster arrived and paid the Regiment up to October 31.”¹⁶⁶

 

November 13, 1864

• “Regiment doing provost duty in Norfolk; groups of the Regiment attended service at various churches of Norfolk in the morning, afternoon and at night; the M. E. Church in Portsmouth was destroyed by fire, causing considerable excitement.”¹⁶⁷

 

November 14, 1864

• “Regiment on provost duty in Norfolk; Private Joseph Shell, Company A, was married to a Norfolk woman.”¹⁶⁸

 

November 15, 1864

• “Regiment on provost duty in Norfolk; Lieut. Col Campbell returned from department headquarters at the front with orders for the Regiment to proceed to Pittsburgh, Penna., there to be mustered out; on his return to Norfolk he ordered all the officers of the Regiment, with the exception of Lieut. Jacob Davis, placed in arrest.”¹⁶⁹

 

November 16, 1864

• “The Regiment was relieved from provost duty in Norfolk by the 1st U. S. Volunteers, and at 4 p. m., embarked on the Steamer Adelaide, the entire force being 176 enlisted men, commanded by but one line officer, 1st Lieut. Jacob Davis, Company E; the other commissioned officers having been placed in arrest by Lieut. Col. Campbell because of some disagreement were detained; as the Steamer Adelaide was leaving the dock at Norfolk, between 4 and 5 p. m., the men gave three lusty cheers for Quartermaster Beall and Surgeon Kurtz, who had come to witness the departure, followed by three groans for the lieutenant-colonel; the Adelaide touched at Fortress Monroe, leaving the dock at dusk; the men being under no restraint, a number of them became gleefully exhilarated by frequent visits to the bar of the vessel, and although the bay was quite calm the trip was exceedingly boisterous during a portion of the night.”¹⁷⁰

 

November 17, 1864

• “The Adelaide arrived at the dock in Baltimore at the break of day; the men immediately hurried to the railroad depot, in order to catch the first train going in the direction of Pittsburgh; they left Baltimore at 9:20 a. m., and arrived at Harrisburg at 2 p. m., and marched to the ‘Soldier’s Retreat.’”¹⁷¹

 

November 18, 1864

• “The men remained at the ‘Soldier’s Retreat’ in Harrisburg until Friday evening, leaving at 6:20 p. m., on an accommodation train for Pittsburgh.”¹⁷²

 

November 19, 1864

• “The survivors of the Regiment who did not re-enlist and who were not absent on detached service, or otherwise absent, who left Uniontown, Penna., on November 20, 1861, arrived at Pittsburgh at daybreak Saturday, November 19, 1864; break fasted at old City Hall, and then went to the Girard House, on Smithfield Street, where they took their other meals, sleeping in an old warehouse at the corner of First Avenue and Smithfield Street, a dilapidated building minus several doors, without fire or gas, with an open elevator shaft as dangerous to some of the men who came in late at night as were the shells of the enemy in front of Petersburgh; during the day the men turned in their arms and accoutrements at the Allegheny Arsenal in Lawrenceville; some of the men left in the afternoon to visit their homes over Sunday; the officers who had been detained at Norfolk received orders to report at Harrisburgh, Penna., to be mustered out, and embarked on the Steamer Louisiana, for Baltimore; during the early part of the night the shaft of the steamer broke, and the vessel was helpless for six or seven hours having cast anchor; finally the Steamer Georgia came alongside, to which the passengers were transferred.”¹⁷³

 

November 20, 1864

• “The men took their meals at the Girard House and spent most of the day strolling about the city; although quite a number attended church services; a group went to the First Presbyterian Church in the morning, and to the Second Presbyterian in the evening; the officers who had been transferred to the Steamer Georgia arrived at Baltimore at 5 p. m., and at 7 :30 p. m. took train for Harrisburgh.”¹⁷⁴

November 21, 1864

• “First Sergeants engaged making out the muster-out rolls.”¹⁷⁵

 

November 22, 1864

• “A number of the officers arrived during the day, but Lieut. Col. Campbell and Adjutant Shields are absent; first sergeants working at muster-out rolls and discharges; the muster-out and discharges of all the officers and men whose term of service has expired date from November 22, 1864, although but very few received them on that date, the majority of them receiving them on November 23, and the others scattered along for the next fortnight.”¹⁷⁶

 

 

SOPO Editor’s Note: Entries will be sparse to non-existent after November 22, 1864, as the Detachment of the 85th Pennsylvania which remained at the Siege of Petersburg served as the Provost Guard of 1/XXIV/AotJ from December 15, 1864 until a few months after active campaigning ended at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.

 

 

December 1864

December 15, 1864

• Detachment 85th PA made Provost Guard of 1/XXIV/AotJ on December 15, 1864, and stayed in that role until July 1865.¹⁷⁷

 

 

 

January 1865

No entries

 

 

February 1865

No entries

 

March 1865

No entries.

 

 

April 1865

No entries.

 

 

Sources:

Author Dan Clendaniel, a retired public school teacher from Virginia, was kind enough to agree to an interview with the Siege of Petersburg Online about his new books, Such Hard and Severe Service: The 85th Pennsylvania in the Civil War. Volume I, 1861-1863 and Such Hard and Severe Service: The 85th Pennsylvania in the Civil War. Volume II, 1864-1865, both published by Monongahela Books (https://monongahelabooks.com/).

 

Brett Schulte, Editor of The Siege of Petersburg Online (BRS): Dan, thanks for taking the time to (virtually) sit down with me and answer some questions regarding your two volume history of the 85th Pennsylvania. Before we dive right into your background and the details of your book, could you take a moment to describe your interest in the 85th Pennsylvania and the Civil War in general? How did it start? Were you interested in Civil War topics prior to your interest in the 85th Pennsylvania, or vice versa?

 

Dan Clendaniel (DC): I can’t claim to have been a Civil War enthusiast until about 15 years ago. As a history teacher, I had a love of the past but my favorite time period was probably America in the1920’s and 1930’s. In the 1990’s my sister, Nancy, transcribed ten Civil War letters in our family ‘s possession written by brothers John and Stephen Clendaniel. I learned my great grandfather spent six months in a hospital and thought, great, he missed all these great events due to sickness. I thought his time in the hospital was the crux of his war service. I was very wrong. About ten years later, I decided to look for other primary sources about the regiment. My father was in his late 80’s at the time. John Clendaniel, his grandfather, had died nearly 30 years before he was born. So I therefore began to do research to provide information to my father about his grandfather’s war experience. Every week there was something new to tell Dad about. By the time my father passed away in 2011, he knew the highlights of John Clendaniel’s life during the Civil War. This was the genesis of my book project.

 

 

BRS: In looking over your web site on the 85th Pennsylvania, I noticed you are a retired public school teacher with 34 years of experience.  What topics did you teach?  Did teaching prepare you for writing your two volume history of the 85th Pennsylvania? If so, how?

 

DC: I taught U.S. History for about 27 years and civics for about 6 years. I spent my last year in education as the Teacher-in-Residence at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in nearby Triangle, VA.

As a teacher, my strength is that I knew a little bit about a lot of events. More than my teaching, my part-time job helped prepare me to write a regimental history. For about 25 years, I was a stringer for several local newspapers here in Prince William County, Virginia and wrote hundreds of articles about high school sporting events. I am not a great writer, but learned to how to ask questions and to write under a deadline. This experience gave me the confidence to take on a larger project like the book.

 

 

BRS: Could you tell interested parties more about your web site on the 85th Pennsylvania? Why did you create it?  When did you create it? 

 

DC: I started the website as a way to promote my book and it took on a life of its own. John Banks, a fine Civil War author and blogger, was invaluable in helping me to set it up. I tried to include stories that did not make it into my book. It started in 2019 and I’ve written almost 70 articles for the blog since then.

 

 

 

BRS: Tell me more about the letters of your ancestor John and his brother Stephen.  How did you find them, or were they in your family’s possession for years?

 

DC: We always had the letters, passed down from John to his son (Daniel) and then to my father (William). But it took my sister’s effort to transcribe them around 1995 that sparked more interest within the family. We knew a fair amount about the Italians on my mother’s side and the Germans on my father’s side, but information about the Clendaniels on my paternal grandfather’s side was sparse. I was a bit disappointed when I first read the letters of John and Stephen Clendaniel. They were brief and did not provide much information about the war. Still, there were names and dates that gave clues as to the brothers’ movements. It made me want to find more accounts from the men of the regiment.

 

 

 

BRS: Let’s talk about the 85th Pennsylvania itself for a bit.  Besides the connection with your Great Grandfather, what made you decide to write a modern regimental history of the regiment?  Why did you want to tell modern readers their story?

 

DC: Well, first of all, I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania, the area from which the regiment came. So for me it was a trip in time through my childhood home. Secondly, even though Luther S. Dickey’s original history of the regiment from 1915 is very factual, I felt Dickey left out large parts of their story. Thirdly, my goal was to give the reader a feel for what it was like to be in this regiment from the point of view of the common soldier, not necessarily about troop movements and military strategies. That is why I used so many primary sources to write the book.

 

 

BRS: Could you briefly discuss the major leaders in the regiment’s history?  They seem to have had fewer regimental commanders than your typical regiment. Joshua B. Howell and Edward C. Campbell figure prominently in the history of the regiment, but they were regarded very differently by the men. 

 

DC: I believe Colonel Joshua B. Howell who created the regiment loved his country and loved his boys. He helped save McClellan’s army from partial destruction at the Battle of Seven Pines. But he was not the same leader after his concussion on Morris Island in August of 1863. He became moody and somewhat manic-depressive. By the time he died in September of 1864, he seems to have lost much good will from his men. Colonel Edward C. Campbell lacked people skills and would have been better suited as an adjutant or in a desk job. He seemed to go out of his way to flaunt his authority and tick off his soldiers. Two leaders whom the regiment respected were Henry A. Purviance and Isaac Abraham. Lieutenant Colonel Purviance was killed in the trenches on Morris Island in 1863 by friendly fire. His cousin, Major Abraham, led the regiment in early 1864. The enlisted men thought so highly of him that they pooled their money to buy him an engraved sword. Many more would have re-enlisted had Abraham been named colonel of the regiment in 1864 instead of Campbell.

 

BRS: Could you give us a brief overview of the 85th Pennsylvania’s battles and experiences? I’ll ask some more detailed questions following this overview.

 

DC: The 85^th Pennsylvania took part in the Peninsula Campaign (especially the Battle of Seven Pines), the defense of Suffolk, Virginia, the Goldsboro Expedition in North Carolina, the Siege of Charleston in South Carolina, the Bermuda Hundred Campaign in Virginia during May/June of 1864, and siege operations along the Richmond-Petersburg front in 1864. About 125 soldiers from the regiment also participated in the capture of Fort Gregg near Petersburg and played a prominent role in Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865.

 

 

BRS: In Volume I of your two-volume set, you go into a lot of detail about the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31-June 1, 1862 and the controversy in which the 85th and Casey’s Division found themselves following the battle. Why was Seven Pines important to the 85th Pennsylvania?  What happened to them there?  And why do you feel the “standard” account of these men at Seven Pines is wrong?

 

DC: Actually, I feel that the misperceptions about Casey’s Division at Seven Pines was righted years ago. Even in the days just after the battle, members of the press began questioning McClellan’s stinging and very public criticism of the performance of Casey’s men. My goal was to tell the story of the first day of the battle from the perspective of the 85^th Pennsylvania. It was their first battle and they performed with toughness and bravery. The fact that Company D which included my great grandfather’s brother, Stephen Clendaniel, was on picket duty and was one of the first to observe the swarm of Confederates charging towards their encampments only added to the drama.

 

 

 

BRS: After the Peninsula Campaign, the 85th Pennsylvania found themselves in relative backwaters of the war along the Eastern Seaboard in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.  What did you find most interesting about their service from the Fall of 1862 to the Spring of 1864 prior to their reinsertion into the main theater around Richmond?

 

DC: As I wrote on my blog, what stands out is the number of times the 85^th Pennsylvania escaped engagements along these fronts that would have led to many more casualties. The 85^th Pennsylvania had so many close calls with fate. One was being sent to Suffolk after the Peninsula Campaign instead of north to fight with the Army of the Potomac at Second Manassas and Antietam. Another was not being chosen for the two failed charges upon Battery Wagner near Charleston in 1863. When it was their turn to charge the battery, the 85^th Pennsylvania found it had been abandoned. And finally, they stayed in camp at Hilton Head, South Carolina when General Truman Seymour led an ill-fated expedition to Florida that resulted in the lopsided loss at Olustee.

 

 

BRS: In the Spring of 1864, the 85th Pennsylvania was sent back to Virginia as part of the Tenth Corps, Army of the James.  What were the key parts of their experience in May 1864 at Bermuda Hundred?

 

DC: There were eight fights on the Bermuda Hundred peninsula between the James and Appomattox Rivers in May and June of 1864. The 85^th Pennsylvania took part in two of these fights, both at Ware Bottom Church near the James River. By the end of June, the Confederates built entrenchments from one end of the peninsula to the other. Their landing had been a surprise, but the Union had lost a golden opportunity to capture Richmond or Petersburg or both due to hesitant leadership.

 

 

BRS: In mid-June 1864 the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign officially began as Grant moved away from the Cold Harbor Battlefield, crossed the James River, and threatened Petersburg.  The second major battle of their experience occurred during the Second Battle of Deep Bottom at Fussell’s Mill on August 14, 1864.  Tell us a little about what happened to the 85th and what they accomplished there.

 

DC: The Battle of Second Deep Bottom was part of Grant’s Fourth Offensive to simultaneously stretch Confederate defenses along the Richmond/Petersburg front. The Union had more success along the Petersburg line with the capture of the Weldon Railroad. Near Richmond, Second Deep Bottom was virtually the lone successful Union action of the campaign. The 85^th Pennsylvania and their brigade stormed a Confederate earthwork through a hail of musket fire and captured the position with heavy losses. Two men from the regiment, John Shallenberger and William E. Leonard, were awarded Medals of Honor for the capture of enemy flags. The Confederates sent in re-enforcements (the Union did not) and re-captured the earthwork from other Union forces a few hours later.

 

 

BRS: There was a controversy over the unit’s muster out date in the Fall of 1864, resulting in the unit serving a month longer than they expected.  What happened there?  Why was there a disagreement, and how was it finally resolved?

 

DC: The dispute was caused by two events. The regiment was organized in September and October of 1861 in Pennsylvania. Most of the men were mustered in at this time. However, due to smallish numbers in several of the companies, a reorganization took place. Twelve companies were reconstituted into ten and new muster rolls were recorded just before the regiment left for Washington, D.C. in November. Many of their muster records and payrolls were lost at the Battle of Seven Pines in 1862. They men felt as though their three-year enlistments were up in October of 1864. The government felt they should stay until November. Eventually, a compromise was reached. The men were taken from the front lines in October and sent to Gloucester, Virginia for one month of relatively light duties before mustering out.

 

 

BRS: As the original members of the regiment were sent home to be mustered out, 55 members of the 85th Pennsylvania were in many cases “forcibly volunteered” for a large prisoner exchange mission to the South.  You dedicate a significant number of pages to this exchange.  Could you tell us more about it?  Why did you choose to focus on this event as much as you did?

 

DC: Part of my reason for writing extensively writing about this event was personal. One of the men who “volunteered” for this duty was my great uncle, Stephen Clendaniel. Another reason was that a few members of the regiment were prisoners in the exchange and came home with their comrades who were guards. Finally, I felt it was an interesting topic that had not been written about very much by historians.

 

 

BRS: Dyer’s Compendium will (somewhat misleadingly) tell you the members of the 85th Pennsylvania who did not muster out with the original members were transferred to the 188th Pennsylvania.  But this didn’t happen during the actual fighting.  And in fact, the remaining men were “attached” to the 199th Pennsylvania through Appomattox.  Could you tell us more about this?  Your book allowed me to change my unit page on the 85th Pennsylvania to reflect the reality of this arrangement, and I found the circumstances of this attachment to be interesting. Could you tell us a little about what happened there?

 

DC: John J. Fox, in his excellent 2011 work about Fort Gregg called “Confederate Alamo,” included the lesser numbered 85^th as a distinct unit at this state of the war and I decided to follow suit. Some accounts lump their casualty numbers in with the 199^th Pennsylvania, which made it challenging to delineate the actual 85^th  losses. When the war ended, these men of the 85^th still had some time to serve. They were “transferred” to the 188^th Pennsylvania to perform guard and provost duties, first in Richmond and then in the Lynchburg area. Some were mustered out and went home in June of 1865 and the rest later that December.

 

 

BRS: If you had to sum up the 85th Pennsylvania’s service in a paragraph of three sentences or less, what would you write?

 

DC: I would say that 85^th Pennsylvania is part of a tradition which has seen western Pennsylvania proudly contributed manpower to every military engagement in which the United States has fought. Due mainly to poor leadership, the 85^th Pennsylvania fought gallantly but was on the losing side of nearly every battle or campaign in which they toiled, from Seven Pines to the Bermuda Hundred. It is sadly ironic that only a fraction of the men who stayed in the service after 1864, including my great grandfather, were able to experience the successes at Fort Gregg and Appomattox.

 

 

BRS: I found your utilization of primary sources to be the very strongest part of your books.  How did you go about collecting them?  Did you have help from others?  What did you enjoy the most about the process?  What was difficult?

 

DC: My intention was to have the men from the regiment, as much as possible, tell their own story. I was advised that short quotations are standard when writing history, but I chose to use the words of the men in longer quotes, sometimes a paragraph of the two. Historian Patrick Schroeder was big help, both with his own book (written with Richard Sauers and Ronn Palm) called “The Bloody 85^th: Letters of Milton McJunkin, A Pennsylvania Farmer in the Civil War.” He also directed me to Corporal William E. Finley’s 1867 memoir. I wrote to many other 85^th descendants on ancestry.com to try to come up with more personal accounts. Libraries were very helpful, especially with the diaries of Richard Dawson and Samuel Marshall.

 

 

BRS: What were your best sources within the regiment?  What happened to the men who wrote them?  And what sources outside the 85th Pennsylvania did you find most useful?

 

DC: The best regimental sources were the family letters of Corporal Davis Himmeger (provided by Ryan Berley), the family letters of Captain John E. Michener (provided by Margaret Thompson), the online memoir of Sergeant M.L. Gordon, and the diary of Captain Richard Dawson (courtesy of the Rubinstein Library of Duke University). Two great sources for the first two years of the war were Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Purviance and Private Robert R. Roddy. Both were newspapermen by trade. Unfortunately, Purviance was killed and Roddy received a medical discharge. The best outside source would have to be the Homer Plimpton of the 39^th Illinois, whose words I was able to use with the help of Plimpton’s grandson, John L. Dodson.

 

 

BRS: Another strength of your book was your coverage of the Bermuda Hundred and Richmond-Petersburg Campaigns.  Many regimental histories tend to gloss over the Siege, but you spent a great many pages on the topic, including the down times in between battles. Did you find the research for this portion of the book to be more difficult in terms of numbers of sources?  How about when many men of the regiment were mustered out?

 

DC: I’d say my biggest concern was that available primary source material for the 85^th Pennsylvania was dwindling because so many men had died or left the regiment due to illness. I therefore relied more heavily on sources from the other regiments in their brigade – the 39^th Illinois, 62^nd Ohio and 67^th Ohio. Another valuable source was the old National Tribune newspaper from Washington, D.C. It was sort of a 19^th century version of a chat room. Veterans would write letters of their war experiences, and other veterans often responded with their version of the event. One example was the capture of General William S. Walker, which was a particularly proud moment for the 62^nd Ohio. Telling the story of Fort Gregg and Lee’s Retreat was very challenging from the point of the view of the 85^th Pennsylvania since so many potential sources had gone home. The diary of Sergeant James E. Sayers was a huge help here, courtesy of Margaret Sayers Upshaw and Margaret Vaughan. For both events, I used brigade sources as well as more Confederate sources than in previous chapters to tell the story. I hope that my book adds to the role played by the Army of the James in the Appomattox Campaign. It has been rather overlooked by historians.

 

 

BRS: In my review of your books, I give you a minor deduction for maps. How did you make the decisions on which maps to use and where?  Did you consider hiring out a mapmaker?  And did you consider creating maps yourself?  As someone without an artistic bone in my body, I empathize with every aspiring regimental historian on the subject of maps, and I almost never give glowing remarks.  It’s a difficult thing to do extremely well.

 

DC: I scoured histories for other regiments written in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s for maps and graphics. I also searched for maps at the Library of Congress website. Hal Jespersen’s modern maps of the Peninsula Campaign and Lee’s Retreat were valuable (and free with citations). I paid for a few modern maps in terms of donations to historical societies, but to do that throughout the book would have been too costly. And like you I have absolutely no artistic ability of my own. Finally, the 85^th Pennsylvania did not fight in the major battles of 1863 and 1864 like Gettysburg, Vicksburg, or the Overland Campaign. It made finding appropriate maps a bit more difficult.

 

 

BRS: The number of appendices was a very nice surprise at the end of the book.  I give a detailed list of what these contain in my review, but could you tell us what your favorite appendices were and why?  How did you obtain the information for them?

 

DC: My favorite appendix is the chronological list of postwar deaths. I scoured many newspapers for obituaries (I have an extensive collection on my computer). Findagrave.com, where I created a virtual cemetery for the members of the regiment was a big help as well. Finally, I walked around in many cemeteries in western Pennsylvania to find headstones of the veterans.

 

 

BRS: Your web site notes you are open to speaking engagements about the 85th Pennsylvania.  Is this still true given COVID?  If not, do you plan to start up again in the future?

 

DC: I had done about ten speaking engagements prior to Covid. The last was at the Palm Coast Civil War Roundtable in Florida in early 2020. I have been recently making contacts to do more speaking engagements. One that was cancelled due to Covid, to the Cornerstone Genealogical Society in Waynesburg, PA, was postponed but it looks as though it will be rescheduled for this June. I also have a tentative engagement to speak in June at the town of Amity in Washington County. Two others in western Pennsylvania are in the works.

 

 

BRS: Now that you’ve completed a fine two-volume work on the 85th Pennsylvania, do you have plans for any other books?  If so, what are they?  If not, do you have plans to continue expanding your web site on the 85th Pennsylvania?

 

DC: In the works is a Volume 3 which will be an alphabetical listing of every man in the regiment with biographical details. This will include their war service as well as information about their pre- and postwar lives. Secondly, I have an 85th Pennsylvania Facebook Page that follows the 85^th regiment on a day-to-day basis. I have maintained this for the last 2 ½ years and plan to continue for another year or so until I reach the end of the war. I may explore turning this into a book. Finally, I have toyed with the idea of writing a modern history of the 100^th New York. They were from the Buffalo area (where my wife is from) and fought near the 85^th PA throughout the war. They had some amazing experiences, both positive and negative.

 

 

BRS: Thanks for taking the time to chat, Mr. Clendaniel.  I enjoyed your unit history and I welcome it as another worthy addition to the Civil War Siege of Petersburg literature.  For my readers, if you are interested in buying Dan’s two volume history of the 85th Pennsylvania, Such Hard and Severe Service: The 85th Pennsylvania in the Civil War, here’s a link to Dan’s author page at Lulu.com and also to the publisher, Monongahela Books. Readers should also check out my detailed review of Volume II, and by all means check out Dan’s web site on the 85th Pennsylvania. It contains even more information on this southwestern Pennsylvania regiment.

Headq[uar]t[e]rs Wright’s Brigade,
August 2, 1864

Editors Petersburg Express: In your editorial columns of August 1, 1864, giving an account of the engagement of July 30 [1864 at the Crater], there are some erroneous statements about the action of Wright’s Brigade¹ [Wright/Mahone/Third/ANV] that I desire to correct.

You state that Gen. [William] Mahone², getting his troops into position, ordered his Brigade [Weisiger/Mahone/Third/ANV] to retake a portion of the works and instructed Wright’s Brigade to come up in such position as would ensure the recapture of the remaining portion.³ No such instructions were given. When Mahone’s Brigade charged, only one regiment and a half of Wright’s Brigade, had emerged from the covered way leading to the battle field.⁴ They were ordered by Captain [Victor J. B.] Girardey, Mahone’s A[ssistant]. A[djutant]. General, to charge with the right of Mahone’s Brigade, which they did gallantry [sic, gallantly].⁵ You state in the meantime, Wright’s Brigade, commanded by Col. [Matthew R.] Hall [of the 48th Georgia, the writer of this letter], instead of coming directly up, by some means deployed and came around and thus failed to retake that portion of the line assigned them. This statement is incorrect, and without foundation. That portion of the Brigade that did not go in with Mahone’s was moved up rapidly, formed in line, and charged the works on the right of Mahone’s Brigade. They made a gallant charge, and the list of casualties amounting to two hundred and thirty-one, is sufficient evidence of the murderous fire to which they were exposed.

Wright’s Brigade was as well represented on the edge of the immense hole, caused by the explosion, as any Brigade on the line. One of Wright’s regiments planted their colors on the edge of that immense hole and remained there until the last Yankee had been disposed of, and they ordered away.⁶

M[atthew]. R. Hall,
Lieut[enant]. Col[onel]. Com[man]d’[in]g Brigade.⁷

SOPO Editor’s Note: This article was transcribed by Brett Schulte.

If you are interested in helping us transcribe newspaper articles like the one above, please CONTACT US.

Article Image

Source/Notes:

Statement of Lieutenant Colonel Matthew R. Hall, 48th GA, commanding Wright/Mahone/Third/ANV, July 30, 1864¹

SOPO Editor’s Note: The Broadfoot Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies is rare and not sold in single volumes.  As a courtesy to researchers, I’m making available summaries of the reports contained in this set relevant to the Siege of Petersburg.

Summary: In this one-page letter to the Athens, GA newspapers The Southern Banner, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew R. Hall of the 48th Georgia, commander of Wright’s GA Brigade, responds to criticism of Wright’s Brigade at the July 30, 1864 Battle of the Crater from an August 1, 1864 editorial in the pages of the Petersburg Daily Express.  In it, he gives an account of the actions of Wright’s Brigade at the Crater. Wright’s Brigade was part of Mahone’s Division, Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.

Source: The Southern Banner (Athens, GA), August 10, 1864, page 1, column 6

Available Online?: Yes. I have published this article on my site.

 

Source:

Note: The SOPO Book Notes series serves as a way to gather important information about a given source on the Siege of Petersburg like a book, article, essay, map, etc. It is a behind the scenes look at the methods I use to fill out the core pages of my Siege of Petersburg Site.

Subject: History of the Eighty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865 by Luther S. Dickey

Note: The SOPO Notes series serves as a way to gather important information about a given source on the Siege of Petersburg like a book, article, essay, map, etc.¹

 

Important Points:

Note: Earlier chapters do not discuss the Bermuda Hundred Campaign or the Siege of Petersburg and were not consulted for the purposes of this research.

 

BERMUDA HUNDRED CONTENT STARTS ON PAGE: 314

 

CHAPTER XVIII: Bermuda Hundred

* Sailed from Hilton Head April 22, 1864, reached Gloucester Point, VA on April 25. Stayed until May 4, proceeded up James River on steamer Guide and landed at Bermuda Hundred May 6, 1864.²

 

* 85th Pennsylvania was at “the neck of the Bermuda Hundred Peninsula, within a mile of the James River.” Dicky notes the regiment stayed there from this point until August 14, 1864, with only an absence of five or six days due to an expedition.  Was he talking about something other than the Second Deep Bottom Campaign?  It appears so.  And did this happen prior to or during the Siege of Petersburg?³

 

* Fought at Ware Bottom Church May 9-10, 1864 and tore up some of Petersburg & Richmond Railroad⁴

 

* Cos. C and H were sent to the James River to destroy Confederate torpedoes on May 10? ⁵

 

* Battle of Ware Bottom Church, May 20, 1864⁶

 

RICHMOMD/PETERSBURG CONTENT STARTS ON PAGE: 327

 

CHAPTER XIX: Bermuda Hundred (Continued.) p. 327

Note: This covers the Bermuda Hundred front where the 85th Pennsylvania was located, but the Bermuda Hundred Campaign was already over.  This covers the month of June 1864, the latter half of which involved the Siege of Petersburg.

 

* 85th PA was stationed in the vicinity of Ware Bottom Church in the Bermuda Hundred lines for all of June 1864, except for June 20-25, 1864, when it was involved in an expedition north of the James River at Deep Bottom to establish a bridgehead there.⁷

 

* Engagement at Bermuda Hundred, June 16, moved his brigade to entrenchments near the Clay House, skirmished with enemy.  Fell back late in day to a line of works on a line with Ware Bottom Church.  Enemy attacked in the evening, 133rd OH, a brand new regiment, broke and ran, but line held. Fighting continued on June 17, 1864.⁸

 

* General Brooks takes over X Corps, the book says June 19, but Official Records show the day before.⁹

 

* 62nd OH had been detached at Bermuda Hundred Landing the day they landed in early May 1864, then had been made Provost Guard (of the Landing, of a larger organization?), and lastly temporarily placed at Point of Rocks under General Terry.¹⁰

 

* 133rd OH reached Bermuda Hundred on June 12, 1864, and was temporarily assigned to 1/1/X/AotJ until at least June 17, 1864 (other records indicate later, June 19) and was finally permanently assigned to a new Third Division of the 100 day Ohio troops and ordered to Fort Powhatan for duty on or after June 17.¹¹

 

* See page 335 for a lengthy discussion of the reorganization of the Tenth Corps on and around June 18-19, 1864.  Make sure ALL of these command changes are noted in their unit pages with this page as a source.¹²

 

* On June 20, Gen. Foster took a force to Deep Bottom to establish a bridgehead which included the 85th PA, 11th ME, 24th MA, 39th IL, 100th NY, 10th CT, 1st Section of the 1st CT Btty, and a section of the 5th NJ Btty. Make sure all of these units have “Deep Bottom Bridghead (June 20-25, 1864) listed among their battles, and use this source. Colonel Howell accompanied the two regiments of his brigade on this expedition. The 85th PA returned to Bermuda Hudnred on June 25, 1864 in mid-afternoon.¹³

 

* Good itinerary for June 1864 from soldier diaries on pp. 337-338. Use these in the itinerary!¹⁴

 

* “June 28: …Regimental provision return indicates the strength of the Regiment as 398.”¹⁵

 

* Several PA newspapers contained casualty lists of the 85th PA for June 1864:¹⁶

• Casualties of June 17-18, 1864: Appeared in Uninotown PA Genius of Liberty, no date mentioned, and July 6, 1864 Washington PA Reporter and Tribune, check to see if you can find these papers.

 

 

 

CHAPTER XX – Bermuda Hundred (Continued) p. 342

Note: This chapter seems to cover July 1, 1864 to August 13, 1864, just prior to the Second Battle of Deep Bottom. Everything covered here occurred during the Siege of Petersburg.

 

* 85th PA didn’t suffer a single casualty on the picket line at Bermuda Hundred during the entire month of July 1864, and was located there the entire time from July 1-August 13, 1864.¹⁷

 

* Major Abraham writes to Pennsylvania Governor Curtin about their muster out date controversy for the first time on July 14, 1864.¹⁸

 

* Brooks resigned July 14, and Terry took over X Corps temporarily on July 14, with David B. Birney taking over permanently on July 23, 1864.¹⁹

 

* Shortly after MG Birney assumed command of Tenth Corps on July 23, 1864, he created a Corps badge and did other things to try to improve morale.²⁰

 

* On July 28, 1864 Col. Howell took a leave of absence due to illness. Col. Francis B. Pond replaced him as Brigade commander while he was away.  Howell returned at 1 am on August 18, 1864.²¹

 

* Nice daily journal of activities in the regiment from several soldier diaries from July 1-August 13, 1864.  Use these for the itinerary!²²

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XXI – Battle of Deep Bottom, p. 351

* One third of the regiment was killed or wounded at Second Deep Bottom.²³

 

* “The 85th Regiment left the Bermuda Hundred camp at the head of the First Brigade of the First Division, 10th Corps, at 11 p. m., Saturday night, August 13, crossed the James River on the upper pontoon-bridge at Deep Bottom, and went into bivouac shortly after two o clock, Sunday morning, August 14, near the Grover house, on the left of the road leading from the river known as the Kingsland road, and over a mile to the left of Four-Mile Creek.”²⁴

 

* 1/1/X/AotJ formed to the left of Foster’s Brigade (3/1/X/AotJ) during the August 14, 1864 skirmishing. 85th PA charged the enemy’s skirmish line and took it, suffering 18 casualties.²⁵

 

* 85th and its brigade moved to the right of the Second Corps during the night of August 14-15, 1864, eventually skirmishing at a place called “Craddocks” around 1 pm on August 15, and remaining in the area until 9 am on August 16.²⁶

 

* Engaged at the Battle of Fussell’s Mill on August 16, 1864, Lt. Col. Campbell in command. Lost over one third of the 201 brought into the attack.²⁷

 

* Remained near Fussell’s Mill August 17 into early morning hours of August 19, 1864, when their brigade moved two or three miles further right, stopping near Malvern Hill. They left this position at dusk on August 20, 1864, crossing the lower pontoon bridge back to Bermuda Hundred around 11 pm, and reached the old Bermuda Hundred camps at sunrise, August 21, 1864.²⁸

 

* Official Records reports are given verbatim for the next several pages.²⁹

 

* Really good daily itinerary on pages 365-367. Use them for your itinerary!³⁰

 

* August 21, 1864 Washington PA Reporter and Tribune contains a list of casualties August 13-20, 1864.³¹

 

* September 7, 1864 Washington PA Reporter and Tribune contains a letter from the 85th PA describing the Second Battle of Deep Bottom. I clipped this one and another good letter from the 16th PA Cav for that date.  It is Google News, and you cannot download entire pages at all.  Clipping is the only option.³²

 

 

CHAPTER XXII – In Front of Petersburg, p. 370

* Discussion of proposed attack on August 22, 1864 on the southern part of the Bermuda Hundred lines to keep Lee from reinforcing his men near the Weldon Railroad. Preparations were made but ultimately abandoned as too risky.³³

 

* 85th PA and the brigade moved to in front of Petersburg, leaving Bermuda Hundred on the early afternoon of August 24, and arriving in front of Petersburg an hour after midnight on August 25. This was the beginning of a movements where the 10th Corps and 18th Corps changed places at Bermuda Hundred and east of Petersburg.³⁴

 

* New camp of 85th PA in front of Petersburg was the old camp of the 2nd PA HA of Fairchild’s Brigade, Ames’ Division, 18th Corps, who they replaced. It was located in a dense wood.³⁵

 

* Several pages of orders from Tenth Corps leadership as the Corps settles into its new positions east of Petersburg.³⁶

 

* On September 7, the right wing of the 85th PA moved into Fort Morton aka Redoubt D aka “the fourteen-gun battery.”³⁷

 

* Death of Colonel Howell is discussed as well as numerous eulogies and other remembrances.³⁸

 

* 85th and brigade stayed in vicinity of Fort Morton until September 24 at 9 pm, when they moved to the rear and camped near Corps HQ. ³⁹

 

* After a few days of drill, the 85th and its brigade moved at 3 pm September 28, 1864, crossing the Appomattox and the James River, and arriving north of Deep Bottom around midnight of September 28-29, 1864.⁴⁰

 

* A daily itinerary exists for August 22 to September 28, 1864. Use it in your own itinerary.⁴¹

 

 

CHAPTER XXIII – North Side of the James, p. 388

* Discussion of Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, September 28-30, 1864. On September 29, Howell’s old brigade of Terry’s Division was on the far right flank of the main infantry force in column, the 85th PA at the front of the column. They reached “ appoint three miles from Richmond, on the Central New Market Road, whence it was withdrawn…”⁴²

 

*Col. Francis A. Osborne, commanding the third brigade in their division, wrote a good description of the events in his regimental history of the 24th MA.⁴³

 

* On the evening of September 29, 1864, the 85th PA retired to a position about a mile west of 4 Mile Creek church near Laurel Hill, formerly held by the Confederates. Terry’s division was the extreme right flank of the AotJ, so the division was refused slightly.⁴⁴

 

* Next a recon mission on October 1, 1864 in the direction of Richmond out on the right flank is discussed: “About noon October 1 the Regiment at the head of the brigade again advanced out the Darbytown road to within a few hundred yards of the enemy’s last defences and within two or three miles of the Confederate capital.” I added this to the unit page.⁴⁵

 

* 1/1/X/AotJ stayed on right of X Corps from October 1-7, with a small skirmish occurring on October 2 “shortly before noon” as the Confederates drove in the pickets of the brigade. The regimental history believed the enemy troops were part of Pickett’s Division.⁴⁶

 

* Participated in the First Battle of Darbytown Road aka the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads on October 7, 1864, the brigade losing 32 and the 85th PA just 4 men wounded, none killed.⁴⁷

 

* Moved about a mile east of their former position after October 7, digging a new line of works.⁴⁸

 

* 199th PA arrived on October 9, 1864 and was attached to 1/1/X/AotJ. This would have important consequences for the remaining men of the 85th PA after the veterans whose enlistments had expired mustered out about 6 weeks later. ADD A NOTE TO THE 199th PA PAGE SHOWING WHEN THEY ARRIVED AND THAT THEY GUARDED DEEP BOTTOM BRIDGEHEAD FROM OCTOBER 5-9, 1864.⁴⁹

 

* Voting for PA Gov on October 11, 1864. ⁵⁰

 

* Discussion of October 13 Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads, where the 95th Pa was held out at the last minute.⁵¹

 

* Good description of brigade attack dispositions on October 13 before the 85th PA was pulled from the line: “After passing to the north of the Darbytown road the brigade was formed in line of battle in the following order: The 67th Ohio and 85th Regiment forming the main line, the Regiment to the right of the former supported by eight companies of the 39th Illinois in reserve; the remaining two companies of the 39th and the 62d Ohio thrown out as skirmishers to the front and right flank. Shortly after noon the brigade was re-enforced by the 3d New Hampshire from the Second Brigade and the 10th Connecticut, of the Third Brigade. The lines were then formed, four regiments; the 10th Connecticut, part of the 62d Ohio, 39th Illinois and 67th Ohio, formed into a charging column, the 85th Regiment and 3d New Hampshire being held in reserve.”⁵²

 

* Defense of 1,1,X,AotJ from aspersions cast on it by a Reverend memorializing Major Camp of the 10th CT.⁵³

 

* Itinerary of days from Sept. 29 to October 12.  Use it for your own itninerary!⁵⁴

 

 

CHAPTER XXIV – Final Days in Service, p. 408

* At 3 pm on October 14, 1864, the men of the 95th PA whose enlistments were about to expire left the front.  They halted near Aiken’s Landing near sunset and stayed there for the night.  On October 15, they crossed the James River at Aiken’s Landing in the morning, halted at Jones’ Landing around noon, and then moved to Bermuda Hundred Landing.  At sunset, they left on the steamer Ironsides, and reached Jamestown around 9 p.m.⁵⁵

 

* Taken from Jamestown, to a brief stop at the dock in Norfolk, to disembarkation at Portsmouth on October 16 by the steamer Black Bird.⁵⁶

 

* Moved from Portsmouth to Norfolk on November 3, 1864.⁵⁷

 

* Men and one enlisted officer Left Norfolk on November 16, 1864 at 4 pm on the steamer Adelaide, bound for Baltimore, MD.⁵⁸

 

* On November 19, 1864, the remaining officers left Norfolk on the steamer Louisiana, no time mentioned, bound for Baltimore.⁵⁹

 

* Men of the 85th PA who remained at the front had an unusual attachment to the 199th PA for the rest of the Siege of Petersburg, seeing action at Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865: “The departure of the Regiment from the 10th Corps did not terminate its identity with the Army of the James. A detachment of the 85th Pennsylvania Regiment continued in the service at the front, until after the war was ended, and participated in the final campaigns against Lee at Petersburg and at Appomattox, and it remained, and was officially recognized as a Detachment of the 85th Pennsylvania Regiment until after June 28, 1865. On that date orders were issued for its consolidation with the 188th Pennsylvania Regiment and its identity as an organization did not become entirely defunct until July 11, 1865, when the enlisted men were distributed among various companies of the 188th Regiment. Bates History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, although regarded as an official publication of the State, in its history of the 85th Regiment says:

On the 14th of October, the Regiment was ordered from the front, the veterans and recruits were transferred to the 188th Pennsylvania, and the balance, whose term of service was soon to expire, reported at Portsmouth and were ordered into camp.

At the time the Regiment left the front the 188th Regiment was in the 18th Corps, and remained in it until this corps was discontinued, and the Detachment of the 85th Regiment, remained an integral part of the 10th Corps until the latter was discontinued, and was officially recognized as an integral part of the original brigade commanded by Col. Howell after it became merged into another corps, and a large group of the Detachment was mustered out of the service after the war was ended without ever having affiliated at any time with the 188th Regiment. On October 15, the day after the Regiment took its final departure from the front, the veterans and those whose term of service had not expired, or was not about to expire, were ordered to report to the 199th Pennsylvania Regiment which had been recently assigned to the Regiment s old brigade. These numbered about 160, eighty-two of whom had re-enlisted as veterans. This Detachment, although furnishing several commissioned officers to the 199th Regiment from its enlisted men, and a lieutenant-colonel from its line officers, was merely attached to it as an independent organization, and was officially recognized as a Detachment of the 85th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers until June 28, 1865, when orders for its consolidation with the 188th Regiment were issued. As the Detachment officially identified the Regiment with Col. Howell s old brigade, and Gen. Terry s division, until these organizations were discontinued a brief resume of the activities of these organizations after the Regiment had taken its departure from the front will be relevant.”⁶⁰

 

* Detachment 85th PA participated in Second Fair Oaks on October 27, 1864.⁶¹

 

* Detachment 85th PA made Provost Guard of 1/XXIV/AotJ on December 15, 1864, and according to this unit history, stayed in that role until July 1865. Note this on the unit page!⁶²

 

* Good itinerary of final days in service on pages 418-421.  Use it for the itinerary!!!⁶³

 

 

Order of Battle:

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: 85th PA, 39th IL, 62nd OH, 67th OH (May 6, 1864)⁶⁴

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: 85th PA, 39th IL, 67th OH, 133rd OH (62nd OH apparently detached) (June 16, 1864) ⁶⁵

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: 85th PA (August 13, 1864)⁶⁶

 

 

Unit Leaders:

* 1/1/X/AotJ: Colonel Joshua B. Howell (May 6 and often during June 1864 based on letters)⁶⁷

 

* 1/X/AotJ: BG Alfred H. Terry (May 6, 1864)⁶⁸

 

* X/AotJ: MG Quincy A. Gillmore (May 6, 1864)⁶⁹

 

* 85th PA: Lieutenant Colonel Edward C. Campbell (May 3, around June 5, 1864)⁷⁰

 

* 133rd OH, 1, 1, X, AotJ: Colonel Innis (June 16, 1864)⁷¹

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Colonel Joshua B. Howell (June 13, 1864)⁷²

 

* 1, X, AotJ: BG Robert S. Foster (June 14-19, 1864)⁷³

 

* X, AotJ: BG Alfred H. Terry (June 14-19, 1864)⁷⁴

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Colonel Joshua B. Howell (July 10, 1864)⁷⁵

 

* X/AotJ: BG W. T. H. Brooks (June 19, 1864)⁷⁶

 

* 85th PA: Lieutenant Colonel Edward C. Campbell (July 13, 1864)⁷⁷

 

* X, AotJ: Brigadier General William T. H. Brooks (July 14-18, 1864)⁷⁸

 

* X, AotJ: BG Alfred H. Terry (July 18-23, 1864)⁷⁹

 

* 1, X, AotJ: BG Alfred H. Terry (July 14-18 and July 23,-31, 1864) ⁸⁰

 

* X, AotJ: MG David B. Birney (July 23, 1864)⁸¹

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Colonel Joshua B. Howell (up to July 28, 1864)(left on a leave of absence July 28, 1864)⁸²

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Colonel Francis B. Pond (of the 62nd OH)(July 28-31, 1874 and August 1-16, 1864)(while Colonel Howell was on a leave of absence)⁸³

 

* 85th PA: Lieutenant Colonel Edward C. Campbell (August 16, 1864) (but acted as temporary ADC to Gen. Alfred H. Terry later in the day)⁸⁴

 

* 85th PA: Captain [Robert P.?] Hughes (August 16, 1864) (while LT. Col. Campbell acted as temporary ADC to Gen. Alfred H. Terry later in the day)⁸⁵

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Colonel Joshua B. Howell (of the 85th PA) (returned from leave and assumed command August 18, 1864)⁸⁶

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Colonel Alvin C. Voris (of the 67th OH) (took over for Pond who was ill on August 16, 1864) (August 16-18, 1864)⁸⁷

 

* X, AotJ: David B. Birney (August 21-22, 1864)⁸⁸

 

* 1, X, AotJ: Alfred H. Terry (August 21-22, 1864)⁸⁹

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Joshua B. Howell (August 21-22, 1864)⁹⁰

 

* 3, X, AotJ: Joshua B. Howell (temporarily commanding the division while BG William Birney was recovering from illness) (Howell’s horse landed on him on the night of September 11, 1864, and he lingered either unconscious or in a stupor while conscious until he died on September 14, 1864)(September 1-11, 1864)⁹¹

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Pond of the 62nd OH (took over after Howell was called to temporarily command another division) (September 1-7, 1864)⁹²

 

* 85th PA: Lt. Col. Edward C. Campbell (September 7, 1864)⁹³

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Alvin C. Voris of the 67th OH (took over after Pond became so ill he could not continue) (September 7-12, 1864)⁹⁴

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Pond of the 62nd OH (resumed command September 12 after an illness) (at least September 12-13, 1864)⁹⁵

 

* 3, X, AotJ: Col. Pond of the 62nd OH (took over when Howell was mortally wounded by his horse) (September 13-24, 1864) ⁹⁶

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Alvin C. Voris of the 67th OH (temporarily commanding the brigade while Colonel Pond was called to command 3/X/AotJ) (September 13-24, 1864)⁹⁷

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Pond of the 62nd OH (returned from temporarily commanding 3/X/AotJ on September 24, 1864)(from September 24, 1864)⁹⁷

 

* 85th PA: Lt. Col. Edward C. Campbell (at least September 20, 27, 1864)⁹⁹

 

* X, AotJ: David B. Birney (took a leave of absence due to illness on October 10, and never returned, passing away on October 18 at home) (September 28-October 10, 1864)¹⁰⁰

 

* X, AotJ: Brevet Major General Alfred H. Terry (temporarily assumed command due to Birney’s illness)(from October 10, 1864)¹⁰¹

 

* 1, X, AotJ: Brigadier General Adelbert Ames (temporarily assumed command due to Terry being moved temporarily to X Corps command)(from October 10, 1864) ¹⁰²

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Pond of the 62nd OH (October 13, 1864)¹⁰³

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Voris of the 67th OH (October 14-November 4, 1864) ¹⁰⁴

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Pond of the 62nd OH (temporarily assigned to the brigade command when Voris was temporarily assigned to division command) (resigned November 6) (November 4-6, 1864)¹⁰⁵

 

* 1, X, AotJ: Voris of the 67th OH (temporarily assigned to command the division on November 4, 1864) (at least November 4, 1864)¹⁰⁶

 

* Colonel John L. Otis (October 13, 1864)¹⁰⁷

 

* AotJ: Butler (ordered to NY on November 1 to suppress any riots connected with election) (to November 1, 1864)¹⁰⁸

 

* AotJ: Terry (while Butler was away in NYC) (from November 1, 1864) ¹⁰⁹

 

* X, AotJ: Terry (temporarily commanding Army of the James from November 1 due to Butler being called away to NYC for the election) (to November 1)¹¹⁰

 

* X, AotJ: Ames (temporarily commanding X Corps from November 1 due to Terry temporarily commanding AotJ) (from November 1)¹¹¹

 

* 1, X, AotJ: Ames (temporarily commanding X Corps starting November 1)(to November 1)¹¹²

 

* 1, X, AotJ: Voris (temporarily commanding 1/X/AotJ starting November 1 while Ames commanded the X Corps) (from November 1)¹¹³

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Voris (temporarily commanding 1/X/AotJ starting November 1)(to November 1)¹¹⁴

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: Pond (temporarily commanding brigade while Voris was commanding division) (from Nov. 1)¹¹⁵

 

 

Unit Leader Images:

 

* Joshua B. Howell (regimental commander and later commander of 1/1/X/AotJ and another division (which one?)¹¹⁶

 

 

 

Unit Strengths

 

* 85th PA: 333 officers and men PFD, 411 officers and men Present (July 10, 1864)¹¹⁷

 

* 1, 1, X, AotJ: 1,678 officers and men PFD, 2,057 officers and men Present (July 10, 1864)¹¹⁸

 

* 85th PA: 398 officers and men Present, probably around 320 officers and men PFD (June 28, 1864)¹¹⁹

 

* 85th PA: 201 men brought into the fight at Fussell’s Mill, not including officers (August 16, 1864) ¹²⁰

 

* 1/1/X/AotJ: 882 “muskets” (minus the 199th PA) (October 13, 1864)¹²¹

 

* 10th CT: 70 “strong” (October 13, 1864)¹²²

 

* Detachment of the 85th PA: ~160 officers and men remaining transferred to 199th PA (October 15, 1864)¹²³

 

 

Unit Armament

* Fort Morton (September 7, 1864): 2 x 4.5” Rodmans, 4 x 10” mortars, (6 x Coehorn mortars just outside)¹²⁴

 

 

Itinerary:

• See full itinerary post, coming soon.

 

 

Battle Excerpts:

• None

 

 

Other:

• Good BIO of Colonel Joshua Howell, the commander of 1,1, X, AotP, the brigade in which the 85th served throughout its time at the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign.

 

Sources: