Under the red patch : story of the Sixty Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1864

Front matter

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GENERAL ALEXANDER HAYS

'He dared to lead where others dared to follow

Chapter I

Bombardment of Fort Sumter — President Lincoln's Call for Troops — First Battle Bull Run — Organization of the Sixty-third — Camp Wilkins — Departure for the Front — Arrival at the National Capitol — Camp Hays — A Day in Camp.

Chapter II

Camp Shields — Camp Johnston, alias Camp Pennyroyal — Deserter Drummed Out of Service — Military Execution — Picket Duty — Pohick Church — Flag Presentation.

Chapter III

Embarkation for the Peninsula — At Fortress Monroe — Incidents of Camp Life — In Front of Yorktown — A Field Hospital — The Intrenchments — Evacuation of Yorktown — Official Report of Siege of Yorktown — Peach Orchard and Wynn's Mill.

Chapter IV

Battle of Williamsburg — Camp Sassafras — Battle of Fair Oaks.

Chapter V

Battle of Gaines Mill — Evacuation of Savage Station and Destruction of Supplies — Battle of Frazier's Farm or Glendale — Battle of Malvern Hill.

G TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter VI

At Harrison's Landing — Fourth of July in Camp — In Retreat Second Battle of Bull Run — Poolsville and Conrad's Ferry Fording the Potomac — Burnside in Command of the Army — Battle of Fredericksburg — Burnside's Mud March.

Roster and History of Companies — Muster Rolls of Veteran Volunteers and Drafted Men — Titles of Companies Previous to Muster-In— Record of Interments in National Cemeteries.

Part Third

Letters from the Front — Biographies of General Alexander Hays, Colonels A. S. M. Morgan, William S. Kirkwood, John A. Danks, Major James F. Ryan, Chaplain Junius J. Marks, Captains Bernard J. Reid, Robert H. Millar — The Twelfth Regiment — Regimental Reunions — Dedication of Monuments at Gettysburg, and to General Hays at Pittsburg and Wilderness — Music, "Bully for You," and "The Bully Old Sixty-third." S orew o r d

"VJ EARLY half a century has elapsed since the Sixty-third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was mustered into the military service of the United States, under the call of President Lincoln for soldiers to aid in suppressing the rebellion, which at that time threatened the perpetuity of the Federal Union, yet up to the present time no detailed record of the achievements of that famous command has been published in permanent form.

At the first annual reunion of the survivors of the Regiment held in Pittsburgh in November, 1879, a permanent organization was effected under the title of "The Sixty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers' Regimental Association," and steps taken to perpetuate the record of the Regiment by appointing Robert H. Millar, of Company E, Historian and Secretary. After much labor and research, a history was prepared which would have proved an invaluable contribution to the literature of the Civil War period, but the Great Commander called the writer before the manuscript was placed in the hands of the printer, and with his death, in 1899, every vestige of this material, collected from a variety of authentic sources, disappeared and was never recovered, an almost irreparable loss to the regiment.

At the reunion following Comrade Millar's death, Gilbert A. Hays, son of our beloved commander, was chosen Regimental Historian and Secretary of the organization, and the seemingly hopeless task of compiling the history was, with manv

FOREWORD 9

misgivings, again taken up, and perseveringly and patiently brought to a finish in this volume, a labor of love and duty.

In 1900 William H. Morrow, a member of Company A, prepared and published in weekly installments in the "Wilmerding News," an interesting series of personal reminiscences of army life in the Sixty-third, under the title of "History of a Famous Regiment, from the Standpoint of a Private Soldier," but was compelled by circumstances to greatly curtail the details of the history, and finally discontinue the publication before its completion. These sketches form the basis of the earlier chapters of the present volume.

It is natural that in the long lapse of years since the stirring events here recorded took place, the loss of valuable data and death of many comrades, errors should appear in this history, although every effort has been made to verify each record and statement.

The Committee wish to acknowledge the valuable services of Colonel Edwin F>. Houghton, Historian of his Regiment, the Seventeenth Maine, in the final preparation of this history for publication.

Sewickley, Pa., April, 1908.

DAVID SHIELDS, ANDREW G. WILLIAMS,

Historical Committee.

GILBERT A. HAYS, Secretary.

Across the years full rounded past two score

£ince Peace, advancing with her olive wand, Restored the sunshine to our desolate land

Come thronging back the memories of the War;

Again the drums beat and the cannons roar

And patriot fires by every breeze are fanned, And pub-es quicken with a purpose grand

As manhood's forces swell to larger store,

Again the camp, the field, the march, the strife, The joy of victory, the bitter pain

Of wounds or sore defeat; the anguish rife

In tears that fall for the unnumbered slain,

And homes where darkened is the light of life; All these the echoing bugle brings again.

— Bugle Echoes.

STORY

OF THE

Sixty-third Pennsylvania volunteers

CHAPTER I. (From April 12, 1861, to September 12, 1861.)

Bombardment of Fort Sumter— President Lincoln's Call for Troops— First Battle of Bull Run— Organization of Sixty-third— Camp Wilkins— Departure for the Front— Arrival at the National Capitol— Camp Hays -A Day in Camp— Church Services.

Enough of speech! the trumpet rings!

A nation calls to arm!

God help them when the tempest swings

The pine against the palm!

No more words;

Try it with your swords!

Try it with the arms of your bravest and your best! You are proud of your manhood, now put it to the test;

Xot another word;

Try it by the sword!

Xo more notes!

Try it by the throats Of the cannons that will roar till the earth and air be shaken, For they speak what they mean, and they cannot be mistaken!

Xo more doubt;

Come — fight it out!

You that in the front

Bear the battles' brunt — When the sun gleams at dawn on the bayonets abreast, Remember 'tis for government and country you contest;

For love of all you guard,

Stand and strike hard!

— Franklin Lushington.

TN APRIL, 1861, when the hissing shriek of one shell across

the Southern bay, from Charleston to Fort Sumter, lighted

the fires of a four years' hell in a happy land of God-fearing peace and God-given plenty, and the hissing shriek of another shell that Major Anderson, the noble, loyal Kentuckian, hurled back in heroic defense of the flag, "struck for the first time then, by other than an alien hand," the patriotism of the lawabiding and union-loving people of the North was fully

aroused.

It was a mild spring morning and nature gave no sign of the dread event so near at hand. The deep thunder of the cannon shot awoke the morning echoes and rolled away over the trembling waters of Charleston Harbor. At that moment the great clock of Destiny struck its warning note. No single cannon shot before ever bore such tremendous import on its flight. The mightiest monarch on earth shivered. The march of civilization was arrested, and the history of man was changed. Deep silence followed for a few moments as if all nature had paused aghast at the awful deed.

The reverberations of that shot sent a shudder quivering from hill top to hill top, from the pine-covered forests of Maine to the orange groves of Florida, from the rock-bound coast of the stormy Atlantic to the glittering sands of the peaceful Pacific, and the echoes of that shot, heard by millions of people, brought terror and dismay to every village in our land, and was but the first peal of thunder which announced the beginning of the mighty tempest soon to sweep our continent from shore to shore, and deluge our soil with fraternal blood.

The very next day after the surrender, President Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers for three months, to protect the capitol and prevent the property of the Nation from being seized by the so-called Confederate government. This caused a general waking up everywhere. Enthusiastic meetings were held in every town and village, and had the call been for ten times 75,000, it would have been filled.

About this time a wave of patriotism struck our country which showed itself in the display of flags. Every house, large and small, displayed the Stars and Stripes from all parts, and the more flags displayed, the greater seemed the loyalty of the resident. Another form of patriotism became very prominent. There was a great hatred for everyone who did not throw up their hats and shout aloud for the Union, and many threats were daily heard of hanging certain persons who were supposed to be lukewarm toward the government. But strange to say, when later on these same patriots had an opportunity to go to the front and show their zeal for the cause they professed to love so dearly, they remained by their peaceful firesides, but continued to shout for the old flag and wonder why the army did not move on Richmond, and crush the unholy rebellion.

Suddenly on Monday morning, July 22nd, ^1861, the loyal North was completely stunned by the announcement that General McDowell, with his forces, had been thoroughly whipped by the Rebel army under Beauregard at Bull Run, and his army a flying mass of fugitives. The news of this terrible and unexpected disaster caused every cheek to turn pale and sent a shudder through the entire North. Then we all knew that this was the time to show our patriotism by actions as well as words. In the meantime, a call had been made for men to serve for three years, or until the close of the war, and on every hand the response was instant. In all the quiet hamlets of our land, where nothing had been known save the peaceful sounds of home industry, now was heard the rattling of drums and the shrill notes of the fife. Wives, mothers, sisters and hoary-heacfed fathers wept as they pressed the hands of departing husbands, sons and brothers who were hurriedly leaving to offer upon the altar of their country their service and their lives. In whatever direction the eyes were cast long lines of boys in blue were seen hastening to the front, many of whom would never revisit the old homes again, but in some nameless grave in some far off southern battlefield would

sleeP- "The soldier's sleep

That knows no waking."

We at once began organizing a company at Braddock, afterwards Company A, to go to the front for three years. A man named I. M. C. Berringer, of White Ash. who claimed to have served twentv \ ears in the regular army, hecame candidate for captain, and on account of his past experience we all agreed he was the man for the position, and unanimously elected him William Smith, of Braddock, familiarly known to the boys as "Billy," a most excellent and brave man, was elected First Lieutenant, and W. N. Haymaker, of Murrysville, Second Lieutenant. Of these officers, Captain Berringer was dismissed from the service; Lieutenant Smith was killed in the Battle of Chancellorsville ; Lieutenant Haymaker became regimental quartermaster, which position he faithfully filled, and was wounded at Fair Oaks.

Before our Company was filled to its full complement we went to Pittsburgh and were placed in Camp Wilkins, near Twenty-eighth Street. This had been the old Allegheny County fair grounds, and was well adapted for a barracks, as it contained a large number of buildings that were convenient as a shelter for the portion of regiments not yet filled. There were a number of these fragments in camp and the officers were busily engaged in recruiting, the recruits being sent to Camp Wilkins as rapidly as secured. A part of the 102nd P. V. was there under command of Colonel Thomas Rowley. This had been the Thirteenth Pennsylvania during the three months' service and the boys insisted strongly upon retaining the old number, but were refused. There was also a cavalry company in camp calling themselves the Yierheller Cavalry, in honor of a ( ierman named Yierheller, who kept a hotel in Pittsburgh.

There were portions of many other companies in the camp, all anxious to start for the front. It was about the end of Jul}' when we went into camp, and were sworn into the service of the United States on August 1st. ( )ur life in this place was verv monotonous and we were all heartily sick of it. The only amusement we had to relieve the tedium of camp life was slipping past the guard and going to Trimble's varieties, a vaudeville theater on Perm Avenue, which we often did ami which frequently resulted in the punishment of being cm .- pelled to carry water for the cooks the next day. Every day we hoped to be sent forward, but were compelled to remain in this miserable place until Monday morning, August 26th, when we were electrified by being told that we would leave that day for Washington City.

There were two full companies of our regiment in Camp Wilkins : Company A, Captain Berringer, and Company B, Captain W. S. Kirkwood, and several squads. Alexander Hays was our colonel. He had served as major of the Twelfth Regiment in the three months' service, was a graduate of West Point, and had served with distinction in the Mexican war.

The following is the official order from the War Department assigning Colonel Hays to the command of all troops then quartered at Camp Wrilkins :

Headquarters Sixth Cavalry, Camp Scctt, near Pittsburgh,

ORDER. August 25, 1861.

I. Captain Alex. Hays, Sixteenth Infantry, U. S. Army, having been appointed Colonel of Volunteers, he is hereby assigned, with his full rank as Colonel of Volunteers, to command of all the troops at Camp Wilkins, and he will be obeyed and respected accordingly.

II. He will push forward, with utmost rapidity, the organization of companies, and as each company is mustered into service, he will despatch it promptly to Washington to report to the Adjutant General of the Army. When the tenth company of his own regiment is mustered into service he will repair with it to join his regiment.

III. A. Q. M. Ekin will provide transportation for all troops Colonel Hays may' send forward.

By order of the Secretary of War,

W. H. SIMONS, Lt. Col. 6th Cav., U. S. Army.

Approved,

L. THOMAS, Adjt. Gen'l.

September 27, 1861.

A. S. M. Morgan was lieutenant-colonel, Maurice Wallace major, George P. Corts adjutant, and James M. Lysle quartermaster. Of these field and.staff officers, Colonel Hays was promoted to Brigadier General in September, 1862, and was killed in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864; Lieutenant-Colonel Morgan was wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31, iS()j, and resigned; Major Wallace resigned and came home in June, 1802; Adjutant Corts died after the war closed from wounds received in battle ; (Juartermaster Lysle was killed near Pohick Church, Ya.. March 5, ]^02.

When we were notified that we were to leave on that evening, many of the men living near by were permitted to return home and bid farewell to their families. It was a sad parting, as no one knew he would ever again see those who were near and dear to him. By noon all had returned to camp and were ready for their long journey. A train of empty cars wras run out on Liberty Street, and about 4 o'clock we formed in line, and with the drum and fife band playing the "Girl I Left Behind Me," left Camp Wilkins and marched down street to embark. The street was crowded with spectators who cheered us as we passed along. The war was new then and the citizens were full of enthusiasm and were all ready and willing to give the soldier boys a hearty send off. We were certainly a motley crowd, as we had not yet received uniforms and were told we would receive them at Harrisburg. We all wore our poorest clothing, expecting to throw them away when Uncle Sam would present us with "hand-me-down" suits, but in this we were badly fooled, as we did not receive our army clothing until well on in September, and by that time we were somewhat in the condition of Falstaff's soldiers, who were so disreputable that he refused to march them through Coventry. We had not been supplied with arms yet, but most of the men had provided themselves with revolvers, having heard how the Sixth Massachusetts had been treated at Baltimore, and we were anxious to have something to protect ourselves with in the hot bed of secession.

When we arrived at the train we speedily embarked and then occurred a most touching scene. Fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, sisters and other friends were lined up on each side to bid the last farewell to their loved ones. Here an aged father stretched a trembling hand to grasp that of a dear son, while he supported the weeping mother with the other arm, or a wife, with tears streaming down her pale face, held up a laughing, unconscious baby to give the departing father one more farewell kiss. Sisters, with tear-dimmed eyes, were bidding a fond adieu to loved brothers* while brothers, with husky voices, were bidding good-bye to brothers, and here and there blushing maidens were saying farewell to lovers, striving hard, but unavailingly, to keep back their tears. It was a scene no one cares to look upon a second time. As the train pulled out we all turned to take one last look at the familiar scenes, and as we gazed at the surroundings, bathed in the mellow light of the setting sun, many realized that they would never behold the same again. Many a hearty cheer, and many a God speed were wafted to the boys, and the sad and weeping friends moved off to their homes, feeling that there was a vacant chair at the fireside that perhaps would never again be filled by the absent one. As we passed East Liberty, Wilkinsburg and Braddock, vast crowds were at the stations greeting us with loud cheers. During the night the water in the car tanks was exhausted, and as soon as it was known, the men suddenly became extremely thirsty, and did some vehement swearing and complaining. While the train lay- on a siding near Huntingdon a poor fellow of Company G got out and while standing on another track was instantly killed by a passing fast train, and this threw a damper over all. Later on, after we had become inured to death, such a thing would not have caused a ripple of feeling but we had not yet grown hardened to such scenes.

Just as the sun was climbing the Eastern horizon, we pulled into Harrisburg and were glad of the permission to stretch our cramped and tired muscles by disembarking. The boys were hungry as well as tired, and nothing was in sight that would appease their hunger. Those possessed of any money hurried off to satisfy their wants, and here the Harrisburg people showed their peculiar custom of that time in charging most inordinate prices for everything in the eating line. We had been told that when we got to Harrisburg we would receive uniforms, but soon discovered that it was a mistake.

IS UNDER THE RED PATCH

About noon we were marched aboard a train consisting of cattle cars, to be taken to Baltimore by the Northern Central Railroad. A most laughable incident occurred at this place. Governor Andrew G. Curtin came down to see the boys after they had embarked.; the soldiers were very indignant at being placed in cattle cars, and when they saw the Governor, they set up an excellent imitation of the voices of the usual occupants of these cars. Such a braying like mules, bellowing like cattle, bleating like sheep, and even squealing like swine probably never before greeted the ears of the old war governor. He stopped, gazed at the cars, then wheeled and strode away in a most indignant manner.

As soon as the train started on its way to Baltimore, every one who possessed a knife began to get his work in on the cars and it was not long before they presented a unique appearance, the sides being almost cut away by the boys having made windows in them. The officers tried to stop what they called vandalism, but the boys had not yet learned to fear the officers and paid little or no attention to their orders, and by the time we reached Baltimore, the cars presented the appearance of huge chicken coops. The government, of course, had to pay the railroad company for the mutilation of the cars, but the soldiers did not let that trouble their consciences any.

It was a dreary ride from Harrisburg to Baltimore, the day was dark and gloomy with frequent showers, and the boys were tired and hungry and in a bad humor. The train crept along at a snail's pace with a number of long stops. About 9 o'clock at night we pulled into Baltimore and disembarked. Besides Companies A and B, there were portions of other companies of our regiment, also fragments of several other regiments, making a body of about one thousand men in all. We left the cars, formed in line, and escorted by a large body of policemen, we marched through the city from the Susquehanna depot to the Washington depot. Thousands of citizens were out on the streets watching us pass along, in some places we were loudly cheered, and in other places all kinds of npprobious epithets were hurled at us. The women in particnlar were very bitter. The secesh element was still glorying over the defeat of McDowell's army at Bull Run, and the women took especial pains to throw it up to us. "Are you going to Bull Run?" was a question asked us repeatedly. Our officers had carefully enjoined the men to say nothing back, no matter what was said to us while marching through the city, as we were unarmed and would be at the mercy of the mob should there be a riot, but human nature could not endure all these taunts and some of the boys answered the ladies (?) in a way more forcible than polite. We heard some vicious curses from the knots of men stationed on street

corners as to what should be done to "the d d mud sills,"

and it only required a spark to cause a terrible explosion, but fortunately, nothing worse than insults were offered us and we reached the Washington depot where we were hurried on board a train awaiting us. Some of us slipped past the guard and took a stroll through the city, but owing to the unfriendly feelings of the Baltimorians, we did not go far from the rest of the boys. The station was soon crowded with women, black and white, each with a basket containing pies and cakes, and those of the soldiers who had money procured enough for a pretty full meal. For some reason, our train did not leave the Washington depot during the night, and we were compelled to huddle in the cars until morning. Guards were placed at car doors to prevent anyone from going out and indulging in their wanderings during the night, and we lay like sheep in a pen with no little profanity and grumbling on the part of the boys.

With daylight the train pulled out and we started for Washington. It was not long until the buildings of the capitol came in sight, and all were eager to get out and behold the city of magnificent distances. When the train stopped we were marched to the Soldiers' Home where we were fed, our breakfast consisting of coffee, mess beef and hard tack, but as we were very hungry, the meal was very palatable.

We remained around the Home until about 12 o'clock, when

Ave were funned in line and marched out of town about halt a mile into a strove of pines, and were told that was to be our canip. This camp was known as Camp Sprague. It began to rain ere we reached the place, and as no tents had been provided, it soon became a very disagreeable spot. The boys cut down bushes and arranged them in the form of wigwams, over which they placed their blankets, and took refuge under these improvised shelters. In a short time the blankets became soaking wet, and the water ran in streams over the occupants. About 5 o'clock in the evening a lot of tents arrived and were soon put up, but the ground was soaked and our blankets being in the same condition, we spent a very disagreeable night. Some of the more enterprising secured a few boards from a garden some distance from camp, and made good floors in their tents. Others, seeing our good luck, started out on a hunt for boards, but were ignominously put to flight by the patrol guard. The next morning was warm and pleasant, and we forgot our discomforts. A public road ran alongside of our camp, and as the boys were ragged to picturesqueness, it was funny to see them when carriages containing fine ladies and gentlemen from the city drove by, dive into the bushes to hide themselves.

We remained in Camp Sprague eleven days during which time we did considerable sight-seeing about Washington, and made several narrow escapes from being taken up by the patrol. However, in Company A there was one complete suit of citizen's clothes, one had a coat, another a vest, a third a hat, etc., so that it was always loaned out that one of the boys could don it and run around town without danger of the patrol arresting him.

lfcs

On Thursday, September 5th, we were marched down to the arsenal and given our guns. The Sunday following, Lieutenant Smith and several of the boys visited Tennallytown, where the Eighth Reserves were stationed, a number of Braddock boys being members of that regiment. It was a long walk and very hot, yet it was a very interesting siglii to see how the country was filled up with camps. On even s;,]e soldiers from all the Northern States were occupying the land, and the canvas cities spread out for miles. Cavalry, infantry and artillery were gathered in immense numbers preparing for the mighty struggle before them. We received a hearty welcome from our Braddock friends who did all in their power to make us enjoy ourselves. We remained with them until evening, and then started back for our camp. It was dark before we reached the place, and upon arriving there we found that our regiment had disappeared. Going to a Rhode Island Regiment that lay near, we enquired if they knew what had become of the Sixty-third. They told us that they had moved during the day, but did not know where. We visited several other camps but received no information, and it was evident we were lost in the army. This may seem a very silly expression, yet it is a serious thing, as anyone who has had the fate to be lost in the army will bear out. We went from one regiment to another, but could not learn where our regiment had gone. About i o'clock we met a man, and on repeating our question, he said that he thought they had changed places with the Sixty-second, telling us where that was, and upon our going to the place described, sure enough we found them. Shortly after we had left in the morning, they had received orders to move.

This camp was known as Camp Hays and we remained here for the next twenty days. In the meantime, recruiting had been continued in Pittsburg, and recruits kept arriving almost daily, and during the month of September the regiment had swelled to over iooo men.

The Companies comprising the Sixty-third were as follows : Company A, recruited largely at Braddock and in the Turtle Creek Valley, Captain Berringer, who was dismissed in July, 1862; William Smith, next, killed at Chancellorsville; W. P. Hunker, next.

Company B, recruited mostly about Sharpsburg and Pittsburg, Captain W. S. Kirkwood, afterward promoted to Colonel, died from wound received at Chancellorsville. Robert

A. Xesbit was promoted to Captain and brought the Company home.

Company C, recruited at New Brighton, Captain J. t • Hanna, who resigned and came home June 15, 1802. Charles Taylor was the next Captain, and was dismissed July, 1802; Wash Cray was next; he resigned November 10, 1802. George Weaver next ; he came home with the Company at the end of the service.

Company D recruited in Allegheny County, Captain Harry Ormsbee, resigned March, 1862. Ben F. Dunham next, dismissed Julv 26, 1862. Wr. J. Thompson next, killed at Chancellorsville. G. E. Gross next, came home with the Company.

Company E, recruited about Etna and Sharpsburg, Captain John A. Danks, promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. John Mc- Clelland next, came home at end of term.

Company F, recruited in Clarion County, Captain B. J. Reid, resigned August, 1862. George W. McCullough next, promoted to Major, killed in Wilderness. David Shields next, wounded at Morton's Ford, Va., February 6, 1864, discharged June 9, 1864.

Company G, recruited mostly in Venango and Armstrong Counties, Captain Charles W. McHenry, resigned November, 1862. Isaac Moorehead next, killed at Petersburg June 18, 1864.

Company H, recruited at Pittsburgh, Captain C. B. McCullough, resigned December, 1861. William Keenan next, resigned April, 1802. H. B. Fulton next, killed at Fredericksburg. William H. Jeffries, resigned May, 1863. Daniel Daugherty, killed at North Anna River May 2^, 1864.