History of the One hundred forty-first regiment. Pennsylvania volunteers. 1862-1865

Front matter

(SJuntell Imueraitg library

THE JAMES VERNER SCAIFE

COLLECTION

Preface

tn e present work owes its existence to the enterprise of the editor of the Bradford Reporter. In the latter part of the year 1883, he wrote to the author in regard to a series of articles to be printed in that paper under the caption of the "Battles of the One Hundred Forty-first Regiment." After conferring with some of the officers of the Regiment, the original plan was enlarged to include a History, instead of -a series of sketches. Immediately the work, of collecting material commenced, and the publication began in the June following. At that time only newspaper articles were contemplated, but friends suggested that the history of a Regiment that had done such gallant service ought to be in more permanent form, consequently the newspaper columns were changed to book.pages, and the present work is the result.

While no pains have been spared to secure accuracy of statement, and a reasonable fullness of detail, the manuscript was prepared amidapressure of other work, it often happening that the last line was printed before another was written. Many infelicities of expression would have been corrected if a revision could have been made. Inexperience in proof reading which was usually done in the editor's office amid the hurry and bustle of getting ready for press, have caused numerous typographical errors to be overlooked.

' ,Only enough of general army movements have been given to indicate the work the Regiment was expected to do, and no criticism has been attempted. In addition to the account of its doings as a separate military organization, it was contemplated to give a brief account of each man connected with it. This was soon found to be impracticable, but of the two hundred and fifty members of it who lost their lives in the service, such sketches have been attempted Here the greatest difficulty has been experienced. In some cases the men were entire strangers to their comrades until they enlisted, and but little was positively known of them ; in others, friends have removed and after much inquiry no trace of a relative has been found ; in some others friends could furnish only approximate data, and in one or two instances near relatives have entirely neglected to answer the letters written. In these sketches slight errors will undoubtedly be found.

The muster rolls have been revised with great care, and an attempt has been made to combine an index with it, which is hoped will be found satisfactory, as well as the tables appended. Only those who have had experience in this work know its difficulties. A few slight errors overlooked while the book was in press have been noted.

The preparation of the work has been encouraged and its labor greatly lightened by the cordial interest manifested in it by the members and friends of the Regiment. General Madill, in addition to giving me the use o'f his diary and private papers, has gone over the manuscript before it was given to the printer. Mrs. Colonel Watkins, Mrs. Major Spalding, and Mrs. Captain Atkinson, kindly allowed me to peruse both letters and diaries written by their honored and distinguished husbands. I have iv. PREFACE.

received the loan of diaries of.Adrial Lee, of Company A, Captain Peck, Sergeants John H. Chaffee and Josiah A. Bosworth, Corporal James P. Coburn, and, private James H. Smith of Company B, Sergeants C. J. Eastabrook and William Hewett of Company D, Captain Lobb of Company G, Sergeants E. G. Owen and John D. Bloodgood and Theodore Larrison of Company I, and Levi T. Adams of Company K. Other officers and members of the Regiment especially adjutant Searle, Captain Kilmer, Captain Beardsley, Corporal Charles T. Hull and Richard McCabe, have promptly and at much pains aided in gathering valuable information.

To Colonel John P. Nicholson, of Philadelphia, unspeakable obligations are acknowledged for free access to his unapproachable collection, and for the use of valuable material not otherwise obtainable, as well as for many excellent hints and suggestions.

Swinton's History of the Army of the Potomac, Scribner's series ''Campaigns of the Civil War," and the Compte de Paris " Civil War in America" have been ; books of constant reference,

To the publishers of the Bradford Reporter and Reporter-Journal sincere thanks are due for their liberal and cordial co-operation, seconding all efforts in making the work as complete as possible.

If this feeble effort will help to preserve to future generations the record of the* d^eds of men who at their country's call left business, home and family to help defend, her institutions and preserve her government, in which one-fourth of them lost their lives and almost every other one bears the scars of the battles they fought ; and of those who survived the perils of camp and of field and lived to return after witnessing the surrender of the armies arrayed against them, storm-beaten, battle-scarred, health-broken prematurely-aged, heroes of a hundred battles, and deserving their country's gratitude and blessing, if their names and their heroic deeds of glory and renown which are here recounted shall be deemed by them to have been told correctly, the author will be more than repaid for his labor.

Introduction

tn b 141st Regiment, of Pennsylvania Volunteers, whose history is given in this volume, was in many respects a remarkable Regiment. Recruited from the rural ' districts of its respective counties, composed mainly of young men,, farmers and the sons of farmers, mechanics and those attending the different institutions of learning in their respective counties, of fair education, and many of them of a good deal more than ordinary intelligence. They were all men and boys of good character, and exemplary habits, and most of them left comfortable and happy homes to give their services, and their lives if need be, to their country in its hour of peril. They were true patriots, they loved their country and its institutions.-

Their attention was directed to the fact that their services were needed, by the proclamation of the President calling to arms the patriots of the land to resist the attempted overthrow of their government. Their patriotism was aroused by the patriotic aOd strong addresses made by the gentlemen who visited the different parts of the counties from which the Regiment was raised, many of whom afterwards became officers of the companies forming the Regiment. As an inducement to go with them, they promised that they would btand by their men until the end. How well most of them kept their promise the record will tell.

The men and officers composing the Regiment had little or no experience in military affairs. They did not even have the benefit of a militia-man's experience. After completing their Regimental organization at Harrisburg, they were hurried to Washington, which place they reached amid the thundering of the artillery of Lee's victorious army, and among a people trembling in fear, believing that on the morrow Lee's victorious troops would be thundering at the doors of the Capitol. The 'Regiment was immediately ordered across the Potomac and put into the defences of Washington. Poorly armed and equipped, and without any particular knowledge how to use the poor and worthless arms in their .possession, they were expected to face the coming of, as was supposed, the veterans of the victorious army of Lee.

I found the Regiment in the fore part of September, at the "Chain Bridge," where it had been sent from Arlington after the battle of Bull Run. I thought the Regiment was composed of the finest body of men I had ever seen, in most part young, vigorous and hardy, just the men to endure the privation and hardships of the campaigns which were to follow. After the defeat of Lee at Sharpsburg, and he had turned back, abandoning his effort to take the Capital, it was determined to retain the Third Corps and place it in the defence of Washington. This Corps having suffered very much at the battle of Bull Run, its reorganization was determined upcn.

When I returned to the Regiment and assumed command, on the 17th of September, 1862, I found it associated in brigade with the veterans of a part of the old Kearney Division— the heroes of the Peninsular campaign. At the time I thought it unfair for the Regiment to be associated with these old veterans, fearing that they

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INTRODUCTION.

were green troops would be forgotten, and more expected of them than they would be able to perform. Up to the time of their brigade associations, the Regiment had ■ never been drilled. After that time, the Company officers, under the direction of an officer appointed for that purpose by the Brigade Commander, commenced ix> drill their companies, and acquaint themselves with the tactics necessary to be understood

and applied. , -i

What little time could be spared from outpost and picket duty, was devoted by the officers in instructing themselves and the men in their commands in the drill and maneuvers necessary to be understocd by theni in order that they might be able to be handled and moved on the field when necessary. The time for this preparation was short ; the Regiment was soon called to march on that wild goose chase to Poolesville, in Maryland, in order to prevent Stewart from crossing with his cavalry the Potomac near that place. This was one of the hardest marches the Regiment ever made, and was the cause of the breaking down of more men than any other march during their service. The first campaign of the Regiment closed by the fording of the Potomac and marching through Virginia to the banks of the Rappahannock where they went into winter quarters near Fredericksburg

At the time of the battle of Fredericksburg the Regiment had had the advantage of a few battalion drills, in which some of the simpler movements of the line were taught them, selecting those that would be used, if at all, on the battlefield, and when the order came to march, I had the satisfaction of knowing that the Regiment knew what a line of battle was, and that they knew how to form it from the march- It was known by the Regiment when the order to march came, that it was the purpose of Gen. Burnside to cross the river and occupy Fredericksburg if possible: that of course implied some fighting, for the enemy were strongly intrenched and had come there to stay. *.

The Third Corps, to which the Regiment belonged, was in reserve, and was the 1 last body of troops to cross the river. On their march they were halted in a field, that overlooked the town. At this time Sumner with his corps was engaged with the enemy in his efforts to carry the heights and occupy the town. His several efforts were repulsed with fearful slaughter. The Third Corps witnessed these unsuccessful assaults of their comrades of the Second Corps to carry the works of the enemv. "What effect was this scene having upon the minds of the troops witnessingit, and especially upon the minds of this ne*' Regiment, who for the first time in their lives witnessed a scene like this, and they so soon to be subjected to the same fiery -ordeal? Fortunately, the thoughts and reflections of men and officers were soon directed to the appearance of an aid, accompanied by an orderly, riding at full speed across the field in the direction of the corps commander's flag. This officer was an aid of Gen. Meade, coming for assistance. The " Reserves," under their noble leader, made that grand charge, not an hour since, driving ihe enemy from their line at the railroad, back into the woods, and up the slope through the woods, and back upon the second line, and being unsupported, was being forced back again by the enemy, who had been strongly reinforced. The Corps was immediately put in motion, and the river soon reached and crossed, and the march over the flat ground between it and the road made. At this point the enemy opened fire on the head of the column from a battery on the high ground in the woods, nearly in front of the line of march, and as the troops reached this point on their line of march, covered by the guns of the enemy, they entered a severe shower of shot and shell, which were

INTRODUCTION. vii.

shrieking and bursting in the air, over the heads and on the flanks, and among the brave men who were struggling to reach the road, in order to give succor to the retiring heroes. The Regiment which is the subject of this sketch came last, and, though the road was very heavy, caused by the rain of the day before and the marching of the troops who had previously passed over it, they kept well closed upon the men of the column, and passed through the shower of shot and shell that greeted them, without faltering, and passed on to the road where they met the retiring troops, the Reserves. Upon this point the enemy had concentrated all their guns in our front, and were doing fearful execution with solid shot and shell, and yet this green Regiment, upon its first battlefield, without faltering, passed through this vortex of fire, and formed their lines of battle on the right by filing into line as coolly and as quietly as if they had been the veteranB of a hundred battles. Their coolness and courage and the ready manner in which they obeyed every command given them surprised me, and challenged the admiration of the Corps, Division and Brigade Commanders who were watching the formation of the lines. They had earned their place among the heroes of Peninsula with whom they were brigaded, and were entitled to wear the Army badge. No question as to whether they could be relied upon in an emergency in the future was ever again raised. ' They had established confidence in the minds of the old regiments with whom they were associated, and received the commendation of their superior officers, for their courage and daring under the discouraging circumstances, by which they were surrounded. In all the battles in which they were afterward engaged they showed the same cool, daring, courageous and patriotic spirit that characterized them in their first engagement.

To show the estimation in which they were held by the officers of the Corps, I need now but mention the fact that they were selected by the Division and Corps commanders in the celebrated " mud march" of Gen. Burnside, to cross the river alone, carry the opposite heights at the point of the bayonet, and hold the crest of the hill in order that the army might cross to the opposite side, for the purpose of attacking Fredericksburg in the rear. Fortunately for them, the heavy rainstorm setting in that night frustrated the movement.

They had earned a reputation for courage and daring that promised no good, in one sense, for the future, as the sequel shows. In the many severely fought battles that followed, they were often put into the imminent deadly breach, and expected to do what older and stronger regiments failed to do. Through the thirty-three battles in which they fought they never became demoralized, or willingly turned their back upon their foe.

' I said this was in many respects a remarkable Regiment. I much doubt if you can find many regiments in the service of which it could be said, they never disappointed the hopes, expectations or commands of their officers on the battlefield, which can be said of this, and their record sustains the assertion.

The colors which were received from the hands of Gov. Curtin, before they crossed the Potomac into Virginia, in the fall of 1862, were kept and guarded by them with zealous care, and as they at that time promised him, they would guard them with their lives, and at the close of the contest turn them over to the State Department unsullied by dishonor, they nobly kept this and they hang to-day in the flag-room, at the State Capitol, tattered and torn by the storms of many a battlefield. I believe that no other regiment suffered so much in its color-guard as did this one. Twice it was entirely annihilated— at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg— not a single man escaping, and every one of the comrades coming to their assistance, were either killed or wounded. Around them seemed to be the favorite spot to die, for there

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INTRODUCTION.

always were found most of the dead and disabled. At Spottsylvania a hand to hand contest took place over the colors, with clubbed muskets. The colors of this Regiment were never lost, surrendered, or trailed in the dust, though their surrender was. often demanded by the closely pressing enemy, yet they were always carried pver the head of those who bore them, and the brave men who followed and defended them.

This grand old Eegiment has a glorious history. A regiment that lost over twothirds of the men on its rolls carrying muskets, in the service of their country, and of which it can be said, as shown by the records in the State Department, sacnfioed more men upon the altar of its country's needs, than any other Regiment in the service save one, and that a regiment which went into the service with a good many more men, deserves, at least, to have its history carefully, fully and impartially written, as a means of perpetuating the memory of their deeds and sacrifices in the minds of those who come atter.

The officers and men who remained in the field, and stood by oneanother, deserve to be remembered, at least by each other, and they will be.

The writing of a full and complete history of this Regiment was made necessary by the many partial and unsatisfactory attempts at so doing, by persons unacquainted with its history, which appeared from time to time through the press. Who should undertake this task ? was a question often asked, to which no answer came. At length, Rev. David Craft, the first Chaplain of the Regiment, was induced to attempt the task.

Where was the material from which this history was to be formed; and how were the facts and incidents connected with its history to be gathered? The records of the Regiment, kept by the adjutants, which were full and complete were inaccessible, being in the possession of the last adjutant, " Brainerd," and he in one of the far- , off States or Territories. The sources of information remaining were the several departments of the Government and ihe State, the recollections of the surviving members of the Regiment and the memoranda of the officers and men who had recorded from time to time the facts and incidents which w,ent under their observation.

The author diligently set to work to gather from these sources the needed material, and after a great deal of time and labor spent in the effort, he succeeded in securing much of the matter necessary. Many of the officers and men promptly furnished their diaries and letters remaining accessible, and the wives and families of those who were dead kindly placed in his possession the letters and memoranda remaining in their possession, made by their dead husbands, fathers or brothers. Out of the material so gathered, the author has, after much time and labor spent in its preparation and arrangement, given you the result of his effort. Taking into consideration the great difficulties surrounding him at every step in the progress of his labor, I am surprised that it is as accurate and complete as it is.

I was extremely anxious that the history of this grand eld Regiment should be complete and satisfactory. A Regiment which had done so much and suffered so much in its effort " to give to this nation a new birth of freedom, that the Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, should not perish from the earth," deserves at the hands of the persons who undertake to write its history, patience and fidelity in bringing to the knowledge of their friends the facts and incidents which cover their names with glory.

I have carefully read each page as it came from the press through the Reporter and Reporter-Journal, and commend to the surviving soldiers of the Regiment, and their friends, this little volume, which contains the record of their endurance, their patience, their suffering, their patriotism, or, in other words, the record of their glori-

INTRODUCTION. ix.

ous deeds. I do this with greater pleasure, because the' work has been prepared with rare fidelity, and is a full and complete record of their achievements.

The author has honored the men who bore the brunt of the work, while he has itten the officers of the Regiment ; and yet we must, as officers, remember vas these brave men who endured without complaining all the hardships and privations of the camp and field, and whose blood has enriched the soil of every battlefield on which the army of the Potomac was engaged, from Fredericksburg to Appomattox, who have made the reputations we have attained as such, possible. The private soldier fought the battles of the war and conquered a lasting peace, and the officers too often got the most of the credit. Honor to whom honor is due. All honor to the private soldier, all honor to the private soldiers 6f this grand old Regiment, to its dead who lie on every battlefield of the army of the Potomac, to the living, who by the good providence of God were spared, though torn by wounds and broken down by disease, to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

H. J. M.

Chapter I. FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT

TVTHATEVER ideas may have been entertained in the beginning that the war of the Rebellion would be of small proportions and of short duration, they were most thoroughly dissipated by the battle of Bull Run a.nd by McClellan's Peninsular campaign in the spring and summer of 1862. The South had exhibited such an unexpectedly enthusiastic, united, and truly martial spirit, such an abundance of means and skill in using them, as to convince thoughtful men all over the country that the time was not far distant when the resources of the loyal States in money and men must be heavily drawn upon if the war was prosecuted to a favorable termination.

In anticipation of demands which might soon be made, little companies of men in various neighborhoods — in Bradford county, at leasp — were accustomed to meet on Saturday afternoons during the summer, practice some of the more simple evolutions of military drill, learn to keep step with the music of the fife and drum, and catch something of the spirit which animated their neighbors and kinsmen in the field.

In consequence of the great losses suffered by the army of McClellan and the expiration of the short term of service for which many had enlisted, the President, at the suggestion of the Governors of the loyal States, who pledged him their cooperation and support, on the second of July, 1862, issued his proclamation calling for three hundred thousand men, to be enlisted to serve for three years or during the war.

To devise measures for filling the quota assigned to Bradford county, which was something more than a thousand men, a meeting was held at Towanda, July 1 9ih, presided over by Hon. Ulysses Mercur, and addressed by a number of the prominent citizens of the county. Resolutions wert passed looking to the speedy enlistment of recruits, and it was suggested that companies be raised in the several neighborhoods, which should be joined in a regiment to be known as the Bradford County Regiment, and officered by Bradford county men.

The advantages of this arrangement were obvious. Among tlrem it was mentioned that the men coming from one locality would be much more liable to aid one another in the necessities of camp and field ; that the relations between officers and men would be to the advantage of each and there would be a closer bond of sympathy between the men in the field and those at home.

At Terrytown a number of the young men had been in the habit of meeting occasionally to talk over the war news and engage in military drill. Early in August a public meeting was held in the church, at which Guy H. Watkins, Esq., of Towanda, was the principal speaker. The sincerity of his purpose, and the deep, almost pathetic, earnestness of his address made a profound impression upon his audience. Among other things he said he had thought this whole matter over carefully, and had determined that for himself it was his duty to go to his country's aid in this hour of her peril ; that at the most a man could die but once, and he would prefer to die on the battlefield than to think he had shrunk from danger in the hour of his country's need ; that he had often thought how, when this war was over and he should be telling his children of its occurrence, he would feel should they ask him, " Were you there?" and he should be compelled to answer, "No." He was going to be able to say, " Yes, I was there and I tried to do my duty."

On the 4th of August a meeting was held in Wyalusing, addressed by Hon. George Landon and others, at which about fifty men were enrolled acd nearly two hundred dollars were subscribed' as a local bounty. Enlistments were pushed rapidly forward. On Saturday, August 9, it was announced that the company was enrolled, and the Wednesday following was ready to start for Harrisburg. The men were from the southeastern part of the county — Wyalusing, Herrick, Tuscarora, Terry and Wilmot townships. In addition to the small local bounty, each man of the company was presented with a Bible, and a well filled needle-book, as a useful memento of the dear ones at home.

Early on Thursday morning, August 14, the first company of this grand old regiment left their homes and bid adieu to friends, many of them for the last time, and started by private conveyances for the seat of war. At Towanda, where they stopped for dinner, a meeting of the company was held at the Court House and the organization effected George W. Jackson, of Wyalusing, a local Methodist preacher, a blacksmith by trade, of ardent zeal for the Union, and possessing the confidence of the community, who though exempt by age from military service, was among the first to enroll himself in the company, was chosen Captain ; Joseph H. Horton, youngest son of Major John Horton, of Terrytown, who had inherited something of his father's martial spirit, was chosen First Lieutenant; and William T. Horton, who had been one of the most active in enrolling the company, and had made himself well acquainted with army tactics and drill, was the Second Lieutenant. In the afternoon the company proceeded to Canton, where they stayed the night, and the next day reached Harrisburg and were quartered in barracks in Camp Curtin, awaiting the arrival of the other companies that were to compose the regiment. While here the committee at a meeting held on the parade ground designated their choice of non-commissioned officers, viz : Sergeants — Austin D. Jeffers, Joseph H. Hurst, Thomas R. Miles, Nathaniel P. Moody, James Van Auken. Corporals — Martin B. Ryder, Erastus S. Gregory, Noble J. Gaylord, Edwin M. White, Jackson C. Lee, Geo. H. Birney, James W. Alderson, Isaac F. Johuson. Musicians — John O. Frost and Edward A. Lord. Including these seventeen the company consisted of ninety-nine enlisted men, and being the first company of the regiment mustered was designated as Company "A." On the day after their arrival they passed their medical examination, and on the Monday following, August 18, were mustered into the service of the United States. company B.

Early in August, William T. Davies, formerly of Neath, in this county, who for a number of years had been principal of the High School in Towanda, and subsequently a law student in the office of William H. Watkins, his father-in-law ; assisted by Henry Keeler, of Wyalusing, at that time also a student in the same office, began making enlistments in Warren and Pike townships. At the same time Guy H. Watkins, hrotherin-law of Mr. Davies, and Benjamin M. Peck, who was then just entering upon the legal profession, were enlisting men from Towanda and North Towanda. A sufficient number having been enrolled to form a company, they met in Towanda on Wednesday, August 13, and organized themselves by electing Mr. Watkins, Captain ; Mr. Davies,. First Lieutenant; and Mr. Keeler, Second Lieutenant. Jesse P. Carl, who at Camp Curtin resigned in favor of Mr. Peck, was chosen First Sergeant; the others were Joseph S. Lockwood, William Jones, Martin O. Codding and Ephraim D. Robbins ; and the corporals, Andrew St. John, Amasa Wood, George D. Crandall, James Goodell, John Keeney, Josiah A. Bosworth, Homer

REGIMENT, PENN'A VOLS.

H. Stevens, and Charles H. Crandall, with Frank J. Vanderpool and Henry W. Brown, musicians. On the following Monday, August 18th, the company with 'D'' and "I" went to Troy, and the next day arrived in Camp Curtin. On Thursday the men parsed their medical examination, and the next day, August 22d, were mustered into the service of the G-overnment. Besides the three commissioned officers, ihe company consisted of ninety-eight men and was registered as Company "B" of the Regiment. company o.

Rev. A. J. Swart, a minister of the Disciples'' Church, a man of fine abilities and of great popularity not only in his own denomination but outside of it, was deeply interested in the struggle of the war, after a conference with some friends at Liberty Corners and Macedonia, determined to raise a company for the Bradford Regiment, and at once commenced enlisting men from Monroeton, where he resided, Franklin and Overton townships, while Wm. J. Cole, of Macedonia, enlisted from that neighborhood, and George W. Kilmer enlisted from other parts of Asylum and from Liberty Corners. On ■ the 7th of August it was ascertained that a sufficient number had enlisted to warrant the organization of the company, and a meeting was held at Monroeton, at which Mr. Swart was unanimously chosen Captain, Mr. Cole, First Lieutenant, and H. G. Goff, of Monroeton, Second Lieutenant. The next ■week they proceeded to Harrisburg, where most of the company was mustered into the United States service August 19th, but the full complement was not reached and the commissioned officers mustered until the 25th. After the muster a meeting was held at Camp Curtin, at which G. W. Kilmer, who thought himself too young for a commissioned officer, W. W. GofF, George C. Beardsley,, Bishop Horton and A. R. Coolbaugh were chosen sergeants; John Chapman, George Owen, Charles S. Brown, Hiram Cole, Daniel Schoonover, Moses Coolbaugh, John Rockwell, and Jerry Hakes were elected corporals; Clarence Cole and Morris M'Lain were elected musicians. The company then numbered, • including both noncommissioned officers and privates, eighty-nine men, and was registered as Company "C" of the Regiment, and its color company.