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| Captain William Saxton. |
Cortland Semi-Weekly Standard, Tuesday, May 5, 1903.
WAR REMINESCENCES
By Captain Saxton of the 157th Regiment, N. Y. Vols.
THE BATTLE OF THE CHIMNEYS.
Divisions of the Army into Corps—Corps Insignia—Celebrated German Officers—Thanksgiving in the Old Dominion State—In the Virginia Mud—Wintry Weather—The One Schoolhouse of Virginia—Helping Out a Wagon Train—Hard Marching.
CHAPTER 16.
To the Editor of The Standard:
Sir—We were the outpost pickets, no one being between us and the enemy. The sentinels were specially instructed to be extremely watchful and alert and to fire upon any one approaching from the front without waiting to challenge.
The night was very dark and misty. About 10 p. m. after the reserves had quietly settled down, a solitary shot was heard on the extreme right of the line. This was quickly followed by others, and soon the whole line was popping away at a lively rate.
Lieutenant Coffin roused the reserves and rushed them forward to strengthen the pickets, and quite an event seemed about to take place.
The Battle of the Chimneys.
The regiments in camp hearing the picket firing, sounded the “long roll,” got their men in line, and an aide came dashing down to learn the nature of the attack. Gradually the firing slackened and soon ceased altogether. After a time the reserves were marched back to their station, the regiments dismissed their men and we were not disturbed during the night.
When daylight came we found that the picket line had been established near an old Confederate winter camp, whose log shanties had been burned, leaving their chimneys standing.
The pickets, after having been left alone on their posts, saw these chimneys come dimly into view out of the murky night. Their imaginations having been heightened by the instructions in regard to firing without challenge, the longer they looked the more sure they were that this was a line of rebel skirmishers advancing to attack us. They could see them move. One would bob up here, another there, until their impressions amounted to certainties, hence the firing.
Such illusions are not infrequent to any one. Who has not in the dusk of evening, or in the day time, been thus deceived? While in the mountains or on the prairies, my attention has often been attracted to a bush or weed being swayed by the wind, and as I have been almost positive it was a deer’s head or a grouse; and the longer I stared the more sure I became, and nothing but advancing and coming near the object would dispel the illusion.
We always spoke of this as our first battle, “The Battle of the Chimneys.” You will not find it in the histories, and we did not have it inscribed on our battle flag.
The Army Corps.
All the infantry of the different armies was divided into corps by 1863. First and last there were twenty-five.
In 1863 the cavalry was organized into corps and thenceforward became one of the most useful branches of the service. Prior to that, each infantry corps was accompanied by a brigade of cavalry. Batteries of light artillery were attached to the infantry corps, and the Army of the Potomac had a “Reserve Corps of Artillery” commanded by Gen. Henry J. Hunt.
The corps generally had three divisions, each division consisting of three brigades of five regiments each. The corps thus contained forty-five regiments, to which was attached about nine of batteries artillery.
This was the general plan; but in temporary exigencies this plan was not strictly adhered to, some corps having four divisions, some brigades having four, six or even nine regiments.
The Corps Insignia.
Each of these corps had a badge which came into use later. The corps badge was stamped out of flannel cloth, an inch and a half across, and was red, white and blue in color. The first division wore the red, the second the white, and the third the blue. The government also issued brass cap letters and figures. These badges, letters and figures were worn on the front of the caps of the men. When you meet a soldier about the first thing you would notice would be his cap and you would see, for example, a blue crescent badge, the letter C and the figures 157 and you would know he belonged to the eleventh corps, third division, one hundred and fifty-seventh regiment, Company C. You would have that soldier pretty well located except his name. This was a great preventive of straggling, and assistance in finding your regiment when separated from it. The first corps badge was a disc or full moon, the boys called it; the second’s the trefoil or ace of clubs; the third the diamond; the fourth the triangle; the fifth the Maltese cross; the sixth the Greek cross; the eleventh the crescent, or half moon; the twelfth the star; the fourteenth the acorn.
An Unwise Grouping.
In the fore part of the war the experiment was tried of grouping nationalities together somewhat like the “Irish Brigade,” the “German Corps,” etc. It was not the wisest thing to do, any more than it would have been to have grouped the regiments of the different states into corps by themselves. We learned that we belonged to the eleventh corps, the “Dutch Corps,” third division, first brigade. There were:
Dutch [Deutsch] to the right of us,
Dutch to the left of us,
Dutchmen in front of us
Jabbered and sung.
We often heard around the campfires this inspiring song:
“O de Duytch com-pa-nee ish de best com-pa-nee
Vat effer come ofer from old Shar-ma-nee.”
Famous German Commanders.
The eleventh corps was commanded by Major General Franz Siegel, who was born in Germany in 1824. In the revolution of 1849 he became commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army, but was overpowered by the Austrians and Prussians and fled to this country. He was considered the best artillerist in Germany. The third division was commanded by Major General Carl Schurz, a German born in 1829. He was also in the revolution and “emigrated” to this country. Since the war he has been an active politician. The first brigade was commandeered by Brigadier General A. Von Schimmelphennig, who came to this country under circumstances similar to those of Siegel and Schurz. Almost all the general officers of the eleventh corps were Germans who had had experience in the German army.
Nov. 19, 1862.—Rained. Were relieved at night from picket and when I arrived in camp was so worn out I lay down to sleep on the wet ground without supper.
Nov. 20.—Still it rains. Found some pieces of old rough boards which I placed on the ground to keep me out of the mud.
Nov. 21.—More rain. Strobeck and I went to an old deserted rebel shanty, built a fire and got warm.
Nov. 22.—Sergeants Bourne and Isabel and myself borrowed a camp kettle and went to the old shanty, heated some water, washed our clothes and dried them by the camp fire at night.
Nov. 23.—Sunday.
Nov. 24.—Drilled.
Nov. 25.—Nearly all the lieutenants in the regiment were placed under arrest for not attending drill.
Nov. 26.—Rained.
Pickles for Thanksgiving.
Nov. 27.—Thanksgiving day. Sergeant Bourne had some pickles come from home and we had Thanksgiving supper.
Nov. 28.—Drilled.
Nov. 29.—Company practiced target shooting. Buel Rorapaugh made the best shots.
Nov. 30, Sunday.—I with ten men was detailed on cattle guard at brigade headquarters. Found the cattle had all been slaughtered and had nothing to do.
Dec. 1.—At 11 a. m. we were sent two miles beyond Fairfax courthouse for more cattle, got back and delivered them at dusk, having walked sixteen miles, saying nothing of side trips chasing the unruly animals. Blistered my feet pretty badly.
Dec. 2.—Captain Smith of Company A having resigned, the captains are advanced one point. Company B now takes the right and Company C the left. We are now second in order of rank.
Dec. 3.—Drilled and fixed tents.
Dec. 4.—The regiment went to Chantilly. We took nothing to eat and got back after dark very tired and hungry.
Dec. 5.—Snowed hard all the afternoon.
A Wintry Experience.
Dec. 6.—This is regular northern winter weather, ground all covered with snow and wind blowing hard. How would you like to live on a windswept plateau, without fire, with three others in a thin canvas tent 6 feet long, 3 feet high at the ridge, the sides sloping to the ground, some rough uneven pieces of board to keep you off the frozen ground?
Dec. 7, Sunday.—Company C went on picket three miles from camp. Now we do not have even a pup tent to shelter us. The reserves sit by the fire in the slush caused by the melting snow, freezing one side and thawing the other. The pickets on post have no fires at all, and I tell the old gun gets pretty cold to handle with no mittens or gloves on the hands.
Dec. 8.—Relieved from picket at noon.
Dec. 9.—General inspection which lasted till 2 p. m. Received marching orders at night.
In Virginia Mud.
Dec. 10.—Left Centreville at 7 a. m. Marched southeast with no knowledge of where we were going. Camped at night at Sangster’s Station on the Orange & Alexandria railroad. The snow began to melt, which made terrible marching. Virginia mud is the next thing to liquid glue. It clings to our shoes till they are twice the size and weight they ought to be. Our shoes are now given the name “mud pontoons.”
Dec. 11.—My knapsack straps hurt my lungs pretty badly today. We crossed the Ocoquan at noon at Wolf Run Shoals, and stopped for dinner in some woods.
Bucked and Gagged.
Here for the first time we saw a soldier “bucked and gagged.” For some offence Captain Charlier thus punished one of his men. The soldier is seated on the ground, his wrists tied together; then his arms are drawn down over his knees, which are bent sharply up toward his chin and a gun thrust over his arms and under his knees. This is “bucking.” His mouth is opened, a bayonet placed in it crosswise and tied at the back of his head. This is ‘gagged.” A soldier thus treated could not speak nor hardly move. He might fall over on his back or side, but he would be in a worse position than before. It is a brutal treatment and one seldom resorted to. The mean never forgot nor forgave this of Captain Charlier. The captain was a foreigner and had been appointed to our regiment in place of one of our captains who had resigned.
We had orders to clean up for inspection at three. Instead of inspection we marched on in the mud headed for Fredericksburg.
A Solitary School House.
Dec. 12.—Marched at 7 a. m. The mud is frozen on top, through which we break at every step, which makes it awful walking. Seems as though each foot weighed ten pounds. Oh! such toil and weariness, We camp near Dumfries. A detachment of General Stuart’s rebel cavalry had been there in the morning. I saw what I took to be a school house today—the only one I ever remember of seeing in Virginia.
What primitive farming implements we have seen today! We saw a plow whose handles stuck back six feet. We saw no modern machinery. They are fifty years behind the times. We have seen only a few log houses today and no inhabitants.
Helping Out a Wagon Train.
Dec. 13.—Up at daylight. We expected to continue our march. Instead, we are ordered to stack arms, pile knapsacks and accoutrements, put a guard over them and march back over the road we came. We did not know why we were marching back; a soldier is not supposed to know anything, but to obey orders. After going three or four miles our curiosity as to our backward movement is satisfied. We find our wagon train stalled in the mud, the mules completely fagged out and unable to go any farther. We are ordered in, twenty or thirty to a team, and by prying up, grabbing the spokes, putting our shoulders to the wheels, pushing and pulling, help them out, and literally drag that wagon train into camp. What a “looking” set of United States soldiers we are! Mud all over us from head to foot and completely played out.
We hear cannonading in the direction of Fredericksburg. This is the day the battle of Fredericksburg was fought.
Dec. 11, Sunday.—We marched before daylight, leaving Ebenezer Cole, (my wife’s half brother), Henry A. Smith and several others behind sick. Twenty-five men of Company C are also left to help with teams. We passed through Dumfries. It rained nearly all day. Camped at night in the mud.
On an Empty Stomach.
Dec. 15.—Resumed our march at daylight. Our rations have run out, and the wagons are not up, so we can get no more; but we cannot wait and plod along in the mud on an empty stomach. Passed by Stafford courthouse. Stopped at Brooks Station on the Richmond & Fredericksburg railroad. Here we get two days’ rations of hardtack. Arrived on the north bank of the Rappahannock river a little above Fredericksburg at dark and lay down upon the wet ground with our pieces of tent over us, too exhausted and worn out to put up tents. Rained during the night. In the morning when I awoke I found I had been lying in a pool of water. During the night our army withdrew to the north of the river.
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