Category Archives: 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

Murder in the Capitol

29 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by in 1861, 2nd/ 5th Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

It is interesting how blog posts have a mind of their own sometimes. This post started as a short one entitled “Awkward” when I turned up the report below at the National Archives last summer. The report was misfiled in RG 391 in the records of the 2nd Dragoons/ 2nd US Cavalry instead of where it should have been in the 2nd US Cavalry/ 5th US Cavalry. As an army officer, I can recall occasionally having to send uncomfortable reports to superiors, but I really felt some sympathy for Captain William Chambliss when he had to send this one. And to a general officer, no less.

“Treasury Buildings

Washington, D.C.

June 28, 1861

 

General,

I have the honor to report that Private Kinstler, of my company, confined for killing a private of the 2nd Infantry, last night has made his escape. I had him confined in the cells, the most secure place in this building, but on sending for him for the purpose of complying with your order in regard to his disposition, found that he had removed the bars of a small window in the rear and made his escape in that way. I have reported these facts to the Chief of Police, giving him at the same time a description of the fugitive, and I have also sent my whole Company, in detachments, to look for him throughout the city, and I have directed the noncommissioned officers of these detachments to report the facts to the commanding officers of the camps in this vicinity with the request that the prisoner be apprehended if found in any of the camps.

I am General,

Very respectfully,

Your obt. Servant,

W.P. Chambliss

Captain, 2d Cavalry

Comdg. Company D

 

Brig Genl J.K.F. Mansfield

Comdg Dept of Washington,

Washington, D.C. “

 

Captain Chambliss had led his company out of Texas when that state seceded, moved with them by boat to New York, seen them remounted at Carlisle Barracks, and hurried with them to help protect the nation’s capitol, and now this. I confess I’m curious whether Larry Freiheit has come across any mention of this during his current project on Mansfield.

The story piqued my curiosity, so I decided to dig a little deeper. I had come across another 1861 murder at Carlisle a year ago, and wasn’t able to make any further headway. So I checked NARA’s “Register of Deaths in the Regular Army” to see who died in late June 1861. To my surprise, there was no record of anyone dying in the last days of June. So I ran a search on Kinstler, cavalry and Washington, D.C., and turned up the following story on the Library of Congress website, from page 3 of the National Republican on June 29th.

“Homicide in the First Ward – The Guilty Party Still at Large

About ten o’clock the night before last, Sebastian Kinstler, a private in Company B, second cavalry, and a man by the name of Michael Murphy, of the United States Infantry, got into a quarrel in a tavern kept by Jeremiah Crowley, on G Street, between Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets west, which ended in the former drawing a large heavy revolver from his belt and firing, the ball entering the body of Murphy between the fourth and fifth ribs, and passing through to the skin, causing his death in a very few moments.

It appeared that everything had gone on in a very friendly way between the parties until Murphy was heard to say that he feared no man in the house, with whatever weapon they might use, though he had none with him; at which Kinstler immediately raised his revolver and fired, as above stated.

Coroner Woodward yesterday held an inquest over the body of the deceased, when a verdict in accordance with the above facts was rendered.

Kinstler at first gave himself up, and was placed in the guard room, in the basement of the Treasury building. About noon, however, when the guards went to remove him from thence to the county jail, it was discovered that he had escaped.

A number of scouts were instantly put on the alert, and information given to the police, but he has not yet been arrested.”

 

So now we have moved from awkward report to awkward death. I must admit, my first reaction after reading this story was “Are you kidding me?” I decided to pursue the thread a little farther and see what I could discover about our two heroes from the news story. It seemed fair to start with the victim. While there were a lot of Michael Murphys in the army at this time, mostly in the artillery, I eventually found the right one.

Our Michael Murphy was born in County Mayo, Ireland in 1837. After immigrating to the United States, he worked as a laborer before joining the army on May 14, 1858 in Rochester, New York. Lieutenant Woods enlisted him into Company K, 2nd U.S. Infantry. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’ 4 ½” tall, with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. Although he was not listed in the official register of deaths in the regular army, his enlistment documents state that he was “shot by a private of Co. D 2d Cav” in Washington, D.C. on June 28, 1861.

The private in question, Sebastian Kinstler, was born in Darmstadt, Germany in 1832. He also worked as a laborer before joining the army on June 12, 1851 in St Louis, Missouri. Captain Sykes enlisted him into Company C, 8th U.S. Infantry. His enlistment documents described him as 5’ 7 ½” tall, with gray eyes, brown hair and a dark complexion. He was still a private when his term of enlistment expired at Fort Davis, Texas on June 12, 1856. The following month, Lieutenant Kenner Garrard enlisted him into Company D, 2nd U.S. Cavalry in San Antonio, Texas on July 29, 1856. Interestingly, he wasn’t listed as a deserter until July 2, four days after the death of Murphy, with no mention of the incident in his enlistment documents. His escape must have been successful, as I could find no further record of him.

 

Sources:

National Archives, Record Group 391

National Archives, U.S. Army Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914

National Archives, U.S., Register of Deaths in the Regular Army, 1860-1889

The National Republican, June 29, 1861, page 3, downloaded on April 27, 2014 from www.chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014760/1861-06-29/ed-1/seq-1

5th US Cavalry Casualties at Bull Run, July 21, 1861

01 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 2nd/ 5th Cavalry, 5th Cavalry, battle of Bull Run, Casualties, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

On July 19th, Company I, 2nd Cavalry was elected for General McDowell’s escort, Company E was attached to General Heintzleman’s division, the company of 2nd Dragoons was attached to General Hunter’s division, and the remaining squadrons – one of the First Cavalry and Companies B and G of the Second Cavalry – under the command of Major Innis Palmer, were attached to Colonel Andrew Porter’s brigade of General Hunter’s division.  By the 21st, all seven companies were consolidated as a battalion under Major Palmer.

These companies were chiefly employed during the battle as supports for artillery batteries.  Those with General Hunter’s division crossed Bull Run at one of the upper fords and assisted in turning the enemy’s left flank.  On August 3, 1861, the regular army’s mounted regiments were redesignated in order of seniority, the 2nd U.S. Dragoons becoming the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, and the 2nd U.S. Cavalry became the 5th U.S. Cavalry.

The following troopers from the 2nd/ 5th U.S. Cavalry were wounded in the battle: Privates James Brierly and Charles P. Thurston of Company B, Privates James Dowd and William McGee of Company E, two privates, names unknown, of Company G, and three privates, names unknown, of Company I.  Twenty horses were killed as well.

James Dowd was enlisted into Company E by Lieutenant Robert Eagle in New York City on January 8, 1861.  According to his enlistment documents, he had gray eyes, fair hair, a ruddy complexion, and stood 5’5” tall.  Born in Galway, Ireland, he worked as a laborer before enlisting.  He was discharged for disability as a private at Camp Cliffbourne, D.C. on December 28, 1861, most likely a result of his wound.

Charles P. Thurston was enlisted into Company B by Lieutenant Magruder in Baltimore, Maryland on September 20, 1859.  Born in Fishkill, New York, he worked as a machinist prior to his enlistment.  His enlistment documents describe him as 5’6” tall, with gray eyes, brown hair, and a fair complexion.  He was discharged for disability as a private at Camp Cliffbourne on May 2, 1862.

William McGee was enlisted into Company E at the age of 17 by Captain George Stoneman on May 30, 1860 in Edinburg, Texas.  Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he worked as a laborer prior to his enlistment.  His enlistment documents describe him as 5’4” tall, with blue eyes, light hair, and a fair complexion.  He was dishonorably discharged in the field by sentence of a general court martial on June 15, 1862, per Special Order 50, Cavalry Division, as a private.

Only James Brierly served through the war.  He was enlisted into Company B by Lieutenant Anderson in Louisville, Kentucky on December 21, 1860.  Born in Maysville, Kentucky, he worked as a cabinet maker prior to his enlistment.  His enlistment documents describe him as 5’8 ½” tall, with gray eyes, brown hair, and a ruddy complexion.  He reenlisted as a private at City Point, Virginia on July 1, 1864.  After the war, he was enlisted into the 7th U.S. Cavalry by Captain O’Connell in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 24, 1867, and was discharged on April 5, 1869.  On June 29, 1875, he enlisted again.  This time he was sworn into Company G, 17th U.S. Infantry by Lieutenant Cunningham at Newport Barracks, Kentucky.  Infantry life apparently did not appeal to the veteran cavalryman, as he deserted on October 1, 1876.

Sources: George F. Price, Across the Continent with the Fifth Cavalry, pages 102, 103 and 668.

National Archives, U.S. Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 (accessed on Ancestry.com)

Fiddler’s Green: David S. Gordon

11 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by in 2nd Dragoons/ 2nd Cavalry, 2nd/ 5th Cavalry, Fiddler's Green

≈ 6 Comments

I recently received a request to check into David Stuart Gordon, and unearthed a very interesting cavalryman’s career.

David Stuart Gordon was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania on May 23, 1832, four years to the day before the birth of the regiment in which he would spend the majority of his career. Prior to the war, he moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he worked as a merchant and the city auditor.

After Lincoln was elected president, Senator James H. Lane of Kansas offered him a bodyguard of men from Kansas to protect him during his trip to Washington. Lincoln declined the offer, but Lane sent the men to Washington anyway. They organized themselves as a company known as the “Frontier Guard,” and established their headquarters at the Willard Hotel. Senator Lane was the company’s captain, and David S. Gordon was its first sergeant. Four days after the surrender of Fort Sumter, the company was asked by the Secretary of War to secure the White House. The company remained on duty there for several weeks before they were honorably discharged.

It is not surprising, then, that Gordon was in the first round of civilian appointments of officers to replace resignations in the regular army’s regiments. Senator Lane likely had something to do with this, since he was appointed to the Army from Kansas and not his native Pennsylvania. He was appointed second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry on April 26, 1861, and accepted the appointment the next day. Companies from the regiment were at that time arriving at Carlisle Barracks, PA from their evacuation of Texas. As soon as the first companies were refitted, they were dispatched to Washington, D.C. to defend the capitol. Gordon joined them when they reached Washington. He does not appear on the regiment’s muster rolls in April, May or June 1861.

On May 31, 1861, he accompanied Lt. Charles Tompkins and his company on a raid to Fairfax Courthouse (see here for details). Following the raid, and probably as a result of the hubbub surrounding it, Lt. Gordon was appointed an aide de camp to General Keyes. He was captured while serving in this position on July 21, 1861, during the battle of Bull Run.

Gordon was quite well-travelled as a prisoner, as the Confederate government struggled to establish a system for handling prisoners of war. Initially sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, he was subsequently incarcerated at Castle Pinckney, Charleston, SC; Columbia jail, SC; and Salisbury, NC. He was not exchanged until August 1862.

In the meantime, the U.S. cavalry regiments were redesignated the month after Bull Run. The 2nd Cavalry became the 5th Cavalry, and the 2nd Dragoons became the 2nd Cavalry. So Gordon emerged from captivity to service in a new regiment of the same name. Such was the confusion over which regiment Gordon was assigned to that he appears in George Price’s Across the Continent With the Fifth Cavalry only in Charles Tompkins’ entry. He served for several months as the inspector of the U.S. Army’s Parole Camp at Annapolis, MD before joining the regiment just before the battle of Fredericksburg.

Following the battle of Fredericksburg, Lt. Gordon was assigned to the staff of General Schenk, commander of the Middle Department at Baltimore, MD. He served as an acting assistant adjutant general to General Schenk through the Gettysburg campaign. On April 25, 1863, he was promoted to captain in the 2nd US Cavalry, and on paper assigned to Company D, though still listed on detached service. He received a brevet to major, U.S. Army for gallant and meritorious service at the battle of Gettysburg.

He rejoined his regiment during the pursuit from Gettysburg, seeing action at Manassas Gap, Rappahannock Station, and Culpeper Courthouse.

In 1864 he served with regiment during the Wilderness campaign and Sheridan’s two raids. He commanded the regiment on the second day of the battle of Trevillian Station when Capt. T.F. Rodenbough was seriously wounded on June 11. He commanded the regiment through the battle of Deep Bottom on July 27-28, 1864, and during the majority of the Shenandoah campaign from August to October 1864.

In late October he was assigned to Carlisle Barracks for recruiting duty, as were officers from all the regular cavalry regiments. He was further assigned to Cincinnati, OH, where he recruited for his regiment from October 1864 to January 1865.

His regiment did not participate in the Appomattox campaign, and as the senior officer present he assumed command when he rejoined it at Point of Rocks, MD from March to November 1865.

At that point the majority of the brevetted officers returned from duty with volunteer regiments, and Gordon made the long slide down to once again commanding his Company D. The regiment was assigned to duty on the frontier In November, and began the long march to Fort Leavenworth, KS. Once the regiment reached Kansas, Gordon and Company D were further assigned to Fort Lyon, CO, where they remained until October 1866.

The 2nd US Cavalry was reassigned to the Department of the Platte under pre-war commander Philip St. George Cooke at the end of the year, and the regiment’s companies were reassigned to forts in what is today Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska.

Capt. Gordon and his company spent only a few weeks at their new post of Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory when they once again received marching orders. Following news of the Fetterman massacre, a column of infantry and cavalry was dispatched to the relief of Fort Kearney in January 1867. Gordon commanded a squadron of his own company and Company L in support of four companies of the 10th Infantry. An impromptu winter march across Nebraska must have been a challenging mission. Once they reached the fort, the majority of the column returned to Fort Laramie, but Gordon and his company garrisoned the fort until it was closed the following July.
Gordon’s next post was Fort D.A. Russell, Wyoming Territory, where he and his company served from August 1868 to May 1869. During this period his service is described as “engaged with hostile Indians and escorting mail and government trains.” Gordon later published an account of this expedition in the Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States in 1911.

Gordon’s company conducted an extended scouting expedition of the Wind River valley from May to September 1869, engaged multiple times with hostile Indians before moving to Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory in October. They were engaged in the affair at Miner’s Delight, WT on May 4, 1870, but I could not locate any information on said affair. They were then assigned to Camp Douglass, WT, where they spent the next five years.

At this point Gordon’s career becomes very cloudy. He was steadily promoted, so it’s unlikely any seriously untoward happened at Miner’s Delight, but there is no mention of further postings. He was promoted in the regiment to major on June 25, 1877 and lieutenant colonel on November 20, 1889.

In 1892, he was assigned to command Fort Myer, Washington, D.C. He finally left his regiment on July 28, 1896, when he was promoted to colonel and command of the 6th U.S. Cavalry. Gordon was promoted to brigadier general upon his retirement on May 23, 1896.

Brigadier General David S. Gordon died on January 30, 1930, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Sources:
Gordon, David S. “The Relief of Fort Phil Kearny,” Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States, Volume 49, September-October 1911, pages 280-284.
Henry, Volume 1, page 153
Heitman, page 465
Lambert, Joseph. One Hundred Years With the Second Cavalry. San Antonio: Newton Publishing Company, 1999.
New York Times articles, December 29, 1895 and January 28, 1912.
Price, George F. Across the Continent with the Fifth Cavalry. New York: Antiquarian Press, Ltd, 1935.
Rodenbough, Theophilus F. From Everglade to Canyon with the Second United States Cavalry. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.
Speer, John. The Life of General James H. Lane.

Will the Real John Dolan Please Stand Up?

03 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by in 2nd Dragoons/ 2nd Cavalry, 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

≈ 1 Comment

One of the joys of studying history is chasing down odd threads to see where they lead. I recently came across one such thread as I was cross-referencing information between regiments. I chanced upon an account of a former noncommissioned officer in George Price’s Across the Continent With the Fifth Cavalry that touched on three different regular cavalry regiments. Price’s account is the only more or less contemporary account of the regiment during the Civil war and on the frontier. It’s a decent reference as long as one keeps in mind that it has a very friendly bias (he was one of the regiment’s officers) and is entirely anecdotal in nature.

The individual in question, First Sergeant John Dolan, at the time of his death, “had been in continuous service for nearly thirty years, and had served more than twenty years as a first sergeant.”

A perfect soldier to profile, I thought. Given the information laid out by Price, there should be a wealth of information available on this fine soldier. Alas, trying to corroborate Price’s information in some areas proved to be quite challenging. A quick check of the National Park Service’s database revealed no less than ten John Dolans in regular cavalry regiments during the Civil War, from 5 of the 6 regular cavalry regiments. Two were for a first sergeant of Company B, 4th US Cavalry.

Price’s coverage begins at the beginning of Dolan’s career. “He served two enlistments in the First Dragoons from 1850 to 1860, and during his first enlistment was on active service against hostile Indians and was distinguished for bravery and good deportment. He participated during his second enlistment, in many expeditions, and was frequently engaged in combats with the Apaches in Arizona and New Mexico.”

The only records that I can find for a John Dolan in a mounted regiment through regimental muster rolls or enlistment documents prior to the Civil War are for the 2nd Dragoons, not the 1st Dragoons. According to his enlistment documents, Dolan was born in Longford, Ireland, and was described as 23 years old, 5’ 10” tall, with grey eyes, dark hair and a ruddy complexion. He was enlisted in Company B, 2nd Dragoons by Captain James Oakes in Pittsburgh on April 6, 1853. He reenlisted in the same company as a private at Fort Riley, Kansas Territory on February 6, 1857. 1st vs 2nd Dragoons is an easy enough mistake, so perhaps it was the same person.

Price continues: “His third enlistment was with the First (now Fourth) Cavalry, and during the year 1860 he participated in an expedition against the Kiowas and Comanches. He served, with his regiment, during the early operations of the war of the Rebellion, participating in the battles of Springfield and Shiloh, and the fall of Corinth.”

This is possible, but would have required Dolan to move between units a bit. In 1860, B Company, 2nd Dragoons, commanded by Captain John Buford, was in Utah on the Mormon Expedition, not fighting Indians. Transfers of soldiers and noncommissioned officers between companies within the regiment were not unheard of, however, if not an everyday occurrence. There were companies from the regiment in New Mexico and Colorado, and their movements east toward the war would have brought them into contact with the 4th Cavalry in Missouri at about the time of the battles mentioned. Indeed, the only regular cavalry representatives at the battle of Shiloh were Company C, 2nd Dragoons and Company I, 4th Cavalry, commanded by an infantry lieutenant. These two companies remained together through the fall of Corinth.

At this point, our two Dolans diverge. 2nd Dragoon Dolan must have continued east with his regiment. He was in Carlisle, Pennsylvania when he was sworn in for his third enlistment, according to his enlistment papers, into Company M, 2nd Cavalry on May 28, 1862 as a private. During their long march west, the regiment had been redesignated as the 2nd Cavalry. His enlistment documents describe him as 32 years old, 5’ 11” tall, with grey eyes, dark hair and a ruddy complexion, matching our previous description.

“He distinguished himself in the battles of Perryville and Stone River; commanded his company at Stone River, and had a horse killed under him during the pursuit of General Bragg; also had a horse killed under him and was severely wounded while commanding the advance-guard at the battle of Snow Hill,” according to Price.
Official reports verify this. In the regimental commander’s report on the battle of Murfreesboro, or Stones River, Captain Elmer Otis notes, “First Sergt. John Dolan, Company B, captured a captain and received his sword.” (OR, Vol. 20, part I, page 650)

“He was recommended for a commission in 1863, but declined an examination; was again recommended in 1864, but failed to pass the required physical examination because of the wounds received at Snow Hill.”

Entirely possible, as several first sergeants in the 4th Cavalry, many of them the same ones mentioned in the report from Stones River for gallantry while leading their companies, received commissions as second lieutenants in the regiment. Given his wounds, it is entirely possible that he wasn’t able to pass the examination. Another 4th Cavalry first sergeant who was appointed a lieutenant in the 6th US Cavalry waited several months to report to his new regiment while his wounds healed.

“He served with General Sherman’s army in Georgia, and afterwards joined the army under General Thomas and participated in the battle of Nashville, where he had a horse killed under him, was captured and sent to Andersonville, where he remained four months, when he was exchanged, and rejoined his regiment in July 1865.”
This describes the course of the remainder of the 4th US Cavalry’s campaigns during the war, and logically makes sense. Unfortunately, I could find no reference to a John Dolan from the 4th US Cavalry in any records from Andersonville, and there is a pretty significant existing database. There was a John Dolan from the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, but he perished from diarrhea, and the only regular army John Dolan was from the 19th US Infantry.

Meanwhile, Dragoon Private Dolan again reenlisted at Carlisle, PA on April 11, 1865. This time he enlisted in Company I, 2nd Cavalry. His enlistment documents describe him as 35 years old, 5’11” tall, with grey eyes, brown hair and a ruddy complexion. He reenlisted a final time at Fort D.A. Russell, Dakota Territory on April 11, 1868, into the same company. Other than his age, his description in the documents is unchanged. He was discharged as an orderly sergeant from the 2nd Cavalry at the same post on May 24, 1869 in General Order #26, Department of the Platte and disappears from any further records.

As for Price’s Dolan, “he was in constant service, after the war, in Georgia and Texas until December 1870, when he was discharged for disability resulting from the breaking out of old wounds; after his wounds had again healed he enlisted in the Sixth Cavalry in November 1871, and had active service in the Indian Territory and Arizona until the expiration of his fifth period of service, when he joined the Fifth Cavalry, in 1876, on his sixth enlistment.”

All quite possible, and accurate descriptions of units and locations, but I was unable to locate any documents confirming the information.

“..was again recommended in 1878, and when he met his death in battle a bill was pending in Congress authorizing the President to appoint him a second lieutenant and place him on the retired list. It was favorably reported upon after the gallant soldier was dead.”

First Sergeant John Dolan, Company F, 5th U.S. Cavalry was killed in action at Milk Creek, Colorado on September 29, 1879. Price eulogized him as “a model first sergeant, and perfect in the duties of his office. He commanded, under all circumstances, the respect and good-will of his officers.”

Where does this leave us? With not one but two John Dolans, each of whom served in regular cavalry regiments over 25 years, including the entire Civil War. Surely that’s worth a memory and a few minutes of your time?

References

Price, George F. Across the Continent with the Fifth Cavalry. New York: Antiquarian Press Ltd., 1959. Page 682.

Returns from Regular Army Regiments, 1821-1916 (accessed via Ancestry.com)

U.S. Army Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 (also accessed via Ancestry.com)

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database, National Park Service

Official Records of the War of the Rebellion (as noted in text)

Fiddler’s Green: Joseph P. Ash

16 Thursday Apr 2009

Posted by in 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

≈ 1 Comment

Joseph Penrose Ash was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1839. He was the only son of Caleb L. Ash and Bella Maria Ashmead. Joseph was educated in Philadelphia, and joined the First City Troop of Philadelphia when he was 17. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he “held a responsible business position” in Philadelphia.

After the fall of Fort Sumter, he traveled to Washington, D.C. and joined Cassius M. Clay’s battalion of D.C. volunteers as a first lieutenant on April 18, 1861. Shortly thereafter, he volunteered to make a reconnaissance inside the enemy’s lines across the Potomac, which he accomplished successfully. Partly because of this daring enterprise, President Lincoln appointed him a second lieutenant in the 2nd (later 5th ) U.S. Cavalry on April 30, 1861.

Lieutenant Ash was assigned to Company H, and served with his regiment at Camp Cliffburn near Washington, D.C. through the winter of 1861. Joseph was promoted to first lieutenant on January 15, 1862 and assigned to Company E. He served with the regiment throughout the Peninsula campaign, and was one of the very few officers fortunate enough to come through the famous charge during the battle of Gaines Mill unscathed.

Following the battle of Antietam, he led a squadron of 150 men as part of a larger reconnaissance from Antietam toward Smithfield on October 15, 1862. His squadron led the advance on the way to Smithfield, and the rear guard as the force withdrew under pressure toward Sharpsburg. According to the report of the mission’s commander, Major Curtis of the 1st Massachusetts, “The immediate rear guard was taken from the Fifth Regular cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Ash, and behaved with great steadiness though closely pressed by the enemy’s cavalry in large numbers and annoyed by a concealed musketry fire.” (OR, Series I, Volume 51, part 1, pg 170)

Three weeks later he was commended for his actions while leading his squadron in a saber charge near Little Washington. He was brevetted major in the regular army on November 8, 1862 for conspicuous gallantry at Warrenton, Virginia. Lieutenant Ash was seriously wounded during the encounter, receiving at least three saber cuts and a gunshot wound. General Pleasonton’s report on the engagement noted, “Lieutenant Ash showed great daring, but the results of his charge did not compensate for his loss.” (OR, Series I, Volume 19, Part II, pg 120) Recovery from these wounds kept him away from the regiment and active service until the fall of 1863.

He was appointed a mustering officer on June 3, 1863, and assigned to Trenton, New Jersey. Later that month, he mustered out the 22nd NJ Infantry. He mustered in the 2nd NJ Cavalry and the 33rd NJ Infantry at Camp Parker near Trenton during August and September 1863. Lieutenant Ash was promoted to captain in the 5th US Cavalry on September 25, 1863 and assigned command of Company A.

Captain Ash rejoined the regiment in October, and lost no time getting back into the action. He was slightly wounded in the action at Morton’s Ford that same month, and also fought at Bristoe Station. The night before the battle of Bristoe Station, he voluntarily conducted a personal reconnaissance behind the Confederate lines to determine their strength and dispositions. He verified the enemy’s main force had retired, leaving only a screen of a cavalry brigade supported by artillery. The information he gathered was forwarded to General Meade, who decided to advance. He spent the winter in camp with the regiment near Mitchell’s Station until February 1864.

Captain Ash was a very effective squadron commander, commanding Companies A and E. General Merritt made the following observation in his report of a reconnaissance to Barnett’s Ford the Rapidan river on February 9, 1864. “Captain Ash, of the Fifth Calvary, made a spirited charge with his squadron driving more than his number of the enemy’s infantry out of a peculiarly strong place.” (OR, Series I, Volume 33, pg 140) he was again slightly wounded in this engagement.

A story attributed to General Merritt about Captain Ash in this engagement is quoted in Makers of Philadelphia, page 287. “Captain Ash, in a bold effort to discover the force of the enemy behind their lines on the Rapidan, dashed at full speed along the front of their entrenchments unharmed through a shower of bullets, until the enemy, in admiration of his intrepid courage, ceased firing, and mounted to the top of their breastworks, where they filled the air with their cheers. Captain Ash reined up his horse, raised his hat with a graceful salute to the cheering Confederates, and rode leisurely back to his own lines amid the plaudits of friends and foes.” While possible, the tale seems unlikely, and General Merritt’s reports were characteristically both verbose and profuse in their enthusiasm.

Later the same month, Captain Ash led his squadron of the 5th US Cavalry during General Custer’s diversionary raid toward Charlottesville, where his daring earned the young general’s notice. Custer’s force encountered several batteries of Stuart’s horse artillery, which he incorrectly identified as several regiments of cavalry with artillery support. Sent forward with his sixty men to discover the enemy’s strength and position, he turned the enemy’s right flank and charged. According to Custer’s report, “Captain Ash drove the enemy back very gallantly, and succeeded in capturing 6 caissons filled with ammunition, 2 forges and harness complete, besides destroying the camp of the enemy.” (OR, Series I, Volume 33, pg 162) The two were acquainted, as they had briefly served together as lieutenants during the summer and fall of 1861.

Captain Joseph Ash was killed on May 8, 1864, while trying to rally a regiment of infantry near Todd’s Tavern during the opening phases of the battle of Spottsylvania Court House. According to his division commander’s report, “On the arrival of the infantry, a part of a regiment of Robinson’s division, through apprehension or excitement, fired into the woods to the great danger of the line of battle of the cavalry engaged some distance in front. Captain Ash, together with some of my staff, stopped the firing, and in leading the infantry into position on our skirmish line, was mortally wounded. He died nobly in the discharge of a most important duty; a heroic, patriotic, intrepid cavalry officer, a noble martyr in his country’s service.” (OR, Series I, Volume 36, Part 1, pg 812)

Captain Ash was brevetted lieutenant colonel effective May 8, 1864 for conspicuous gallantry at the battle of Spottsylvania. His body was reportedly buried between two apple trees near the spot where he fell, and his body remained there until the end of the war. He was re interred at St. James-the-Less churchyard, Philadelphia on May 15, 1865, in the burial plot of his uncle, Lehman P. Ashmead.

In his history of the regiment, George Price wrote of Ash, “He was one of the most gallant officers in the regiment, and was conspicuous for dash and intelligence. His brilliant conduct in the presence of the enemy was inspiring, and the regiment suffered a severe loss when he fell in battle.”

Captain Joseph P. Ash, a gallant and fearless cavalryman.

Sources:

Burt, Nathaniel. The Perennial Philadelphians. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. Pg 274

Heitman, pg 173

Henry, Volume 1, pgs 135-136

Morris, Charles, ed., Makers of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly, Co., 1894

Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Volumes 19, 33, 36, 51, pages as noted.

Powell, List of Officers of the United States Army from 1779 to 1900. New York: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1900. Pg 167

Price, George. Across the Continent With the Fifth Cavalry. New York: Antiquarian Pres Ltd, 1959.

Wert, Jeffry D. Custer. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. Pg 141

Patrick Larkin, 5th US Cavalry

18 Friday Jul 2008

Posted by in 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

≈ Leave a comment

Patrick Larkin was born in Galway, Ireland in 1843. He enlisted as a bugler in Company F, 2nd US Cavalry when it was forming in 1855.

He was reenlisted into the same company by Captain Richard W. Johnson at Fort Mason, Texas on June 1, 1860. He was 27 at the time of his reenlistment, and the papers describe him as 5’8″ tall, with a dark complexion, dark hair and blue eyes.

Bugler Larkin escaped Texas with his company in early 1861, and was remounted at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania prior to the first battle of Bull Run. He continued to serve with his company until the winter of 1862-63. He was discharged for disability on February 24, 1863 at the regiment’s Camp near Falmouth, Va.

(source: enlistment documents)

Detachment Returns, 5th Cavalry, August 1861

26 Saturday Jan 2008

Posted by in 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

≈ Leave a comment

I stumbled across these returns today while looking for something else, but found them interesting enough to post about. This is the “other” detachment of the 5th (2nd before August 10th) Cavalry, not the one that fought at First Bull Run. If memory serves correctly, they were still serving with Patterson’s forces at the time of the return. This was the second group of four companies of this regiment to remount, refit and return to the field following their hasty exodus from Texas, so I found this snapshot interesting.

Detachment commander Captain Charles J. Whiting field the return for his detachment, consisting of Companies A, C, F and K. Of the 295 personnel assigned to the four companies, 209 were present for duty.

Only seven of the twelve assigned officers were present for duty. Captain Whiting commanded Company K and the detachment. Captain Richard W. Johnson commanded Company F, and Captain William B. Royall Company C. First Lieutenant J.J. Sweet of Company K was temporarily attached to and in command of Company A. Second Lieutenant John B. McIntosh of Company F served as the detachment’s acting assistant quartermaster and acting assistant commissary. Second Lieutenant Thomas B. Anderson served with his assigned Company C.

Captain McArthur of Company A had been absent without leave since August 25th at the (unstated) time of the return. Four lieutenants were on detached service, one per company. Two of these hadn’t yet joined their new companies after being promoted. One was newly appointed from enlisted service and hadn’t yet joined the regiment. The last, First Lieutenant Wesley Owens, was teaching at West Point. An assistant surgeon, Robert F. Weir, was assigned to the detachment as well.

Tracking the enlisted men was slightly more difficult. Detachment returns aren’t quite as detailed as regimental returns, and it appears Captain Whiting used an older form that was out of date but likely the only one available. A bit more searching and a little math revealed the whereabouts of the missing 81 troopers. 33 were on detached service and 18 were on extra duty away from their companies, the returns don’t say where. A total of 21 were sick and 6 were in arrest or confinement. The last three were on leave.

The detachment was fully equipped with decent horseflesh, if short on personnel. Each company had more serviceable horses than troopers to ride them. Only four unserviceable horses were reported of the 313 present.

The futures of the officers present contain a few interesting facts. Captain Whiting would command the regiment during its costly charge at Gaines Mill on the Peninsula the following year. Captain Johnson was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers and distinguished himself as a division commander at Stones River, Chattanooga and Nashville. Captain Royall was a brevet colonel by war’s end and eventually commanded the 4th US Cavalry in 1882. Captain Joseph McArthur’s absence without leave was actually his duty assisting in raising the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He achieved the rank of major before being retired for disability in November 1863. Lieutenant John B. McIntosh commanded a division in the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac later in the war.

Road to War: 2nd Cavalry

30 Monday Apr 2007

Posted by in 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

≈ Leave a comment

Actions on Arrival

The regiment had a great deal of work to do when they reached Carlisle Barracks. They were among the first regular army units to return to the vicinity of Washington, and as such their services were in high demand. They arrived with no horses and very little equipment, however. The efforts of the entire regiment, minus Palmer’s squadron already in Washington, were focused on equipping themselves and preparing for the field.

Two more squadrons, consisting of Companies B, E, G and I, departed for Washington as soon as they were mounted to help defend the capital. Although there were numerous officer vacancies due to resignations, they were promptly filled with new appointments. George Thomas remained in command of the regiment, promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on April 25th and Colonel on May 3rd.

On May 27th, he reported the remaining two squadrons, Companies A, C, F and K, ready for service. They reported to General Patterson under Colonel Thomas’ command on June 1st to participate in operations in the vicinity of Harper’s Ferry.

The three squadrons in Washington guarded the White House and treasury buildings until May 23rd. On that date, three companies under Major Stoneman crossed the Potomac to assist in the capture of Alexandria. Company E was stationed in Alexandria, and Company I in Arlington. Company B was stationed at Fort Corcoran prior to 2ndLt Charles Tompkins’ reconnaissance to Fairfax Court House on May 31st.

Road to War: 2nd Cavalry

26 Thursday Apr 2007

Posted by in 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

≈ 1 Comment

The Second Detachment

By the time the first detachment set sail, the second detachment was already on its way to Indianola. Company K departed Camp Wood, about 40 miles north of present day Uvalde, on March 15, 1861. Captain Charles J. Whiting, who would command the regiment during its ill-fated charge at Gaines’ Mill the following year, commanded the company. Captain James Oakes followed from Fort Inge on the 19th with Company C.

The final and most spirited departure was conducted by Captain Richard W. Johnson and his command. As the senior company commander at the post, he led the evacuation of regimental headquarters at Fort Mason, 80 miles from San Antonio, on March 29th. His command consisted of the regimental band as well as Companies A and F. Relations between the cavalrymen and state forces had become increasingly strained and acrimonious as the time for the command’s departure approached, to the point of couriers being searched and detained. As a result, Captain Johnson chose to turn a blind eye when some of his troopers torched the fort after the command’s departure.

When the command reached San Antonio, Johnson decided that the regiment wouldn’t leave without making a final statement. Ignoring the presence of armed state forces in the city and the state flag flying over former department headquarters at the Alamo, they paraded through the streets of the city with regimental standard and company guidons flying and the band playing patriotic tunes. No violence occurred, and loyal citizens presented them with a large American flag as they exited the city.

They reached Goliad the next day, where they reportedly cut down a state flag and cut it into mule harness streamers. Their march continued to Green Lake, traveling near but not with a company of the 8th Infantry. Each night, the infantry company would pass Johnson’s column before halting for the night. On the final night of the march before reaching Green Lake, Johnson resolved to arrive first. He departed his camp at 3am and arrived at Green Lake several hours before them. As luck would have it, there was a ship waiting at Indianola and his command was ordered forward while the infantry company remained at Green Lake.

The steamship Empire City was too large to enter the port at Indianola, so the troopers and their families were forced to use a smaller boat to ferry them out to the ship. The ship, with the entire second detachment aboard under the command of Captain Whiting, sailed the next day. They stopped briefly in Havana, where they learned of Fort Sumter’s surrender on April 14th, before arriving in New York on April 20th. They moved by train from New York to Carlisle Barracks, where the companies reported for duty on April 27th.

The day after the Empire City departed, state forces under the command of former major of the regiment Earl Van Dorn seized the port. They captured the Star of the West, the same ship that had attempted to resupply Fort Sumter, and several companies of soldiers from the 8th Infantry waiting to embark on her.

Resignations and absences continued to take their toll. Only 13 of the regiment’s officers accompanied the regiment out of Texas. Among them were captains Palmer, Whiting, Stoneman, Brackett and Johnson, as well as lieutenants Jenifer, Royall, Chambliss, Lowe, Harrison, Kimmel, Arnold and Porter.

The vast majority of the enlisted men remained with the regiment, despite generous offers of good pay and large bounties for joining state units. Desertion rates for this period were no higher than for the year before. I suspect that this was due to the large number of immigrants in the regiment. Secession and states rights would have been an abstract concept, while the regiment was both home and family to them.

Roads to War: 2nd Cavalry

22 Sunday Apr 2007

Posted by in 2nd/ 5th Cavalry

≈ 1 Comment

The First Detachment

The regiment was somewhat fortunate in its postings at the time of Twiggs’ surrender. Although spread between eight different forts and camps, the farthest two companies were only about 250 miles from San Antonio. The regiment might have saved a great deal of its equipment had it been able to assemble in northern Texas and march out of the state, but it wasn’t possible to do so. Captains Oakes, Stoneman and Whiting met at Fort Inge to discuss the feasibility of such an attempt. They came to the reluctant conclusion that there were insufficient animals, wagons and stores available to assemble the regiment and move it north through what would then be hostile territory.

In late February the regiment began to evacuate its posts. Prior to this, on January 28th, Captain Albert G. Brackett moved his command from Camp Ives four miles south to Camp Verde, a more defensible position. Pursuant to the Order of Exercises, companies were to marshal at Green Lake, approximately 130 miles southwest of San Antonio. On February 21st, Captain Brackett led Company I from Camp Verde to begin its march. Among the property left behind for the Texans were the 53 remaining camels from the former secretary of war’s experiment and their two Egyptian handlers. They were reportedly used to haul cotton to Mexico to trade to the British for supplies during the war, and sold off to several circuses after it. The same day, Captain Innis Palmer led his squadron consisting of Companies D and H from Camp Cooper, near Abilene. His was the farthest march to Green Lake, nearly 400 miles.

Five days later, on February 26th, Captain E. Kirby Smith led Company B from Camp Colorado to Green Lake by way of Fort Mason. There had been a rather tense stand-off between Captain Smith and Henry McCulloch, who commanded several companies of state troops. McCulloch demanded the immediate surrender of all property of the troopers and the camp, including their side arms. Smith informed him that he would not dishonor his soldiers in such a fashion, and would indeed attempt to cut his way free of the fort if forced to by McCulloch. Smith received notice of Twiggs’ surrender the following day. After negotiating the retention of his soldier’s mounts, weapons, and ten days of rations, he led his men out of the fort.

This was the extent to which duty and honor pervaded the majority of the professional army at the outbreak of the war. Less than a month and a half later, Smith would resign his commission after his command arrived in New York harbor. In the meantime, he was responsible for leading it to safety.

Companies E and G moved by steamboat from their respective posts to Brazos Santiago, at the mouth of the Rio Grande. Captain George Stoneman evacuated Camp Hudson on March 17th with Company E, followed by Company G from “Camp on the Rio Grande” on March 20th. The commander of Company G, Captain William R. Bradfute, did not make the move with his company, resigning his commission the next day. From Brazos Santiago, the two companies moved north up the coast to Indianola, where they joined the other four companies.

These six companies formed the first detachment of the regiment to depart the state. Under the command of Captain Palmer, they boarded the steamship Coatzacoalcos on March 31st in Indianola. They sailed from there to New York by way of Key West and Havana, to be met on their arrival by Major George H. Thomas on April 11th. Captain Palmer and his squadron were ordered immediately to Washington, while the other four companies moved by train to Carlisle Barracks to draw mounts and refit.