Battle of Slatersville, May 9, 1862

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in 1862, 6th U.S. Cavalry

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On May 9, 1862, the 6th U.S. Cavalry engaged in its second battle, just days after the skirmish at Williamsburg.  No official report of the encounter was ever published, as the regiment was part of the vanguard of the Army of the Potomac and in near constant motion for the next several weeks.  Friend Bob O’Neill was kind enough to bring this report to my attention.  He found it at the National Archives, and we weren’t aware of its existence when our history of the regiment went to print.  To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that it has been published.  What follows is part of a draft of the report of Major Lawrence Williams, who commanded the regiment during the engagement, dated May 20, 1862.

“…report in relation to an engagement between the 6th Regular Cavalry and that of the Rebels which occurred at Slatersville on the 9th Inst. The advanced Guard of the army arrived at this point about 3 o’clock p.m. During a short halt for the column to be closed up supposing the enemy from the skirmishing that had taken place, to be in force, it was intimated by the General Commanding in a report of Lieut. [Farquahar], his aid, that a detachment of the Rebel Cavalry consisting of 25 or 30 might be cut off, by a detour upon the town. A portion of Capt. Lowell’s Squadron consisting of 55 men and Capt. Sander’s Company of 32 men, were ordered out for this purpose. The force was large in proportion to the work to be performed, but it was so from fear of accident. In fifteen minutes after the head of the column was put in motion, it arrived nearly to the point where its road debouched upon the undulating ground before the hamlet. Here a vidette of the enemy was discovered partially concealed by the woods, which skirted the right of the town. On approaching hearer, he was discovered to be one of a troop of cavalry, wheeled to the right about, on the signal given by him of our advance, supposing this to be the party referred to by Lt. Farquahar, the column was put to the gallop, and on reaching the open was ordered to charge, led by Capt. Lowell; the impetuosity and gallantry of the men and officers to perform this order, was only equaled by the rapidity of the enemy’s retreat. This was on a road which ran between a rail fence and the woods before alluded to, and in the direction of some out houses, although the firing from these buildings on the enemy’s reaching them, was for a moment very rapid, and in volleys, leading to the belief that Infantry was in ambush; and another troop of cavalry suddenly discovered on the right showed that this force was underrated, the gallantry of our men and the speedy retreat of that portion of the enemy already encountered, was reassuring. At this moment, and before Capt. Sanders company had fully emerged from the woods, another squadron of the rebel cavalry heretofore concealed suddenly appeared on the left[.  Fearing it would make a junction with the force with which Capt. Lowell was engaged and enable it to rally Capt. Sander’s company was suddenly diverted from the road through a gap in the fence, and ordered to charge it. It was scarcely necessary to give the order; It was as boldly, as gallantly and as successfully as the first, although it was apparent that the force of the enemy was greater than our own, even at this juncture, that conviction became startling on the appearance of still another squadron which rushed forth in full career to the support of that so successfully put to flight. The whole cavalry force now on the field was 87 Federal and about 400 Rebels. So great however was the consternation of the first squadron, charged by Capt. Sanders & Lowell they were incapable of mutual support. Fearing that the handful of men now in hot pursuit of the enemy, would be taken in the rear by the squadron which had so unexpectedly come to his (the enemy’s) support, Capt. Sanders’ company was immediately diverted, wheeled about and gallantly charged the advancing relief.

“The result considering the numbers of that this handful of men had so gallantly engaged was ridiculous. The enemy was thrown in the wildest confusion, and retreated pell mell toward its supports in town.

“Whilst our column was in hot pursuit, Lt. Farquahar reported to me that he had discovered some Rebel Infantry in the woods which menaced a successful return of our little force, the recall was therefore immediately ordered to be sounded and Capt. Sanders’ company was withdrawn, Capt. Lowell in the meantime had pursued his foe through the town, and so far, as to be beyond the reach of the bugle call, but, with a prudence equal to his bravery also withdrew his command, and our troops retired in good order from the field. [The enemy ?? to discover] the paltry number before which he had so disgracefully fled. The officers of the Regiment engaged in this affair were, Capts Sanders and Lowell, Lieut Hutchins, Whiteside and Coats, their coolness combined with the most fearless disregard of life was what won the day. Nothing could exceed the conduct of the men, though most of them had never been under fire before, they were not only fearless, daring and determined in their attack, but as self possessed and as easily handled as veterans upon drill.

“The following is a list of the casualties

Killed: Private Kline Company K, Private Merkel, Irish and Ohara Company E         Total 4

Wounded:  Cpl Campbell and Morris Company E, Private Ortott, Kennedy, McDowell, Palmer, Neff Company E and Carothers Company K

Missing:  Private Ellis, Craig & Finch Company E

Total Killed 4, Wounded 8 Missing 3         Grand Total 15

Rebel loss 1 officer killed 1 wounded, 5 men killed & about 20 wounded.

“The two successive and successful charges of Capt Sanders with his 32 men upon two squadrons of the enemy, was particularly plucky, deserves the highest praise, and contributed greatly to the success of the day.

“It was reported by some of the Negroes in the town that two of our men who were killed, were first taken prisoners and afterwards shot in consequence of not being able to follow when the enemy retreated from the town. Their bodys certainly showed evidence of this, and it is mortifying to report that in one instance the fingers of one man were cut off for the trifling value of his rings. The rebels were well mounted, but their horses were not in very good condition, more of them were armed with double barreled shotguns, loaded with buckshot, besides pistols and sabres.

“Capt Lowell’s clothes showed evidence of many an unsuccessful aim

“Lt. Hutchins received a slight contusion from the falling of his horses

“Lt. Farquahar of the Engineers behaved with great gallantry and coolness

“Lt. Whiteside’s conduct was equally commendable with the rest of the officers”

The officers the report refers to are Captain William P. Sanders, Captain Charles Russell Lowell, Lieutenant Benjamin Hutchins, Lieutenant (former regimental sergeant major) Samuel Whitside, and Second Lieutenant Francis Ulric Farquhar of the engineers, a 1861 graduate of the military academy.

Source: National Archives, RG 391: Records of the US Regular Army Mobile Units, 6th Cavalry, Regimental Letters Sent 1861-1864, Vol 1 of 12, NM-93, Entry 814

Fiddler’s Green: John Mix

03 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in 2nd U.S. Cavalry, Fiddler's Green, officers

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I was overdue for another post in the Fiddler’s Green series, and this one is proof of how much information can find if you pull the right string and keep following it.  After initially being stymied on this man, I ended up with almost 50 pages of documents on him.  He is one of the two men at the head of the column in the photo I sometimes use to head this blog, which will give some readers of the blog an idea of just how long this post has been brewing.  Unsung but unforgotten, I give you cavalryman John Mix.

John Mix was born in Chautauqua County, New York on December 25, 1834.  He was enlisted into Company F, 2nd U.S. Dragoons by Captain James Oakes on April 11, 1852 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  His enlistment documents describe him as 21 years old, 5’ 7” tall, with gray eyes, brown hair and a dark complexion.  He was promoted to corporal and sergeant in the company during his first enlistment.  He was re-enlisted into the same company by Lieutenant John Might at Fort Riley, Kansas on February 21, 1857.  He grew three inches during his first enlistment, as he is listed as 5’10” in the enlistment description.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Mix, now first sergeant of Company F, was the first noncommissioned officer in the 2nd Dragoons recommended for a commission.  According to the letter sent to the Adjutant General requesting a commission for him, “He is a man of steady habits, fine intelligence, and has been a faithful noncommissioned officer, and in our opinion is in every way worthy of promotion among the appointments now being made.  Especially in the mounted service.”  The letter was signed by Major Lawrence P. Graham, Captain Samuel H. Starr, and Captain Charles E. Norris of the 2nd Dragoons, Lieutenant Napoleon B. McLaughlin of the 1st U.S. Cavalry (another former NCO from Company F), and Brigadier  General Joseph K.F. Mansfield.   Captain Starr added in his endorsement to the letter that First Sergeant Mix “is a thorough soldier, brave, energetic and intelligent.  He will make an excellent officer.”

In the endorsement, Starr also elaborated on an incident during the regiment’s march east from Utah between First Sergeant Mix and his troop.  “He was offered by his late troop commander, Lt. Geo. Jackson, now with the army of the Confederacy, a commission in that army if he would join the rebels; and a furlough was offered him for that purpose.  He is too loyal a man to listen willingly to traitors; but Lt. Jackson commanded his troop, and respect for his officer restrained him.”

The request was approved, and Mix was appointed a second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, still in Company F,  on August 14, 1861.  In his letter of acceptance he reported his age as 27.

Lieutenant Mix was soon separated from his regiment.  Volunteer units were forming across the country, and experienced cavalrymen were in short supply.  On September 17th, Lieutenant Mix was placed on a leave of absence in accordance with War Department Special Orders #254 to accept a volunteer commission as a major in the 3rd New York Cavalry.  The fact that the regiment’s lieutenant colonel was named Simon H. Mix likely had something to do with the volunteer commission.

A month later, Major Mix was commanding four companies of the 3rd New York Cavalry at Edward’s ferry during the fighting at Ball’s Bluff.  Tangentially involved in the fighting from a position on the far Union right flank, he was summoned before Congress’ Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War in February 1862.

In April 1862, the regiment was assigned to XVIII Corps in North Carolina, and participated in the fighting near New Bern.  Major Mix was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the 3rd New York Cavalry on April 26, 1862, and to first lieutenant in Company M, 2nd U.S. Cavalry effective July 17, 1862.  His replacement as the second lieutenant in Company F, was the former company first sergeant, Paul Quirk.

On September 23, 1862, he requested an end to his leave of absence from the regular army to return to the 2nd Cavalry, stating “the object of my being sent to the volunteer service having I think been gained, no objection it appears to me can be raised to granting my request.”  The letter continues to clarify that he was requesting a change of assignment back to his previous rank and regiment, not a release from military service.  The only caveat to his request was that he was the only field grade officer present with the 3rd New York Cavalry, and asked that assignment orders be delayed until the return of the absent regimental commander.  On December 27, 1862, Mix resigned his volunteer commission and returned to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry.  While unusual, it was not unheard of for regular officers to resign their volunteer commissions and return to their units.  The same Captain Starr who had endorsed Mix’s request for a commission had resigned his volunteer commission as a colonel in charge of a brigade of New Jersey infantry regiments just the month before to return to the same regiment.

Lieutenant Mix rejoined his regiment in Virginia at the beginning of 1863.  Since his company, Company M, was still being recruited, he asked to join the officers forming the company at Carlisle Barracks.  Before his request reached the War Department at the end of February, however, the company had joined the regiment in the field.

In early March, Lieutenant Mix requested assignment to the staff of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks for duty.   The two had become acquainted when part of the 3rd NY Cavalry was assigned to Banks’ division along the Potomac in late 1861.  Among the reasons listed In his request, Mix referred to “a desire to serve under an old and beloved commander, under whom I have already won some honor, and a desire to benefit my health which has been shattered by eleven years active service & which now nearly incapacitates me for active service in a northern latitude especially during the cold and wet seasons.”

General Banks endorsed the request, but Mix was selected by Brigadier General John Buford to serve on the staff of the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry Reserve Brigade before it was considered at the War Department.

Lieutenant Mix’s health apparently recovered prior to the opening of the spring campaign, as he was among several members of the staff singled out and highly praised by General Buford in his official report.  Following over two weeks of grueling riding, Buford described their performance as “severely worked, and have rendered valuable service to me,” and “untiring and zealous.”  He was again commended by Buford in his report on the cavalry battle of Upperville in June as “most efficient in bringing up troops and delivering messages.” This resulted in his appointment as provost marshal for the Reserve Brigade during and following the Gettysburg campaign.

In September 1863, a detachment of regular cavalry was separated from the Reserve Brigade and assigned to Point Lookout, Maryland under the command of Lieutenant Mix to assist in securing an area where negro troops were being recruited and suppress smuggling.  The detachment consisted of two companies of the 5th U.S. Cavalry under Lieutenant Frank Dickerson and two companies (Cos. B and D) of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry under Lieutenants Mix and Lennox.  He established his headquarters at Leonardtown, subordinate to Brigadier General Gilman Marston’s Military District of Saint Mary’s.”  Other than a fifteen day leave of absence to attend to personal matters granted in November, Mix served there with his detachment until the following summer.  Mix and his company rejoined the regiment in time for the Shenandoah Valley campaign in 1864.

Active campaigning during the war ended for Lieutenant Mix following an engagement at Berryville, Virginia on August 10, 1864, where he, Lieutenant Robert Lennox and an enlisted man were wounded.  After several months of recovery, Mix was ordered before an officer retention board in December in Annapolis, Maryland.  The board consisted of Brigadier General Lawrence P. Graham, formerly of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, a Major J. Hendrickson, and Surgeon G.S. Palmer, formerly of the 5th U.S. Cavalry.  In the board results, Surgeon Palmer describes Mix’s condition as “suffering from the effects of a gunshot wound of the right knee.  The ball entered perpendicularly just below the patella, passed backwards without exit.  Much exercise produces inflammation.”  The prognosis was that Mix should be retained and might be fit for field duty after several months, but in the meantime should be assigned to light duty.

He was subsequently assigned to the Mounted Recruiting Service for the last few months of the war.  The assignment is unsurprising given that Graham had formerly commanded the service, and Palmer was on temporary duty away from Carlisle barracks specifically for the retention board.  Lieutenant Mix served on recruiting duty in Cleveland and then Philadelphia until September 1866.  On October 19, 1865, he was promoted to captain and command of Company M, 2nd U.S. Cavalry.

Upon his relief from recruiting duty, Captain Mix requested a leave of absence to return to New York “to settle some private business” before joining his regiment on the frontier.  Once he reached Springfield, Otsego County, New York, he requested a further twenty days of leave.  Springfield was also the home of Mary T. Barrett, who Mix married some time before 1870, most likely during this leave.  Mrs. Mix did not accompany her husband to Colorado, as she was still living on her parents’ farm in Springfield during the 1870 census.

Captain Mix joined Company M at Fort Sedgwick, Colorado Territory in October 1866 and served there for the next three years.  His tenure there included “numerous successful field operations along the line of the Republican River,” according to Rodenbough’s history of the regiment.

In November 1869, Company M was reassigned to Omaha Barracks, Nebraska, where it served until early 1874.  The pattern was six months in garrison each year, followed by roughly six months of field operations.  In 1870 and 1871, these were to protect the Union Pacific Railroad.  In 1872, the company scouted the Nebraska frontier.

In 1873, Captain Mix was selected to serve on a board of inspection of the Army’s cavalry horses, which lasted from May to September.  He returned to Omaha Barracks for the rest of the year.

In February 1874, Captain Mix and Company M was reassigned to Fort Laramie.  They served here until September 1877, when the majority of the regiment was transferred to newly constructed Forts Keough and Custer in Montana Territory.  Fort Custer, on the Big Horn River at the mouth of the Little Big Horn, was garrisoned by the regimental headquarters and four companies, including Company M.  Mrs. Mix joined her husband at this post, as the 1880 federal census shows her present at Fort Custer.

On January 25, 1881, John  Mix was promoted to major and assigned to the 9th U.S. Cavalry.  He had served for 29 years in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, ten years in Company F and 19 in Company M.  He joined his new regiment in New Mexico several weeks later.  In declining health, he was granted a leave of absence to return to his home in New York in the fall, but never reached his destination.

Major John Mix died in Santa Fe on October 26, 1881, while en route from Porter, New Mexico to New York.  Assistant Surgeon St. Clair Streett listed his cause of death as “malignant disease of the walls of the chest and axillary glands attended with complete paralysis of both lower extremities.”  He is buried next to his wife in Section 21, Cedar Grove Cemetery, New London, Connecticut.

References:

Heitman, Francis B.  Historical Register of the United States Army, volume 1. Washington, D.C.: The National Tribune, 1890.

Henry, Guy V.  Military Record of Civilian Appointments in the United States Army, volume 1.  New York: George W. Carleton, 1869.

Lambert, Joseph I.  One Hundred Years with the Second Cavalry.  San Antonio, Newton Publishing Company, 1999.

National Archives, Record Group 94, M617, Returns from Military Posts, 1806-1916 (accessed online, 2013)

National Archives, Record Group 94, M619, Letters Received by the Adjutant General

National Archives, Record Group 94, M1064, Letters Received by the Commission Branch of the Adjutant General’s Office

Rodenbough, Theophilus F.  From Everglade to Canyon with the Second United States Cavalry.  Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.

U.S. Federal Census, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 4

27 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by in 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1st U.S. Cavalry, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, 3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, 6th U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, officers, recruiting

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In all, the Mounted Recruiting Service operated recruiting stations in nineteen cities during the war.  Although it was not required, in most cases the officers recruited soldiers for their parent regiments.  This meant that at various points during the war, some cities provided soldiers to multiple regular cavalry regiments.

Boston, Massachusetts.  This was the first war-time station established.  Lieutenant Napoleon B. McLaughlin of the 4th U.S. Cavalry opened the station on July 5, 1861.  He was promoted to captain before he was ordered to report to his regiment over a year later on October 1, 1862.  He was relieved by Captain Abraham K. Arnold of the 5th U.S. Cavalry, who was ordered to close the station at the end of the following month.  The station did not reopen until June 10, 1863, when Lieutenant Copley Amory of the 4th U.S. Cavalry assumed command.  He operated the station until he resigned in December, and it was not reopened again during the war.

Cincinnati, Ohio.  Lieutenant Edward M. McCook of the 4th U.S. Cavalry opened this station on July 24, 1861.  In September, he was placed on leave to take service in the state forces of Indiana.  He earned five brevet promotions for gallantry in action as a volunteer officer during the war, the last to major general of volunteers.  The station was vacant for two months until McCook was relieved by Lieutenant Robert S. Smith of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry on November 6, 1861.  A native of Ohio, Smith as previously mentioned spent over three years in Cincinnati before he was relieved by Captain David S. Gordon, also of his regiment, on September 5, 1864.   Gordon was transferred back to his regiment in December, and replaced by Lieutenant Robert S. Sweatman of the 5th U.S. Cavalry.  Lieutenant Sweatman served only two months before being transferred back to his regiment in February 1865, and Captain Isaac R. Dunkelberger, of the same regiment, finished the war in charge of the station, making it one of the few stations continuously manned throughout the war.

New York, New York.  Lieutenant William W. Webb of the 4th U.S. Cavalry opened the recruiting station in New York City on October 3, 1861.  He wasn’t relieved to join his regiment until February 7, 1863.  His replacement was Captain Arnold of the 5th U.S. Cavalry, only three months after finishing his recruiting duties in Boston.  Arnold finally returned to his regiment in September, and was replaced by Lieutenant John B. Johnson of the 6th U.S. Cavalry.  Lieutenant Johnson was transferred back to Carlisle Barracks on August 22, 1864, and Lieutenant Stanwood of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry commanded the station for a mere two weeks.  Former prisoner of war Lieutenant Tattnall Paulding of the 6th U.S. Cavalry relieved him on September 4, 1864, and stayed there for the remainder of the war.

Wheeling, Virginia.  Captain Milton T. Carr of the 1st U.S. Cavalry opened this station on August 22, 1862.  Lieutenant Judson Haycock was sent to assist him on September 8th, and relieved him on December 7, 1862 so he could return to his company.  Lieutenant Haycock closed the station on March 4, 1863.  Lieutenant William Webb of the 4th U.S. Cavalry briefly served in the town as a mustering officer for volunteer regiments from June 6 to September 23, 1863, but the recruiting station did not reopen during the war.

Buffalo, New York.  Lieutenant Charles McKnight Leoser of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry opened this station on July 13, 1862 to assist in recruiting troopers for Companies A, B and D of his regiment.  He closed the station when ordered back to his regiment on April 8, 1863, and it did not reopen.

Norristown, Pennsylvania.  A native Pennsylvanian and former first sergeant of John Buford’s Company B, Lieutenant Thomas Bull Dewees of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this recruiting station from July 13 to November 17, 1862.

Cleveland, Ohio.  Lieutenant William Blanchard of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry opened a recruiting station in Cleveland on August 7, 1862. He was relieved by Captain Robert E. Clary of the same regiment on October 4th, who closed the station when transferred back to his regiment on December 7, 1862.  Captain Thomas Drummond of the 5th U.S. Cavalry reopened the recruiting station on October 15, 1863 and conducted recruiting there until transferred back to his regiment on December 21, 1864. Interestingly, Drummond left command of his regiment in the field for recruiting duty, and resumed command when he returned.  Lieutenant John Mix of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, another former prisoner of war, commanded the station from January 4, 1865 through the end of the war.

Indianapolis, Indiana.  Lieutenant Edward T. Benton of the 1st U.S. Cavalry opened a station in Indianapolis on August 22, 1862.  Captain Charles W. Canfield of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry took charge of the station on January 15, 1863, and Lieutenant Benton was transferred back to his regiment on February 6th.  Captain Canfield was in turn ordered to close the station and return to his regiment to take command of his company just three weeks later, on February 26, 1863.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Lieutenant Theophilus F. Rodenbough of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry opened this station on September 4, 1862.  It was probably established in the same National Hotel that the 6th U.S. Cavalry used during recruiting the previous year.  Rodenbough closed the station when transferred back to his regiment on December 7, 1862.  Captain Clarence Mauck of the 4th U.S. Cavalry opened a new station in December 1864.  He was relieved on March 1, 1865 by Lieutenant John B. Johnson of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, but returned to the station before the end of the month.

Baltimore, Maryland.  This station was also opened on September 4, 1862, by Lieutenant Anson O. Doolittle of the 4th U.S. Cavalry.  He was ordered back to Carlisle Barracks on November 29, 1862, and recruiting was not resumed here until Captain John B. McIntyre opened another station on April 6, 1865.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  This station opened and closed three different times during the war, odd for one of the largest cities in the nation.  Lieutenant Charles H. Gibson of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, a native Pennsylvanian,  was ordered to open a station here in October, 1862.  It may well have been the same location at the Girard House on Chestnut Street used by the 6th U.S. Cavalry until that February.  He was transferred back to his regiment on September 13, 1863.  Lieutenant John H. Nichols of the 1st U.S. Cavalry operated a station here for two weeks in April 1864 before returning to his regiment for the spring campaign.  He was killed in action just two months later at the battle of Trevillian Station.  Captain T.F. Rodenbough of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry opened the station for the final time during the war on November 18, 1864, less than two months after losing his arm at the battle of the Opequon, or Third Winchester.  He turned the station over to Captain William Hawley of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry when ordered to rejoin his regiment on April 25, 1865.

Chicago, Illinois.  The records concerning this station are curious.  Captain John Feilner of the 1st U.S. Cavalry was ordered to open a station in Chicago on October 4, 1862.  However, Feilner was dropped from Carlisle’s post return at the end of the month,  which would normally mean he had completed his duties and been sent back to his regiment.  I also have not yet come across a single soldier recruited by Captain Feilner in Chicago, which leads me to believe the order was countermanded before the station could be opened.

Detroit, Michigan.  Lieutenant and former first sergeant Thomas McGregor of the 1st U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this recruiting station from October 16, 1862 to January 20, 1863.  This was his first assignment after receiving his commission.  He later received a brevet promotion for gallantry at the battle of Todd’s Tavern.

Elmira, New York.  Captain William McLean of the 5th U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this recruiting station from November 1, 1862 to February 19, 1863.  Severely wounded and captured during the Peninsula campaign, he opened the station once paroled and left it to take command of his newly organized Company M.  Unfortunately, he died of fever just two months later, on April 23, 1863, in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.  Captain Samuel H. Starr of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry recruited many men for his regiment here in October 1862 after resigning his volunteer commission, many of them prior volunteers from his New Jersey brigade.  Interestingly, I found no record of him being assigned to the Mounted Recruiting Service, though he definitely served this duty.  Lieutenant Elisha W. Tarlton of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry operated the only official recruiting station in the city from November 1, 1862 to March 1, 1863, when he was transferred to his regiment.  A native of Kentucky, he later earned a brevet promotion for gallantry in action at Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Captain Marcus A. Reno of the 1st U.S. Cavalry was ordered to open a recruiting station in Harrisburg while recovering from injuries sustained at the battle of Kelly’s Ford on March 17, 1863.  Other than a brief absence serving with Pennsylvania troops during the Gettysburg campaign, he operated the station until September 23, 1863, when he was relieved by Lieutenant John McDonald of his regiment.  Lieutenants Reuben Bernard and William Pennock, also of the 1st U.S. Cavalry, were assigned here as mustering officer in July and August of 1862, and probably operated from the same office.  Lieutenant McDonald, another former first sergeant,  was transferred back to his regiment on November 26, 1864, and the station remained closed until opened by Lieutenant (and yet another former first sergeant) Dean Monahan of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry on March 12, 1865.

Madison, Wisconsin.  Lieutenant Anson O. Doolittle of the 4th U.S. Cavalry, assigned again to recruiting duty, was the sole operator of this station from January 8 to May 1, 1864, when he was ordered to report to the adjutant general.  The assignment is understandable, as Doolittle was appointed to the Army from Wisconsin, and briefly served as a lieutenant in the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry prior to receiving his regular army commission.

Rochester, New York.  Lieutenant Thomas Simson of the 6th U.S. Cavalry opened this station on May 12, 1864.  Badly injured at Franklin, Tennessee, he had finally reported to his regiment the preceding month, but was not yet fit for field duty.  Lieutenant Frank Stanwood of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry relieved him on December 21st, when he was transferred back to his regiment.  Lieutenant and former sergeant major Tullius C. Tupper of the 6th U.S. Cavalry relieved Stanwood in turn on February 7, 1865.

St. Louis, Missouri.  Captain John A. Thompson of the 4th U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this station from August 13 to November 1, 1864, when he closed it and returned to his regiment.  He had received a brevet promotion for gallant and meritorious service at Hoover’s Gap, Tennessee the previous year.

References:

Heitman, Francis B.  Historical Register of the United States Army, volume 1. Washington, D.C.: The National Tribune, 1890.

Henry, Guy V.  Military Record of Civilian Appointments in the United States Army, volume 1.  New York: George W. Carleton, 1869.

NARA, M617, Returns from Military Posts, 1806-1916 (accessed online, 2013)

Price, George F. Across the Continent with the Fifth U.S. Cavalry.  New York: Antiquarian Press Limited, 1959.

Rodenbough, Theophilus F.  From Everglade to Canyon with the Second United States Cavalry.  Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.

Tousey, Lt. Col. Thomas G.  Military History of Carlisle and Carlisle Barracks.  Richmond: The Dietz Press, 1939.

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 3

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in 1864, 1st U.S. Cavalry, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, 3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, 6th U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, cavalry depots, officers, recruiting, resignations

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As 1864 opened, the only four operating recruiting stations were Cincinnati, Cleveland, Harrisburg and New York.  Lieutenant Anson Doolittle of the 4th U.S. Cavalry added a fifth in Madison, Wisconsin on January 8th.

In April, the growing controversy surrounding repairs to the post reached a head.  There were a number of issues concerning the contracts and materials needed to repair the post after July’s attack, and then-Captain Hastings wrote on several occasions for guidance and clarification from the Quartermaster General concerning the repairs.  Naturally enough, those who did not receive contracts or orders for material were disgruntled.  As post commander, Hastings was of course at the center of the storm.  Unfortunately for him, he had unwisely pursued repairs without the specific approval of the Quartermaster General, and found himself in a great deal of trouble as a result.

Hastings, who had been promoted to major in the 5th U.S. Cavalry in September, was relieved of command on April 21, 1864.  Charges were subsequently preferred, which led to a conviction by a General Court Martial.  The sentence was initially very severe, but was later commuted to six months suspension of pay and benefits, causing a Congressional investigation.  In December, Major Hastings was permitted to retire “for incapacity resulting from injuries received, or from exposure in the line of duty, in conformity with an Act of Congress, of August, 1861.”  Lieutenant Hancock T. McLean of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, assigned to the post the month before, briefly assumed command of the post.  Thomas Tousey, in his book Military History of Carlisle Barracks and Carlisle, provides a thorough discussion of the issues surrounding Hastings’ dismissal.

On May 19, 1864, Major William B. Royall of the 5th U.S. Cavalry assumed command of the post.  Like the two officers who had preceded him, Royall was another very experienced cavalryman.  He initially entered service as a volunteer officer at the beginning of the Mexican War, and had been assigned to the 5th (then 2nd) U.S. Cavalry when it was formed in 1855.  He was severely wounded during fighting at Old Church, Virginia on June 13, 1862.  He received six saber wounds in hand to hand combat, including “two sabre-contusions on the right side of the head; a cut two inches long on the forehead; a long cut on the left cheek which bled profusely; a cut on the right wrist, dividing a tendon; and an incised fracture, four inches long, of the left parietal bone.”  He received a well-deserved brevet promotion for his conduct in the battle, but recovering from his many wounds took many months.  He came to Carlisle after serving two months at the Cavalry Bureau in Washington.

As spring turned to summer, activity increased around the depot.  The Madison recruiting station closed, and a new one opened in Rochester, New York.  Since the regiments were involved in active campaigning, officers from Carlisle were ordered to conduct parties of recruits to their new regiments.  If annotated on maps or in reports, these detachments were labeled with the regiment of the officer leading them.  A detachment of recruits bound for the 1st U.S. Cavalry led by an officer of the 3rd, for example, would be noted as a detachment of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry.

Lieutenant Hancock McLean of the 6th U.S. Cavalry conducted a detachment of recruits to the 5th Cavalry in late May.  Lieutenant Frank Stanwood of the 3rd Cavalry led a detachment of recruits to the 5th & 6th U.S. Cavalry in late June.  During Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early’s advance on Washington the following month, Lt. Stanwood was ordered by the commander of the Department of the Susquehanna to scout south toward the Potomac.  This seemingly errant band of regulars of the “3rd U.S. Cavalry,” which never served in the eastern theater during the war, has caused confusion among researchers, including this author.

The remainder of the summer and fall passed unremarkably.  Captain Thompson of the 4th U.S. Cavalry opened a recruiting station in St Louis in August.  Lieutenant Stanwood conducted another party of 155 recruits to the 5th U.S. Cavalry in October.  An additional 135 recruits were transferred in November, and 142 more in December.  Captain Thompson closed the recruiting station in St Louis in November, while stations reopened in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as the year’s campaigning drew to a close.

During the early months of 1865, the depot continued to forward recruits to the field: 129 in January, 134 in February, 123 in March and 94 in April.  It is doubtful this last group reached its destination before the cessation of hostilities.  At the end of the war, recruiting stations were still operating in Cincinnati, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Rochester.

The careers of several officers other the commanders were significantly affected by recruiting duty.  Copley Amory of the 4th U.S. Cavalry was appointed a second lieutenant from Massachusetts on August 5, 1861.  He returned to Carlisle from May to December 1862, when he was returned to his regiment.  He was again assigned to the depot in June 1863, this time forwarded to the recruiting station in Boston.  After six more months of recruiting duty, he resigned in December 1863.

Irish-born John McDonald enlisted as a private in Company K, 1st U.S. Dragoons in 1857, and was promoted to first sergeant prior to his appointment as a lieutenant in the same regiment.  He was assigned to the depot in October 1862, remaining until ordered to rejoin his regiment on February 6, 1863.  On June 15, 1863, he was ordered back to the depot, and remained on recruiting service the rest of the war.

Next is the oft-mentioned Frank Stanwood of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry.  He joined at Carlisle as a new second lieutenant on September 27, 1861.  He remained until transferred to his regiment as a first lieutenant on August 21, 1862.  He served as the regimental quartermaster from his arrival until January 15, 1863.  In April, he was ordered back to the mounted recruiting service, where he remained until February 1865.  In all, Stanwood served only twelve months with his regiment during the war.  Ironically, he received a brevet promotion to captain on March 13, 1865 “for coolness, energy and skill in battle.”  He also received brevets to major and lieutenant colonel the same day for what was probably a more accurate description of “faithful and meritorious service during the war.”

Finally, Robert S. Smith was appointed a second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Dragoons on May 4, 1861.  He remained on recruiting service through promotions to first lieutenant and captain.  Smith did not actually join his regiment until September 5, 1864, over three years after his appointment!  Two weeks later he saw his first combat while leading his company at the battle of Opequon, or 3rd Winchester on September 19th.  Interestingly, his testimony of valor observed on the field in his first fight was later significant in the award of the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Conrad Schmidt of Company K.

The concluding post of this series will discuss the recruiting stations and list the sources used to compile the article.

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 2

12 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by in 1862, 1863, 1st U.S. Cavalry, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, cavalry depots, manning, officers, recruiting

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Recruiting continued normally until the spring of 1862.  A number of recruits were provided to Company L, 5th U.S. Artillery and Companies H and M, 4th U.S. Artillery from April to June.  Part of the mandate of the Mounted Recruiting Service was also to recruit for horse artillery batteries, but this is the only mention of them or appearance of artillery officers at Carlisle in a professional capacity during the war.

During the summer, manpower shortages in the older regiments reached the point where they had to be addressed.  The 2nd U.S. Cavalry acted first, distributing the privates from Companies A, B and D among the rest of the regiment in July.  The officers, noncommissioned officers and buglers were sent to Carlisle to raise new companies.  The 1st U.S. Cavalry followed suit the following month with Companies A, E, F and K.  Beginning in October, one new company was raised for each regiment as well, Company M for the 1st U.S. Cavalry and Company L for the 2nd.  Recruiting for these companies continued through the end of the year.

Several additional recruiting stations were opened to meet the increased demand.  During the summer and fall, stations opened in Buffalo, Norristown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit, Elmira, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

December saw the departure of most of the companies.  1st U.S. Cavalry Companies A, F and M departed under the command of Captains Richard S.C. Lord and Milton Carr and Lieutenant Cesar Fisher respectively.  The four companies of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry marched south under Captains Robert Clary and Theophilus Rodenbough, as well as Lieutenants Thomas Dewees, Robert Lennox and James Potter.  In all, 667 new recruits were forwarded to the two regiments during the month.

A great deal of recruiting from volunteer regiments, usually infantrymen, took place from October to December 1862 in Washington, D.C, in Maryland near Harper’s Ferry and in Tennessee near Nashville, but this was not affiliated with the mounted recruiting service.  The enlistments were accomplished by regimental adjutants or their designated representatives.

In February 1863, Companies E and K finally returned to the 1st U.S. Cavalry under Lieutenants Edward Benton and John McDonald.  In preparation for the opening of spring campaigning, more recruits were pushed south to the regiments.  Lieutenants Cesar Fisher and Judson Haycock led 89 to the 1st U.S. Cavalry, Captain Thomas Canfield and Lieutenant Daniel Flynn took 86 to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, and Captain William McLean led 87 to the 5th U.S. Cavalry.

In June 1863, the war came to Carlisle.  As the Confederate forces crossed into Pennsylvania, Captain Hastings dispatched mounted scouts south to ascertain their position and intentions.  On the morning of June 18th, they were fired on by enemy pickets just south of Chambersburg. Unable to resist with only a garrison company at his disposal, Captain Hastings was forced to abandon the post.  As he wrote in the post return, “Vacated in the face of the enemy June 25, 1863, having no means of defense.  Brought off all munitions of war and moveable public property.”

As soon as the Confederates began their retreat to Virginia, Hastings reoccupied the post and resumed normal operations.  Many of the buildings had been burned, so troops lived in tents while repairs were initiated.

Companies D and G of the 1st U.S. Cavalry arrived in July to reconstitute.  They were the last companies to refit at Carlisle, as the new cavalry depot at Giesboro Point started operations in October.  They were transferred back to their regiment in October under Lieutenants Reuben Bernard, William Pennock and David Perry.  Sixteen recruiting stations continued to operate during the year to provide new recruits.

Surgeon J.J.B. Wright was placed on detached service in New York from October to December 1863.  Surgeon G.S. Palmer was temporarily added to the staff during his absence.  Palmer administered Lincoln Hospital in Washington, D.C. prior to coming to Carlisle.

The winter of 1863-1864 was relatively quiet, as repairs to the post continued and armies went into their winter quarters.

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 1

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in 1861, 1st U.S. Cavalry, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, manning, officers, recruiting, training

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While I’ve covered bits and pieces of regular cavalry recruiting in the past, an in depth look at the post returns for Carlisle Barracks during the war revealed a wealth of information on how and where this recruiting was accomplished.  This not the be-all, end-all for this topic.  It’s a blog post, after all, not a journal article.  There are several bits of information that could be of tremendous help, such as the location of the recruiting station in Buffalo, and any newspaper coverage of it.  But I think it is the most comprehensive examination of the process to date.

The theory behind cavalry recruiting changed little with the advent of the war.  The process was relatively simple.  Mounted regiments were tasked to provide officers, noncommissioned officers and sometimes musicians to man recruiting stations at selected cities in the United States.  Periodically these recruits were forwarded from the recruiting stations to Carlisle Barracks.  Here the “Permanent Company,” a training cadre, provided them basic instruction as a cavalryman.  Once the troopers could demonstrate a reasonable aptitude in both the mounted and dismounted tasks of the “School of the Trooper,” as defined in the Cavalry Tactics manual, they were dispatched in detachments to their designated regiments.  This movement was frequently supervised by the same officers and soldiers who originally recruited them.  While this process did not change noticeably in substance during the war, it changed significantly in scope.

Whereas prior to the war only one or two recruiting stations were active at a time, during the course of the Civil War nineteen different cities had stations active at various times.  These were in addition to the stations utilized for the initial recruiting of the twelve companies of the 6th U.S. Cavalry in 1861, which did not fall in the purview of Carlisle Barracks.  It also did not cover the recruiting of volunteers in their camps which occurred near Harpers Ferry in the Eastern Theater in October 1862.  It did, however, include the additional companies, usually designated L and M, added to existing regiments during the war, as well as companies consolidated within the regiments and sent to Carlisle to refit.

Recruiting for the mounted regiments was the responsibility of the “Mounted Recruiting Service.”  This was a purely administrative command, as Congress had not authorized such an organization outside the scope of the existing regiments.  As with all such taskings, the required officers and soldiers were taken “out of hide” from the regiments in the field.  The post commander of Carlisle Barracks had the additional title and responsibilities of the “Superintendent, Mounted Recruiting Service.”  Before the war, this was a major’s position, but during the war it was held by a captain and briefly by a lieutenant.

The commander at the outbreak of the war was Major Lawrence Pike Graham of the 2nd Dragoons.   Graham was something of a legend in the mounted forces.  He was appointed a second lieutenant in the 2nd Dragoons in 1837, and spent the next several years in the Seminole Wars in Florida.  During the Mexican War, he commended the other company in Captain Charles May’s squadron during the famous charge at Resaca de la Palma.  During the Sioux campaign of 1854-55, he commanded a squadron of his own.

Other than the post commander, only the surgeon and the chaplain were permanently assigned to the post.  Surgeon Burton Randall served as the post surgeon until September 1861, when he was assigned to a hospital in Annapolis.  A Maryland native, Randall graduated as a physician from University of Pennsylvania in 1828.  He entered service as an assistant surgeon in 1832, and was promoted to surgeon in 1838.  He served as one of the principal military surgeons of the Mexican War while assigned to the 5th U.S. Infantry.  Surgeon and assistant surgeon were ranks for doctors, and this denoted pay grade, not level of skill or ability.  A civilian physician, D.A. Mahon, served as post surgeon until May 1862, when he was replaced by Assistant Surgeon Joseph Jefferson Burr Wright.  J.J.B. Wright was appointed an assistant surgeon in 1833, and served as the medical director for the Department of Missouri prior to his assignment to Carlisle Barracks.  James A. Ross served as the post chaplain throughout the war.

At least two lieutenants were placed on extra duty from their regiments and assigned temporarily to Carlisle Barracks.  One of these normally served in charge of the permanent company, and the other was in charge of the current group of unassigned.  Equally important, and probably consuming far more of their time, were their additional duties.  One served as Acting Assistant Quartermaster and Acting Assistant Commisary of Subsistence for the post, while the other served as the post adjutant.

1861 was a relatively quiet year for the depot.  The regiments were too busy trying to reach their assigned destinations to worry about replacements, and there were too few experienced officers and noncommissioned officers present to detach many for recruiting duty.  Three recruiting stations were opened in 1861, Boston, Cincinnati and New York City.  Training at the depot continued and small detachments were forwarded once trained.  Only three events of significance took place at Carlisle.

The first was the arrival of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in April following their exodus from Texas.  They spent April and part of May remounting the regiment and filling their ranks, gaining 174 recruits from the depot in April.  They temporarily emptied the depot, but it put a nearly full strength cavalry regiment into the field near Washington D.C.

The second was the assignment of newly appointed cavalry officers to Carlisle Barracks to undertake their initial training as well.  New subalterns who were experienced noncommissioned officers remained with their regiments, while those appointed from civilian life reported for various lengths of time to receive their initial training as well.  While veterans like John Mix, Thomas Dewees and Samuel Whitside stayed in the field, others like Theophilus Rodenbough, Isaac Dunkelberger and George Sanford were put through their paces by the permanent company.

The third event was the first wartime change of command at Carlisle Barracks.  On September 4, 1861, Major Graham was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers, and reassigned to Washington.  He was succeeded by Captain David H. Hastings of the 1st U.S. Cavalry.  Hastings was another seasoned veteran.  An Irish immigrant, he enlisted in 1837 and worked his way through the ranks to serve as a first sergeant in infantry, artillery and engineer companies prior to receiving a commission in the 1st Dragoons in 1848.  Severely wounded near Mexico City and again severely injured when his horse fell pursuing Indians in New Mexico in 1857, Captain Hastings was of far more use to the Army for his mind than his body at this point in his career.

What I’m Working On

01 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in 2nd U.S. Cavalry, medal of honor, officers, research, Reserve Brigade, writing

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Nothing like a government shutdown to provide more time for research and posting.  I try not to write this sort of post too often, as my assumption is that readers would rather see posts than what may be in the pipeline.  It has been a very eventful research summer, however, so I think at this point it’s appropriate.

My research trip in June was very productive, better than I had hoped for.  I still wish I’d learned how to access the 2nd U.S. Cavalry’s muster rolls before the last day of my visit, but live and learn.  The military records staff at the National Archives could not have been more professional, courteous and helpful.  Every time I thought I’d reached the end of the trail, they had a suggestion that turned up another nugget.  Similarly, I have discovered that the Denver Public Library has an extensive collection of records, including the majority of state adjutant general reports as well as complete sets of The Rebellion Record and the Supplement to the OR.

I just completed a thorough study of the post returns of Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania during the war.  This will be making an appearance soon as a brief series of posts.  Now that I have a map of where all of the regular cavalry recruiting stations were during the war, hopefully it will lead me to some historical treasure.

Reserve Brigade history.  I am convinced that I have all of the official primary records that still exist, it’s a matter of working through them all and figuring how to get the interesting parts into the narrative.  There are still a lot of records to locate and work through, so this one is a long way from completion.  Letter collections will be key to making this a worthwhile history.  Which means if you come across primary source info or newspaper accounts of the 1st US, 2nd US, 5th US, 6th US, 6th PA, and 2nd MA Cavalry regiments, or the 1st NY Dragoons, I am very interested.

2nd US Cavalry history.  NARA was exceptionally fruitful in this area, and I’m really enjoying working through the material.  I’ve already found records of over 400 of the regiment’s troopers, which will hopefully lead to more primary source material.  The current regimental historian and curator of the regimental museum in Germany, Ryan Meyer, has been very interested and helpful.

Regular cavalry roster.  It is a goal of mine to get a list posted on the website of all the men who served in the regular cavalry regiments during the war.  Profiles will be available for a small fee, but I see no reason why a free list of all of them on this blog would not be appropriate.

Learning Latin.  I completed a transcription of the death records of all the regular cavalrymen who died during the war.  The primary records list cause of death in Latin, which became very educational.  Vulnus punctum, anyone?  Surely there’s a blog post in there somewhere.

Regular cavalry medal of honor files.  I found two while at NARA and found them very informative, so now I’m working on getting the others.  I don’t have an exact count, as a couple that I had seen documented as being awarded (Sergeant Hagan of the 2nd US Cavalry at Fredericksburg, for example) were rescinded after the war.

Newspaper articles.  Vince Slaugh recently tipped me off to several articles that should be of interest to readers of this blog, including several on the 6th US Cavalry that eluded my co-author and I when we compiled the regimental history.

Blog improvement.  Still a great deal to be done here, most noticeably the creation of regimental and resource pages.

Thomas Bull Dewees, Paul Quirk and Charles McKnight Leoser.  These three gentlemen keep popping up of late, so there are sure to be posts on them once sufficient records are located.  Stay tuned.

Scott Patchan’s The Last Battle of Winchester by Savas-Beattie arrived in the mail recently.  I’ve really been looking forward to this one, can’t wait to get to the fight at the Opequon (“oh-PECK-en,” as the gentleman at the Winchester Visitor Center informed me this summer).

More to follow in the very near future.

The 4th U.S. Cavalry at Stones River

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in 1862, 1st/ 4th Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, battle of Stones River, cavalry

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(Originally printed in the Lancaster Daily Evening Express, January 28, 1863)

The Story of a Cavalry Soldier

The Fourth Regular Cavalry at Murfreesboro – Feeling the Position of the Enemy – A Brilliant Charge – A Brigade of Rebel Cavalry Routed – A Personal Adventure – A Hazardous Reconnaissance, &c, &c

Correspondence of the Express…

Murfreesboro, Jan. 14, 1863.

                Proud of the deeds of the regiment to which I belong – deeds that I will ever make memorable the battle of Murfreesboro, and that have added new luster to the name of “the Fourth Regular Cavalry,” I undertake, as best I can, to describe the battle of Murfreesboro, at least as far as the 4th Cavalry were concerned.

The vast army under Gen. Rosecrans started from Headquarters on the 20th ult.  Our regiment marched twelve miles and encamped at six o’clock the same evening.  We remained here over the 27th, while the advance kept skirmishing with the advance guard of the rebel army.  On the 28th, we moved three miles further.  On the 29th our heart was made glad by the familiar faces of many old friends in the Seventy-ninth P.V.  After a chat of an hour we moved six miles.

On the 30th we left our teams and started on an old-fashioned jump, making six miles more in a very short time, and were soon in the front, in the presence of our commander, General Rosecrans.  The hero of hard-fought battles was gazing ardently upon the surrounding scenery, and with anxious thought contemplating the chances, and so distributing his grand army to secure a glorious victory.  A shell exploded on the brow of the hill, killing a member of Company K.  After remaining with the general awaiting orders, he sent Companies G and I down the road to find out the position of the enemy.  Off we galloped, and the first thing we knew we were right on top of them; wheeling around, we reported and were ordered to ascertain the position on the left, and also to select positions for our batteries.  We returned at dark, and the occasional flash of musketry; and the rolling thunder of artillery, indicated a fierce struggle on the extreme right.  On the following morning we were ordered to the front, and to us was assigned the honor and weighty task of rallying the broken ranks of Gen. Johnson’s command, which were returning in great disorder.  Having checked them somewhat, we entered the woods, where we found many stragglers, who on our approach endeavored to escape.  Some took courage, and the remnants of two regiments were rallied by their Colonels.

It was at this juncture that our artillery, or a good part of it, was taken.  While dashing through the woods an officer reported to our Colonel the presence of the rebel cavalry in our rear, and had taken one of our hospitals and three hundred prisoners.  Quickly moving round by the right in a half circle we neared an open field on the opposite side of which we beheld a brigade of Rebel Cavalry.  We dared not stop to count numbers.  We must fight.  Our Commander gave the word, “Front, into line, charge!”  And such a charge!  I have been in several before upon the Indians, but the splendor of this eclipsed them all.  Our column, small in number, consisting of but a few companies, closed up, and in good order we advanced.  When we neared them they broke.  On we came, yelling like so many savages, and scattering them like chaff.  Two-thirds of our men were fresh recruits, but nobly and well did they march with the regulars.  We recaptured three hundred of Johnson’s men, and brought back with us one hundred and seventy Texas Rangers and Ashby’s Cavalry.  Owing to the sudden belching forth of a masked battery, they were enabled to retake their wounded.  The rally was sounded, and we formed for another charge, but just then an order came for our Commander, Otis, to move his cavalry on the Murfreesboro pike, the rebels having taken the train in the rear.  The Volunteer Cavalry were left in charge of the place of our first encounter, and were compelled to retire.  Thus the rebels retook some of their own men and a few of ours.

The brave Captain Long was shot in the arm, but brought up his prisoners.  When we came on the pike we found five hundred wagons, one battery and any amount of men, in the hands of the rebels.  But when they saw the colors and guidons of the 4th flying they broke, finding temporary shelter in the woods, and leaving all again in our possession.  From this time until Sunday morning we were kept watching the rebel cavalry, our horses being under saddle ninety-six hours.

While at the hospital, several rebels endeavored to give us the slip, and your humble servant was under the necessity of putting after three.  The first one overtaken proved to be a recaptured Union soldier; the next quietly submitted, but the third was about aiming his revolver and placing me in a dangerous position, which compelled me to do likewise, and, putting my pistol close to his head, I snapped it.   I then expected to have my light put out, but the fellow dodged, and when he raised in his saddle found me on the other side with my pistol again at close quarters, and he wisely concluded to give up his pistol and return with me.  Pardon this digression, but it shows into what close quarters soldiers are sometimes brought.  My rebel acquaintances thought the regulars were thoroughly experienced, and related to me several interesting incidents illustrating the fact.

While we were watching the rebels, the Colonel ordered Sergeants Murphy and Harner to take Company G and get between the rebel pickets, so that they could not see us, and find out their position by their camp-fires.  At midnight we mounted the company, while the rain was pouring down on us.  Having successfully entered their lines, we were enabled to have a fine view of their camp, although under dangerous circumstances.  The little expedition, after two hours’ absence, returned and were reported with honor to Gen. Rosecrans.

On Monday we drove the rebel rear guard two miles, and the fighting was severe.  They had two pieces of artillery in the woods, and our skirmishers were dismounted, but kept up a brisk fire until we supported them.  Several casualties occurred during this time in our company.  Between a raking fire of artillery we had to stand until again supported by a battery, and a regiment of infantry, who, forming in line of battle behind our skirmishers, thrashed the rebels finely.  The rebels ceased firing, and we were waiting for something to do, when who should come up but Robert Huay, with his gun upon his shoulder, having before done good service and ready to do more.  We are now brigaded for the first time, and our old and faithful Captain is acting Brigadier, and will soon we hope be one.

I have this endeavored to give an account of the doings of the 4th Cavalry, which even to-day, as it passes the line, elicits rousing cheers from the whole army of the Cumberland.

–          Regular.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to determine the author of this article.  More than likely, of course, he was from Lancaster, but he certainly was not the only member of the regiment born there.  I was unable to determine anything about Robert Huay either, but I did discover some information on the two sergeants of Company G mentioned in the article.

Martin Murphy was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1832.  He was working as a porter in New York City when he was enlisted into Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry on December 22, 1856 by Captain Gordon Granger.  His enlistment documents describe him as 5’9” tall, with gray eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion.  He was promoted to sergeant during his first enlistment, and was re-enlisted by Lieutenant Warner at Fort Wise, Colorado Territory on November 1, 1861. Sergeant Murphy was killed in action near Ringgold, GA on September 16, 1863 while still serving as a sergeant in Company G, 4th Cavalry.

John Harner was born in Lancaster, PA in 1835.  He was working as a carpenter in Rock Island, Illinois prior to his enlistment.  Lieutenant Elmer Otis enlisted him into Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry on November 29, 1856.  His enlistment documents describe him as 5’5” tall, with blue eyes, sandy har and a ruddy complexion.  He was promoted to corporal during his first enlistment, and to sergeant sometime before December 1862.  He was also re-enlisted by Lieutenant Warner at Fort Wise, but five days after Sergeant Murphy, on November 6, 1861.  He also fell afoul of bad luck, as he was serving as a paroled prisoner of war at Camp Parole, Annapolis, Maryland when his enlistment expired on April 3, 1865.

The 1st U.S. Cavalry was re-designated as the 4th U.S. Cavalry in August 1861.  The officer alternately referred to as the Colonel or Commander was actually Captain Elmer Otis, who commanded the regiment during the battle.  As the author describes, the cavalry of the Army of the Cumberland, under former 4th Cavalry officer Brigadier General David S. Stanley, was reorganized in late 1862 and early 1863.  The 4th U.S. Cavalry was ultimately assigned to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Colonel Robert H.G. Minty.

Samuel M. Whitside letter, Part 2

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in 6th Cavalry, 7th U.S. Cavalry, letters, officers, Uncategorized

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Remained on duty in the city till some time in the early part of March 1863, when we left the city for Baton Rouge and with part of the 19th Corps the General marched in the direction of Port Hudson while Admiral Farragut run by batteries of the Fort with part of his fleet.  On the next day after the fleet past the Fort the Army returned to Baton Rouge. About April 1st 1863 the General and Staff went to Brashar City where the army was in camp. An advance of the whole command was immediately ordered and the army moved forward in the direction of Fort Bisland about 10 miles from Brashar City on the Bayou Tisk.  Here we found the enemy in heavy force posted behind strong earth works on both sides of the Bayou. Our troops formed in line of battle and advanced on the enemy’s works and fought them until late at night in the morning we found that the Rebels had retreated. Our loss about two hundred, the enemy about the same. We followed the enemy about twenty miles above Alexandria on the Red River when the General countermarched his army and marched down the Red River to Morgansias on the Mississippi River where he crossed over the River to Bayou Sarah, and marched on Port Hudson, which place he attacked with his whole Army May 27th 1863, with a loss of nineteen hundred and ninety five men during the siege of Port Hudson. I was confined most of the time to my tent with a fever and a pain in my side. Surgeon Alexander, Medical Director of the Dept. advised me to go north on June 12th 1863.

At my own request I was relieved from duty as A.D.C. and ordered to report to the Adjt General of the Army at Washington July 2d by special orders from the War Dept. I was ordered to report to Genl Martindale, Mil. Governor Dist. Columbia, for duty on his staff. About Sept 21st I was ordered before the board at Annapolis Md. I was recommended for light duty. Some time in Oct I was again ordered to report to Genl Martindale for duty on his staff by special orders from the War Dept. About the last of Oct I was ordered to take charge of twenty five deserters and deliver them to the Provost Marshal at Cincinnati, Ohio. While in Cincinnati I was taken sick with the Varioloid and sent to Hospital in Covington, Ky. Where I remained until some time in Dec.

I returned to Washington and remained on duty until January 19th ’64, was then ordered to my regt Jany 22d, ordered to report to Genl Pleasonton, Comdg Cavly Corps Army of the Potomac March 1864. While returning from Culpepper to Hd Qrs, Cavly Corps one dark night on jumping a ditch my horse fell down and threw me with such force on the ground that it broke the collar bone of my right shoulder and fractured two ribs of my right side, March 14th ’64.  I was ordered to report to the Medical Director of Washington for treatment.

About March 22d I was by special orders from the War Dept Adjutant General’s Office ordered to Providence, R.I. as Mustering and Disbursing Officer. April 21st I was appointed A.C.M. for the State of R.I. and A.A.C.S. for the troops stationed in the state, which duty I have been performing ever since.  I have entirely recovered from the effects of the injury of my shoulder. In cold weather I am troubled with the Rheumatism in both of my shoulders.

I am General Very Respectfully

Your Obt Serv’t

Sam’l M. Whitside

1st Lieut. 6 Cavly

The rheumatism apparently didn’t slow Whitside much, as he continued to serve in the cavalry for decades after the war.  Among his many accomplishments, he established Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and as a major commanded troops of the 7th U.S. Cavalry at Wounded Knee in 1890.  A previous biographical sketch of Whitside with more information on his career can be found here.

Samuel M. Whitside letter, Part 1

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

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Samuel Whitside, courtesy of the David Perrine collection.

Samuel Whitside, courtesy of the David Perrine collection.

In a recent trip to the National Archives, friend Samuel Russell came across this letter from his ancestor, Samuel M. Whitside, and was kind enough to pass it along with his permission to post it.  While it doesn’t necessarily shed any new light on Whitside’s career beyond what we included in our book on the 6th U.S. Cavalry, I think it’s very interesting as a junior officer’s firsthand account of the war.

In February 1865, 1st Lt. Samuel M. Whitside was ordered to appear before a medical retiring board to determine if he was fit for duty with his regiment.  In the file, Whitside provides a six page letter to the board detailing his service in the Army from November 1858 up to the date of the board.  I have left all punctuation as I received it, but added clarification in parentheses.  Part 1 covers from his enlistment through the end of 1862, and Part 2 will cover the remainder of the war.

Wilmington, Delaware

January 31st, 1865

Major General W. B. Franklin President of the Retiring Board Wilmington, Del.

General:

I have the honor to submit the following as a report of my Military History since entering the service of the United States.

I enlisted in New York City November 28th, 1858, as a recruit for the General Mounted Service.  I was sent to Carlisle Barracks, Pa., with a detachment of recruits about Dec. 1st, where I was immediately assigned to a company, and instructed in the drill of the Cavalry branch of the service.  After being drilled about three months, I was transferred to the Permanent Company, and appointed a corporal in the company, and in the Spring of 1859, I was selected by Capt. A. Gibbs of the Mtd. Rifles, to instruct new recruits in the Manual of Arms and in the Mounted Drill. About August of the same year, I was relieved from duty at Carlisle and ordered to report to 1st Lieutenant W. T. Magruder, 1st Dragoons and Recruiting Officer, at Baltimore, Md. I remained on the Recruiting Service in Baltimore until about August 1860, when I was relieved by directions of the Dept. of the Mounted Recruiting Service, and ordered to return to my company for duty at Carlisle, where I was again assigned to duty as instructor of new recruits and continued on this duty until November 1860 when I was ordered to report to 1st Lieutenant Geo. B. Anderson, Recruiting Officer, for duty as Clerk at Louisville, Ky. In May 1861 the recruiting party, under the command of Lieut. N. B. Sweitzer, Recruiting Officer, was ordered to open a recruiting office in Cincinnati, Ohio. In June I was appointed Recruiting Sergeant of the party by the Supt.

About the 15th July, by special orders from the War Dept. Adjutant General’s Office, I was transferred from the General Service to the 3rd Reg. Cavalry (now 6th Cavalry). I reported to Lieut. Colonel Wm. H. Emory Commanding the Regt. with Headquarters at Pittsburg, Penn., who immediately appointed me Sergeant Major of the Regiment. About Sept. 1st 1861, the regt. was ordered to Bladensburg, Md. At which place the men were mounted and drilled, about Oct 1st, Colonel Emory recommended very strongly to the Secretary of War for a commission as Lieutenant in the Regiment. About Oct 15, the regt. was ordered into Winter quarters at Camp East of the Capitol Washington, D.C. Nov. 4th 1861 I received an appointment from the Secty of War of Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Cavalry and on the following day I was appointed Adjutant of the Regt. which duty I performed for about two months, when I was at my own request relieved from the duty of Adjutant and assigned to Co. K. March 10th 1862 the regiment was ordered in Virginia and assigned to the regular Brigade under the command of General Cook. The regt. advanced into Virginia as far as Warrenton Junction, when it was ordered to return to Alexandria and embarked with the Army of the Potomac to the vicinity of Yorktown, where we remained in camp until the evacuation of the place by the Rebels about May 2d.

At this time the 6th Cav. Was ordered to the front and was put in the advance of our army, and closely followed the rebels in their retreat, and drove them pell-mell into the fortifications in front of Williamsburg. My regt. charged up to within one hundred yards of Fort Magruder, when the Rebels turned their guns on us, which caused us to retreat from the field with a loss of some fifteen men. After the battle of Williamsburg, the 6th Cav was again ordered to take the advance and move forward rapidly after the retreating Rebels. We had orders to keep close to the Rebels, but not to bring on a general engagement. About May 10th we came up to a large force of the Rebels at Slatersville and three companies of my Regt charged into two Regiments of Virginia Rebel Cavalry and drove them from the field. One lost about eighteen men in this charge, the Rebels about forty-five. For my services in this action General Stoneman mentioned me in his report and I was informed that he afterwards recommended me for a brevet. On the following day I was directed to take part of my company and to open communications with General Franklin at West Point, which I succeeded in doing, and in capturing 4 Rebel infantrymen of Whitings Division. On or about May 24th my Regt took part in the battle of Hanover Court House.  During the seven days fighting I was with General Stoneman, who was cut off from the Army, and retreated down the Peninsula by way of the White House. The command arrived at Fortress Monroe July 2d where we rested till about 8th when we embarked in transports and arrived at Harrisons Landing on the 9th and went in camp near the River or Westover House. July 15th I was confined to my tent by a severe attack of fever. I was on the sick report till about Aug 7th when my regt was ordered to report to Genl Hooker. Was in the second battle of Malvern Hill on the 10th. I was again taken down with the fever, and was sent to the Hospital near Hd Qrs Army of the Potomac. Aug 12 received a sick leave for twenty days.  Sept 3rd I again reported to my regt for duty. Sept 6th while on the march through Maryland I was taken very sick with the bilious fever and a severe pain in my left side.

I was sent from Poolsville, Md. By Asst Surg Duboise U.S.A. to Washington D. C. and reported to Surgeon Barns U.S.A. for medical treatment. About Sept 20 I was able to do light duty and by special orders from Hd Qrs Army of the Potomac I was assigned to duty at Headquarters Defences of Washington as A.A.D.C. to the General Commanding. About Nov 10th I was relieved from duty in Washington by special orders and directed to report to Major General N. P. Banks at New York City as Aide-de-Camp on his staff. Dec 4th 1862 we sailed from New York City in the steamer North Star, arrived in New Orleans, Dec 14th.