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                                HISTORY

                                OF THE

                         THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT

                       MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS.

                              1862-1865.


                   _BY A COMMITTEE OF THE REGIMENT._

                                BOSTON:
                   PRESS OF ROCKWELL AND CHURCHILL.
                            89 ARCH STREET.
                                 1884.

                                  TO

                             Our Comrades

                                OF THE

                _THIRTY-SIXTH MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS_

                  THIS RECORD OF A COMMON EXPERIENCE

                                  IS

                      _AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED_.

    _Ah, never shall the land forget_
      _How gushed the life-blood of her brave,--_
    _Gushed, warm with hope and courage yet,--_
      _Upon the soil they sought to save._

    _Now all is calm, and fresh, and still;_
      _Alone the chirp of flitting bird,_
    _And talk of children on the hill,_
      _And bell of wand'ring kine, are heard._

    _No solemn host goes trailing by,_
      _The black-mouthed gun and stag'ring wain;_
    _Men start not at the battle-cry;_
      _Oh, be it never heard again!_

                                  --WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.




PREFACE.


Not long after the close of the war a plan was proposed, by some of
the officers of the regiment, for the preparation of a history of the
Thirty-sixth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers; but the plan was
not carried into execution. At the regimental reunions, in subsequent
years, parts of such a history were read by Comrades White, Ranlett,
and Hodgkins, and the desire for a complete history of the regiment,
which found expression on these occasions, was so strong that, at the
reunion of the regiment at Worcester, in September, 1876, a committee,
consisting of Comrades White, Ranlett, Burrage, and Hodgkins, was
appointed to procure materials for a history of the regiment.

Some progress was made by the committee in the performance of the
work thus assigned to them; but it was not so great as they, or their
comrades of the Thirty-sixth, desired. At the reunion, September 2,
1879, the matter was again considered, and it was finally voted, "that
Comrades White, Ranlett, Hodgkins, Burrage, and Noyes, be chosen a
committee to have charge of the compiling, revising, and printing the
history of the regiment, to be ready for delivery at our next reunion;
and that the committee have power to procure any help they may need."

Many difficulties were encountered in the progress of the work, and it
was found that it would be impossible to prepare, within the limit of
time prescribed, such a history as would be worthy of the regiment. The
different members of the committee, amid the activities of busy lives,
could give to the work only such intervals of leisure as they could
find amid their daily tasks. At the annual reunions of 1880, 1881, and
1882,--testing the patience of their comrades who had entrusted to them
this important task,--they were compelled to report progress only. In
September, 1883,--the last reunion,--however, they were able to say
that the work was already in press, and would be ready for delivery in
the course of a few weeks.

In the table of contents will be found the names of the authors of
the different chapters. The work of Comrades White, Ranlett, Olin,
and Noyes, entitles them to the hearty thanks of all their companions
in arms. Especially, however, are such thanks due to Comrade W. H.
Hodgkins, not only for his own contribution to the history, but
also for his careful attention to the innumerable details which the
preparation of such a work required. Indeed, without his unwearied
endeavors in gathering materials, securing the coöperation of others,
and attending to the business of publication, the history would not so
soon, and might never, have been completed.

To the writer of these lines was assigned the editorial supervision
of the work. From the materials placed in his hands he arranged the
history of the regiment as it now appears. Two proofs of the entire
work have passed under his eye, and in this part of his task he has had
the invaluable assistance of Major Hodgkins. The history, of course,
is not free from errors of statement; and it will doubtless be found
that there are omissions which the writers of the different chapters,
as well as their comrades, will deeply deplore. Yet, with all its
imperfections, this volume is believed to be substantially a faithful
history of the part which the regiment had in the great conflict for
the preservation of the National Union, which was waged during the
years 1862-1865; and, as such, it is certainly a history of which all
those who participated in it may well be proud.

                                                                 H. S. B.
  PORTLAND, ME., Sept. 26, 1883.




CONTENTS.


  CHAPTER I.                                                        PAGE

  ORGANIZATION OF THE REGIMENT.--ALONZO A. WHITE                    1-10


  CHAPTER II.

  TO THE FRONT.--ALONZO A. WHITE                                   11-18


  CHAPTER III.

  IN VIRGINIA.--ALONZO A. WHITE                                    19-36


  CHAPTER IV.

  THE KENTUCKY CAMPAIGN.--S. ALONZO RANLETT                        37-48


  CHAPTER V.

  IN THE REAR OF VICKSBURG.--S. ALONZO RANLETT                     49-57


  CHAPTER VI.

  THE MOVEMENT ON JACKSON.--S. ALONZO RANLETT                      58-72


  CHAPTER VII.

  THE RETURN TO KENTUCKY.--S. ALONZO RANLETT                       73-78


  CHAPTER VIII.

  IN EAST TENNESSEE.--S. ALONZO RANLETT                            79-87


  CHAPTER IX.

  THE RETREAT FROM LENOIR'S AND THE BATTLE OF CAMPBELL'S
  STATION.--HENRY S. BURRAGE                                      88-100


  CHAPTER X.

  THE SIEGE OF KNOXVILLE.--HENRY S. BURRAGE                      101-122


  CHAPTER XI.

  SUBSEQUENT OPERATIONS IN EAST TENNESSEE.--HENRY S. BURRAGE     123-134


  CHAPTER XII.

  REORGANIZATION.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                           135-145


  CHAPTER XIII.

  IN THE WILDERNESS.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                        146-159


  CHAPTER XIV.

  AT SPOTTSYLVANIA.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                         160-177


  CHAPTER XV.

  ON THE NORTH ANNA AND THE PAMUNKEY.--WILLIAM H.
  HODGKINS                                                       178-187


  CHAPTER XVI.

  AT COLD HARBOR.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                           188-200


  CHAPTER XVII.

  THE MOVEMENT ON PETERSBURG.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS               201-215


  CHAPTER XVIII.

  IN THE TRENCHES.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                          216-222


  CHAPTER XIX.

  DIARY OF THE SIEGE.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                       223-232


  CHAPTER XX.

  THE MINE AFFAIR.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                          233-241


  CHAPTER XXI.

  THE SIEGE CONTINUED.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                      242-252


  CHAPTER XXII.

  IN THE PINES.--EDMUND W. NOYES                                 253-257


  CHAPTER XXIII.

  THE ACTION AT PEGRAM FARM.--EDMUND W. NOYES                    258-265


  CHAPTER XXIV.

  AGAIN IN THE TRENCHES.--EDMUND W. NOYES                        266-275


  CHAPTER XXV.

  IN WINTER QUARTERS.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                       276-281


  CHAPTER XXVI.

  THE FINAL ASSAULT AT PETERSBURG.--WILLIAM M. OLIN              282-291


  CHAPTER XXVII.

  CLOSING SCENES.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                           292-311


  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  CONCLUSION.--WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                               312-315


  ROSTER AND RECORD OF THE THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT OF
  MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS, COMPILED AND CORRECTED
  BY WILLIAM H. HODGKINS                                             316

  RECAPITULATION                                                     385

  NAMES OF MEMBERS OF THE REGIMENT WHO DIED IN REBEL
  PRISONS                                                            386

  NARRATIVE OF ISRAEL H. SMITH                                       387

  INDEX                                                              391

                         THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
                       MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS.




CHAPTER I.

ORGANIZATION OF THE REGIMENT.


Early in July, 1862, when the war of the rebellion had been in progress
a little more than a year, President Lincoln issued an order for three
hundred thousand volunteers, to serve three years, or during the war.
It was a time of sore discouragement and general depression throughout
the loyal States. Our army in Virginia, under General McClellan, during
a seven days' fight near the Chickahominy, had met with such reverses
that it had been compelled to "make a change of base," and fall back
to the James river, near Harrison's Landing. Nobly, however, and
cheerfully, did the people of the North respond to the President's call
for reinforcements. On every hand was heard the chorus:--

"We're coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more."

Massachusetts was not behind her sister States in raising her quota,
which was fifteen thousand men. In a general order, dated July 7, 1862,
Governor Andrew announced the call which had been made upon him by the
President, stated the number of men which every city and town would
be required to furnish, and closed with these words: "The government
demands new regiments, and our brave men who have so nobly upheld
the honor of Massachusetts call loudly from the battle-fields of the
South to their brethren at home to come forward at once and fill their
decimated ranks, and take the places of the brave men who have fallen
and suffered in the cause of the Union and of American Constitutional
Liberty." Like the blast of a trumpet this order stirred the hearts
of the people in all parts of the state, and cities and towns vied
with each other, in patriotic endeavors to hurry forward the work of
enlistment.

A subsequent order, dated July 16, 1862, containing instructions
relative to the new recruitment, designated Camp John E. Wool, at
the city of Worcester, as the general rendezvous for the counties of
Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester. Colonel George
H. Ward, of the Fifteenth Massachusetts Volunteers, who had lost a
leg at the battle of Ball's Bluff, and was now at home on account of
disability, was placed in command of the camp.

The order of July 7th contained this announcement: "The new regiments
now partly formed, and to be formed, are the Thirty-second,
Thirty-third, Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth, and
Thirty-seventh. To complete these regiments to the maximum standard,
the Thirty-second regiment requires 300 men; the Thirty-third, 650
men; the Thirty-fourth, 800 men; and the Thirty-fifth, 850 men." It
was accordingly ordered that recruiting for the Thirty-sixth and
Thirty-seventh regiments should not commence until the four first named
were filled. The order, however, was not strictly observed.

The first detachment for the Thirty-sixth entered Camp Wool August 1st,
and was a part of the quota of the town of Fitchburg. This detachment
consisted of sixty-four men, under the command of Captain T. L. Barker.
Recruits for the regiment had been received at Camp Wool previous to
August 1st; but this was the first organized company in camp, and, in
the organization of the regiment, it was assigned to the right of
the line, and known as Company A. As early as August 6th this company
had its minimum number of recruits; and, in a few days, others, from
Fitchburg, Leominster, and adjacent towns, raised the number to the
maximum.

Company B, Captain John B. Norton, was recruited in Charlestown during
the month of July. It was at first intended that this company should
be attached to the Thirty-fourth Regiment as a flank company, and
the officers at first received commissions in that regiment; but the
requisite authority for such a company could not be obtained at the
War Department, and the company was transferred to the Thirty-sixth,
and the officers recommissioned. For a time, very naturally, it was
a disappointment to the members of this company that they could not
remain in the Thirty-fourth; but of the survivors there is, doubtless,
not one who is not satisfied that the record of the company was made
with the Thirty-sixth.

Recruiting for Company C was commenced in the city of Worcester, August
8th, and on the 12th the company was full. Eight days after, under the
command of Captain Arthur A. Goodell, the company entered Camp Wool. No
other company in the regiment was raised in so brief a space of time.

Company D was recruited principally in the towns of Templeton and
Winchendon. The first detachment entered Camp Wool, August 4, under the
command of Captain Amos Buffum, of Baldwinville, late second lieutenant
in the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts Volunteers. In a few days the ranks
of this company were full.

The men of Company E were recruited from the towns of Palmer, Monson,
and the western towns of Worcester County. The first detachment entered
Camp Wool, August 10th, under the command of First Lieutenant R. M.
Cross. Captain S. C. Warriner, who had been discharged from the Tenth
Massachusetts Volunteers, in order to accept a captain's commission
in the Thirty-sixth, arrived in camp about the 20th of August, and
assumed command of the company, and completed its organization.

Company F was formed principally of recruits from Milford and vicinity,
with a detachment from Sutton. The first detachment arrived at Camp
Wool August 10th, under the command of Second Lieutenant A. S. Tuttle.
He remained in command of the company until September 17, when Captain
William F. Draper, promoted from first lieutenant in the Twenty-fifth
Massachusetts Volunteers, joined the regiment then in the field, and
assumed command of the company.

Company G was organized from unassigned recruits, representing the
eastern towns of Worcester County. S. Henry Bailey, of Northboro', was
commissioned captain of the company August 22d.

Company H was formed by adding to the quotas of Gardner and Orange
the unassigned recruits then in camp; and Christopher Sawyer, of
Templeton, who had entered Camp Wool as first sergeant of Company D,
was commissioned captain of this company August 22d.

Company I was recruited in Berlin, Marlboro', Upton, Uxbridge, and
adjoining towns, and entered Camp Wool in the early part of August,
under the command of Captain Christopher Hastings, of Berlin. The
company was filled to the maximum a few days after entering camp.
Indeed, Captain Hastings recruited men enough nearly to fill two
companies.

Company K, like G and H, was formed of unassigned recruits from the
various towns whose quotas reported at Camp Wool. James B. Smith, late
first lieutenant in the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts Volunteers, was
commissioned captain of the company.

On the 27th of August these ten companies, constituting the
Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Volunteers, having completed their
organization, were mustered into the United States service, for three
years, unless sooner discharged.

The field, staff, and line officers were not mustered into the service
until September 2d, the day the regiment left Camp Wool for the seat of
war. Indeed, for the most part, the field officers were not appointed
until after the mustering in of the regiment.

Lieutenant-Colonel John W. Kimball, of Fitchburg, then serving in the
Fifteenth Regiment,--a true and accomplished officer,--was commissioned
colonel of the Thirty-sixth, August 11th, and application was made
by Governor Andrew for his discharge from the Fifteenth, in order to
accept promotion. But, in the critical state of affairs at that time,
it was not deemed advisable by the authorities at Washington to grant
the governor's request. Consequently, on the 22d of August, Major Henry
Bowman, of the Thirty-fourth regiment, then at Camp Casey, on Arlington
Heights, was promoted to the colonelcy of the Thirty-sixth; and,
receiving his discharge from the Thirty-fourth, he at once joined his
command at Camp Wool.

Captain John B. Norton, of Charlestown, who entered Camp Wool as
captain of Company B, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, August 28th,
and on the same day, James H. Barker, of Milford, was commissioned
major.

James P. Prince, of Lynn, was commissioned surgeon, with Warren
Tyler, of North Brookfield, and Albert H. Bryant, of Natick, as
assistant-surgeons. Rev. Charles T. Canfield, of Worcester, was
commissioned chaplain, and F. B. Rice, also of Worcester, as first
lieutenant and quartermaster. An adjutant was not appointed until a
later date.

The regiment was now nearly ready for the field. Most of the men had
been hurried into camp, with the promise of a few days' furlough
before leaving the State. Many of them had left their business affairs
unsettled and their families unprovided for. But all applications for
furlough were denied by the United States officer at Boston, who was
in charge of mustered regiments. Colonel Ward endeavored to secure
a furlough for the men; but his efforts proved unavailing. Colonel
Bowman, on joining the regiment, and learning the condition of affairs,
renewed these efforts, stating his unwillingness to leave the State
until the pledge which had been given to the men had, in a measure at
least, been redeemed.

On Saturday, August 30th, Colonel Bowman received orders to have
the Thirty-sixth Regiment ready to leave for Washington as early as
September 2d. At the same time he was given permission to grant to his
men furloughs for twenty-four hours, one-half of the regiment only to
be absent from camp at the same time. This order was not received by
Colonel Bowman until late Saturday afternoon. Accordingly, furloughs
were granted first of all to those men whose homes were at the greatest
distance from the camp. These were to return Monday morning, when the
rest of the men would receive their furloughs. This second half of
the regiment, by some mysterious process, became very small Saturday
evening and on Sunday. The sentinels paced their beats, but in some
instances so absorbed in their duties as seemingly to have lost the
sense both of sight and hearing.

A sergeant, with a comrade, making the rounds of his guard late on one
of these nights, found a faithful son of Erin walking his beat with
soldier-like precision. As they approached he promptly challenged:
"Who goes there?" and was as quickly answered, "Friend, with the
countersign." As they approached to give the countersign, the sergeant
asked, in confiding tones, "Could anyone get out here?" The sentinel,
as confidingly, asked, "Would ye bring a little whiskey? Be jabbers a
pint of whiskey might make a man both blind and _dafe_!" He then turned
his back, and marched away.

But while it was a great disappointment to the men to lose the few
days' furlough which had been promised to them, and especially to those
who had important business interests that demanded attention, leading
in some cases to a seeming disregard of discipline, yet all of the
companies were in camp on Tuesday morning. At an early hour on that
day the company commanders drew arms (Enfield rifles) and equipments
for their men, and these were at once distributed among them. All was
bustle and confusion throughout the camp. Few of the men had had any
experience as soldiers, and the selection and adjustment of their arms
and equipments, as well as the brief space of time allotted for these
and other preparations for moving, made it look still more difficult
and annoying.

Late in the forenoon the regimental line was formed, and a beautiful
national flag was presented to the regiment by Honorable P. Emory
Aldrich, Mayor of Worcester. In presenting the flag the Mayor said:--

  "_Colonel Bowman_,--Your friends, and the friends of your command
  in this city, have procured this beautiful banner, and requested me
  to present it to you as the worthy commander of the Thirty-sixth
  Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers for the war. It will be seen
  that its azure fold is studded with the full constellation of
  stars, representing the undivided Union, and that not one of the
  original stripes is omitted or erased, showing that, however much
  your friends may deplore the present unhappy condition of our
  distracted and bleeding country, they still firmly believe that,
  when the clouds of war that now lower upon us shall have passed
  away, these stars will again shine as from a clear and cloudless
  sky with none of their ancient lustre lost or obscured. And permit
  me to say that this flag, still unchanged and radiant, signifies,
  in the truest and highest sense, the kind of service expected
  of you and this noble regiment you are about to lead from this
  comparatively peaceful camp of preparation to the stern and heroic
  duties of the field; that you are to aid, by force of arms, in
  restoring the Union, which traitors have temporarily impaired, and
  in reestablishing the supremacy of the constitution and laws over
  every portion of territory lying within the acknowledged boundaries
  of the Union, from the great lakes to the gulf, and from the
  Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, so that, when you and your brave
  comrades return, as we trust you will, with this flag, soiled and
  rent it may be by the smoke and leaden hail of battle,[1] you
  shall bring it back, not as the sign of a shattered constitution,
  and dissevered Union, but as the proud emblem of a reunited and
  indivisible republic, and then it shall continue to be known and
  honored throughout the civilized world, and everywhere become a
  free and safe passport to all men of every race who have the right
  to claim protection beneath its ample folds.

[1] "Soiled and rent," its staff shattered, this flag, which was
carried by the regiment throughout its entire period of service, is
now preserved in the State House, in Boston, with the flags of the
Massachusetts regiments.

  "In delivering this proud ensign of our nationality into your
  hands, your friends know they are entrusting it to one who is not
  only familiar with the ordinary duties of the soldier, but to one
  who has been tried and not found wanting amidst the perils and
  carnage of the battle-field, and who has suffered what is more
  intolerable to every true soldier than any dangers of field or
  camp, and that is captivity and confinement for weary months in
  the loathsome prisons of the enemy; and now, after protracted
  and vexatious delays, you have but recently been relieved from
  your parole, so that you can, without dishonor, enter again the
  military service of your country; and, having availed yourself
  of the earliest opportunity to return to avenge your own and
  your country's wrongs, may a propitious Providence and all good
  influences attend you, and protect you, and your command in every
  hour of trial and danger.

  "Yours is the fourth regiment which has been organized within
  this enclosure, which may now very properly be called our _Campus
  Martius_, and the fifth that has gone out from our city within
  the last twelve months. The Fifteenth, beginning its brilliant
  career at Ball's Bluff,--where, indeed, it encountered a repulse
  for which neither its officers nor men were responsible,--has
  with signal gallantry fought its way over many a bloody field
  to a high position on the roll of fame. And the Twenty-first
  and Twenty-fifth, being with each other in the performance of
  patriotic duty, and in the memorable race for military renown, have
  made Roanoke and Newberne, and other fields, wherein they have
  exhibited the highest qualities of the soldier, ever memorable both
  to friend and foe. And it is not altogether improbable that the
  Thirty-fourth, which took up its line of march but a few days since
  from this camp, under the accomplished Wells,[2] may have already
  found itself involved in the smoke of its first battle, and taking
  its first lesson in the art of war. And scarcely will your regiment
  have left our presence, before another will encamp within the
  limits of the city. And we bid you tell our brethren in the field
  that thus shall regiment after regiment, in endless succession,
  be sent to their aid until this accursed rebellion is utterly
  extinguished.

[2] Colonel Wells was killed near Cedar Creek, Va., Oct. 13, 1864.

  "The lateness of the hour, the necessity of your moving at once,
  admonish me that I should omit a portion of what I had proposed to
  say on this occasion; but this is of little account, and I would
  not delay your march for a single moment to listen to any poor
  words of mine. Words in this hour are simply air. Action--instant,
  resistless, heroic action--is the only thing that can avail us
  in this perilous crisis. And I can only add that, while you and
  these brave men who are to follow you, will do your full duty in
  upholding and restoring the authority of the constitution and its
  laws, you can never fail in loyalty, and the great idea of liberty
  which now inspires the hearts and nerves the hands of all the loyal
  men of the land; and that, when you have marched through rebel
  districts, none but loyal and _free men_ shall be found. And now
  accept this standard, proffered by friendly hands, and let it be
  borne in your regiment as the emblem of liberty and law. And should
  you or any of those, your comrades in arms, fall in its defence,
  your memories shall be held in grateful remembrance, and history
  will preserve their names among those of heroes and martyrs who
  have died to defend or consecrate a great and noble cause. Remember
  that the life is longest which best answers life's great end, and
  that to die upon the battle-field in defence of the liberties of
  mankind is the most cherished road to immortality."

The band played the "Star-Spangled Banner," and Colonel Bowman
responded in patriotic terms.

The several companies of the regiment then marched to Agricultural
Hall,--a large building on the camp ground,--where a bountiful
collation had been provided by the friends of the regiment. Then
followed the filling of haversacks, the packing of knapsacks, and all
were soon in readiness for the order to move.




CHAPTER II.

TO THE FRONT.


There was no delay. At noon, Tuesday, September 2d, the assembly was
sounded, the line was formed, and the Thirty-sixth, with a large number
of the friends of the regiment, who had come to say a long and perhaps
a last farewell, left Camp Wool amid the cheers of a great throng of
people assembled along the line of march to witness the departure of
the regiment, and moved up Highland street, through Main street, to
the Common. There cars were in waiting. These were soon filled, the
horses and baggage were taken aboard, the last farewells were spoken,
and, about two o'clock, followed by the loud cheers of the multitude,
and the waving of adieus, the long train drew out of the station, and
hurried toward Boston. On the arrival of the regiment in Boston the
line was again formed, and the Thirty-sixth, receiving a brilliant
ovation from the citizens, marched through Washington street, down
State street to Battery wharf, where the steamer "Merrimac," a new and
large ocean steamer, was in readiness to receive us. One-half of the
steamer had been assigned to the Twentieth Maine, Colonel Adelbert
Ames, and his regiment was already on board, having arrived from
Portland earlier in the day. In the crowded condition of the steamer
there was, necessarily, some delay in getting the companies into the
places to which they were assigned, and also in transferring the
horses and baggage; and it was not until late in the evening that the
embarkation was accomplished; then the steamer dropped out into the
stream. Early the next morning, September 3d, the "Merrimac" left her
anchorage and steamed down the harbor into the bay.

We soon learned that our destination was Alexandria, Va. The voyage
throughout was a pleasant one, and the men of the two regiments mingled
in friendly companionship. On the second day out, on the quarter-deck,
some of the men of Company B gave an exhibition, consisting of
singing, declamations, etc., which was greatly enjoyed by a large
and enthusiastic audience. Friday noon we reached the capes of the
Chesapeake, had a glimpse of Fortress Monroe, and, moving up the bay,
many of us looked upon the "sacred soil" for the first time; the
steamer entered the Potomac river about ten o'clock in the evening, and
shortly after midnight came to anchor. At five o'clock Saturday morning
we again were under way, and had a most delightful sail up the Potomac,
with both shores in full view. At length we passed Mt. Vernon, once the
home and now the grave of Washington, and soon after, about noon, we
were at the wharf in Alexandria.

Here we learned that the Thirty-fourth Massachusetts, which left
Worcester August 15th, was doing guard duty and building fortifications
near Alexandria. The Twentieth Maine was landed, but we remained on
the steamer during the night. The next morning, Sunday, September 7th,
we were transferred to the steamer "City of Norwich," in which we
proceeded up the river to Washington, and landed not far from the Navy
Yard.

Lee, in the last days of August, had defeated Pope within sound of the
capitol, and was now pushing his victorious columns northward with
the purpose of carrying the war into the Union States. The forces
under General McClellan, who was again in command of the army, were
also moving northward, but through Maryland, in order to intercept
Lee's columns and give him battle. We encamped near the capitol until
September 9th, when, having been assigned to General Burnside's
command, the Ninth Corps, we left Washington, and marched to
Leesboro'. But Burnside was no longer there, and several days were lost
in obtaining further orders. September 12th the regiment left Leesboro'
at an early hour, and marched about twelve miles, to Brookville, near
which we went into camp on a beautiful grassy <DW72> belonging to the
estate of Hon. John Hall, formerly of the United States Post-Office
Department. Near us was the camp of the First Rhode Island Cavalry.

On Sunday, September 14th, we held our first religious service in the
field, and the chaplain preached. On that day the distant sound of
artillery was heard, and we knew that, somewhere beyond us, the two
armies had again met. It was the day of the battle of South Mountain,
in which General Burnside, it will be remembered, gained an important
battle, carrying the mountain pass which Lee had directed his forces to
hold "at every hazard."

On Monday, September 15th, Colonel Bowman received from a mounted
orderly a note written in pencil, which purported to be an order from
General McClellan, signed "R. B. Marcy, Chief of Staff," directing all
troops on the road to hurry forward as rapidly as possible. Colonel
Bowman doubted the genuineness of this hasty scrawl, and the more so
on account of the appearance of suspicious persons about the camp the
night before. Not knowing the result of the battle of the previous
day, and afraid that an attempt might be made to capture his regiment
in its isolated position, he decided not to