Journal History of the Twenty-Ninth Ohio Veteran Volunteers, 1861-1865 / Its Victories and its Reverses. And the campaigns and battles of Winchester, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta, the March to the Sea, and the campaign of the Carolinas, in which it bore an honorable part

by J. Hamp SeCheverell

CHAPTER VII.

Frederick City—Recruits—Dumfries.

The regiment remained at Monocacy junction, guarding the immense supply trains which had accumulated here by reason of the burned bridge. Sergeant Baldwin relates that a lot of rebel prisoners passed Monocacy bridge, one of whom claimed to have fired seven shots at Colonel Buckley at the battle of Port Republic, but without effect. About September 13th, the bridge having been replaced, we moved on to Frederick city, Maryland. Here we engaged in camp, picket, and provost duty, and a large number of the men were detailed to care for the wounded from the battlefields of South Mountain and Antietam, September 14th and 17th.

In the meantime we were joined by a large number of recruits, amongst which was a brigade cornet band, composed of the following members: George Shaw, leader; Everett Shaw, assistant leader; J. G. Caskey, Jacob Koplin, Sylvanus Hile, Columbus Ferguson, N. G. Hartman, Christian Hardag, William Kurtz, George Metcalf, James Lyon, “Bige” Nickerson, Benjamin Snyder, George Turney, Micajah Rice, Bennett Wadsworth, Edward White, Frank Waltz, Eli Waltz; Gurley G. Crane, drum major.

November 25th, Colonel Clark says: “Patiently waiting in camp. ‘Dress parade’ to-day, the first many of us have seen since May last. Only about two hundred men in line. Remembering how far our line reached at Camp Giddings, our force looks small indeed.”

November 27th. “Cold and raw. A fierce gale makes our canvas houses rock like cradles. We are now having an easy time; that is all but the men and the mules. Our men go on duty every other day. As to rations, don’t think any of us will get the gout.”

November 27th. “Thanksgiving.—‘Distance lends enchantment,’ etc., to turkeys, chickens, pies, and fixin’s that make good cheer at home. Well, some of us are thankful—that we are here instead of being locked up in those dirty rebel prisons. Nine of our officers and a large number of our men have just been released. This inactivity is irksome to the volunteer who has business at home needing his attention. We hardly think Burnside will reach Richmond via Fredericksburg unless he goes as some of us did—as prisoners.”

On the 10th day of December, 1862, the regiment struck tents at Frederick City, Maryland, and moved by cars in the direction of Harper’s Ferry. At Sandy Hook a halt was made for the night; slept in freight cars; suffered severely from cold. The following day marched at 6 A. M. About noon crossed the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers into Virginia; marched about nine miles and camped for the night. Twelfth, marched at 3 P. M. some nine miles and went into camp. Thirteenth, moved at 6 A. M., marched twelve miles, halted for dinner, passed through Leesburg, and camped for the night. Fourteenth, marched at sunrise, passed through Fairfax Court House to the station, where we encamped. Fifteenth, marched till about 4 P. M., crossed Broad run and encamped for the night. Sixteenth, marched four miles in rain, snow, and mud; at 12 M. halted for dinner; had a fight with a Pennsylvania regiment over some rails that had been collected from the fence. These we used for wood occasionally in preparing our meals.

[It] is perhaps unnecessary to mention that the Twenty-ninth boys enjoyed good fires to-day. In the afternoon the Twenty-ninth went on picket one mile to the rear. Seventeenth, brigade counter-marched to Fairfax station, where it remained until the 19th, when it moved southeast about one and one-half miles to an orchard, where it encamped, and where it remained until the 27th, when it marched at 9 A. M.; reached Broad run late in the evening. On the hill on the south side of the creek was a fort occupied by rebels; the Twenty-ninth crossed the creek, halted, loaded their guns, and advanced, and a red-hot little skirmish ensued at the close of which the rebels fell back. We went into the fort, sending two companies out in the road leading towards Dumfries as skirmishers. The regiment remained on arms all night; cold and frosty. Guns are not very warm bed-fellows. Twenty-eighth, marched at 7:30 A. M., Twenty-ninth in advance of division. About 10 o’clock met some rebel cavalry; the Twenty-ninth regiment deployed into line of battle, a few shots were fired, and the rebels fell back. One man wounded in company A. While in this position Generals Slocum, Geary, and Green came up; a battery was soon in position which sent a few shots after the retreating rebel cavalry. In the afternoon marched through the woods on right of road, in line of battle, while the division moved in the road; skirmishing the balance of the day. At dark we halted three miles from Dumfries and camped for the night. Twenty-ninth, reached Dumfries’ about 10 o’clock A. M., and went into camp on the side hill in the woods north of town.

January 1, 1863, the regiment and its brigade remained at Dumfries, doing camp and picket duty, until January 16th, when it was ordered to march on two hours’ notice, did not march. On the 17th and 18th nothing transpired worthy of note. On the 19th the regiment passed in grand review by Colonel Charles Canby, of the Sixty-sixth Ohio infantry. January 27th, General Geary visited the regiment while on parade, and complimented us on our discipline, neat appearance, and soldierly deportment. February 2nd, Colonel L. P. Buckley, Adjutant T. S. Winship, Captain E. Burridge and Lieutenant Gregory, of company F, resigned and went home. Lieutenant J. B. Storer was made adjutant, and Sergeant H. R. Baldwin, of company F, promoted to captain. February 3d, Companies D and I were detached at Dumfries landing, on the Potomac, about four miles from camp, doing guard duty, unloading army supplies from boats, and loading the Second Division trains.

On the 14th some musketry firing was heard in the direction of Brentsville.

March 9th, Eli Waltz, of Company D, and a member of the brigade band, died.

April 16th, Companies D and I moved from the landing, and joined the regiment.

From the 29th day of December, 1862, the time when the Twenty-ninth regiment entered Dumfries, its duties were severe; the line of pickets was over three miles long, and over one mile from camp; and as the rebel cavalry were hovering around, the main roads entering Dumfries, were patroled at night. Our men suffered severely from cold and the protracted storms. In the meantime five companies were added to the brigade. The Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania originally had fifteen companies; five companies were added to the new recruits, and designated the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Pennsylvania, with Ario Pardee as colonel. Our first brigade now consists of the Twenty-ninth, Seventh, Fifth, and Sixty-sixth Ohio regiments, and Twenty-eighth and One Hundred and Forty-seventh Pennsylvania.

The suffering our men endured during our stay at Dumfries from inclemency of the weather, the arduous service, and the scarcity of almost every necessity, cannot be easily over-estimated, and it might with propriety go into history as a counterpart of that much written about, and extensively illustrated affair “Washington at Valley Forge.”

About the 20th day of April, 1863, with Colonel Clark in command, the Twenty-ninth regiment, with its brigade, left Dumfries, Virginia, and marched to Aqua creek, which place it reached two days later, and encamped about one mile from the Potomac river. Aqua creek is sixty miles below Washington on the river; it was used as a base for supplies, and a field hospital was soon established. The regiment with its brigade remained at this place performing the usual camp and garrison duty, building forts and, at the same time, doing its full share of picket duty. We are encamped on the hill overlooking the Potomac. To the north and west is a fine rolling country partly covered with pine timber and tangled undergrowth. All was quiet until orders were received to march; then what a bustle; haversacks were filled, each soldier furnished with sixty rounds of ammunition, and preparations made for “business.” At 7 o’clock A. M., on the 27th day of April, the regiment fell into line and moved forward on the road leading to Kelleys ford via Stafford Court House and Hartwood church, reaching the Rappahannock river at Kelley’s ford late in the afternoon. The enemy was found in small force on the south bank of the river. Late in the evening the Sixty-sixth Ohio regiment crossed the river in a small boat capable of carrying but one company at a time. The regiment deployed as skirmishers, holding the enemy back until the division had all crossed when we bivouacked for the night. The next morning we marched at 5:30 A. M., the Twenty-ninth regiment in advance; passed through a low, level country, with heavy timber; halted at 12 M. for dinner at a fine residence on a large plantation; fell in at 1:30 P. M. and moved in an easterly direction, reaching the Rapidan river late in the afternoon. The bridge had been destroyed, so that a crossing was not effected until in the evening, after which the Twenty-ninth camped for the night. 29th instant,—marched at 7:30 A. M. on the direct road to Chancellorsville. About 10 o’clock A. M. General Slocum came up and orders were received for the Twenty-ninth regiment to send out a line of skirmishers on the right of the road, which was done, the regiment passing through an open field and entering the timber, forcing the enemy back; marched on the flank through the woods and thick undergrowth for several miles, were then ordered to join the brigade. We reached Chancellorsville late in the afternoon of April 30th, where we found a small force of Confederate soldiers who were engaged in throwing up earthworks near the Chancellor house, at a point where the roads crossed, one leading to the United States ford, and the other to Fredericksburg. The Twenty-ninth regiment, with its brigade and division, were the first Union soldiers to enter the place. A number of prisoners were taken, and late in the evening the Twenty-ninth moved a short distance southwest from the main road and the Chancellor house into a piece of timber and bivouacked for the night.