A Sketch of the 29th Regiment of Connecticut Colored Troops

by Isaac J. Hill

The morning of the 14th inst. the Colonel sprang to his feet at 4 o'clock and gave the order "Attention." The boys all arose from their dusty beds, waiting for the order to load, expecting to take the advance pickets, but at this juncture the General sent an order for him to fall back to the fort at Malvern Hill. We got breakfast and the men were stationary. All was quiet until one P.M., when the rebels attacked the pickets that were stationed on the outposts. The Colonel gave the order "Fall in." For the first time the boys put on their equipments and fell in; and when the order was given "Forward," they rushed to the battle in good order. Quite a battle took place, at which time a number were killed and wounded on both sides, and we took a number of prisoners.

On the 15th inst. we remained quiet, with the exception of some skirmishing. The 16th, we received orders to move the regiment and join the 3d division 10th army corps, General Birney's brigade having at this time fallen in with the 22d, 7th, 8th and 9th U.S. C. Troops, and with the 29th they numbered 5,000. At 2 P.M. we took up our line of march for Jones' landing. We crossed the pontoon bridge and marched up the valley in a drenching rain, and in the midst of the deep mud the boys were cheerful. We arrived at our place of destination at 7 P.M. and rested in an open field in the rear of the advance pickets. The boys stacked their arms and commenced putting up their shelter tents. I took my tin cup and coffee, and prepared supper for the Colonel, Lieut. Colonel, Major and Adjutant. After this I was at my wits end to find a place for them to sleep; at last I formed this plan: I got nine rails and laid three abreast and spread the blankets on them, and the Colonel and Major laid down. The Lieut. Colonel laid on the ground. I slept on the third tier, and being tired rested comfortably. The night passed swiftly, and the morning of the 17th we rose early and got breakfast, and awaited the order to advance to the front. At 10 A.M. we halted in the woods, and the boys commenced clearing up to pitch their tents, and while they were at work the General rode up at one P.M. and told the Colonel to draw the division back to its former position, which they did in good order. We got dinner and remained but a short time, when the rebels commenced driving in our pickets, and the order was given to "fall in," and the men fell in in good order, and rushed to the battle; the 29th had the right centre, the 22d formed next to the 29th on the right of the centre, the 7th on the left of the centre, and the 9th in the centre. At the command "left flank," the whole column marched at double quick. They halted at the woods, and quite a battle took place, at which time our Lieut. Colonel was wounded in the leg and his horse was shot from under him; he has since recovered. We remained in line of battle till 12 o'clock, and to the surprise of officers and men not a soldier of the 29th was killed or wounded, I being the only one that a ball struck. While standing on an elevated spot a rebel ball struck my hat and caused me to look around.

On the 17th inst. the whole column moved back and remained all day where Gen'l McClellan retreated from in the fall of 1861, twelve miles from Richmond. We remained there until the 18th instant, and at 8 P.M. the whole corps and 3d division moved down the valley. We halted in an open field for two hours opposite the pontoon bridge crossing the Chickahomney, at which time the order was given "Attention." The whole regiment came in line, and when the order was given "Forward," the column marched towards the bridge and halted on the bridge, on account of a broken plank. The bridge being repaired, which detained us an hour, we again took up the line of march and passed the general headquarters, almost to our original position, and halted for the day in an open field.

The 19th instant we remained quiet. The 20th we started for the front of Petersburg, and marched in a drenching rain to the forts on the right of the Point of Rocks hospital. The 21st—came near being flanked by the rebels, and marched back to Malvern Hill and repaired breastworks. The 22d had quite a skirmish with the rebels, when we were quite successful, killing and taking 75 prisoners, and had as yet lost none of the 29th regiment in killed or wounded. We left on the day of the 23d for the front of Petersburg again, and at 10 A.M. crossed the James river on the pontoon bridge, and passed the heights where the first New Jersey battery was stationed. We arrived in front of Petersburg at 2 P.M. and were amused looking at the doomed city. The rebels sent a shell, which passed over the regiment, and fell close to the Colonel, who was sitting on his horse at the right of the brigade; he gave the order "Attention," and countermarched the regiment and fell back to the woods, and waited the order from the General, which he received at 5 P.M. to fall back to the fort four miles distant, to protect the pontoon bridge opposite the Point of Rocks, where we arrived at 6 P.M. coming at almost double quick. On our return the roadside was strewn with stragglers from different regiments, and when the column met them they inquired the cause of our return, and the reply of the boys was "the rebels are after us." It was a source of laughter to us to find the stragglers falling in, and many of them could out walk the well soldiers when they heard the rebels were coming. We remained the night of the 23d at the fort in a drenching rain, and the Johnnies did not come.

On the morning of the 24th I found quite a number of my white friends from home—Dr. Clark from Woodbury, N.J., and others. We were glad to meet again alive, and talked of beloved friends at home, and the morning passed rapidly and pleasantly to all. At one P.M. the order came for the regiment to return to the front of Petersburg, when the white soldiers seemed to regret that the 29th were going to leave the fort. We took up our line of march and at 3 P.M. were again in front of the land of Destruction, which was Petersburg. We halted in the rear of Gen. Birney's headquarters and got supper, after which the regiment moved to the rifle pits, with the exception of a few detailed men, of which I was one. I was attracted by the remarks of a white soldier as we left the fort. He looked at the colored troops and said, "Well, they are taking those colored men to their slaughter pen in front of Petersburg." Truly his saying was correct, for on the first night Co. H felt the first stroke, having the first man killed out of the 29th regiment. It was private Henry Mings, a native of Africa, who emigrated to this country in 1862, and joined the 29th Connecticut Volunteers Jan'y, 1864. He was very broken in speech, being a regular African, and was, as is too often the case among soldiers, a very wicked man. He died as he lived, a rebel to his God but true to this country.

On the 25th, Co. K felt the horrors of war. Private Samuel Burton was killed, being shot through the head while moving the company; he was a resident of Hartford, Conn. On the 26th Co. D felt the blow. Private George Porter was shot in the shoulder, and died at the hospital four days after. On the 27th Col. Wooster was brought in from the rifle pits quite sick. The 28th we lost our first officer, a worthy man, who was captured while out strengthening the pickets on the outpost. On the 29th we had two men killed, I could not ascertain their names, but they belonged to Co. A. On the 30th we had two killed, one out of Co. B, and one out of another company. The 31st we lost two men out of Co. E, and one out of Co. K, private Chester Phillox.

Sept. 1st, we struck tents in front of Petersburg, and took up our line of march for our place of destination, unknown to all but the Generals. When the line was drawn up, the colored troops of the 3d division, 10th army corps, numbered 75,000, the 29th forming the centre. At 3 P.M. we started on the main road leading direct to City Point, thinking we were going by transport to some place of rest, but about 12 o'clock the same night our hopes were blasted, when we took the left hand road leading to Broadway Landing, and we soon found ourselves crossing the pontoon bridge that brought us in the rear of Petersburg. Daylight found us on the Old Market road leading direct to the front of Richmond. We marched all night.

Eight o'clock, on the morning of the 2d inst. found the whole brigade engaged in front of the enemy; we drove them five miles, and at 1 P.M. were inside the rebels' first line of works surrounding Richmond. We had a hard battle, commencing at 2 P M., and had been engaged three hours when a charge was made on two of the rebel forts. The left of the line was charged by the 8th U.S.C. troops, supported by the 29th. The centre was charged by the 9th Maryland, supported by the 7th U.S.C. troops. The day was one long to be remembered; the rebels fought hard, but the colored troops carried the day, and night found us in the rebels' line of works. We lost quite a number of brave men and among the wounded of the 29th was Capt. Thorpe and Lieut. McDonald; we greatly regretted their loss, but to the surprise of all not one of the 29th was killed; they all came out of the fight well. When I looked upon the dead and wounded, it was awful to see the piles of legs and arms that the surgeons cut off and threw in heaps on the ground. We lay in front of the works all night, and the morning of the 3d we had quite a warm reception. The bombarding was heavy on both sides, and we could frequently see rebels carrying their dead and wounded out of their trenches and forts. We had several wounded but none killed. The Colonel being unable for duty, Major D. was in command, who was a worthy and careful commander, and gained high praise from both officers and men. The Colonel, officers and men generally, regretted the absence of Lieut. Col. J.C. Ward, who was at that time sick at Fortress Monroe.

The morning of the 4th inst. we moved on the left of the line, and planted our flag under the rebel fire of grape and canister, bombshell and musketry. When the rear guards came over the field the dead lay strewed on the ground, but to my surprise we could find none of the 29th killed. The 5th inst. we rested in the rifle pits, with the advance pickets thrown out in front of the third fort of the rebels; nothing went on of importance, except the artillery fought a duel with the rebel fort at long range. On the 6th instant, we remained still in the breastworks. On the 7th we received orders to fall back to the general headquarters to rest. The 29th had just reached their resting place when a fight broke out in the centre, and they were ordered back to the breastworks on double quick. On the 8th we remained at the breastworks until 3 P.M. and then received orders to move on the right to support the 45th at the fort on Lookout mountain. We arrived at Lookout at 6 P.M., tired and weary, and hoped to encamp for the night, but at 10 o'clock our hopes were blasted by an order, stating that the 29th must return to the front to support the 8th U.S. C. troops, then laying in the breastworks. We remained at this post six days, when the General ordered a scout to explore the woods in front of the rebels. We left camp in front of the breastworks at two P.M. on the 14th inst. and as we were accustomed to have it rain, the rain fell in torrents, but General Birney gallantly led his band of the 3d division, 10th army corps, numbering 75,000 colored troops. We arrived at our destination, and the General ordered out the skirmishers, but whether he saw any rebels, or saw too many of them to engage in a fight is yet a profound secret, but the night of the 14th inst. found us back in camp in the rear of the breastworks. The rain kept falling. The men were ordered to have two days' rations and be ready to fall in at one A.M. in light marching order, without knapsacks. Col. Ward, then in command of the 29th, said to me, "Hill, I would like you to be close to me, as I shall want you early in the morning." At this I spread my blanket on the wet ground and lay down to rest; sleep had fled from me, and as I looked at the Colonel I could see a change in his countenance. Adjutant Spalding, who had but lately rejoined the regiment, was also with us. There seemed to be an uneasiness among the field officers. The morning of the 15th inst. rolled round, and at 3 o'clock the line was formed and gradually moved off to the right, and as we marched along the Captain of Co. D commenced singing "Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Is this vain world a friend to grace, to help me on to God?" These sublime words oftentimes cheered the moving column as it marched through the dreary roads of Virginia. When the glorious sun arose it found us on the extreme right of the front, three miles from Richmond, where the white troops were repulsed on the 6th inst. The column was halted and drawn up in line of battle in front of the woods, the white troops on the right, and the colored troops on the left, the 8th and 29th forming in the centre, the 29th supporting the 8th. They entered the woods, and immediately attacked the enemy, and at 8 A.M. the battle became general along the whole line, and many a brave soldier fell, killed or wounded. Among them were thirteen of the 29th. The Adjutant fell wounded early in the engagement; Corporal George Burr, Co. L, Corporal Sidney of Co. H, private Joseph Halstead of Co. D, killed instantly. George E. Peters wounded in the side, Sergeant James Evans wounded in the foot by a piece of shell. To my regret, George Halstead was left on the field dead.