Campaign of the Fourteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers

by J. Newton Terrill

Behind the Union lines there were many bands of guerillas, and a large population that were hostile to the government, making it necessary to guard every foot of road or river used in supplying our armies. In the South a reign of military despotism prevailed which made every man and boy capable of bearing arms a soldier, and those who could not bear arms in the field acted as Provost Guards for collecting deserters and returning them; thus enabling the enemy to bring almost his entire strength in the field. Active preparations were now made on both sides for the campaign which was shortly to open; of the magnitude of the work before us none then knew. The enemy had concentrated the bulk of their forces into two armies, commanded by Generals R. E. Lee and J. E. Johnson, their ablest and best generals. The army of the Southwest, under Sherman, was to oppose Johnson, and the army of the Potomac, under Meade, to oppose Lee, all under the immediate command of Grant. The army commanded by Lee occupied the south bank of the Rapidan, covering and defending Richmond, the rebel capital, against the army of the Potomac. The army under Johnson occupied a strongly entrenched position at Dalton, Ga., covering and defending Atlanta, a place of great importance as a railroad centre, against the armies under Sherman. These two armies and the cities covered and defended by them, were the main objects of the campaign. General Meade was instructed by Grant that Lee's army would be his objective point, and wherever Lee went he must follow. From the position of Lee's forces two different routes presented themselves, one to cross the Rapidan below Lee, moving by his right flank, the other above Lee, moving by his left. Each presented advantages over the other, with corresponding objections; by crossing above, Lee would be cut off from all correspondence with Richmond, or from going North on a raid; but if the army took this route, all we did would have to be done while the rations held out; and it separated us from Butler moving from Fortress Monroe; if we took the other route, Brandy Station could be used as a base of supplies until another was secured on the York or James River. After a long consultation with Meade, Grant decided to take the lower route.

The Potomac army had now lain in quarters five months, the men expecting every day orders to move. The papers North were urging a forward movement, but Grant knew his own plans best and wished no advisers. Three large armies were now to move on Richmond as soon as ordered by Grant; the Potomac army covering Washington and in Lee's immediate front; an army from Fortress Monroe commanded by Butler, and a large force under Seigel to move up the Shenandoah Valley.

The month of April was drawing rapidly to a close, and every preparation had been made for the campaign soon to open. Supplies were forwarded to Brandy Station in vast numbers; wagons packed with ammunition and forage; the troops furnished with clothing and shoes; all condemned horses and mules branded with the letter C and sent to Alexandria to be corralled until sold, and others sent in their places; and all batteries were furnished new guns and new horses, equipped for a hard campaign. It having now been decided by Grant to move across the Rapidan below Lee, preparations were made to start. Orders were sent to all generals commanding different posts, to move not later than May 4, and by one combined movement of all the armies to crush, if possible, the rebellion. The most formidable foe to encounter was the army under Lee; leaving the other armies to the discretion of their commanders but subject to orders, he turned his whole attention to that one point, but as usual issuing and receiving all orders. On the 1st of May the troops were all drawn up in line, and orders read to them as follows: That the campaign was soon to open; that every man must do his duty; that no straggling nor foraging would be allowed, and all private property to be protected. As there were several regiments whose term of service expired soon, they were very reluctant to move, as they had served three years faithfully. Orders were read to them especially, that if any of them were found lurking in the rear or refusing to move forward, they would be immediately shot, and commanders of regiments instructed to see that on a march the troops moved in regular order.

The 14th regiment had now sixteen months to serve of the three years. Twenty months had passed since leaving New Jersey, and numbers were no more. The regiment had been recruited and was now ready to move with six hundred men and a full compliment of officers. Owing to the weather and bad condition of the roads, operations were delayed later than was intended. Every thing being now in readiness, and the weather favorable, orders were given for the forward movement to commence immediately. The first object aimed at was to break the military power of the rebellion and capture the enemy's important stronghold. General Butler was to move on Richmond with a force from Fortress Monroe, which, if successful, would tend more to ending the war than anything else, unless it was the capture of Lee's army. If Butler failed to take Richmond, it was Grant's intention by hard fighting, either to compel Lee to retreat or so to cripple him that he could not detach a large force to go North, and still retain enough for the defences of Richmond. It was well understood by both Butler and Meade, before starting on the campaign, that it was the intention of Grant to place both armies south of the James, and in case of failure to destroy Lee without it.

Before giving Butler his final instructions, Grant visited Fortress Monroe, giving him, in minute details, the objective points of his operations, as the army of the Potomac was to move simultaneously with him. Lee could not detach from his army with safety, and the enemy could not have troops elsewhere to bring to the defences of the city in time to meet a rapid movement from the north of the James river. Commanding all our forces as Grant did, he tried to leave, as far as possible, Gen. Meade in independent command of the Potomac army. The campaign that followed proved him to be the right man in the right place; but his commanding always in the presence of an officer superior to him in rank, has drawn from him much of that public attention that his zeal and ability entitled him to, and which he would otherwise have received.

Having now given as far as possible the objects of the campaign, the results of which will hereafter be shown, I will now proceed to give a brief but true account of the campaign, in which the 14th regiment took an active part, during the ensuing sixteen months, commencing from the advance across the Rapidan, until the surrender of Lee's army and the overthrow of the rebellion.

All was quiet in camp, the men wondering when the forward movement would commence, when, on the morning of May 3d, 1864, orderlies were seen riding in all directions. That something unusual was going on was apparent to all. The long roll was beaten, the men falling in line without arms, and ordered to be ready to move in the morning, with five days' rations. The afternoon was spent in packing up and writing home, as none knew how soon the chance would be given them to write again. For five months we had spent pleasant times in Winter quarters; but those times were now over, and all the scenes of the previous years of war were to be enacted again. For a time the men had almost forgotten war. All had confidence in Grant and Meade, and hoped the war would speedily close. All surplus baggage was sent to the rear. The forward movement commenced early on the morning of the 4th of May, under the immediate direction and orders of Gen. Meade. Before night the whole army was safe across the Rapidan, the 5th and 6th corps crossing at Germania's Ford, and the 2d corps crossing at United States Ford; the cavalry under Major General Sheridan moving in advance with the greater part of the trains, numbering about 4,000 wagons, meeting with but slight opposition; passed the railroad we lay before, changing quarters with Birney's division. At last the army has moved; the Summer campaign has commenced, and the North will soon look for stirring news; with Grant as leader there is no such word as fail. The day was very fine, the air rather cool, and the troops in good spirits, anxious to change the dull monotony of camp life for more active service in the field. The distance marched that day by the troops was 15 miles. This was considered a great success, that of crossing the river in the face of an active, large, well appointed and ably commanded army. At the different fords Lee had erected very formidable breastworks to retard the advance of the Union army, but changing his plans his army remained in position in the Wilderness, and the works were found unoccupied. No signs of the enemy being seen that night, the troops encamped in a dense thicket of pines extending for miles. Lee had chosen a strong position in the woods known as the Wilderness, having erected strong earthworks and manned them with three army corps, numbering, as near as can be ascertained, 120,000 men, under command of Ewell, Longstreet and Hill.

Early on the morning of the 5th, the advance corps, the 5th, under the command of Major General G. K. Warren, met and engaged the enemy outside of their entrenchments, near Mine Run. The battle raged furiously all day, the whole army being brought into the fight as fast as the corps could be brought into the field, which, considering the density of the forest and narrowness of the roads, was done with commendable promptness. Gen. Seymour, of Florida, arrived, and was placed in command of the 2d brigade of the 3d division. Gens. Grant, Meade and staff were at the front in the thickest of the fight, and were loudly cheered by the men; some 400 prisoners were taken that day, among them several officers. Five miles only were made that day, neither side gaining any advantage; darkness coming on the firing ceased for a short time, the troops building breastworks. Gen. Ricketts and staff being near the front, a shell exploded in their midst, killing the horses of two staff officers, but not injuring them. The 3d division was divided, the 1st brigade being sent to re-enforce the centre, the 2d brigade the right; the 14th was in the fight the entire day, and lost heavily; the 2d brigade was fortunate, losing but few men. Gen. Sedgwick formed the 6th corps in position, and the men lay behind their breastworks until morning, the stars shining brightly. This was the first day's fight in the Wilderness, resulting in no material advantage to either side; but the losses were heavy, as both armies fought with desperation, and both were confident of success. Gen. Burnside was ordered from North Carolina with the 9th corps, and was at the time the army of the Potomac moved left with the bulk of his corps at the crossing of Rappahannock River and Alexandria Railroad, holding the road back to Bull Run, with instructions not to move until he received notice that a crossing of the Rapidan was secured, but to move promptly as soon as such notice was received. This crossing he was apprised of on the afternoon of the 4th, and by 6 o'clock on the morning of the 6th, he was leading his corps into action near the Wilderness Tavern, or, as it was then called, Robinson's Tavern, his troops having marched a distance of over 30 miles, crossing both the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers. Considering that a large proportion of his command, probably two-thirds, was composed of new troops, unaccustomed to marches and carrying the accoutrements of a soldier, this was a remarkable march.

The battle of the Wilderness was renewed by us on the morning of the 6th, and continued with unabated fury until darkness set in, each army holding their old positions. At night the enemy by a decisive movement succeeded in turning our right flank, and a general stampede ensued, horses, wagons and pack mules moving to the rear. The 2d brigade was in the hottest of the fight and suffered severely, the 6th Maryland losing more than one-half of their men and nearly all their officers. General Seymour, commanding the brigade, was captured together with several hundred prisoners, but the promptness of Gen. Sedgwick, who was personally present, and commanding that portion of our line, soon re-formed it and restored order; the 1st brigade still in a position near the centre and under fire, but losing few men, the troops holding their positions during the night. On the morning of the 7th, reconnoissances showed that the enemy had fallen back behind their entrenchments, with pickets to the front covering part of the battle field. From this it was evident that the past two days' fighting had satisfied Lee of his inability to further maintain the contest in the open field. Notwithstanding his advantage of position, and that he would wait an attack behind his works, as he could not be driven out by a direct assault, orders were issued to move immediately, and, if possible, get between him and Richmond. On the night of the 7th the march was commenced towards Spottsylvania Court House, the 5th corps moving on the most direct road; but the enemy became apprised of our movement and having the shorter line was enabled to reach there first. On the morning of the 8th General Warren met a force of the enemy which had been sent out to oppose and delay his advance, to gain time to fortify the line taken up at Spottsylvania. This force was steadily driven back on the main force, within their recently constructed works after considerable fighting, resulting in severe loss on both sides. It has been currently reported and afterwards believed, that the Union army was defeated in the first two days' fight in the Wilderness, but that the bull dog courage of Grant refused to stay whipped, and unlike our former generals, instead of retreating back across the Rapidan, he determined on a flank movement on the enemy's right, and although unsuccessful at first, it finally resulted in the capture of Richmond. Burnside's corps was partly composed of negro troops; they were in a fine condition and looked extremely well. All day long on Sunday (7th) the 5th corps engaged the enemy at Spottsylvania; at dark they were relieved by the 6th corps, and the 14th New Jersey was again heavily engaged. Forming in line the troops erected works during the night after marching that day fifteen miles, passing Chancellorsville, where a number of bones and skulls lay around, the remnant of the old Chancellorsville battle ground, where the rebel General Stonewall Jackson was killed. The enemy had now strongly entrenched themselves, assuming the defensive. Our losses in the last four days were severe. Finding that Lee would not again leave his works, nothing was left but to attack him, although a heavy loss of life would ensue in charging their works; there was no other alternative. In those battles thousands of brave men lost their lives in vain attempts to take the enemy's works, and hundreds of wounded were hourly brought in from various portions of the line. Hospitals were established in the rear, and surgeons were busily engaged in amputating limbs and dressing wounds. The weather was very warm, and the men suffered from thirst, as water was scarce. During the night the troops remained in line, with but little sleep.

On the morning of the 9th, General Sheridan started on a raid with a large cavalry force, to cut the enemy's communications; all day long skirmishing was kept up, but not resulting in any battle. Major General Sedgwick, who had so long commanded the 6th corps, an able and distinguished soldier, was killed; he was at the front, on the left of the 14th regiment, superintending the planting of a battery, when a bullet from a sharpshooter struck him in the forehead, killing him instantly. He was carried to the rear and his remains sent North; his loss was greatly lamented, as he was beloved by all. Major Gen. H. B. Wright succeeded him in command, the former commander of the 1st division. General Morris being with him at the time, was also wounded in the leg; Col. Truex succeeded him, being placed temporarily in command of the brigade. The night of the 9th found the men in the same position. The morning of the 10th was spent in maneuvering and fighting without any decisive results; at noon a general engagement commenced; the rattle of musketry and artillery was awful; this was the sixth day's fighting; the enemy had been flanked from their strong position in the Wilderness, at Mine Run, and with their whole force at Spottsylvania were opposing us with desperation. Orders were now read to the men that Sherman had whipped Johnson at Dalton, and that Butler was advancing on Richmond; the troops were encouraged at this news and fought desperately. At 6 o'clock a division of the 6th corps made a charge and captured a rebel brigade numbering nearly three thousand men. Nothing but skirmishing was kept up on the 11th until the morning of the 12th, when a general attack was made on the enemy in position. This day will ever be remembered as the hardest day's fighting the world ever saw; the entire line engaged in all was over 200,000 men; the woods being very dense. Early in the morning the 2d corps, Major General Hancock commanding, carried a portion of the enemy's line, capturing the most of Bushrod Johnson's division of Ewell's corps and twenty pieces of artillery; but the resistance was so obstinate that the advantage gained did not prove decisive. The rebels made three different charges to retake the line, but were foiled in every attempt, our men mowing them down like grass, as they lay piled on each other three and four deep; this was called the slaughter pen; the 1st New Jersey suffered severely in this charge. The 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th were consumed in maneuvering and skirmishing at various points, but nothing important was gained; re-inforcements were now arriving in large numbers from Washington; our losses thus far were over 20,000 men. Deeming it impracticable to make any further attack upon the enemy at Spottsylvania, orders were issued on the 18th with a view to a new movement to the North Anna river, to commence on the night of the 19th at 12 o'clock. Late on the afternoon of the 19th, Ewell's corps came out of their works on our extreme right flank, but the attack was promptly repulsed with heavy loss. This delayed the movement to the North Anna river until the night of the 21st, when it was commenced; but the enemy having again the shorter line and being in possession of the main roads, were enabled to reach the river in advance of us and took up a position behind it. At 11 o'clock the troops started, marching all night and passing Guinia Station, the enemy's former base of supplies, halting Sunday morning for breakfast, and marching altogether thirty miles; halting for the night on the main road; the 14th encamping at a place called Flipper Store; marching again on the 23d ten miles, the 5th corps reaching the river in the afternoon, followed closely by the 6th, and halting at night at Mount Carmel Church, three miles from the river; the 2d and 9th corps got up about the same time, the 2d holding the railroad bridge, and the 9th laying between that and Jerico Ford. General Warren effected a crossing the same afternoon, and succeeded in getting into position without much opposition; soon after he was violently attacked, but repulsed the enemy with great slaughter. On the morning of the 24th, the 6th corps moved five miles, crossing the river on pontoons at Jerico's Ford, and passing the enemy's rifle pits hastily thrown up, but more hastily evacuated on the approach of the 5th corps; the 2d corps now joined the others, and lay in a pine woods until morning.