The Sword and Gun: A History of the 37th Wis. Volunteer Infantry

by R. C. Eden

But more stirring scenes in the drama were at hand, time was rolling along, and the 25th of March and 2d of April were approaching. The rebellion, which the most sanguine of us never expected to end before July, was even then tottering to its fall, and a few weeks more were to see its final overthrow.

Ever since the nocturnal picket skirmish, I have mentioned above, the general commanding the division had impressed on us the necessity of exercising an extra amount of vigilance and caution; trench guards were doubled, the constant supervision of the picket line and reports as to the vigilance and efficiency of officers and men on duty there, were rendered an imperative part of the duties of the brigade officer of the day; brigade and regimental commanders exercised, in most cases, a sleepless and cat-like supervision of everything that occurred within the rebel lines, within their scope of observation; the signal man on the Avery House waved his flags and lanterns, frantically, day and night; our days were spent with field glasses and telescopes stuck to our eyes as if they grew there, and our night's rest was broken by orders sent round three or four times a night exacting the observance of the greatest vigilance or demanding information as to the movements of the enemy.

Our position became like that of "Sister Ann" in Bluebeard's tower and the part of Fatima, was, as the play bills say, "ably sustained" by our commanding generals, in their perpetual demands, as to whether "We saw anybody coming?"

On the morning of the 25th of March we were aroused from such restless sleep as we were in the habit of taking in those days, by the sound of three shots fired in rapid succession from the rebel lines, and quickly followed by a scattering fire of musketry. A very few minutes sufficed for the donning of arms and accoutrements, and in less time than it takes to read this page, we were under arms and awaiting orders.

Meantime the batteries on either side had opened and were keeping up a very lively interchange of missiles; close on our right the second brigade was evidently warmly engaged, as a lively musketry fire, enlivened once in a while with the report of a heavy gun, testified. The morning was dull and cloudy and nothing had yet occurred to enable us to form any conclusion as to what was on hand, but, after a few minutes we were ordered down to the right of the brigade and drawn up on the flank, at right angles to the main line of works, and here we began to gather an inkling of the facts of the case.

Right in our front, on an eminence on the opposite side of a ravine, on one side of which we lay snugly ensconced behind a light line of works, was Fort Steadman, a large and very strong work built on Hare Hill, the spot where we had encamped nearly a year ago, just after the battle of the 18th of June. In and around this a fierce fight was going on, and to the rear of it were to be seen flashes, indicating that sharp skirmishing was going on in the direction of Meade Station, The truth was at once apparent. Massing his forces under cover of the night and taking advantage of the darkness of the morning and the close proximity of our lines, the enemy had driven in our picket line, surprised the garrison of the fort and captured it, and was now pushing for the City Point Railroad, and, perhaps, City Point itself, in fact our lines were broken.

By the time we had arrived at this conclusion, which was anything but a pleasant one, the firing in our rear had increased considerably, and daylight having at length fairly asserted its supremacy, we could see the rebel troops falling rapidly back into Fort Steadman. It had also become sufficiently light for our artillery to get the range and open on the fort, which they were now doing with a will, making their pieces speak with vigor and much to the purpose. This fact the rebels seemed fully to appreciate and regulated the duration of their second visit to the fort to a merely passing one, passing right through and over the parapet on the other side, back to their own lines as fast as possible. The cause of their retreat was soon apparent. Just as they commenced leaving, the third division of the 9th corps, under Brevet Major General Hartranft, appeared coming up over the edge of the ravine, advancing in line of battle in excellent order, and with the General at their head leading the charge. On they go, unbroken and unwavering, leaving here and there a man on the field, but never stopping or faltering. The "Johnnies" don't like the look of things, they evidently think they are in a tight place, "and have waked up the wrong passenger." And so they take their leave, piling over the parapets and swarming back to their lines like bees from a hive, leaving behind them hundreds of their dead and wounded, ten battle flags and any quantity of arms and accoutrements. A great number prefer taking their chances of a Union prison to facing Union bullets, and throwing away their arms, sneak in under cover of our breastworks and surrender themselves as prisoners of war. Meanwhile the 3d division has occupied Fort Steadman, the firing has ceased and the 37th goes home to breakfast, having for the first and only time been disengaged spectators of a battle.

The regiment suffered no loss in this affair, as although exposed to some shelling, it was not directly engaged with any portion of the enemy's forces, remaining on the field solely for the purpose of covering the right flank and rear of the 1st brigade.

The next week was passed in an uneasy, ominous state of comparative quiet, the lull that always precedes a storm of any kind whatever, broken by occasional rumors and reports, and sundry turnings out at unseasonable hours of the day and night. At length, on the evening of Saturday, the 1st of April, our chief, suspecting that Lee was about to evacuate, directed our batteries to feel the enemy's line, so as to find out, if possible, whether he had withdrawn his artillery or not. About half past ten the performance commenced, and the 37th was ordered to fall in, as usual, and move down to the support of our picket line.

Shortly after we had moved out of camp, the enemy began replying with his mortars, showing that these, at least, had not been removed, and, from their fire, one of our men was wounded as we marched down the new covered way leading to our picket line. We soon got into position in a deep valley or ravine, just in the rear of our picket line, and there, for about three hours, were witnesses of one of the most sublime and terrific spectacles of the war. Every gun and every mortar along the whole length of the two opposing lines was, by this time, fairly in action, and the various missiles, plainly to be traced in their course through the air, by the train of sparks from the burning fuse, were crossing one another at every angle and in every direction. Watching this grand pyrotechnic display from a secure and tolerably comfortable position, time passed rapidly enough, till about half past twelve, on the morning of Sunday, the 2d of April, when, the firing having gradually died away, we were ordered to march out by the left flank and report at Brigade Headquarters.