On the night of the 7th the movement to Spottsylvania Court House began. We moved along the Brock road in the direction of Todd's tavern. On the morning of the 8th we had a severe engagement, when we entrenched and had more fighting during the day. On the 9th we were not actively engaged, except in skirmishing. On this day Gen. John Sedgwick, commanding the 6th corps, was killed while directing the fire of a battery.
On the morning of the 10th, Hancock's corps crossed the Po river. The resistance to our (Birney's) division was stubborn and we had some severe fighting, after which the 57th was detailed to go out the Anderson's tavern road, to reconnoiter. We were driven back across Glady run near Waite's shop, Capt. A. H. Nelson, commanding the regiment, losing his horse. The whole corps was then drawn back across the river. In the afternoon there was some hard fighting and very heavy artillery firing.
On the 11th we built a line of breastworks, and at night, in the rain, we took up our line of march for Spottsylvania Court House, moving all night. The 2d corps had been selected to charge the enemy's works on that part of the field held by General Johnson's division of Ewell's corps. Long before daylight our troops were being massed for the important work in hand. Major Mitchell, of General Hancock's staff, says that the line was formed with Birney's division on the right in two lines, Barlow's division on Birney's left in column of regiments, and Mott's and Gibbons' divisions in rear of Birney and Barlow as supports. This force formed a rectangular mass of about twenty thousand men.
The troops stood in the cold rain shivering, and anxiously waiting for the dawn and lifting of the fog, that they might be ordered forward. At 4:30 a. m., the order to advance was given, when the huge mass moved forward, and soon after burst into cheers, and under a hot fire captured the enemy's works. This charge resulted in the capture of four thousand rebel prisoners, among them Maj. Gen. Edward Johnson, Brig. Gen. George H. Stuart, thirty battle flags, twenty pieces of artillery, with horses and caissons, and several thousand stand of small arms. Among the prisoners were nearly all that was left of Jackson's famous "Stonewall brigade." In the advance, the 57th was directly in front of a rebel battery, where in passing over the works, Color Corporal Spencer killed one of the batterymen by clubbing him with his musket. The advance was continued until we reached the second line of the enemy's works, when they were reenforced by fresh troops, when we fell back to the first line we captured, and took position behind the works.
Our position was just to the left of where the notable oak tree stood. The tree was eighteen inches in diameter and was actually cut down with musket balls fired from the opposing lines. A section of this tree, showing the work of the balls, has been on exhibition at the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, and at the World's Fair at Chicago, and is now in the Army Museum at Washington, D. C.
We remained in position during the day and did some fighting, in which Corporal Spencer was shot through the head and killed. On the 13th we helped to bury the dead, and in the evening we moved further to the right. On the next morning the regiment made a reconnoissance, during which we had some skirmishing. On the 18th we attacked the enemy in their new works, but were repulsed, and in the evening we moved to the vicinity of Anderson's Mills, on the west side of the Ny river.
On the evening of the 19th we fought Ewell's corps, which had made its appearance on the Fredericks pike and were trying to capture our wagon train. Tyler's division of new troops held them in check, until our division came up, when the enemy were repulsed, and our wagon train saved. About four hundred rebels were taken prisoners in this affair. About 9 o'clock in the evening the enemy retreated rapidly across the Ny. On the 20th we rejoined the corps at Anderson's Mill.
In our fighting at Spottsylvania and vicinity our losses were 2 officers and 5 enlisted men killed, 2 officers and 19 enlisted men wounded, and 4 enlisted men missing. First Lieut. Jeremiah Green, of Company A, and First Lieut. John Bowers, of Company I, were killed. Both were promising young officers and their death was much regretted. Lieutenant Bowers had command of Company K, when he received a mortal wound. Capt. Edgar Williams, of Company E, who had for a long time been our color bearer, was mortally wounded about this time and died on May 23d. He was a man of undaunted courage and a Christian soldier.
On the night of the 20th we started south by way of Guinea Station and Bowling Green, through to Milford Station, and took up a position on the right bank of the Mattapony river. This was twenty miles distant from our position of the morning.
We had a fight at Guinea Station on the 21st, and on the 22d we had a skirmish with the enemy's cavalry at Athens, still holding our position at Milford Station.