Tuesday, May 12, 1863
In a letter to his father Doctor Nathan Hayward relayed the news of the recent calamities at Chancellorsville. He mentioned that General Joseph Hooker had been knocked senseless by a pillar at the Chancellor House during the battle and was carried from the battlefield. Upon reviving from the injury General Hooker ordered a retreat of his forces, which Doctor Hayward believed was a mistake. He believed that Generals Couch and Sedgwick were making well-informed decisions that could have saved the day for the Union Army. Doctor Hayward ended his letter with an expectation that General Hooker would order another forward movement of the army in the near future.1
References:
1Nathan Hayward, "Letters," Association of Officers of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment, Reports, Letters and Papers Appertaining to Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, vol. 1, p. 422-424, Twentieth Massachusetts Special Collection, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts.
Showing posts with label Darius Couch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darius Couch. Show all posts
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Letters from the Front - Nathan Hayward
Sunday, April 5, 1863
Doctor Nathan Hayward reported sadly in a letter to his father that Captain Henry Abbott had gone home on leave due to the passing of his younger brother. He also mentioned that General Hooker had designated an insignia for each of the army corps to wear on the soldier’s hat. The insignia of the Second Corps was a trefoil; the Second Division, of which the Twentieth Massachusetts is a part, was assigned a white trefoil. It was hoped that the wearing of these insignia will identify the corps and division of every soldier immediately and avoid confusion during a conflict.
Doctor Hayward remarked that General Darius Couch commands the Second Corps, with General John Gibbon commanding the Second Division and Colonel Norman Hall securely commanding their brigade. He noted that the “sentiment of the army is very good, and that they still retain their old faith in McClellan.”1
References:
1Nathan Hayward, "Letters," Association of Officers of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment, Reports, Letters and Papers Appertaining to Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, vol. 1, p. 417-418, Twentieth Massachusetts Special Collection, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts.
Doctor Nathan Hayward reported sadly in a letter to his father that Captain Henry Abbott had gone home on leave due to the passing of his younger brother. He also mentioned that General Hooker had designated an insignia for each of the army corps to wear on the soldier’s hat. The insignia of the Second Corps was a trefoil; the Second Division, of which the Twentieth Massachusetts is a part, was assigned a white trefoil. It was hoped that the wearing of these insignia will identify the corps and division of every soldier immediately and avoid confusion during a conflict.
Doctor Hayward remarked that General Darius Couch commands the Second Corps, with General John Gibbon commanding the Second Division and Colonel Norman Hall securely commanding their brigade. He noted that the “sentiment of the army is very good, and that they still retain their old faith in McClellan.”1
References:
1Nathan Hayward, "Letters," Association of Officers of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment, Reports, Letters and Papers Appertaining to Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, vol. 1, p. 417-418, Twentieth Massachusetts Special Collection, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Sumner Granted Leave of Absence
Tuesday, October 7, 1862
General Edwin "Bull" Sumner was granted a leave of absence and relieved of command of the Second Corps. His replacement was General Darius Couch.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 177.
General Edwin "Bull" Sumner was granted a leave of absence and relieved of command of the Second Corps. His replacement was General Darius Couch.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 177.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Battle of Fair Oaks / Seven Pines
Saturday, May 31, 1862
Confederate General Joseph Johnston ordered an attack on the Army of the Potomac to drive the Union lines away from Richmond. Confederate Generals Daniel Harvey Hill and James Longstreet struck Brigadier General Silas Casey’s division of General Darius Couch’s Fourth Corps, driving the Union line back to the Williamsburg Road nearly one-and-a-half miles from Seven Pines Station.
The Twentieth Massachusetts, in General John Sedgwick’s division, was called to arms at 1:00 PM. They encountered their first obstacle at the Grapevine Bridge, whose structure was compromised from rising water due to heavy rains. Sedgwick's division crossed over the bridge safely before the bridge collapsed. The division confronted the enemy lines with fixed bayonets and successfully repulsed the Confederate attack near Fair Oaks Station.
The Confederates suffered heavy casualties among their officers. Brigadier General Wade Hampton was wounded, J. Johnston Pettigrew was wounded and captured, and Robert H. Hatton was killed. Confederate commander Joseph Johnston was severely wounded.
The casualty list for the Twentieth Massachusetts listed five killed and twenty-three wounded.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 90 - 101.
Confederate General Joseph Johnston ordered an attack on the Army of the Potomac to drive the Union lines away from Richmond. Confederate Generals Daniel Harvey Hill and James Longstreet struck Brigadier General Silas Casey’s division of General Darius Couch’s Fourth Corps, driving the Union line back to the Williamsburg Road nearly one-and-a-half miles from Seven Pines Station.
The Twentieth Massachusetts, in General John Sedgwick’s division, was called to arms at 1:00 PM. They encountered their first obstacle at the Grapevine Bridge, whose structure was compromised from rising water due to heavy rains. Sedgwick's division crossed over the bridge safely before the bridge collapsed. The division confronted the enemy lines with fixed bayonets and successfully repulsed the Confederate attack near Fair Oaks Station.
The Confederates suffered heavy casualties among their officers. Brigadier General Wade Hampton was wounded, J. Johnston Pettigrew was wounded and captured, and Robert H. Hatton was killed. Confederate commander Joseph Johnston was severely wounded.
The casualty list for the Twentieth Massachusetts listed five killed and twenty-three wounded.1
References:
1George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 90 - 101.
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