Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road

Wednesday, June 22, 1864

General David Birney’s Second Corps came under attack by Confederates led by General William "Billy" Mahone. Most of Gibbon’s Second Division retreated from the Confederate onslaught unleashed by General Mahone. The Twentieth Massachusetts, under the command of Captain Henry Patten, held their line and released their own deadly volleys of rifle fire into the Confederates, halting any further Confederate advance.

General John Gibbon was furious with the performance of his Second Division, but had nothing but praise for the Twentieth Massachusetts under the stellar command of Captain Henry Patten.

In truth, the struggling performance of Gibbon's Second Division had more to do with the overwhelming casualties suffered by the Second Corps since the beginning of the Overland Campaign. The bloody and catastrophic fighting that occurred daily since the Battle of the Wilderness in early May had taken a heavy toll in casualties in officers and in the enlisted men. ¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 390-96.

Debacle at Cold Harbor

Friday, June 3, 1864

Union General Ulysses S. Grant planned to attack the Confederate line at Cold Harbor at 4:30 A.M. on Thursday, June 2 only if General Winfield Hancock's Second Corps arrived in time for an attack. However, the Second Corps, engaged in an exhausting 12-hour night march to Cold Harbor, became lost along the way. They arrived at Cold Harbor after dawn, but were too fatigued to engage in battle. General Grant decided to delay the attack until 5:00 P.M. on Thursday and later delayed the attack again until 4:30 A.M. on Friday. These delays would prove extremely costly for the Union Army, as the postponements allowed Confederate General Robert E. Lee to perfect his entrenchments for the coming assault.

At 4:30 A.M. the alarm was sounded for an attack. Grant lined up five infantry corps for the assault, with the Second Corps in position on the left flank. The Twentieth Massachusetts, in Colonel Henry B. McKeen's First Brigade, was in the second line of battle of General John Gibbon's Second Division. On the right of the Second Corps, from left to right, were General Horatio Wright's Sixth Corps, General William F. "Baldy" Smith's Eighteenth Corps, General Gouverneur K. Warren's Fifth Corps, and General Ambrose Burnside's Ninth Corps. Grant had ordered General Smith's Eighteenth Corps to relocate from the Army of the James for the attack at Cold Harbor.

As the infantry units approached the Confederate lines they encountered the difficult nature of the terrain. As they traversed across ravines, marshes, and swamps to reach the Confederate line their regimental formation began to break apart. As the Union infantry came within range of the Confederate lines they were cut down with blistering rifle fire. The Twentieth Massachusetts now found themselves in the front lines. Colonel Henry B. McKeen, commanding their brigade, was killed while leading the charge. Colonel Frank Haskell of the 36th Wisconsin immediately took charge of McKeen's brigade and was also killed. The men of the Twentieth Massachusetts realized the futility of forward assault and rapidly dug entrenchments fifty yards from the Confederate lines. They would remain in this advanced position for days before retreating.¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 376-81.

Battle of Gettysburg - Day 1

Wednesday, July 1, 1863

After resting one day at Uniontown the Second Corps was rushed to Taneytown, Maryland, where they heard the news of the wounding of Union General John Reynolds, commander of the First Corps, at Gettysburg. General George Meade dispatched Second Corps Commander Winfield Scott Hancock to Gettysburg and placed General John Gibbon in temporary command of the Second Corps. As the Twentieth Massachusetts approached Gettysburg they heard artillery fire and knew that a fierce battle was in progress. The Second Corps formed a close marching column and no one was allowed to fall out of rank for any reason. By nightfall the Second Corps arrived at Gettysburg, where the men learned of the events of the day. General John Reynolds had been killed just west of Gettysburg in the morning as he led the Iron Brigade of the First Corps into battle. The First and Eleventh Corps fought desperately until the afternoon, when the Union line collapsed and the Confederates rushed into Gettysburg. General Winfield Scott Hancock rushed to the newly-formed Union line on Cemetery Hill and ordered the men to hold this line at all costs. The Confederates rushed Cemetery Hill but were beaten back by the Union forces. Although the day was viewed as a Confederate victory the Union forces held the high ground around Gettysburg and were in a superior position for a renewed contest. ¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 268-73.

Confederates Retake Marye's Heights

Monday, May 4, 1863

Sensing no imminent Confederate threat, the Federals abandoned their position at Marye’s Heights. However, Confederate forces led by General John B. Gordon and General William Barksdale took control of Marye's Heights. General John Gibbon's division was once again under fire, and the Twentieth Massachusetts was ordered to defend and protect the Union line between Hazel Run and the railroad in Fredericksburg. There would be no reinforcements from General John Sedgwick, as his forces were marching along the Orange Plank Road to Chancellorsville. During the night the Twentieth Massachusetts exchanged bullets with the Confederates but held their portion of the line.¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 238-40.

Storming Marye's Heights

Sunday, May 3, 1863

The Twentieth Massachusetts arrived at the Lacy House at 4:00 A.M. to prepare for crossing the Rappahannock River into Fredericksburg. An attack from the south by General John Sedgwick cleared the Confederates from the river bank, and General John Gibbon’s division crossed the Rappahannock River around 6:00 A.M. The Twentieth Massachusetts attempted to scale Marye's Heights from the north, but were delayed by the need to build makeshift bridges at two stream crossings. Their delay allowed the Confederates sufficient time to fortify Marye's Heights. As the Twentieth tried to assail the heights they met with enemy rifle fire and artillery shells. A frontal assault by General John Sedgwick coordinated with a flank attack by the Twentieth Massachusetts was successful, and Marye's Heights was taken by the Union troops. General John Sedgwick was ordered to continue on the Orange Plank Road and connect with General Joseph Hooker at Chancellorsville.¹

References:
¹Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 233-37.

Advancing toward Chancellorsville

Wednesday, April 29, 1863

Beginning their advance on Monday the Fifth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Corps crossed the Rappahannock River at Kelly's Ford twenty-seven miles from Fredericksburg this morning. The First and Third Divisions of the Second Corps reached the Rappahannock River at the United States Ford. The Twentieth Massachusetts, in the Second Division of the Second Corps under the command of General John Gibbon, remained in Falmouth as a diversion to the movements of the Union army. ¹

References:
¹George A. Bruce, The Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 1861 - 1865 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1906), 238. Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 231.

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.