Wednesday, June 1, 1864
On Saturday, May 28 the Twentieth Massachusetts crossed the Pamunkey River and formed a four-mile line facing west toward Totopotomoy Creek. The Second Corps was ordered to an advanced position along the creek and discovered the Confederate line along the south bank of the creek between the Virginia Central Railroad and Pole Green Church. On Tuesday, May 31, the Twentieth Massachusetts, whose brigade was now under the command of Colonel Henry B. McKeen due to the wounding of General Alexander Webb at Spotsylvania, crossed the Totopotomoy. Confederate sharpshooters began to fire on McKeen's brigade but the brigade prevailed and overcame the sharpshooters. As McKeen's men took the position they came under enfilade fire from Confederate cannon on their left and right flanks. A continuing advance by the Second Corps revealed that the main Confederate position was one-half mile away, securely behind entrenchments and well-protected by infantry and artillery. Today General Winfield S. Hancock determined that the position could not be taken without heavy losses. At 9:00 P.M. this evening General George Meade ordered the Second Corps to rejoin the main body of Grant's army at Cold Harbor as soon as possible.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), 374-76.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Battle at North Anna River
Thursday, May 26, 1864
The Twentieth Massachusetts departed from Spotsylvania, passing through Bowling Green and Milford, toward the North Anna River on Monday, May 23, making a forced march in the searing heat. Once again Confederate General Robert E. Lee, reading Union General Ulysses S. Grant's intentions, arrived at the North Anna River first, forming entrenchments along the river's south bank. On Tuesday, May 24 General Winfield S. Hancock led his Second Corps, including the Twentieth Massachusetts, across the North Anna River toward the Confederate entrenchments. As the Twentieth came under rifle fire an intense thunderstorm erupted, drenching both armies with heavy rain and exploding trees with bolts of lightning. The heavy rain continued through Wednesday. This morning General Grant, realizing that the Confederate entrenchments divided his army, recrossed the North Anna River. Grant planned to march southward at night around the Confederate flank toward Richmond by way of the Pamunkey River. 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), 372-74.
The Twentieth Massachusetts departed from Spotsylvania, passing through Bowling Green and Milford, toward the North Anna River on Monday, May 23, making a forced march in the searing heat. Once again Confederate General Robert E. Lee, reading Union General Ulysses S. Grant's intentions, arrived at the North Anna River first, forming entrenchments along the river's south bank. On Tuesday, May 24 General Winfield S. Hancock led his Second Corps, including the Twentieth Massachusetts, across the North Anna River toward the Confederate entrenchments. As the Twentieth came under rifle fire an intense thunderstorm erupted, drenching both armies with heavy rain and exploding trees with bolts of lightning. The heavy rain continued through Wednesday. This morning General Grant, realizing that the Confederate entrenchments divided his army, recrossed the North Anna River. Grant planned to march southward at night around the Confederate flank toward Richmond by way of the Pamunkey River. 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), 372-74.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Battle of Spotsylvania Concludes as a Stalemate
Wednesday, May 18, 1864
Union General Ulysses S. Grant attempted to break Confederate General Robert E. Lee's line near the Muleshoe salient with a series of attacks that began at dawn. Lee's artillery, along with infantry positioned behind strong entrenchments, repelled the attacks. The nearly two week-long battle of Spotsylvania, one of the costliest of the Civil War, came to an end with neither side claiming victory. Casualties for both armies were staggering, with the count of dead and wounded approximating 18,000 for the Union and 12,000 for the Confederacy.
At day's end Grant planned once again to move south toward Richmond around the Confederate flank to draw Lee out of his entrenchments and force a battle on Grant's terms.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), 362-71.
Union General Ulysses S. Grant attempted to break Confederate General Robert E. Lee's line near the Muleshoe salient with a series of attacks that began at dawn. Lee's artillery, along with infantry positioned behind strong entrenchments, repelled the attacks. The nearly two week-long battle of Spotsylvania, one of the costliest of the Civil War, came to an end with neither side claiming victory. Casualties for both armies were staggering, with the count of dead and wounded approximating 18,000 for the Union and 12,000 for the Confederacy.
At day's end Grant planned once again to move south toward Richmond around the Confederate flank to draw Lee out of his entrenchments and force a battle on Grant's terms.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), 362-71.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Funeral of Major Henry Abbott
Sunday, May 15, 1864
A funeral mass was held for Major Henry Abbott in Boston's Emmanuel Church at 1:30 P.M. The funeral was well-attended, as eulogies for Major Abbott were published in many local newspapers. One of Abbott's professors at Harvard, Episcopal Reverend Frederick D. Hutchinson, presided at the funeral service. Abbott's coffin, decorated with flowers and flags, bore his sword, sash, and hat. After the service Major Abbott was transported by railroad to Lowell and buried in Lowell Cemetery next to his brothers. 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), 342-43.
A funeral mass was held for Major Henry Abbott in Boston's Emmanuel Church at 1:30 P.M. The funeral was well-attended, as eulogies for Major Abbott were published in many local newspapers. One of Abbott's professors at Harvard, Episcopal Reverend Frederick D. Hutchinson, presided at the funeral service. Abbott's coffin, decorated with flowers and flags, bore his sword, sash, and hat. After the service Major Abbott was transported by railroad to Lowell and buried in Lowell Cemetery next to his brothers. 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), 342-43.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Oliver's Story - The Bloody Angle
Thursday, May 12, 1864
Private Oliver Stanton Bates was reported as wounded on his military service record on May 12, 1864 during the conflict at the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania. The nature of his wounding is not detailed, but he was present on muster rolls for May and June 1864. 1
References:
1Compiled service record, Oliver S. Bates, Pvt., Co. A, 20th Massachusetts Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Private Oliver Stanton Bates was reported as wounded on his military service record on May 12, 1864 during the conflict at the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania. The nature of his wounding is not detailed, but he was present on muster rolls for May and June 1864. 1
References:
1Compiled service record, Oliver S. Bates, Pvt., Co. A, 20th Massachusetts Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
The Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania
Thursday, May 12, 1864
At 11:00 P.M. on May 11 the Twentieth Massachusetts quietly left their breastwork entrenchments at Laurel Hill under the cover of darkness and began a night march to an vulnerable portion of the Confederate line known as the "Muleshoe salient," a bulge that exposed both flanks of the line to enfilade fire. General Ulysses S. Grant observed this weakness in the Confederate position and decided to throw the Second and Ninth Corps in a simultaneous two-pronged attack on the salient.
At 4:35 A.M. the Second Corps began their attack in the early morning fog. The Twentieth Massachusetts, led by their brigade commander General Alexander Webb, began to race at the double-quick toward the salient. The Confederates were so surprised to see the rapid advance of Union soldiers toward their works that few shots were fired. The Second Corps took the salient with bayonets and clubbed muskets, resulting in the fiercest hand-to-hand combat of the war. As the morning fog lifted and rain began to fall the bloody results of the vicious engagement were visibly apparent to all. General Winfield S. Hancock of the Second Corps remarked that the combat was a "terrible and ghastly spectacle of dead."
The Confederates mounted a counterattack to recapture the salient. Regimental formation broke apart on both sides as fierce and bloody hand-to-hand fighting continued for hours. At 9:00 A.M. the Twentieth Massachusetts was rotated from the front line to skirmish duty and later returned to front line activity in the afternoon. Intense fighting ensued until late in the evening when gunfire finally ceased and the day's long battle ended. The Twentieth reported approximately forty casualties in the bloody battle. Among the wounded was Private Oliver Stanton Bates of Company A.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), 356-62.
At 11:00 P.M. on May 11 the Twentieth Massachusetts quietly left their breastwork entrenchments at Laurel Hill under the cover of darkness and began a night march to an vulnerable portion of the Confederate line known as the "Muleshoe salient," a bulge that exposed both flanks of the line to enfilade fire. General Ulysses S. Grant observed this weakness in the Confederate position and decided to throw the Second and Ninth Corps in a simultaneous two-pronged attack on the salient.
At 4:35 A.M. the Second Corps began their attack in the early morning fog. The Twentieth Massachusetts, led by their brigade commander General Alexander Webb, began to race at the double-quick toward the salient. The Confederates were so surprised to see the rapid advance of Union soldiers toward their works that few shots were fired. The Second Corps took the salient with bayonets and clubbed muskets, resulting in the fiercest hand-to-hand combat of the war. As the morning fog lifted and rain began to fall the bloody results of the vicious engagement were visibly apparent to all. General Winfield S. Hancock of the Second Corps remarked that the combat was a "terrible and ghastly spectacle of dead."
The Confederates mounted a counterattack to recapture the salient. Regimental formation broke apart on both sides as fierce and bloody hand-to-hand fighting continued for hours. At 9:00 A.M. the Twentieth Massachusetts was rotated from the front line to skirmish duty and later returned to front line activity in the afternoon. Intense fighting ensued until late in the evening when gunfire finally ceased and the day's long battle ended. The Twentieth reported approximately forty casualties in the bloody battle. Among the wounded was Private Oliver Stanton Bates of Company A.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), 356-62.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Death of Adjutant Henry Bond
Wednesday, May 11, 1864
Adjutant Henry Bond, wounded in the jaw at the Battle of the Wilderness, was riding in an ambulance with fellow officers Henry Mali and William Perkins to Belle Plain to board a hospital steamer to Washington. The ambulance was waylaid by Confederate Colonel John Singleton Mosby's rangers with the intent of stealing the horses. One of the Confederates fired a missed warning shot into the wounded men. As Bond quietly asked Mali for a pistol, he was shot in the back by one of the Confederates. The rangers rode away with the horses, leaving the wounded to die along the roadside. The injured men were subsequently rescued by Union troops, but Henry Bond succumbed to the gunshot wound he suffered in attempting to protect the ambulance party. 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), 364.
Adjutant Henry Bond, wounded in the jaw at the Battle of the Wilderness, was riding in an ambulance with fellow officers Henry Mali and William Perkins to Belle Plain to board a hospital steamer to Washington. The ambulance was waylaid by Confederate Colonel John Singleton Mosby's rangers with the intent of stealing the horses. One of the Confederates fired a missed warning shot into the wounded men. As Bond quietly asked Mali for a pistol, he was shot in the back by one of the Confederates. The rangers rode away with the horses, leaving the wounded to die along the roadside. The injured men were subsequently rescued by Union troops, but Henry Bond succumbed to the gunshot wound he suffered in attempting to protect the ambulance party. 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), 364.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Battle of Laurel Hill
Tuesday, May 10, 1864
As the Twentieth Massachusetts advanced along the Brock Road in their approach toward Spotsylvania Court House they encountered the main Confederate line along a ridge known as Laurel Hill. Confederate General Robert E. Lee had won the race to Spotsylvania, as Laurel Hill blocked the path to Spotsylvania.
Around 11:00 A.M. General Alexander's Webb brigade, of which the Twentieth Massachusetts was a part, received orders to attack Confederate sharpshooters positioned along the Po River. Companies A and C charged the Confederate position by rifle fire across the river, which was too deep to ford. The Twentieth Massachusetts successfully drove off the Confederate sharpshooters but at a high price. Three men were killed and eight were wounded. Lieutenant Henry Sturgis was shot through the heart in the ill-fated fray. His body was recovered by his men and he was buried in a spot along the Po River near where he fell.
At 3:00 P.M. the Twentieth Massachusetts arrived at Laurel Hill and formed breastworks while assessing the Confederate position. The Confederates were secure in an entrenched position. The Twentieth was faced with poor chances in driving the Confederates successfully from their position. At 5:00 P.M. the Twentieth was ordered to charge the Confederate position and were immediately cut down with a killing fire. The survivors returned to their entrenchments and made another attempt in the evening with similar results. At night the Twentieth Massachusetts relived the nightmare of the Wilderness, as the rapid rifle fire caused a blaze in the forest, consuming the dead and injured. The Twentieth Massachusetts reported between 15 to 20 casualties from the two assaults on Laurel Hill. Among those killed was First Lieutenant Lansing Hibbard. 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), 350-355.
As the Twentieth Massachusetts advanced along the Brock Road in their approach toward Spotsylvania Court House they encountered the main Confederate line along a ridge known as Laurel Hill. Confederate General Robert E. Lee had won the race to Spotsylvania, as Laurel Hill blocked the path to Spotsylvania.
Around 11:00 A.M. General Alexander's Webb brigade, of which the Twentieth Massachusetts was a part, received orders to attack Confederate sharpshooters positioned along the Po River. Companies A and C charged the Confederate position by rifle fire across the river, which was too deep to ford. The Twentieth Massachusetts successfully drove off the Confederate sharpshooters but at a high price. Three men were killed and eight were wounded. Lieutenant Henry Sturgis was shot through the heart in the ill-fated fray. His body was recovered by his men and he was buried in a spot along the Po River near where he fell.
At 3:00 P.M. the Twentieth Massachusetts arrived at Laurel Hill and formed breastworks while assessing the Confederate position. The Confederates were secure in an entrenched position. The Twentieth was faced with poor chances in driving the Confederates successfully from their position. At 5:00 P.M. the Twentieth was ordered to charge the Confederate position and were immediately cut down with a killing fire. The survivors returned to their entrenchments and made another attempt in the evening with similar results. At night the Twentieth Massachusetts relived the nightmare of the Wilderness, as the rapid rifle fire caused a blaze in the forest, consuming the dead and injured. The Twentieth Massachusetts reported between 15 to 20 casualties from the two assaults on Laurel Hill. Among those killed was First Lieutenant Lansing Hibbard. 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), 350-355.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)