Louder than the Bolts of Heaven: With the 1st Michigan at Gaines Mill

Private John Engle of the 1st Michigan Infantry described the terrifying moments of combat at Boatswains' Swamp near Gaines Mill, Virginia on June 27, 1862. His regiment had just opened fire on the charging Rebels and before long, Engle had burned through most of his ammunition.

“In 20 minutes from the time I fired the first shot, my rifle was so hot that I could hardly hold it in my hands and in ramming down a cartridge, my gun exploded from the heat of the barrel, blowing my ramrod sky-high. We had the patent cartridges and could load with amazing rapidity. I took our orderly sergeant’s gun and continued the fight until we were ordered to fall back. During the fight, one of the Rebel bullets shaved the whiskers on my left cheek, slightly scorching the skin. It made the fire sparkle in my left eye a little, and I sent him my compliments with a good will. But, pshaw, I cannot give you half a description,” he lamented.

During the Seven Days’ Campaign, the 1st Michigan was part of Brigadier General John Martindale’s First Brigade of General George Morrell’s First Division of Fitz-John Porter’s 5th Army Corps. Engle’s letter, originally written to his brother James in Tekonsha, Michigan, saw publication in the August 20, 1862 edition of the Marshall Statesman published in Marshall, Michigan.

 

Two unidentified Union soldiers attired in nine-button frock coats and regulation brass pose with their Lorenz rifle muskets and bayonets. 

Headquarters Army of the Potomac

Harrison’s Landing, Virginia

August 2, 1862

 

Brother James,

          I received your welcome letter last night and was very glad to hear from you and that you all were well. Augustus [younger brother] and I are well at present though we have been ailing with dysentery, a prevalent complaint here. You asked me to write the particulars and incidents of the battles that we have been engaged in. Your request is a pretty hard one for I am no hand at composing. If I were with you at home, I might give you a pretty fair description, for I can talk better than I can write, but I will try and gratify you.

          On the 26th of June commenced our work in earnest. Our brigade was ordered to march about noon towards the enemy near Mechanicsville. The rest of our division had previously moved to the front and on the left of our brigade. When we arrived near Mechanicsville the roar of cannon and fierce rattle of musketry told us plainly that the bloody work had commenced. A part of our brigade was at once deployed as skirmishers on the right to ascertain, if possible, the strength of the Rebels in that direction and our time was chiefly employed till midnight in skirmishing with the enemy. But the right of our division was fighting bravely with the Rebels all the afternoon and held their ground against superior numbers.

A package of Johnston & Dow patent .58 caliber cartridges that Engle mentioned in his account of Gaines Mill. The advantage of these rounds was that the soldier didn't have to tear the cartridge to pour the black powder down the barrel: the soldier simply inserted the cartridge and rammed it home.
(Image courtesy of the Horse Soldier)

At midnight, we were ordered to fall back and about 10 o’clock on the 27th we took position near Gaines’ Mill in line of battle. We formed a line about three miles in length and skirmishers were thrown out in front of each regiment. Cos. D and E were deployed in front of our regiment on the same ground we had drilled over many a time in our daily exercises. Little did we then think that we were going to work in earnest so soon on the same ground.

General John Martindale

In about half an hour, the Rebel skirmishers made their appearance and soon we had warm work. More than once the dirt and sand was thrown on me by the enemy’s bullets and I tried to give them as good as they sent. There was one fellow in particular who got up in a tree so he could see us fair and he shot uncomfortably close. I caught sight of him through the leaves and elevating the sights on my old Enfield, I sent him my best respects twice. No more shots came from that tree.

We held our ground as skirmishers till about 3 o’clock when the main body of the enemy came up and then we were called back and took our post in the main line of battle. By this time, the artillery on both sides had fairly got to work and the shot and shells filled the air, and it was not long before the Rebel infantry in their gray uniforms four ranks deep made their appearance. And let it be remembered we were only two ranks deep throughout that terrible fight. As soon as they came within reach of our rifles, we went at them. To merely say our men fought bravely seems too tame a word.

I will give you a little idea how they fought from my own experience, and I claim to be no better than the majority. In 20 minutes from the time, I fired the first shot, my rifle was so hot that I could hardly hold it in my hands and in ramming down a cartridge, my gun exploded from the heat of the barrel, blowing my ramrod sky-high. We had the patent cartridges and could load with amazing rapidity. I took our orderly sergeant’s gun and continued the fight until we were ordered to fall back. We drove the Rebels back three different times with terrible loss. But the last time they came strongly reinforced and six ranks deep, and our men had received no reinforcements and were nearly exhausted from fighting. Again, the battle raged along the while line; our troops fought obstinately, aye, desperately, and the ground was strewn with heaps of the dead and dying. But on they came, their rear ranks marching behind with fixed bayonets urging their front ranks on. And now our right and left flanks are surged back, being overpowered by numbers and when we were nearly surrounded our regiment was ordered to fall back.

The final Confederate assault at Gaines' Mill occurred near 7 pm and broke the Union line, sending Morrell's division including the 1st Michigan scrambling back over Turkey Hill.
(Map by Hal Jespersen)


During the fight, one of the Rebel bullets shaved the whiskers on my left cheek, slightly scorching the skin. It made the fire sparkle in my left eye a little, and I sent him my compliments with a good will. But, pshaw, I cannot give you half a description. If you had been there, you would say so. After we fell back about half a mile, we met the brave Irish Brigade commanded by the brave Meagher coming to our relief and as they passed to the front, they said to so, “Hold on boys and see us pitch into them.” We did hold on, and the way they did pitch into them with the bayonet was a caution to old soldiers. They drove them back with fierce slaughter and regained all the ground our men had lost. All honor to the Irish Brigade!

Lieutenant Francis Raymond Rice, Cos. A and F, 1st Michigan Inf.

After the battle of Gaines’ Mill, we fell back to Malvern Hill where we arrived on the 29th of June, halted, and stacked arms about one hour, then we were ordered to the battlefield, but the Rebels did not make their appearance that day. We slept on our arms that night. Early the next morning, the roar of cannon told us plainly that the enemy was close at hand, and soon the shot and shell came whistling around us, and our brigade had to stand there and endure it till about 4 p.m. We lost a good many men by the bursting of shells without being able to return the shot with our rifles, but our artillery piled the Rebels in heaps. At 4 o’clock we were called up to within 15 rods of the Rebel line and then our boys went to work and in 20 minutes the Rebel line was wiped out. They had either fallen or fled, and the ground was strewn with the dead and wounded, and their loss was terrible.

As we were going on to the field and were dashing past Griffin’s battery, the old hero called out “What regiment is that?” We replied, “The 1st Michigan!” Says he, “boys, my battery is safe” then turning to his men he said, “Sergeant, double shot those guns!” And louder than the bolts of heaven flashed the loud artillery and the grape and canister shot could be plainly heard crashing through the serried ranks of the Rebels as they fled in dismay from the blood-encrimsoned field. After dark, Cos. D and E were ordered out on picket duty and we were deployed out among the Rebel killed and wounded. Some of our own brave boys with their blue uniforms lay there side by side with their mortal foes. But, oh, how can I describe the scene? There they lay in heaps, friend and foe, horse and rider, in one red burial blent. We stayed on the field till 2 o’clock at night and then commenced our march for Harrison’s Landing.

At daylight, it began to rain and it rained hard all day. I marched with my company till about 9 o’clock in the morning when exhausted nature could stand it no longer and I fell out by the roadside to rest my wearied frame. I lay on the ground about an hour and then feeling a little rested, I got up and staggered through the rain and mud and got to our camp about 4 p.m. I found the mud there about one foot deep on average. I crawled off in the woods and lay down on some poles and slept there until the next morning. And here I am yet but guess you will be glad if I stop, and I will come to a halt and a right about face.

 

John Engle, Jr.

 

Source:

Letter from Private John Engle, Jr., Co. E, 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Marshall Statesman (Michigan), August 20, 1862, pg. 1

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on t...
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true ...
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of h...
Read more

The Wizard of Oz and the Civil War

Image
T he 1939 film The Wizard of Oz has delighted viewers for 85 years and ranks as a personal favorite, especially during the Halloween season. While watching it with the family the other night, I wondered if there were any connections between the film and the Civil War. Not surprisingly, the answer is yes and those connections touch both the blue and the gray.           Interestingly both “witches” in the film not only had Civil War ancestors but had connections with Civil War soldiers from Ohio. Margaret Hamilton, the “Wicked Witch of the West,” was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, to attorney Walter Jones Hamilton and his wife Mary Jane Adams; Margaret’s grandfather was Judge Edwin Timothy Hamilton. Judge Hamilton had served as a private in Co. D of the 84 th Ohio Infantry during the summer of 1862. The 84 th Ohio, a three months’ regiment, served nearly the whole of its service attached to the Railroad District in western Ma...
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on se...
Read more

In front of Atlanta with the 68th Ohio

Image
  The arrow corps badge of the 17th Army Corps was worn by many members of the 68th Ohio in the latter days of the war.       Private Edward A. Bigelow of Co. F of the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote this brief account of the Battle of Atlanta just two days afterwards to his father back home in Henry County, Ohio. The regiment formed a part of Colonel Robert K. Scott's three regiment all-Ohio brigade consisting of the 20th, 68th, and 78th regiments, being designated the Second Brigade of the Third Division of Frank Blair's 17th Army Corps. Bigelow's letter originally appeared in the Napoleon Press newspaper and was copied in the Toledo Daily Commercial which was providential as no known copies exist today of the wartime Napoleon Press.  
Read more

Charging Battery Robinett: An Alabama Soldier Recalls the Vicious Fighting at Corinth

Image
W riting 30 years after the Battle of Corinth, James A. McKinstry of the 42 nd Alabama recalled his experiences storming Battery Robinett with Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2 nd Texas and expressed guilt that it was perhaps his action that brought about the colonel’s demise. “On seeing a line of Federals approaching, and before giving the situation a thought, I immediately raised my gun and fired full into the breast of a Federal sergeant, who was in front of the column, and only a short distance from us.  'Twas then that Captain George Foster shouted, "Cease firing, men! cease firing!" and waved his handkerchief, then I realized the true situation. 'Twas too late! That fatal volley had been turned on our little band from the muzzles of 1,500 muskets. I was still standing just as I was when I fired my last shot, and within a few feet of Colonel Rogers, when a Minie ball went crashing through my left hip and turned me half round; another went tearing through my ...
Read more

Cook & Brother of New Orleans

Image
    The lockplate of a New Orleans-made Cook & Brother Enfield rifle produced in 1862 shows the fine craftsmanship that became the hallmark of the maker throughout the Civil War. Note the stars and bars flag at left, an emblem used on C&B's production throughout the war and the Cook & Brother, N.O. 1862 markings. Earlier production weapons at New Orleans had the flag located just above the maker's name while later weapons produced in Athens, Georgia would have a modified flag and Athens on the plate followed by the serial number.        In the spring of 1861, two English-born businessmen, Ferdinand and Francis Cook of New Orleans, perceived the need for the South to have its own domestic production of firearms and  set out to prove "that rifles could made here as well as in Yankee land or in Europe." The brothers  elected to produce copies of the British Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield rifle as this was considered the benchmark longarm...
Read more

I Want to See a Battle: A Hoosier at Shiloh

Image
W riting in his diary, Private Manius Buchanan of the 29 th Indiana recalled the eagerness with which his regiment marched towards Savannah, Tennessee with the sounds of the battle of Shiloh ringing in their ears.           “The forced march was kept up until 2 p.m. when we were halted until 4 p.m,” he noted. “The rest was really needed, but the continual question is ‘Why are we stopped here?’ The sound of battle increased in volume and anxiety to be up and doing grows more intense. As I am weak from a late sickness, I am urged to fall to the rear; but no, in common with all, I want to see a battle and fear this will be my only chance.” The regiment would go into action the following afternoon, and of the four neighborhood boys who had enlisted together in Co. B, only Buchanan escaped unscathed. One afternoon's exposure to the horrors of battle was all it took to satisfy this Hoosier's desire to see the elephant. “I wanted to see a battl...
Read more

An Interview with Forrest in May 1864

Image
  “The noise of battle is the only music that ravishes the senses of Forrest.” I t was May 1864. Back east, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac were locked in the deadly dance of the Overland Campaign while in Georgia, General William Tecumseh Sherman's army squared off against General Joseph E. Johnston and the Army of the Tennessee in the campaign for Atlanta.       Based in relatively quiet northern Mississippi, General Nathan Bedford Forrest bided his time waiting for a Federal advance from Memphis. Earlier in the month, General Samuel Sturgis led a brief campaign into Mississippi but Forrest was sure Sturgis would venture out again. In the meantime, he tried to keep his reorganized command intact despite persistent demands from his superiors that he return the absentees and deserters who inflated his ranks (nearly 1,000 in number) to their original commands.      Around this same time,  an old acquaintance from Me...
Read more