More In the Wind Than We Bargained For: The Seven Days with the 3rd New Jersey

Charles Hamilton Bacon, a private serving in the Cumberland Grays (Co. F) of the 3rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, was the West Jersey Pioneer’s regular army correspondent. The 32-year-old father of five had been working as a roller in Bridgeton, New Jersey when he joined the Grays in 1861, and soon after taking the field he commenced sending back a superb letters detailing his army experiences. As discussed on John Banks’ blog, Charles was killed in action September 14, 1862, during the Battle of Crampton’ Gap, Maryland and was buried under an elm tree on the Jacob Goodman farm, land now preserved by the American Battlefield Trust.

Among Charles’ final missives are the two letters below describing his regiment’s experiences during the Seven Days battles in June 1862, starting with the Battle of Mechanicsville on June 26th through Malvern Hill on July 1st. The 3rd New Jersey was part of the First Brigade (George W. Taylor) of the First Division (Henry Slocum) of General William B. Franklin’s 6th Army Corps and saw its heaviest action at Gaines Mill on June 27th. And as Charles tells it, by the end of the Battle of Gaines Mill, it was clear that there was “more in the wind than we bargained for.”

His letters describing the Seven Days campaign originally appeared in the July 19, 1862, and August 2, 1862, editions of the West Jersey Pioneer published in Bridgeton, New Jersey. I have taken the liberty of combining the two letters to make a cohesive narrative.

 

Union forces on the retreat during the Seven Days were slowed by the army's immense wagon trains along with thousands of sick and wounded men who required transport through this swampy region of Virginia. Charles Bacon and his 3rd New Jersey saw heavy action at Gaines Mill on June 27th but were more spectators than participants in the rest of the battles of the campaign. By the time the army arrived at Harrison's Landing on July 2nd, the men were wiped out. 

Camp near James River, Virginia

July 8 and 20, 1862

 

Mr. Editor,

          Since I last wrote you, we have been having some of the practical work of armies. On the 19th of June, our brigade moved from Mechanicsville to Fair Oaks where we had a good opportunity of seeing what we might expect to realize if we should ever be called upon to enter the field of battle. It is a very pretty thing for those at a distance to read the very highly colored paper correspondence that as a general rule are made up of camp gossip and almost invariably reflect undue credit upon their own particular state or discredit upon some other, but if we are not mistaken, history will show that Jersey had not been the least in courage and endurance in putting down this rebellion.

          We have had more or less fighting every day since the 19th of June up to the 6th day of the present month. As you are posted in the general news, I shall confine myself to Co. F as much as possible. It had not been our duty heretofore to write about casualties and the bravery of the Cumberland Grays, but we are sure that old Cumberland will not be ashamed of her representatives when it is known that they braved when called upon to face the foe. The whole regiment acquitted themselves like veterans. When we were drawn up in line to go and face the enemy, General Fitz-John Porter, who had command of the field, rode up to our rear and said, “Now my boys you go down to battle. You are Jerseymen, let us see that you are not degenerate sons of the old Jersey stock. Jersey is a little state, but a big one now. Three cheers for New Jersey!” Of course they were given with an emphasis.

Major General Fitz-John Porter

          Of the battle Thursday [June 26th] we were but silent listeners except that we joined in the rejoicing that took place during the evening over the drubbing that Porter had given them. The next day very early in the morning [Gaines Mill- June 27th] we were formed in line and marched down to the Chickahominy near New Bridge but were soon ordered back to camp. Scarcely had we stacked our arms and gone for our breakfast when the Rebels began shelling our camp. We had to fall in and prepare for battle which they showed a disposition to give, but they were soon drove back from that point and we marched back to camp. A third time we were ordered to report at Ball’s Bridge on the double quick, and away we went, many making the remark that ‘The third time never failed.’ Neither did it this time, and I am in hopes the next time we start onward for Richmond will not fail.

          When our brigade went on the field, I thought it was one of the grandest sights I ever saw, but the scene was soon to change. To see artillery, cavalry, and infantry drawn up in line on rolling land is a very nice thing to look at, but to go down in woods filled with men pouring out a perfect hailstorm of bullets is looking at the other side of the picture, but we went in with a shout and a cheer. Co. F being the color company, we suffered very much. Your correspondent’s place was the second file from the flag. Soon they began to fall on each side of me, but steadily onward we moved in face of the foe, nor did they give back until they were ordered to do so, and that was not done until we were completely outflanked by superior numbers.

Thus the 4th New Jersey was all taken prisoner except the few who were left in camp. The 3rd New Jersey lost more in killed and wounded than any of our brigade. The Cumberland Grays lost 27 in killed and wounded. [Names omitted] Most of them are doing well but our company is pretty well thinned out, quite a number having left on account of sickness.

It had been a hard day with us, and everything looked dark at the close of the fight, yet one could not see that any depression was exhibited. We returned to camp that night with but little thought of what we were to go through the week following, but things began to show themselves very early the next morning [June 28th] for at the dawn of day, the breaking up of camp and the destruction of property was begun. Our brigade was under arms very early- just then we learned that the boys of the 4th New Jersey had been captured on Friday. It was then that we began to realize that there was more in the wind than we had bargained for, but you may rest assured that the spirit expressed was ‘Little Mac knows more than we.’ On Saturday, General Longstreet, thinking that we had begun a precipitate retreat, took one of his brigades and advanced on our main front to take possession of the height occupied by General [Baldy] Smith’s division  which they thought was vacated. They charged on the works at a right shoulder shift; our men reserved their fire until they were within a few paces of the works then let go on them with a terrible fire of grape and canister, mowing down the whole except 12 men who were taken prisoners. This terrible slaughter ended the fighting for that day. [The engagement Bacon is referring to was known as the Battle of Golding’s Farm in which General Robert Toombs and Colonel George T. Anderson launched their brigades into an assault against Baldy Smith’s division; as Bacon states, the assault was repulsed with hefty losses for the Confederates but not nearly as dire as he describes. The engagement convinced McClellan to continue his retreat to the James River.]

          About 12 o’clock that night [June 29th], we took up our march in the direction of the James River. When in the neighborhood of Savage Station, we rested. As soon as day began to appear, a line of battle was formed; when those not in that line took up their line of march for the next range of hills where they formed a similar line, and the first line passed in turn, and then in alternate succession the day of Sunday was passed, and we camped at a place called Peach Orchard. Sunday was the great day of our retreat Our sick and wounded had not gotten ahead enough to be out of the way. We shall never forget the sights we witnessed. Skeletal forms, emaciated by disease, tottering and wounded men, all seeking places of safety. Many such fell into the hands of the Rebels, among them were some of Co. F.

          Early Monday morning [June 30th], our division went to the rear to form part of the line to cover the retreat. In the meantime, the Rebels had not been idle for scarcely had we formed our line than they began to shell us, but Major Hexamer with his indefatigable battery soon opened upon them with terrible effect. The slaughter here was terrific. We had seen on Friday legs, arms, and heads flying in the air like a volcano, but we had seen but a small part of the human slaughter to what was here exhibited. The Rebels, with mad frenzy, pushed on in column only to be mown down in windrows. The terrible roar of artillery was only equaled by the destruction of Rebels by thousands.  

General George W. Taylor

By the middle of the afternoon, the fight became general all along the line and it became evident that our position was a critical one. Officers met in council; they could be seen riding in every direction, making preparation to extricate us from the threatened danger, for the Rebels had gained possession of the only road by which we were to make our escape to join the main body of the army. It had been decided upon to cut our way out or leave our booty on the field. Just then, General [George W.] Taylor rode in to our regiment and said, ‘Boys, I guess we will have another chance to test our courage. I think we have them on the hip; let’s have three cheers!’ Then came an order from General Slocum that General Porter had met and repulsed the enemy on our right, upon which General Taylor made a speech to the men. The old man was full of zeal and energy; he remarked that we had been out and learned the woods and said it was no use for the brick-walled city generals to fight those bush fighters, one must know the woods to fight in them.

About 4 o’clock, our position was moved in the rear of the batteries, they had driven the Rebels from their batteries. We were drawn up for a charge upon them and ordered to unsling our knapsacks. Here came a request from General Phil Kearny that the Jersey boys should come to his relief on the left where the Rebels were making a desperate move, throwing their whole force on our left. The call had no sooner been made than responded to. Off we marched at the double quick, leaving knapsacks and all behind, this we lost all except what we had on our backs. Already darkness had begun to shut down upon us. We entered the scene of strife in a road but were soon ordered to fall in the woods. Here the balls came from every direction, but we soon laid down and thus escaped harm. The conflict was kept up until late in the night when the Rebels fell back. We laid down to rest awhile and then we were up and off again. This ended that day. [Bacon is referring to the Battle of White Oak Swamp]

Again on Tuesday [July 1st] they attacked our rear, and here as on the day previous some very hard fighting took place and the slaughter was terrific, but we had now reached the cover of the gunboats and good execution they did. We were not in the rear this day therefore we cannot give any particulars. This morning we got a good glance of the river and each heart bounded with joy at the sight of the same. We reached Harrison’s Landing on Wednesday [July 2nd] in a heavy drenching rain and encamped in a wheat field of 50 acres which was a perfect bed of mire before night and for 20 hours our rest was well moistened by mud and water. In the afternoon, General McClellan rode around the camps and was greeted with much enthusiasm as if we had been in Richmond. The confidence of his men is unbounded. General Slocum also visited his men in their camps and gave them words of comfort. Just as he passed through our camp, some of the men were dissecting a hog that had been captured for supper and he remarked that we should take anything that would add to our comfort. The General is a plain, unassuming man who carries his worth in his brain more than in his dress.

General Henry W. Slocum

Thursday morning [July 3rd] the Rebels began shelling our camps, but their shells fell short; some solid shots reached our camps however, but they soon found they had chosen rather a warm place for the gunboats sent them some compliments in the shape of 124 shells. In the afternoon, our tents were established, and our brigade moved out to our position where we have been recruiting our strength and health by doing picket duty every third day and working on the trenches eight out of 24 hours, but still all are cheerful and lively having got pretty much through with our hard work.

The all-prevailing topic in camp is what our friends are doing at home for us; are they responding to the call of the government for help for us, or are they sitting and looking coolly on while their brothers are beckoning them to come and help them? Shall it be said that New Jersey who so nobly responded to the first and second call did prove recreant at the critical moment? We that have already borne the burden and heat of the day appeal to you to come and help us gather the harvest that we may all return to our homes, and peace and prosperity once more reign throughout the land. Our motto with us is as with you- this government shall be preserved.

 

Source:

Letters from Private Charles Hamilton Bacon, Co. F, 3rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, West Jersey Pioneer (New Jersey), July 19, 1862, pg. 2 and August 2, 1862, pg. 2


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 their way to
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 warrior, for then comes the harvest of gain.
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 how Confederate jacke
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 Maryland, performing provost duty at Cumberlan
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 securing all the Enfi
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

Federal Arms in the Stones River Campaign

Image
  T he following list, constructed after many years of research, lists unit by unit which type of weapons were carried by the Army of the Cumberland during the Stones River campaign. A number of sources were consulted including state ordnance reports, Federal quarterly ordnance reports (thank you Research Arsenal ), Ken Baumann’s Arming the Suckers, regimental histories and memoirs, captured ordnance reports, and consultation with knowledgeable experts in the field of firearms. Some of this information has been shared on the blog before in “ Rosy’s Heavy Metal: Artillery of the Army of the Cumberland ” or “ Shoulder Arms: How Sheridan’s and Davis’s Divisions Were Armed at Stones River ” but this is the first time the army as a whole has been presented. The overall conclusion I drew from looking at this data is that the Army of the Cumberland in December 1862 was an organization in the midst of transformation as far as arms. Many of the regiments still retained their original issue
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 at the outset of the
Read more

Revisiting Snodgrass Hill: Memories of a 21st Ohio Officer

Image
Captain Isaac Cusac, Co. G, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry proudly displaying his rank as captain in an image likely dating from early 1863. One of his shoulder straps was shot off in the final stages of the 21st Ohio's fight atop Snodgrass Hill on September 20, 1863. Cusac brought it back to Chickamauga 50 years later.  I n September 1913, 83-year-old Isaac Cusac, a retired Presbyterian minister from the little town of McComb, Ohio, returned to Chattanooga to attend the national G.A.R. encampment. The former captain of the 21 st Ohio returned to Snodgrass Hill on the old Chickamauga battlefield on the 50 th anniversary of the battle carrying with him a precious relic of his wartime experiences. “He carried with him there an epaulet that was shot from his shoulder at the battle,” it was reported. “The bullet clipped off the epaulet and then struck him on the left hand, injuring two fingers.”           The flood of memories as he walked the grounds must have been overwhelming. The f
Read more