Waist Deep in Mud and Water: The 25th Massachusetts at the Battle of Roanoke Island

Most soldiers approached combat in the Civil War with a high degree of trepidation, and a soldier’s first time under fire remained one of the most vivid memories of their wartime experience. For Private Edwin Goodell of the 25th Massachusetts, he first saw the elephant February 8, 1862, during the little remembered battle of Roanoke Island. It marked his first steps in the making of a veteran volunteer.

“I wish you could have seen me when the battle was over,” he later wrote to a friend. “All mud and water up to my waist, my face completely blackened with powder and mud, clothes nearly torn off, and on the whole in a rather sorry plight. I expected to be sick after being knocked about for 43 hours in the rain and cold without anything to eat but a few hard crackers, but I am happily disappointed. I don’t know that I ever felt better or was ever in better spirits than I am today. I feel very thankful that I came off all right. I don’t know that I felt the first sensation of fear. I fired 30 balls at the rascals- how many took effect I cannot say- but I sincerely hope that I was the means of sending some of them to their long account.”

The 25th Massachusetts mustered into service in early October 1861 and after about a month of drill was sent south to Maryland where it was attached to General Ambrose Burnside’s division. In January 1862, the regiment sailed south as part of Burnside’s expedition to the North Carolina coast and fought in its first engagement at Roanoke Island. The Bay Staters would remain in North Carolina until returning home to veteranize in early 1864, then they served with the 18th Army Corps at Bermuda Hundred and with the Army of the Potomac at Cold Harbor where 76% of the regiment was lost in that horrific battle.  

          Edwin Goodell’s account of Roanoke Island first saw publication in the February 28, 1862, edition of the Southbridge Journal.

 

 

The Confederates at Roanoke Island had set up field fortifications across the center of the island covered by a vast swamp, hardly expecting the Federals to try and attack through it. That's just what they did. The 25th Massachusetts exchanged long range musketry with the Confederate garrison on Roanoke Island for three hours before the 9th New York Zouaves charged up the causeway and broke the Confederate line. When the Rebels attempted to withdraw from the island, they were bottled up and captured by the Federals. 

Headquarters, Co. D, 25th Massachusetts Regt., Roanoke Island, North Carolina

February 9, 1862

 My dear friend,

          As I have an opportunity, I will just write a few lines so that you may know that I am well and all right after the fight. I shall give you a short account of the particulars of the engagement. The battle commenced Friday February 7th at about 10 a.m. by our gunboats shelling the forts. The bombardment continued until sunset when they commenced to land our troops upon the island which occupied nearly all of the night. The flag of the 25th Massachusetts was the first one planted on the Rebel shore. After landing, scouts were immediately sent out to ascertain, if possible, the position of the enemy. We built campfires and stood around them all night in the rain which we thought was rather tough on the whole.

Early Saturday morning, we were startled by the Rebels firing upon our scouts. The troops formed in line with the 25th Massachusetts at their head and started for the scene of action. After marching about two miles, we were saluted with a volley from a masked battery of the Rebels. The fight then commenced in earnest. Our regiment went in advance and stood their ground nobly- not a man was seen to flinch from his duty although it rained a perfect shower of bullets and men were falling thick and fast on all sides. The 25th fought desperately for about three hours when the 21st regiment was ordered to take our place. We fought waist deep in mud and water, the balls from the battery striking all around us; some in the mud, and others in the trees just above our heads.

Sergeant James Graham
Co. F, 25th Massachusetts

The loss in our regiment is 13 killed and 40 wounded. Captain Foster was wounded in his head; the ball struck his right temple and came out of the eye. The surgeon says he will have to lose his eye without a doubt. After the 21st Massachusetts took our place, the roll was called and every man in the company answered to his name- not a wounded or missing man except our captain who faithfully did his duty. He led us on until we were within 20 rods of the battery. The last order he gave, he jumped on to a stump and waved his sword and cried, “Come on my boys!” Then he was struck with a bullet and carried off the field. About noon, the battery was charged upon by the 9th New York Zouaves and the enemy could hold out no longer. At half past 12 the stars and stripes waved in triumph over the battery.

After leaving the battery, the Rebels made for the beach hoping that some of their schooners would be in readiness to take them off, but in this they were disappointed as our troops came upon them too soon for this. Seeing that it would be useless to prolong the fight, they surrendered the island and gave themselves up as prisoners. There were about 2,500 Rebels, 30 good cannons, with a large supply of army stores consisting of flour, meal, sugar, molasses, hard bread, pork, coffee, lard, etc. Last night we stayed in the barracks of the Secesh and had a nice time.

 

 “They are a curious-looking people. They do not talk or act like Yankees and are very ignorant and slovenly, not half of them capable of reading or even writing their own name as their muster roll will show. They have no uniforms and if we can judge by what they say, a great many of them were pressed into the service and are glad to get rid of the fighting.” ~ Private John G. Leach, Co. C, 25th Massachusetts

 

I wish you could have seen me when the battle was over; all mud and water up to my waist, my face completely blackened with powder and mud, clothes nearly torn off, and on the whole in a rather sorry plight. I expected to be sick after being knocked about for 43 hours in the rain and cold without anything to eat but a few hard crackers, but I am happily disappointed. I don’t know that I ever felt better or was ever in better spirits than I am today. I feel very thankful that I came off all right. Where I stood the balls came thick and fast. I could think of nothing but a storm of hail stones rattling among the trees. I don’t know that I felt the first sensation of fear. I fired 30 balls at the rascals- how many took effect I cannot say- but I sincerely hope that I was the means of sending some of them to their long account.

Map of the battle of Roanoke Island

I have conversed with some of the prisoners. They seem to be very well contented and say they are glad to get rid of fighting. They are the most slovenly, dirty set of men I ever saw. Their clothes are very poor and over half of them have no uniforms. It is impossible to state the loss of the Rebels as they sunk their men in the water as fast as we killed them.

 

Sources:

Letter from Private Edwin D. Goodell, Co. D, 25th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Southbridge Journal (Massachusetts), February 28, 1862, pg. 2

Letter from Private John D. Leach, Co. C, 25th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Southbridge Journal (Massachusetts), March 14, 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 their way to
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

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

The Cannons are Now Silent: The Field of Death of Tupelo

Image
       The smoke of battle had drifted away from the battlefield at Tupelo, Mississippi on the hot afternoon of July 14, 1864, but the carnage of war lay spread across the open fields. “Scattered at intervals over the field of a few yards are dull gray blotches half shaded by grass,” an officer from the 7 th Minnesota Infantry recorded. “These are the Rebel dead. They have fought their last battle and lie generally in attitudes of rest; some of them look as if they had welcomed death. On the faces of two is imprinted a smile. One is a boy of 16 with delicate features, almost girlish in their beauty. His last gaze seems to have been directed toward his hand on the forefinger of which was a ring. A circle of purer white indicates its place; the ring was carried off as a trophy of the field.” The following account of the Battles of Tupelo and Old Town Creek was written by an unknown officer of the 7 th Minnesota Infantry, his account appearing in the August 5 th 1864 edition of the
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

Straw Already Threshed: Sherman on Shiloh

Image
  W illiam Tecumseh Sherman was enjoying retired life in New York City when just before Christmas in 1889 he was presented with an article written by John Cockerill, a former drummer boy in the 24 th Ohio who was visiting his father Colonel Joseph Cockerill of the 70 th Ohio of Sherman’s division when the Battle of Shiloh began. Cockerill’s article, originally published in the New York Journalist and later featured in the January 1893 issue of Blue & Gray Magazine, Sherman later pronounced as “the best war story ever written” and the truest account of Shiloh.           On New Year’s Day 1890, General Sherman composed the following letter to his friend Marshall P. Wilder thanking him for sending along Cockerill’s article and giving his own explanation of Shiloh. “This to me is straw already threshed for we have fought this battle on paper several times, a much more agreeable task than to fight with bullets,” he concluded. “When in England some years ago I was gratified to liste
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

Escape of Captain Henry H. Alban of the 21st Ohio Infantry

Image
Captain Henry H. Alban was among the dozen officers of the 21 st Ohio Volunteer Infantry who were captured on September 20, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga. The regiment had held its position atop Snodgrass Hill against repeated Confederate assaults and now battered and without ammunition, with the darkness of evening enveloping the hill, the remainder of that gallant band found themselves at the mercy of the 54 th Virginia. A total of 12 officers and 121 enlisted men surrendered; the regiment’s colors were taken, and the men marched off the field into captivity. Captain Henry Harvey Alban, Co. F, 21st O.V.I. Captain Alban along with the rest went through a series of Confederate prison camps before arriving at Columbia, South Carolina in October 1864. Determined to make an escape, he watched for his chance and one night made his leap for freedom, successfully eluding the local camp guard and setting out along the railroad to head for the mountains of eastern Tennessee and
Read more

Knapsack Compression: Wilbur Hinman recalls the first step of becoming a veteran

Image
L ooking back on his experiences during the war, Captain Wilbur Hinman of the 65 th Ohio (perhaps best known as the author of Si Klegg and His Pard ) recalled that the first road along which his regiment marched was strewn “with debris. A pair of six-mule wagonloads might have been gathered of notions that had been flung aside by a thousand suffering “tenderfeet.” “The average young patriot started for the war with a wheelbarrow load of clothing, a bed quilt or two, books, photograph albums, toilet articles, and gimcracks of every sort,” he wrote. “Neither he nor the good homefolks had the slightest conception of the capacity of a knapsack, nor did they for a moment imagine that before the close of his first day upon the road every pound he carried would seem a hundred.” To the true mark of a veteran soldier was one who “learned to dispense with every unnecessary ounce of weight, and just in the ratio that he did this he increased his efficiency as a soldier. It was of the highest
Read more

Federal Arms in the Chickamauga Campaign

Image
T he ordnance returns of the Army of the Cumberland at the end of September 1863 show the results of a transformational year in weaponry. Since taking command of the army at the end of October 1862, General William S. Rosecrans had repeatedly pestered the War Department to supply his regiments with better firearms both to improve the command’s efficiency as well as expand its striking power. The results speak for themselves: for the infantrymen at the end of September 1863, 90% of them now carried Class I long arms (36,058 out of 39,959), 8.3% carried Class II arms, and a mere 1.5% carried Class III weapons. Most of the foreign-made weapons (except Enfields) were gone, and by and large the army had settled on a single common .58 caliber ammunition, although a few .54 caliber and .69 caliber weapons remained within the ranks. The English-made Enfield rifle musket was by far the most common arm, carried by 56% of the men while the second-most common arm was the .58 caliber M1861 Spring
Read more