A Very Unmilitary Movement: With Ellsworth’s Zouaves at First Bull Run

The 11th New York Volunteers, also known as Ellsworth’s Zouaves, had scarcely arrived on the field at Bull Run when the men spied a nearby Federal battery that had been overrun by the Confederates. “We were at once impressed with the idea that we had a mission and that mission was to retake those guns,” remembered First Lieutenant Edward B. Knox of Co. A. “Whereupon with a wild, wild yell, three cheers, and a loud fierce cry of “Remember Ellsworth,” we dashed across the intervening space, rushed in the face of a murderous discharge from the cannons on the hill, and with loud whoops and hurrahs drove some away, killed the rest, occupied the position, and attempted to use the guns. The Regulars did not return to receive at their hands the recaptured battery, and it was useless in our hands.”

          Before the Civil War, Maine native Edward Burgin Knox was a member of Elmer Ellsworth’s U.S. Zouave Cadets in Chicago where he gained the nickname of “the Little Corporal.” When Ellsworth went to New York to lead the 11th New York Volunteers, also known as the Fire Zouaves as the men were raised from the various fire companies of the city of New York, he sent word to Knox to join him and promptly assigned the 21-year-old to Co. A as first lieutenant. Lieutenant Knox’s account of Bull Run first saw publication in the August 3, 1861, edition of the Steuben Republican published in Angola, Indiana.

 

The 11th New York's first action at Bull Run resulted in the recapture of two guns that belonged to Captain Charles Griffin's Battery D, 5th U.S. Light Artillery. They fought with the 33rd Virginia who had taken the guns and then were hit on their flank by Colonel J.E.B. Stuart leading the 1st Virginia Cavalry. (Mark Maritato)

          The regiment was encamped on Saturday night at a place about a mile this side of Centreville. At 2 o’clock on Sunday morning, the men were aroused and remained under arms until 7 o’clock at which time they started forward. There were some 950 men all told with [Lt. Col. Noah] “Pony” Farnham at their head. With cheers, they moved briskly forward through the woods, singing and laughing, eager for the fight.

          They had marched about 14 miles and were within three miles of the battlefield when they heard the guns and saw the smoke from an eminence. This excited the men wonderfully, and at the double quick step they pressed on with the intention of joining Colonel Orlando Willcox who with the Michigan regiments was a short way ahead. Halting at a pool of dirty water, they refreshed themselves, and went on until they came to a church three-quarters of a mile this side of the battlefield where they left their overcoats and haversacks and having formed by companies, went on at the double quick step.

Edward Burgin Knox
11th New York, later 44th New York

          As they passed a bit of woods, they were fired at by some cavalry who were concealed there, but stopping only to return the fire, they moved on until they reached a fair halting ground. While there, the enemy succeeded in taking from the U.S. Regulars a battery which was stationed in the woods at the right of the Zouaves. We were at once impressed with the idea that we had a mission and that mission was to retake those guns.

          Whereupon with a wild, wild yell, three cheers, and a loud fierce cry of “Remember Ellsworth,” we dashed across the intervening space, rushed in the face of a murderous discharge from the cannons on the hill, and with loud whoops and hurrahs drove some away, killed the rest, occupied the position, and attempted to use the guns. The Regulars did not return to receive at their hands the recaptured battery, and it was useless in our hands.

          While in possession of this battery, a body of infantry who were in the woods in our right rear fired several volleys with considerable effect into our midst. The colonel gave the order to leave the battery and dislodge the enemy. This they did effectually and compelled the Rebels to flee from the wrath behind. Unfortunately, the Zouaves were not aware of the state of affairs on the other side of the woods. With hot haste and in considerable disorder, they rushed out only to find themselves the target of another body of infantry and beyond them the Black Horse Cavalry charging full upon them.

The Zouaves fought on Henry House Hill for a few hours on the afternoon of July 21, 1861 before suffering heavy casualties and being driven from the field with the rest of the Federal army. It was a humiliating defeat for the brash Zouaves; Lieutenant Knox refused to label the retreat a stampede or a rout but conceded that it was "a very unmilitary movement." 


          Things looked badly when, fortunately, the infantry were engaged by another regiment thus giving the Zouaves time to prepare for the charge from the horsemen. They formed hastily into line, kneeling, semi-kneeling, and standing that Ellsworth-fashion they might receive their enemies with successive volleys. On came the horsemen, a full regiment of brave men, splendidly mounted, and as ready for mischief as those on whom they hoped to fall. To an early discharge from the cavalry, the Zouaves made no response although several of the men were killed. We waited patiently until the enemy was almost upon us when, in quick succession, the three ranks fired, each man doing his best for the good cause.

Lieutenant Colonel Noah L. Farnham led the 11th New York at Bull Run until he was wounded. He died three weeks later, the second regimental commander of the 11th New York to give up his life in "the good cause." Lieutenant Knox referred to him as "Pony." 

          The shock to the Rebels was great, but they rallied, behaving splendidly, and attempted a renewal of the charge for which, however, the excited firemen were prepared and for which the Black Horse Cavalry paid most dearly. They were completely shattered, broken up, and swept away. Not more than a hundred of them rode off and as they went, their rebellious ears were greeted with “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, tigah, Zouave,” and such a “tiger repeat” as one can only appreciate when he had heard it.

          What happened after that is hard to detail. Grape and canister were poured in upon us thick and fast. Down on our faces we went until the shot passed and then up and at them until the next volley. This continued for a long time during which squad after squad was used up, man after man fell dead, or receiving a shot while on the ground, he failed to rise at the next command. Then came the order to retreat, which was slowly and gradually obeyed. The regiment broke ranks; some of the men walked slowly off, others went into the woods and fought them from behind trees on their own hook; other fell in with other regiments to join forces against the common enemy, and other climbed trees to “see what was up.”

11th New York regimental colors carried at Bull Run featured depictions of the typical fire equipment of the 19th century including hooks, poles, ladders, and helmets. The regimental slogan read "The Star Spangled Banner in Triumph Will Wave."

          While in the woods, the slaughter amongst the men was very great and the crossfire to which they were exposed did them more damage than all else beside. The retreat was with the Zouaves as with all of the regiments; not particularly an orderly one, but rather a free and easy retrograde movement which, if not a stampede or a rout, was at least a very unmilitary movement.

          After the Fire Zouaves returned to New York in August 1861, Lieutenant Knox joined Co. I of the 44th New York, a regiment raised at the behest of the Ellsworth Society of New York and which had the nickname of “Ellsworth’s Avengers.” Knox was appointed adjutant served with the 44th for three years, being wounded first May 27, 1862, at Hanover Courthouse and again May 8, 1864, at Laurel Hill, ending his service as major. He subsequently served for five years in the U.S. Regulars before returning to his hometown of Chicago, Illinois in 1870. He passed away April 9, 1890, in Chicago and is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery.

        

Source:

Account from First Lieutenant Edward Burgin Knox, Co. A, 11th New York Volunteer Infantry (Ellsworth’s Zouaves), Steuben Republican (Indiana), August 3, 1861, 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