Storming Petersburg with the 126th Ohio

After nearly three years of service with the Army of the Potomac, Corporal James Alexander of the 126th Ohio was sensitive to the charge that his army "never did any hard fighting and never gained the victories the southwestern armies has." But he pointed with pride to his army's fighting at Petersburg on April 2, 1865 to counter that charge. 

    "Early on the morning of the 2nd of April, the division commanded by General Truman Seymour was taken out in front of our works and massed in the form of a letter V for the purpose of assaulting the enemy’s works," Alexander wrote. "About 150 men of the 126th Ohio (the remainder being on picket) and the 6th Maryland formed the advance or assaulting column. Preparatory to the signal for advance, and while laying in line of battle, imagine the feelings that stole over us and imagine the blood work assigned us to do. In a moment, the recollections of mother, heaven, home sweet home, and all its dear inmates came thronging to our memories." 

    Alexander's letter, written 10 days after the surrender at Appomattox, was originally published in the June 1, 1865, edition of the Lancaster Gazette. 

 

The 126th Ohio transferred from the 3rd Corps to the 6th Corps in March 1864 and fought with the corps through the hardest battles of its service including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Cold Harbor, Monocacy, Third Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, and the assault at Petersburg on April 2, 1865 which Corporal Alexander describes at length in this account. The Buckeyes served in General J. Warren Keifer's Second Brigade of the Third Division (Truman Seymour) of the 6th Army Corps alongside fellow Buckeyes from the 110th and 122nd Ohio with whom they had served since entering service in the fall of 1862. 

In the pine woods, Burksville Junction, Virginia

April 19, 1865

          Having again gone into camp for a few days to wait the results of future operations in other parts of our army, permit me to place before your readers a few scenes passed through by the 126th Ohio and of events received in our midst since last writing to you. On the 25th of March, the regiment led a charge upon the enemy’s strongly entrenched picket line and our starry banner was placed in defiance on it in less than 15 minutes after the command forward was given. In the affair, Israel Miller, a resident of Pleasantville, was instantly killed by a 32-lb shell and Sergeant W.S. Johnson was slightly wounded in the nose.

          Early on the morning of the 2nd of April, the division commanded by General Truman Seymour was taken out in front of our works and massed in the form of a letter V for the purpose of assaulting the enemy’s works. About 150 men of the 126th Ohio (the remainder being on picket) and the 6th Maryland formed the advance or assaulting column. Preparatory to the signal for advance, and while laying in line of battle, imagine the feelings that stole over us and imagine the blood work assigned us to do. In a moment, the recollections of mother, heaven, home sweet home, and all its dear inmates came thronging to our memories. A silent prayer was breathed to Him who has so often taken us safely through past conflicts and given to us the victory. 

126th O.V.I. regimental colors


    The signal gun was fired; the command forward was given, and it must be executed. Onward we went, the iron hail, the messengers of death, plowing through our ranks, but all of no avail. An army determined to conquer or die forces its way through all obstructions, scales the dreaded works, and plants the old flag thereon. For a while, a hand-to-hand fight ensues, but ere long the enemy fled in disorder, leaving his works, forts, guns, flags, killed, wounded, and prisoners by the hundreds in our possession. Four successive forts and guns are ours, but at the latter the enemy rallies and comes upon us in overwhelming numbers.

          For a while our line wavers and gives back, but the presence of Generals Wright, Seymour, and Keifer inspires us with unusual courage. Again we push forward, again the emblem of liberty plants in triumph and sweeping down the line, aided by the 24th Army Corps, everything is ours the entire length of the line to Hatcher’s Run. Pen cannot paint or language express what here fell in our possession and I will not attempt it.

          Our casualties were not so large considering the opposition met with. Each and every regiment did nobly but to the 6th Maryland is given the honor of being the first to break the lines and plant its flag in triumph. Major Clifton K. Prentiss of that gallant band of heroes fell mortally wounded in the affair and in taking him off the field, his last words were, “If I die, say to the world that my regiment and the 126th Ohio planted the first flags upon the enemy works.”

Major General Horatio G. Wright
6th Army Corps

          Our work being completed here, we now moved to the right in three parallel columns and formed in line of battle to try our skill on the inner defenses of Petersburg. Again we advanced but the poor discomfited Rebels decline battle and flay like chaff before the wind. The 24th Army Corps on our left, however, met with more resistance. Fort Gregg, a strong work, was stubbornly defended by the Rebels. It was here I think I witnessed the bloodiest work of the day. Our boys advanced (among them the 62nd Ohio); bayonets and butts of muskets came in contact, flagstaffs were used as spears by our color bearers, and four stands were planted on the works at least 15 minutes ere the enemy surrendered. We remained in line of battle all night with the expectation of engaging the enemy in the morning but conceive of our dismay to find that he was gone, Petersburg was ours, and our line of skirmishers already in the town.

We at once took up our line of march in pursuit of the retreating foe until the 6th when the regiment was detailed to guard a batch of 1,800 prisoners to City Point. Their condition is beyond description and full three-fourths of them will take the oath of amnesty. We got aboard cars at City Point on the 14th and traveling on the South Side Railroad, we joined our brigade on the 15th at this place Burksville Junction. Casualties up to this date are two killed and 13 wounded. Our last duty prevented us from being present at the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and his demoralized army, but all would like to have witnessed the affair.

Yesterday I visited Burksville Junction to see a portion of the captured property. Small arms by the cord were to be seen and I counted over a hundred cannons of every description that had been gathered in and were still coming. This sight reminded me very much of a lot of logs drawn up to a sawmill to be sawn into lumber. They had all been consigned to Mother Earth with boards erected to the memory of some dead Johnny, but the Yanks are not to sold in that kind of style. As the army that has so long confronted us is now numbered among the things that have been, appearances indicated but little fighting in this vicinity soon. How strange is appears, even to us, it is hard to realize, but it is beyond doubt.

Editors, how often have you heard the expression “the Potomac army never did any hard fighting and never gained the victories the southwestern armies has.” Is it true? Methinks the day is not far distant when all of will be proud to say “I belonged to the Potomac army. I belonged to the 6th Army Corps who on the morning of the 2nd of April, 1865 assaulted the enemy’s impregnable position, pierced his center, and by sweeping everything before it, gave us his last strongholds Petersburg and Richmond. And to our arms the grandest victory ever achieved in modern warfare."

Along with the victories that have so recently perched upon our old banner came the sad news of the death of President Lincoln. Surely a greater calamity could not have befallen our country at this time. All flags are flying at half mast today, public services held, proper addresses delivered, and every true soldier mourns and deeply feels the loss we have so recently sustained. God grant that peace may spread its balmy wings over while unity and prosperity smile all over our loved land.

Source:

Letter from Corporal James J. Alexander, Co. I, 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Lancaster Gazette (Ohio), June 1, 1865, pg. 1

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