Stunned at Gettysburg: Colonel Root Remembers the Fight of July 1st

The first word Mary Root of Buffalo heard from her son Colonel Adrian Root commanding the 94th New York after Gettysburg was this short note written from Washington, D.C. 

"During the action of the 1^st instant, I was unhorsed by the explosion of a shell directly in front of me, and by which I was so stunned as to have remained quite helpless for several hours,” the colonel began. “During this time the 1st Corps was driven back a mile with heavy loss, leaving me a prisoner in the hands of the enemy. I was however treated with great kindness during the five days of my captivity, and when the enemy retired, I was left on parole. With the exception of severe pains in my head consequent upon concussion of the brain, I am in good condition, although not fit for duty. I hope to be soon exchanged and able to again lead my brave Regiment in the field. Have no fears for my safety.”

A week later, Colonel Root recovered sufficiently to provide a more detailed description of Gettysburg; of particular interest are his experiences caring for the Federal wounded behind Confederate lines while the battle raged through its second and third days. His account first saw publication in the July 18, 1863, edition of the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser.

 

Colonel (later brevet major general) Adrian Rowe Root of the 94th New York suffered a concussion on the first day of Gettysburg and spent a few days as a Confederate prisoner. He was given a field parole which returned him to Federal custody on July 5th. He waited at Washington, D.C. to be exchanged but learned that the government refused to acknowledge the parole. Root felt honor-bound to observe the terms of his parole and raised such a stink with the authorities that they assigned him to command Camp Parole at Annapolis, Maryland until nearly the end of the war. 

Washington, D.C.

July 14, 1863

Editors Commercial Advertiser,

I must not neglect to avail myself of the opportunity of writing to you, which my present respite from active duty affords me, and remembering the interest you have always taken in my regiment, will endeavor to give you a connected account of its recent experiences. I last wrote you from Aquia, of which post and its defenses I had been placed in command.

When the Army of the Potomac moved in pursuit of General Lee, General Hooker sent me three additional regiments of infantry, with orders to hold the post, and cover the embarkation of the sick of the Army and the immense quantity of supplies in depot at Aquia. On the 17^th of June the embarkation had been completed, without loss, and I received telegraphic orders to evacuate the post and proceed to the mouth of the Monocacy River, in Maryland.

Taking transports to Washington, I marched thence overland, reaching the Monocacy on the 20^th ultimo, guarded the Potomac from the Monocacy down to Edward's Ferry until the 26^th ultimo, when Major General Reynolds arrived and crossed the Potomac with his 1^st Army Corps, and obtained permission for me and my regiment to accompany him. I reported to General Paul, commanding First Brigade, Second Division, at Middletown, on the 27^th ultimo, and on the 28^th marched to Frederick on the 29^th, to Emmetsburg; on the 30^th.  

The following day, we marched nearly to Gettysburg, our Brigade arriving at about 1 o'clock p.m., and finding Wadsworth's Division engaged with a superior force of the enemy, and suffering severely, General Reynolds the Corps Commander having been killed early in the action. Our Division passed on to the left of Gettysburg, and advanced to Wadsworth's support, the First Brigade forming line of battle upon a wooded ridge, and, by direction of General Paul, throwing up hastily constructed breastworks of fence rails, etc.

These were scarcely completed before we were ordered to move to the right, and having moved about 500 yards, found ourselves under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery. In order to see the enemy, I advanced the 94^th in line through the grove to a rail fence, towards which the enemy's line was advancing through a wheat field. My regiment opened a heavy fire upon the enemy's line, which soon wavered then broke and hastily retreated.

I deemed the moment a proper one for advancing across the wheat field to another fence, whence I hoped to silence, and if possible, capture a battery which was vigorously shelling us from a wooded elevation beyond. At that moment an aide came up and informed me that I was in command of the brigade, General Paul having been wounded. I hesitated no longer but gave the order to the 94^th to charge.

94th New York Monument at Gettysburg
(Phil Spaugy)

The gallant fellows sprang over the fence with a cheer, charged across the field in the face of a heavy fire, and occupied the desired position, from which they opened a heavy fire upon the enemy's battery. I then went to General Robinson, reported my action, and asked for orders. He thought it hardly desirable to attempt to carry the enemy's position and directed me to recall my men to their original position.

Riding to the front, I ordered the regiment back, and was turning my horse, when a shell exploded directly over me, and so near me as to completely stun me. One fragment tore my cap from my head, and my entire system was so shocked and prostrated that I was unable to keep my seat in the saddle. I accordingly rolled off, in a bewildered frame of mind—and my share in the battle had ended. Two of my men carried me to the rear and drenched me with water.

Meantime the enemy pressing the corps in superior force, succeeded in flanking it on both sides, and forced it to retreat in haste through Gettysburg, to a hill beyond. In passing through Gettysburg, the enemy headed off a portion of the corps, and captured a large number of prisoners, among whom were nearly 200 of my own regiment. While all this was transpiring, I remained helpless and semi-conscious on the field and was taken possession of by some exultant Rebels.

By a sort of retributive justice, my captors belonged to then 33^rd North Carolina regiment, the identical regiment captured by my brigade at the first battle of Fredericksburg, December 17, 1862. When the Rebels had occupied Gettysburg their pursuit ceased, and having some leisure they turned their attention to their prisoners, of whom they had taken about 4,000. The 33^rd North Carolina recognized me, shook hands vigorously, and escorted me to their colonel, who anxiously inquired if "I'd take a drink," at the same time proffering a canteen of whiskey.

Later in the evening my generous captors took me to the headquarters of General A. P. Hill, who gave me a good supper, and offered to parole me at once, or to wait and exchange me after the Confederates had taken Baltimore. I preferred being exchanged at Baltimore, but subsequently I thought of the hundreds of our wounded men in the Rebel lines, and asked permission to attend to their wants, and offering to be personally responsible for a detail of prisoners, if they could be given me.

The 94th New York held a position near the right flank of the 1st Corps line which collapsed late in the afternoon on July 1, 1863. Colonel Root had just been bumped to brigade command following the wounding of General Gabriel Paul and Colonel Samuel Leonard of the 13th Massachusetts when he rode into the field to order his 94th New York to retiree. A shell exploded above Root and knocked the New Yorker senseless. When Root came to, he found himself captured by familiar enemies- soldiers from the 33rd North Carolina who had captured Colonel Root seven months previously at Fredericksburg! 

(Map by American Battlefield Trust) 

General Hill at once gave me permission to attend to our wounded, and subsequently gave me a detail of 150 men of the 94^th New York to assist me. I was required to sign an obligation to remain prisoner of war until duly exchanged. All the other prisoners were paroled and sent to Carlisle, but I declined the parole, as did my men also, and only accepted the provisional parole, in order to be enabled to relieve the sufferings of the wounded.

That night I passed on the battlefield, doing what little I could to relieve the misery around me. All I could do was to supply water and receive dying messages for home friends and encourage the less severely wounded. I shall never forget that first night, no, nor any of those days and nights, until the long and fearful fight had ended. But that first night was the most painful of all, for with the exception of one man, I was alone in endeavoring to assist the hundreds of wounded men around me, and meanwhile suffering inexpressible distress myself from very consciousness of my inability to materially relieve the misery which wrung with useless sympathy every chord of my nature.

But the next day, July 2^nd, my detail of 150 men of the 94^th, came to my assistance, and while the fight raged furiously at the front, brave fellows labored assiduously under a constant fire of our own batteries, to collect our wounded men. The poor fellows were placed in a barn, until 117 had been placed there, and there was no more room, and then the rest were laid in rows on the ground outside. We had no luncheons, but we had water, and the men worked faithfully in their labor of mercy, rendering me prouder of them than I had ever been before. That their labors were not entirely devoid of risk, may be inferred from the fact that several shots and shells passed into and through our improvised barn hospital. One of these shells exploded and tore the lower jaw from a Tennessee major who had stopped to look at our wounded, and he died in a few moments.

Of the great artillery fight of July 3^rd, and subsequently of the magnificent infantry charges of Rebels, I was as you may suppose a most interested spectator, but I cannot now take the time to describe them. I will only say that after having been present at a number of important engagements, the battle of Gettysburg, in my opinion, exceeded all previous battles of the war in sublimity and grandeur, as well as in carnage and subsequent human misery.

Garnett's brigade charging the Federal center during Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. 

You will bear in mind that within the Rebel lines, I was at perfect liberty to go where I chose. I was a witness to their losses as well as our own. There were numerous instances in which it seemed as though all possible human misery, had been concentrated. Can you imagine anything more appalling than human beings with shattered jaws, limbs, heads, helpless, speechless, yet conscious, and with the pleading eye eloquent with imploring agony? I saw many such, and could only leave them to perish slowly where they had fallen.

But I will not shock you with a detailed description of these horrors. During the night of the 4^th instant, the Rebels began their retreat, disappointed, but very far from being dispirited; their artillery intact, their cavalry splendidly mounted, their infantry in perfect discipline. The officers bade me goodbye, saying as they shook hands, that they hoped to meet me again under pleasanter auspices.

By dawn of the 5^th instant, the Confederates had entirely disappeared, leaving me and my detail with the wounded, and by noon our lines had extended out to our rudely improvised hospitals, and our wounded, for the first time since the action of the 1^st instant, received medical attendance.

I should like very much to tell you of some of the strange incidents which occurred to me, during my involuntary sojourn with the Rebels, but cannot do so now without violating the terms of my parole. You will doubtless be surprised to learn that I met several Buffalonians in the Rebel army, (where won’t you meet them?) On one occasion while walking over the field I met a mounted rebel officer, who after passing me, turned his horse, and overtaking me, asked if I was not Colonel Root? On my replying in the affirmative, he asked me if I knew him. I looked at him a moment and replied. "Yes, you rascal, I know you very well, I used to see you licked every day at Fay’s School.”

Whereat the Rebel laughed, and announced himself as the Quartermaster of the 8^th Georgia regiment, and wanted to know if he could do anything for me. On my replying that I wanted nothing but surgeons, which he could not supply, he began a review of the old school boy days of the long past childhood, asking after many who had been long ago dead and buried, and finally, and with hesitation, inquiring about his father and mother. I remembered that his brother was lost at sea, and I expressed the opinion that poor "Gussy" had been the more fortunate of the brothers.

Whereupon the Confederate smiled gravely, and said that he must be going along, as he had been detailed to "borrow" some horses from the Pennsylvania farmers. Then with a request that I would send his love to his parents and family, my old schoolmate, Sammy Hall, rode away to negotiate his "loan" of some horses from the Pennsylvania farmers.

This letter is becoming too long for you to read with comfort, and I will finish it forthwith. My own physical condition is quite satisfactory, with the exception of an occasional twinge of pain in my cranium, consequent upon what the Surgeon declares to have been a "concussion of the brain." I regard his opinion with much satisfaction, in view of the fact that a friend of mine has frequently told me that I had no brains, or I would be at home behaving myself, instead of wasting my days as a three years' volunteer.

I am now awaiting instructions as to the validity of my parole, which I consider valid and binding, and shall fulfill its conditions, to the extent of my abili­ty, my only object in assuming them having been to relieve the sufferings of our wounded men. I cannot state definitely the losses in my reg­iment during the recent battles. About one hundred men only are now with the colors, but doubtless most of the "missing" were taken prisoners. I do not yet know the number of killed and wounded.

I remain yours very truly,

A. R. R.

Sources:

“Col. A.R. Root Safe in Washington,” Buffalo Commercial Advertiser (New York), July 8, 1863, pg. 3

Letter from Colonel Adrian R. Root, 94^th New York Volunteer Infantry, Buffalo Commercial Advertiser (New York), July 18, 1863, pg. 2