Charging the Railroad Embankment at Second Bull Run with the 5th New Jersey

Pinned down by Stonewall Jackson's determined infantrymen at Second Bull Run, Lieutenant Theodore Young of the 5th New Jersey Infantry recalled how the fight denigrated into a slugging contest at short range. 

    "We commenced firing ourselves but at first could not see anything for the smoke of the Rebel guns," he commented in a letter written nearly two weeks later. "By and by, however, we could see the heads of the Rebels sticking up behind the railroad embankment while others were standing behind trees and stumps. As our line of battle and line of skirmishers was oblique to the railroad, our left came in sight of the enemy sooner than the right. Company K had the extreme left and a good many of the boys assured me that they were not over 40 yards from the Rebels. We had stood there about half an hour when our line of battle advanced and tried to make a charge. The Rebels, however, opened such a tremendous fire on us that we broke ranks and retreated, leaving it to us skirmishers to keep the enemy from following them."

    Lieutenant Young’s description of Second Bull Run first saw publication in the September 25, 1862, edition of the Monmouth Democrat published in Freehold, New Jersey. During Northern Virginia campaign, the 5th New Jersey under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William J. Sewell was part of Colonel Joseph B. Carr’s Third Brigade of General Joseph Hooker’s Second Division of the 3rd Army Corps under Samuel P. Heintzelman.

 

Cap belonging to a soldier of Co. K, 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry with an 1863-era corps badge for the Second Division, 3rd Army Corps

Camp near Alexandria, Virginia

September 9, 1862

          On the 15th of August, our division left Harrison’s Landing and marched towards Williamsburg and Yorktown, at which latter place we arrived safely after a day’s march. Great enthusiasm was manifested at the sight of the old battlefield of Williamsburg. At Yorktown, we embarked on the steamer Baltic which took us 30 miles up the Potomac then ran aground; we were put aboard the steamer City of New York which took us up to Alexandria. I need not mention how glad the boys were to see this place again; it seemed to be a second home and everyone was anxious to get ashore and visit his old acquaintances. We laid for three days in and around Alexandria, thus giving us a chance to get at least one good meal.

          On the 26th of August, we left Alexandria on the cars and halted at Warrenton Station about 15 miles the other side of Manassas. We laid there overnight when early the next morning (August 27th) the news reached us that Jackson had made a dash on the railroad between us and Manassas, burning all the bridges and destroying everything he could hold of. Our division, the only one lying this side of Jackson, was marched back along the railroad and about 2 o’clock in the afternoon of the same day we reached Jackson’s forces at Bristow Station. A sharp engagement ensued in which Sickle’s brigade of our division met with considerable loss. Our regiment was then ordered to charge; this order was promptly executed, causing the Rebels to leave that place. Corporal John B. Clayton was ahead of all in pursuing the Rebels as they fled in great disorder, leaving a good many of their dead, wounded, and prisoners in our hands. The next day we followed the enemy towards Manassas and from there to Centreville.

Early on the morning of the 29th of August, we took the road towards the old battlefield of Bull Run and on our arrival there we found Kearny’s division hotly engaged with the enemy. The enemy had an excellent position along a railroad embankment behind a wood and so situated that we could not deploy more than one brigade at once. Up to this point, Kearney had successfully driven the enemy back, but here he sent in one brigade after another without any effect. Our men were terribly cut up and had to retreat.

About 1 p.m., our division marched up, each brigade building a line of battle for itself. Our brigade was in the lead and we advanced slowly through the woods. About halfway through the woods we halted and our regiment was selected to deploy skirmishers in front of the line of battle. Then we advanced slowly as skirmishers while the rest of the brigade came up in line of battle about a hundred yards in our rear. Approaching towards the edge of the woods, we were received by a volley of musketry which caused our line of battle to lie down while we skirmishers pushed forward, hiding ourselves behind trees and stumps.

Colonel (later Brigadier General) Joseph B. Carr of New York commanded Third Brigade, Second Division, Third Army Corps during the Northern Virginia campaign. The brigade consisted of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th New Jersey regiments along with the 2nd New York and 115th Pennsylvania.

It was here that many of our regiment were killed among them Captain [Edward A.] Acton and [Private] John F. Lokerson [Co. K]. We commenced firing ourselves but at first could not see anything for the smoke of the Rebel guns. By and by, however, we could see the heads of the Rebels sticking up behind the railroad embankment while others were standing behind trees and stumps. As our line of battle and line of skirmishers was oblique to the railroad, our left came in sight of the enemy sooner than the right. Company K had the extreme left and a good many of the boys assured me that they were not over 40 yards from the Rebels. We had stood there about half an hour when our line of battle advanced and tried to make a charge. The Rebels, however, opened such a tremendous fire on us that we broke ranks and retreated, leaving it to us skirmishers to keep the enemy from following them. This we did.

I do not believe that a man of the 5th New Jersey left his post except if he was wounded. Never did I see men act cooler and better in a fight. Soon afterwards, another line of battle came up in our rear. It was the Second Brigade of Hooker’s division [Colonel Nelson Taylor’s all-New York Excelsior Brigade] and they had no better success than the first for as soon as they came in sight of the Rebels, they were so badly cut up that they retreated. Our line of skirmishers stood fast yet and did good work among the Rebels. The Rebels did not dare to leave their position to pursue our retreating forces.

General Joseph Hooker
Commanding Second Division
Third Army Corps

In came our first brigade under General [Cuvier] Grover. As they advanced, we got orders to retreat, but the orders were only partly heard; the right wing and center of our battalion rallying and marching out in good order while the left, who did not hear the command, stood fast. The third line of battle had hardly come in when a shower of balls from our left showed us that the enemy had turned our left and we were in a crossfire. Men of Co. H who had been standing just on the extreme left, told me that the third line of battle broke ranks and they themselves seeing that the balls came from the rear, they left their posts and saved themselves the best way they could. 

They all acknowledge to have done some pretty tall walking while retreating and had it not been for our batteries which opened on the Rebels with grape and canister, many more of our boys would have been taken prisoners. Take it all through, there was not a regiment in the engagement that afternoon that stood the fire better than ours. Behind our batteries we formed in line, what was left of us, and the night soon broke in and relieved us. As Captain Acton was killed in the engagement, command of Co. K transferred to me.

The next day’s fight commenced about 2 p.m. The Rebels had been reinforced and threw their whole force on our left wing which they succeeded in driving back. Our division was not actually engaged that day though we sustained some loss from the Rebel shells. The whole army retreated towards Centreville. The enemy did not seem to be very anxious to follow us there. Our division laid there for two days and then we marched to Fairfax and from there to Alexandria. We encamped about four miles from the city on the road to Mount Vernon where we are yet enjoying the rest we needed so much. New clothes and better victuals are coming in daily and we are quite comfortable.

Source:

Letter from First Lieutenant Theodore Young, Co. K, 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, Monmouth Democrat (New Jersey), September 25, 1862, pg. 1


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