Every Man That Rose to Fire was Sure to Die: With the 3rd Vermont at Spotsylvania Courthouse

As experienced in the 3rd Vermont, the fighting at Spotsylvania Courthouse ranked among the closest fighting of their war. 

    "It was a hand-to-hand contest," recalled Lieutenant Frank Rew. "Our brigade, in fact our division, fought 8 hours with only a rifle pit between them and the enemy. Each party would point their guns over the breastworks and fire down at random much of the time for every man that rose to fire was sure to die. Very many here were killed with the bayonet and clubbed musket and each party would throw stones and rails over upon the heads of their opponents. One man showed me a bayonet he wrenched from a Rebel gun as it was thrust over to be fired."

          Frank Rew regularly sent missives back to his parents in Illinois throughout the war starting with his regiment’s first engagements outside Yorktown, Virginia in April 1862 which was featured recently on the blog. This account of Spotsylvania Courthouse first appeared in the June 4, 1864, edition of the Waukegan Weekly Gazette.

The fight at the Salient of Spotsylvania Courthouse by Alfred R. Waud

Camp in the field, Virginia

May 19, 1864

My dear parents,

          Our army occupies nearly the same position as when I last wrote, perhaps a little advanced. We are strongly entrenched here, not because it is the end of the campaign and the commencement of a season of inactivity, but as a precautionary measure. As soon as the army is well rationed again and reinforcements are all up, there will undoubtedly be another great battle. About 25,000 new troops have already arrived but this will not make us good yet, if they will fight, I have no fears for the result.

          The battle of Thursday a week ago was the severest we have had. It was a hand-to-hand contest. Our brigade, in fact our division, fought 8 hours with only a rifle pit between them and the enemy. Each party would point their guns over the breastworks and fire down at random much of the time for every man that rose to fire was sure to die. Very many here were killed with the bayonet and clubbed musket and each party would throw stones and rails over upon the heads of their opponents. One man showed me a bayonet he wrenched from a Rebel gun as it was thrust over to be fired. Finally, every Rebel in the line before our division was either killed, wounded of captured, most of them killed. Our brigade lost 800 men in this fight. We have now but 200 men in our regiment to show for the 600 we brought from camp.

          Our division has done more fighting than any other in the army and are still on the front; this is because the men will not run. They boys begin to think the only way they can get on the reserve is to run in the next fight which they will not do, of course. It would surprise you to see how accustomed these men have become to this deadly work. They go into the skirmishing line and crack at the enemy and receive their fire with as much composure as they would go into the cornfield with their hoe and when they move on the enemy or advance, the line is closed and every step as steady as on drill. It is all a matter of course now. Every man seems to feel that his time must come sooner or later and the sooner it comes, the more marches and battles he will escape. They are veterans in every sense of the word and if the army was entirely made up entirely of such men, we would be in Richmond in one week, but it is not. All the prisoners that have been captured have been taken on the part of the line occupied by our division. They fought under Hancock all the first week.

First Lt. Frank E. Rew
Co. B, 3rd Vermont

          One evening last week, our division was ordered to make a charge. They were relieved from the first line about noon to rest and prepare for it and every man knew what was coming. They were to “go in” about sundown and about 5 o’clock coffee was served. I saw the men eat their hardtack and drink their coffee with as keen a relish and as little concern as if they were expecting a game of ball instead of a deadly fight. When the time came, each man was in his place and at the word “forward” all stepped off promptly. As they emerged from the woods in front of the position they were to storm the order “double quick” rang down the lines and with it rose the most unearthly shouts and yells ever heard. They received a terrible fire from the enemy but the living pressed steadily onward and in 20 minutes the position was taken and with it, 1,000 prisoners captured. This is but one of the many similar scenes through which we have passed during the past few weeks and which stare us in the face in the future for the work is not yet complete. The shouts of a charge are unlike any sound the human voice can make under the circumstances and must be heard to be understood; it cannot be described.

          Ewell made a raid on our rear last night with the intention of capturing our trains but was sent back with a rush, leaving many killed and wounded and 425 prisoners in our hands. Some of the citizens of Fredericksburg were in the plot and today 60 of them have been arrested.

To learn more about the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, please check out the following posts:

Source:

Letter from First Lieutenant Frank E. Rew, Co. B, 3rd Vermont Volunteer Infantry, Waukegan Weekly Gazette (Illinois), June 4, 1864, pg. 3

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