The Dreadful Roar of Infantry Burst Upon Our Ears: With the 10th Pennsylvania Reserves at Gaines Mill

The combat at Gaines Mill was reaching a crescendo on the evening of June 27, 1862, when Lieutenant James L. Wray received two disabling wounds which would end his wartime service with the 10th Pennsylvania Reserves. The senior lieutenant leading his company had fallen leaving Way in command of Co. E

“I sprang before the company and urged them to follow me and I think it was not a minute until a Rebel officer called at me to halt and fired at me with his revolver, hitting me in the left wrist. I had my Colt in my hand, leveled it at his breast and fired. He threw both hands over his head and fell to the ground, dead. Our lines were now not more than 15 paces apart and I was getting faint from the loss of blood and when we were ordered to charge bayonets, I was hit with a Minie ball in the left hip which sent me reeling round in a circle. Then I fell to the ground and was carried from the field in a blanket.”

Lieutenant Wray’s account of the fighting at Mechanicsville and Gaines Mill first saw publication in the August 20, 1862, edition of the Lewistown Gazette.

 

Surgeon Benjamin Rohrer of the 10th Pennsylvania Reserves, standing beside his daughter Ida who was known as the "Daughter of the Regiment," could have been the the surgeon who treated Lieutenant Wray's wounds after Gaines Mill.Surgeon Rohrer would survive the war but his only child would not- Ida would pass away March 31, 1865 at the age of 11. The National Museum of Civil War Medicine houses a large collection of Surgeon Rohrer's artifacts from the war. (Liljenquist Collection)

General Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia

August 3, 1862

[Written to Miss Jane Barr]

          You have likely thought strange of me in not answering ere this, your last kind and interesting letter to me, which I received on the evening of the 24th of June. I was proud of that letter, in the first place on account of your patriotism and secondly because the whole tenor if it was calculated to inspire with new energy the drooping and careworn soldier.

          When I received your letter, our regiment was encamped at Mechanicsville in front of and about five miles from the city of Richmond. I viewed from the roof of a house in the village with my spyglass the steeples and spires of the Rebel capital glittering in the sun and expected soon to be with our veteran army walking the streets of the doomed metropolis under the stars and stripes of our country.

          Our division (McCall’s) occupied the right of our whole line on the 25th of June. We saw the enemy was receiving strong reinforcements and also showed signs of an attack, yet all remained quiet through the night. But on the morning of June 26th the enemy was in strong numbers in our front and they seemed to be actively engaged, yet not a gun broke the perfect silence which prevailed. The morning was a beautiful one. The sun shone in beauty and a very cool refreshing breeze was blowing from the southeast.

          Our line of battle was formed at about 10 a.m. yet all was quiet and remained so until 3 p.m. when the enemy opened upon us from several batteries, throwing shell and solid ball into our vicinity. They were immediately replied to from our batteries and in less than one minute, I think, a perfect line of artillery opened up their deafening thunder and from 3 until 9 p.m. a most desperate artillery fight was kept up. At first, their firing was too high and did us no injury; but it was not long until their shells began to alight all around us and in our very ranks, killing a good many men; this was about 4 p.m.

Brigadier General George A. McCall
Captured at Frayser's Farm June 30, 1862
Exchanged for Gen. Simon B. Buckner in August

          The dreadful roar of infantry burst upon our ears which ran along our lines and the enemy seemed to move in a solid column towards. But the awful volleys of grape and canister from our batteries and powerful volleys from our infantry poured into their ranks in quick succession. At length, this caused them to waver and fall back under our withering fire. But soon they rallied and made another effort to our left to force us from our rifle pits but could not do it, and night coming on, the work of death was stopped and all lay on their arms, ready to renew the attack at any moment.

          By this time, we were supported by Porter and Smith (our division belongs to General [Fitz-John] Porter’s corps) and at early dawn the enemy again opened on us, this being June 27. But our army had orders to fall back to Gaines’ Mill and there again form a line of battle, our forces now numbering 25,000 men. Our whole retreat to the new line was in perfect good order.

The enemy followed us promptly, formed their line of battle, and at 3 p.m. the thunder of artillery again belched forth from both lines of battle and from that until 9 o’clock at night raged one of the fiercest and most powerfully fought battles ever fought on this continent. The two armies approached each other to within a distance of 50 yards and when they seemed to both come to a stand and there for four lone hours fought face to face. At different times charges were made from both armies when they would again be repulsed and a hand-to-hand conflict would follow. During each volley hundreds fell in the ranks of both armies.

At 5 o’clock I was brought to the ground. Our captain had been sick and could not keep with the company our first lieutenant led them gallantly forward until he fell, shot through the leg. The command fell to me. I sprang before the company and urged them to follow me and I think it was not a minute until a Rebel officer called at me to halt and fired at me with his revolver, hitting me in the left wrist. I had my Colt in my hand, leveled it at his breast and fired. He threw both hands over his head and fell to the ground, dead.

Model 1851 Colt Navy Revolver

Our lines were now not more than 15 paces apart and I was getting faint from the loss of blood and when we were ordered to charge bayonets, I was hit with a Minie ball in the left hip which sent me reeling round in a circle. Then I fell to the ground and was carried from the field in a blanket. I soon got my wounds dressed and got a little brandy which seemed to refresh me a good deal. I have not seen my company since. We had 64 men who went into the fight at Gaines’ Mill and now we have but 32 in the company.

I was loaded in an ambulance after the battle and after a long and wearisome trip arrived at Harrison’s Landing on the James River. Then I got on a boat and arrived here on the 4th of July, being nearly done out, and having lain in my own blood all that time as my clothes were saturated. I have been well taken care of and am now recovering fast. My left leg is quite stiff and I fear it will be so for some time, but I think it will be all right in the course of time. I want to get home as soon as I can but I can’t tell when it will be. I think our veteran army was really baptized with fire and blood during the seven days’ battles. Our loss was heavy but not to be compared with the loss of the enemy.

This hospital is located on the Elizabeth River. The cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth are both in full view from here. They are fine-looking places yet I have not been able to travel sufficiently to go to either place. I have been downstairs a few times but it is very difficult for me to get up again so that I seldom go down. The hospital is about half a mile above the blockade of the Elizabeth River where the Rebel gunboat Merrimac had her position. The entrance through the blockade was very narrow and the Merrimac’s position was just inside of and above the entrance. I can see the spot where she sank from my window.

I must close for the present. You will excuse the bad writing of this letter for I am very nervous and also pretty weak at present. But I hope I will soon recover and get to my home until I am able to return to duty in the field which I hope will be soon. Give my love to your father and all inquiring friends and accept my kindest regards,

J.L. Wray

Lieutenant Wray enlisted on July 5, 1861 in Clarion Co., Pennsylvania and had been commissioned as a second lieutenant. Disabled by the wounds he received at Gaines Mill, he would resign his commission December 10, 1862.

To learn more about the Battle of Gaines Mill, please check out the following posts:

With the Jasper Greys at Gaines Mill (16th Mississippi)

The Great Skedaddle: With Berdan’s Sharpshooters During the Seven Days

Louder Than the Bolts of Heaven: With the 1st Michigan at Gaines Mill

A Promise Kept After Gaines Mill (1st Michigan)

More in the Wind Than We Bargained For: The Seven Days with the 3rd New Jersey

Carrying the Colors of the 5th Texas at Gaines Mill

An Echo Like the Wall of Departed Spirits: With the 16th Michigan at Gaines Mill

Capturing the Flag of the 16th Michigan at Gaines Mill

Source:

Letter from First Lieutenant James L. Wray, Co. E, 10th Pennsylvania Reserves (39th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry), Lewistown Gazette (Pennsylvania), August 20, 1862, pg. 3


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