Bates, Samuel P. "History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers,
1861-65," Vol I Harrisburg, PA: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869. 907-943
FORTY-SECOND REGIMENT,
BUCKTAIL.
0N the
13th of April,
1861, Thomas L. Kane, brother of Dr. Kane, the famous Arctic explorer, and himself
schooled by extensive travel in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, applied to Governor
Curtin for permission to raise a company of mounted riflemen from among the hardy yeomenry
of the counties of Forest, M'Kean and Elk, popularly known as the wildcat district.
Authority was immediately given as requested,
and in less than a week the men began to assemble at the points of rendezvous. On the 17th
it was decided to change the organization from
cavalry to infantry. The men, for the most part lumbermen, came clad in their red flannel
shirts, bearing their trusty rifles, and wearing each in his hat, a bucktail. No one was accepted who did not prove
himself a skilled marksman. All were carefully examined by a surgeon, and none but sound
and hardy men taken.
The idea of recruiting this class of
men was suggested by Dr. Kane. He had found in his Arctic experience that ordinary
sailors---web footed as he termed them---were not the men for overland exploration and be
had conceived the idea of organizing a party from among the hunters of this forest
region-men quick of perception, who knew the significance of
the rustle of a leaf or
the snap of a twig, and who were accustomed to a life in the woods for days and weeks
together---for a second voyage of exploration. The fulfillment of this purpose was only
prevented by his untimely death. When hostilities were about to open, the idea of organizing a rifle or skirmish regiment from this
class of men was at once entertained, and its wisdom recognized.
On the 24th of April, a hundred men had
assembled at the rafting place on the Sinnemahoning where they at once commenced
constructing their transports. Two days later the entire force, three hundred and fifteen
strong, embarked upon three rafts, and with a green hickory pole, surmounted by a
bucktail, for a flagstaff, the stars and stripes flying, and the martial strains of fife
and drums echoing through the forests they commenced the movement for the general camp of
rendezvous at the capital.
Although authority had been given for recruiting this force, yet no order had been
issued by the Governor for marching and before it had proceeded far it was found at
headquarters that only a limited number could be accepted.
A
telegram was accordingly
dispatched directing them to turn back upon their arrival at Lock Haven, but through the
connivance of General Jackman, of the militia, who was very desirous that these hardy men.
of the forest
should be received, the message was never delivered, and they were borne onward by the
current over the broad bosom of the Susquehanna, and upon their arrival at Harrisburg
saluted the city with a volley from their rifles.
From the insignia in their hats they
were at once recognized and known as the Bucktails. Authority was given for mustering them
into the service as the Seventeenth (three months') Regiment, and an organization was
effected by the choice of Thomas L. Kane, Colonel. But a Seventeenth Regiment had already
been organized and mustered into service in Philadelphia, and a difficulty arising as to
the acceptance of so large a number from a district containing only a small population,
the organization was not consummated, and Colonel Kane, declining his commission, was
mustered into service on the 13th of May as a private.
In the meantime, other companies had
been recruited and had assembled in camps with like expectations, and were similarly
disappointed. Roy Stone, a citizen of Warren county, had recruited a company, in April,
composed of a class of men similar in occupation and experience to those led by Kane. They
bore their own rifles, and dwelt principally upon the head waters of the Allegheny River.
Disappointed in being admitted to the three months service, they remained for some time
encamped at the Court House in Warren, and were fed by the citizens. With no authority to
provide for them, Governor Curtin advised them to disband. But this they were unwilling to
do. Tiring of inactivity, they gladly acceded to a proposition from their captain to move
down the Allegheny upon flat-boats to Pittsburg, and thence proceed to join General
M'Clellan in West Virginia, as an independent corps of sharp-shooters. They were five days
in making the run, being entertained at the towns along the river, and receiving many
recruits on the way. At Pittsburg they were the guests of the city, and here Captain Stone
received a summons from Governor Curtin to march to Harrisburg, where the company would be
assigned to the Reserve Corps. Another company was recruited in Chester county, one in
Perry, one in Clearfield, one in Carbon and two in Tioga.
For
or some time after the
arrival of the men in camp a regimental organization was delayed. The officers of the
companies most allied to each other in taste and training, out of which it was proposed to
form a rifle regiment, having conferred together, and tiring of the delays which still
continued, finally united in presenting the following paper to General M’Call:
"The undersigned, captains of companies now in Camp Curtin, present their respects to
Major General M’Call, congratulating the army of Pennsylvania upon being placed under
such a commander. They beg not to be supposed desirous of interferring with Major General
M'Call's discretion in expressing a desire to have their companies united to form one
regiment under the command of Colonel Thomas L. Kane. They are assured that their men are
peculiarly qualified to serve efficiently in a regiment of rifles under Colonel Kane,
being, with few exceptions, men of extremely hardy habits and trained firom boyhood
to the use of
arms. [Signed.] Captains Philip Holland,
Julius Sherwood, George B. Overton, John A. Eldred, Wm. T. Blanchard, Hugh M'Donald, E. A.
Irvin, Roy Stone and A. E. Niles." An election was soon
ordered, which was held on the 12th of June, with the following result: Thomas L. Kane,
Colonel; Charles J. Biddle, Lieutenant Colonel, and Roy Stone, Major. Colonel Kane,
accordingly, received his commission bearing date of June 12th; but, though the first
choice of his men, he was but a civilian, and believing that selfish ambition should be
subordinated to the public weal, he yielded to a patriotic impulse, at that time most
rare, though most noble and magnanimous, and-resigned his commission as Colonel on the
following day, accompanying his resignation with a request that Lieutenant Colonel Biddle,
who bad been educated in the profession of arms, and had acquired experience on the
battle1eld in the war with Mexico should be commissioned
in his place.* This request was acceded to by the men at his earnest solicitation: and a
second election was held which resulted in. accordance with his wish. Unwilling to allow
so honorable and un.
selfish an act to pass without some
mark of their appreciation, the captains of the several compauies passed resolutions
soliciting a change of the name from the “Rifle Regiment,” to that of the “Kane Rifle Regiment of the Pennsylvania
Reserve Corps.”T In compliance with his
request a special order was issued from headquarters, No. 95, and approved, and made of
record by the War Department, making the change of name as requested, which accordingly
became the official designation. The regiment therefore started into service with a
variety of prenomens: The Forty-second of the line, the Thirteenth Reserve, the Rifle, the
First Rifle, the Kane Rifle, and the Bucktail. The latter was the popular name, known
and read of all; it was the name it bore in the army, and was known throughout the world
where the record of our great warfare was read.
On the 21st of June, the regiment,
together with the Fifth, Colonel Simmons, and Barr's Battery, was ordered to the support
of Colonel Wallace, at Cumberland, Maryland. Proceeding by rail to Hopewell, Bedford
county, it marched thence to Bedford Springs, a distance of twenty-tbree miles--its first
march. On the 27th, the command
proceeded to the State line, a distance of about forty miles, where was established Camp
Mason and Dixon. Two weeks later, Colonel Wallace’s regiment having been ordered to
Martinsburg to join the command of General Patterson, this portion of Maryland was left
open to the enemy. A mounted force under the leadership of Colonel Angus M’Donald was
destroying, unchecked, the property of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and at the
earnest solicitation of the officers of the road, the command broke camp on the 7th of
July, and marched to Cumberland, occupying the camp which
Colonel Wallace had vacated. On the 12th a scouting party of sixty men, under couimand
of Lieutenant Colonel Kane, went forward and crossed into Virginia. At New Creek Village
the party was surrounded by M'Donald's rebel cavalry, but by the skillful management of
Kane, the rebels were worsted in a sharp skirmish that ensued, and driven away with, the
loss of eight killed and double the number wounded. The scouts escaped without injury.
Colonel Biddle moved with his entire command to their relief, and immediately dispatched
Kane with two hundred men to foll1ow the retreating enemy. He came up with them at
Ridgville, nine miles from New Creek, and after a severe skirmish
succeeded in gaining possession
of the village,
posting his little force in a stone house, which was held until Colonel Biddle with his command arrived. On the
morming of the 13th, the
entire command fell back, and took position at New Creek and Piedmont which were held
until the 27th of July, when, in pursuance of orders, it
returned to Harrisburg.
On the 1st of Angust, the regiment was
reviewed by Governor Curtin, and on the 6th, was ordered to report to General Banks at
Harpers Ferry. Here it was assigned to a brigade. composed of the Twenty-eighth New York,
the Second and Twelfth Massachusetts, and the Second United States Cavalry, commanded by
Colonel George H. Thomas. In this brigade it served through all the marches made by the
division until the 1st of October, when, in accordance with orders from the Secretary of
War, it moved to Tenallytown and joined the Reserves. Here it --- was for a time attached
to the Second Brigade, commanded by General Meade. After witnessing for the first time the
drill of the regiment, the General wrote in very complimentary terms to its commander,
in which be said: "The promptness and precision of the maneuvres, the spirited manner
in which the movements were made, reflected great credit on yourself and the officers and
men of your command. I feel satisfied that
men giving such evidence of practice and good discipline can be relied on in the hour of
trial." It being a rifle regiment and adapted to special service, General
M’Call. detached it from the Second Brigade, and ordered its commander to make his
reports directly to his headquarters. Upon the advance of the division into Virginia, the
Bucktails led the way. On the 20th of. October, companies A, G, H, I and K, under the
command of Lieutenant Colonel Kane, encountered a body of the Louisiana Zouaves,
(Tigers,).near Hunter's Mill. A sharp skirmish ensued, in which the Zouaves were driven
with. loss.
On the 12th of December, Colonel Biddle
resigned to take his seat in Congress, to which body he had recently been elected from
Philadelphia. On the 20th of December, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Kane, it
marched with Ord's Brigade to Dranesville, where the enemy was met in force. About noon, information was received that a large body of
the rebels were in the vicinity, advancing upon the Centreville road. The Bucktails were
at once posted in support of the battery, and the battle opened with an artillery duel,
during which the infantry laid upon their arms. After a half hour the enemy's fire began
to slacken. At this time Colonel Kane, who was on the right of the column, discovered that
the rebel infantry were passing through an opening near the wood, evidently intending a
flank movement, or designing to occupy a brick house within. a hundred yards of his line.
He accordingly sent a detachment of twenty men to take the house, which they did, and
under shelter of its walls maintained a hot fire upon the advancing force, which consisted
of three regiments and a battery of two small guns. As they approached, the Bucktails,
inspired by the presence and example of their leader, kept up a steady and effective fire.
Lying on the ground as they loaded their pieces, they rose suddenly, took deliberate aim,
and fired, then dropped upon the ground again. The fire becoming too hot for them, the
rebels began to fall back. As the Bucktails arose to follow, Colonel
Kane was shot in. the
face, the ball crushing through the roof of the mouth, inflicting a painful wound. But
bandaging it, he continued to advance with his men. The enemy now fled in precipitation,
leaving his dead and wounded upon the field, and one piece of artillery, which but for the
positive orders of the General in command,
would have been captured. by the Bucktails. The loss was two men killed, and two officers
and twenty-six men wounded.
On the. 22d of January, 1862, an election was held for
Colonel, which resulted in the choice of Hugh
W. M'Neil, Captain of company D; Lieutenant
Colonel Kane being at this time in hospital suffering greatly from the wound
received at Dranesville.
Upon the recovery of Colonel Kane
sufficiently to take the field, he addressed a paper to General M’Clellan containing
tile out-lines of a system of skirmish tactics which he had devised, and which he
submitted for the General’s opinion. The system was regarded with much favor, and the
paper was returned with the following endorsement: “March 7, 1862. Respectfully
referred to General M’Call, with
instructions to detail four companies of the Kane Rifles to report to Colonel Kane, and
until further orders to be drilled by Colonel Kane exclusively in the system of tactics
devised by him, so far as the same is not inconsistent with the official system.” In
conformity with this order companies C, G, H, and I were selected and placed under his
tuition.
On the 10th of March, the campaign
opened, and ten days of rough weather were spent, without shelter, in the march to
Manassas and return to Alexandria. The Bucktails were now attached to the First Brigade
commanded by General Reynolds, and the Reserves were assigned to the First Corps. 'Upon
the arrival of the regiment at Falmouth, owing to the serious illness of Colonel
M’Neil, and the detachment of Lieutenant
Colonel Kane, Major Stone assumed command of the remaining six companies.
About the middle of
May, Colonel Kane, with his force of four companies, was ordered to report to Colonel
Bayard, commanding a brigade of cavalry, The brigade being the extreme advance of General
M'Dowell, the Bucktails were pushed on a reconnoissance to within six miles of Hanover
Court House, whence they were re-called and ordered to support Fremont in the pursuit of
Stonewell Jackson up the Shenandoah Valley. The brilliant service of the brigade between
May 25th, and June 6th, following, is a memorable period in their history. They led
Fremont’s extreme advance throughout the entire pursuit, conducting their marching
and fighting according to their peculiar tactics. In twelve successive days, during seven
of which they were constantly engaged with the enemy, they inarched nearly twenty miles a
day, and counting flank marching and service in fight, exclusive of foraging, an estimate
of thirty-two more. Without tents, blankets, or regular rations (there being. issued to
them in twelve days only three and a half rations of crackers, one of meat and two of
coffee and sugar,) they outmarched and wore down all the horses of the cavalry. Thus in
less than a fortnight the effective force of the battalion was reduced to one hundred and
twenty-eight men. On the 6th of June, upon their arrival at Harrisonburg, at
evening, reports came that the First New Jersey Cavalry
had fallen into an ambuscade, and that the wounded, including Captain Haines, a
brave young officer, were left lying upon the field. It was necessary to know the position
and strength of the enemy. It was important, also, to keep him too hard pressed to suffer
him to act separately against Shields, whose command he could not cope with when united
with Fremont’s. Colonel Kane and his scouts, one hundred and four in number,
volunteered to go forward, hoping to rescue the wounded. Advanciug tbrough a wood to the
left of the road, they suddenly encountered a rebel regiment in line of battle. Sending back the good tidings that he had found
the enemy, he at once attacked. The enemy's line
broke in front under the Bucktail fire, and was driven back; but others on the line held
their ground or closed inward. When it was evident that the enemy was in force, private
Martin Kelly signalized himself by an act of heroic devotion. The line of the enemy was
protected from the fire of the battalion by the crest of a hill, the Fifty-eighth Virginia
being formed but a few paces in front. Kelly seeing that the Colonel was about to give
the order to advance, said "Colonel shall I draw their fire?” and deliberately
stepping from behind a tree received, without flinching, a volley of balls, falling dead
upon the instant. Relyiug upon a promise of support from General Fremont, the Bucktails
stoutly held their ground under cover of the trees, loading and firing with the accuracy
for which they were celebrated. Colonel Kane was wounded in the leg early in the fight;
but leaning against a tree he directed the battle. The rebel line beginning to waver, an
officer stepped out in front and urged them on, the emphatic “Virginians!”
sounding through all the din. Private Holmes, who had already received a mortal wound, and
was lying close by Colonel Kane, rose up and deliberately fired at the officer, who leaped
sharply up and fell dead.
It was the rebel General Ashby, who was commanding Stuart's Brigade, consistiug of the
Forty-fourth and Fifty-eighth Virgiuia, the First Maryland and a Louisiana Regiment of
this brigade. Against this powerful force the handful of Bucktails was contending, at
every moment in expectation that reinforcements would come; but though repeatedly called
for, and, as is alleged, two regiments were ordered, none ever appeared on the ground.
After maintaining the contest for upwards of an hour, and finding the rebel force closing
in upon him, Colonel Kane gave the signal to scatter; but scarcely had it been given, when
he was struck heavily on the breast with a sharp heeled rifle, throwing him senseless upon
the ground. Captain Taylor drew of the remnant of the command, but unwilling to leave his
commander alone, wounded, upon the field, turned back to rescue him facing the fire, and
was captured.
The enemy recognizing his chivalrous conduct ordered him his parole; but he refused it as
did Colonel Kane. The loss in killed, wounded
and prisoners was fifty-two, just half of the entire number engaged. One prisoner was
taken besides the officers named, his thigh
broken by a musket ball. A published rebel statement showed that the loss of the enemy in killed and wounded in that hour of contest with the. Bucktails was five hundred and fifty-nine.
On Sunday, June. 8th, the enemy was met at Cross Keys, and a severe engagement
occurred between the forces of Jackson and Fremont.
The remnant of the Bucktails, less than a hundred strong, were again
in the front line, and when, after holding
their position. in con.junction with the 27th Pennsylvania Colonel Bushbeck, until
Fremont’s line was driven back, and they were supposed to be cut off and captured,
they fought their way out, bringing off the pieces they had been ordered to support. After
the battle, Colonel Pilson, chief of artillery, shook each man roughly by the hand, and
thanked them; particularly for having saved his best battery. General Fremont gave them
rations from his own headquarters.
Soon after the departure, of Lieutenant Colonel Kane
with his four companies for service in
the Shenandoah Valley, Major Stone, with the remaining six companies, four hundred strong,
embarked for the Peninsula, arriving on the 9th of June, and on the 13th, went into camp
at Dispatch Station. On the following night it was ordered with other Reserve regiments
to counter-march and re-open communication with White House, the base of supply for the
whole army, which had been broken by Stuart’s famous raid in its rear. The enemy was
overtaken near the landing, and a slight skirmish ensued. On the following day the command
returned to camp, and was immediately ordered to move along the north bank of the
Chickahominy , and take positionl on the extreme right of the army, directly north of
Richmond, and only four miles distant From
the 18th to the 26th, Battalion was engaged on picket duty along the river, and in
entrenching the position chosen for a final stand on Beaver Dam Creek.
On the morning of the 26th
two companies wore
stationed at the railroad and Meadow bridge, another to the left of the bridge, and the.
remaining three, which at first were held in
reserve, were later ordered to the support of the cavalry, which was falling back before a
superior force of the enemy. Scarcely were these supporting companies deployed, when they
found themselves assailed by his advancing columns. A well directed volley checked his advance and
threw his lines into some confusion. Another and another was delivered. At this juncture,
Major Stone learned that the three companies which he had left guarding the bridges in his
rear had been withdrawn by order of Colonel Simmons who was in command of the grand guard,
and that, the enemy, advancing, had already cut, off his retreat. Masking his movement by
a show of great activity, he withdrew, making a wide detour to the north, contesting the ground with determination as he
went, Major Stone succeeded in bringing in
two companies, Captains Wistar and Jewett, to their intrenchments, where the three
companies, withdrawn by order of Colonel Simmons, were already in position. One company,
Captain Irvin, was cut off, and withdrawing,
to a swamp held out for three days, capturing many of the enemy’s stragglers; but
eventually, was forced by hunger to come forth and surrender. The loss in the movement in
killed, wounded, and prisoners was seventy-five. The enemy suffered severelyfrom the
well directed fire of these marksmen of tile forest. The earthworks which the men had
previously thrown up under the supervision of Major Stone, now served an excellent purpose, protecting the
gunners at the batteries, and the riflemen in their exposed position. The engagement
opened on the part of the line which the Bucktails held at half-past four P. M. The fords which they covered were especially coveted
by the enemy, and for the possession of these
he made his attacks with the energy of desperation, repeatedly advancing with fresh
lines; but the steady fire and unerring aim of these well schooled riflemen was too
terrible to brave, and at nightfall he
relinquished the contest leaving them secure
in their position. The loss was slight being but two men killed, and two officers and
sixteen men wounded. Two companies of the
United States Sharp Shooters, Captains Drew and Giroux, were attached to the Battalion,
and acted with great gallantry. Colonel M’Quade, of the Fourteenth New York was
ordered to relieve Major Stone in the evening, but he declined to be relieved except as to
picket duty, and the men slept in the trenches where they fought.
On the morning of the 27th, the
division was ordered to retire to Gaines' Mill. Major Stone was directed to hold his
position until the main body was well on its way. He accordingly pushed out his
sharp-shooters to right and left to keep up the appearance of still occcupying the whole
line, and at daylight opened fire upon the enemy, who had advanced under cover of night
and planted new batteries, within grape shot range, and had fresh infantry in line in
undiminished numbers. So long as the ammunition of the battery held out a hot fire was
kept up. But at six A.M., it being entirely expended, the order was given to retire. Under
a heavy fire of artillery, with the enemy already on his flanks and pressing hard his
rear, Major Stone commenced the retreat. At three hundred yards from the ford, Captain
Holland was posted, with orders to obstruct the road and cover the withdrawal of the main
body. Captain Wistar was directed to destroy the bridge at the Mill Hospital. A part of
company E, Captain Niles, and a part of company D, holding a detached position on the
line, failed to receive the order to fall back, and in the confusion they were not missed
from the command, until the bridge was destroyed and it was too late to return for them.
This accident, however, was most fortunate in its results; for this small body, falling
back through woods and swamps, engaged the enemy at various points until late in the day,
which so puzzled and annoyed him, that his attack on the lines at Gaines' Hill was thereby
delayed for many hours. They were captured at last, but not until a whole division of the
enemy had been employed to surround them. This detachment unfortunately had the colors,
the State flag presented by Governor Curtin. It was not, however, surrendered, but was
concealed in a swamp. Had the battle of Gaines’ Mill commence earlier, it is not
difficult to divine in what disaster to our army it would have ended. General Reynolds
complimented the command warmly for its gallant conduct in covering the withdrawal, and
recommended its leader for promotion. "I take great pleasure," he says, "in
bearing testimony to the gallantry and good conduct displayed by him, (Major Roy Stone,)
while in command of the First Pennsylvania Rifles, at Mechanicsville and Gaines’
Mill, and particularly in covering the withdrawal of our troops from the former to the
latter position on the morning of the 27th of June, which took place under my personal
supervision. I know of no officer more worthy to be placed at the head of a brigade of
light troops." The loss in the morning's engagement and retreat was more than half of
its effective force, and upon its arrival at Gaines' Mill it could muster but six officers
and one hundred and twenty-five men.
At Gaines’ Mill the battalion
occupied a position on the right of the First brigade.
The enemy in front was concealed by woods, except two of his batteries,
which were visible at a distance of five hundred yards. Upon those the fire or the Rifles
was concentrated, compelling frequent changes of position, and finally silencing the guns.
For nearly four hours its position was little changed. Upon the retirement of the troops
on its right, its ammunition being nearly spent, and relief, promised by General Reynolds,
failing to come, it fell back. The loss in killed and wounded was one officer and
twenty-five men.
On the evening of the 28th, the command
commenced the march through White Oak Swamp, and during the night of the 29th, performed
picket duty on the Richmond road, leading to Charles City. Many of the slightly wounded,
and those who had been cut off, here joined the command, increasing its numbers to five
officers and one hundred and fifty of the Bucktails five officers and eighty-four men of
the United States sharp-shooters. In the battle of the 30th, at Charles City Cross Roads,
the command was posted in rear of the batteries on the right of the First Brigade. When the brigade made its
first charge, Major Stone was ordered to move to the left of the Parrot guns. The charge
was vigorously made and was successful; but the enemy, giving no time for the troops to
re-form, hurled beavy masses upon their broken and somewhat disordered ranks, driving them
back in confusion. Hugging the ground until
the retiring forces had passed, the Bucktails sprang to their feet and poured in a deadly
volley, continuing to fire for some minutes but finally overborne by superior numbers and
finding that his command was in the centre of a murderous fire at short range Major Stone
gave the word to retire just in time, to escape being surrounded. The enemy maintained the
pursuit but a short distance, when he wheeled to the right. The worsted troops from
several regiments were now rallied and reformed under the command of Major Stone. At
dusk the force moved forward in excellent line of battle. "General M’Call had
come out of the woods,"says Major Stone in his official report, " wounded and
alone,and taken his place at the head of the column.
After the halt,
the General took me forward a few paces with him, and in the darkness suddenly we found
ourselves close upon the levelled muskets of a column of the enemy which filled the road
in front of us. We were ordered to halt and dismount, but I turned and escaped, only
slightly hurt, drawing two volleys front the enemy. General M'Call was not so
fortunate,and is in the hands of the enemy. My
men at the same time had captured the colonel of a rebel regiment with a small party who
were scouting in our direction. I formed my first company across the road, and went to the
rear by order of Major General Kearney, in search of a battery to sweep the road in front.
I soon became , however, so faint and dizzy from the effects of my hurt, that I was taken
to the hospital, and took no further part in the action, which soon termiated." The
loss in the command was unprecedentedly large--being nearly two-thirds of its entire
number--two officers and ninety men. killed, wounded, and taken prisoners of the Rifles,
and two officers and fifty-six men of the United States sharp-shooters. At the close of the battle the remnants of the
battalion occupied the very ground which they had held when they entered it, and after a
short respite moved off to Malvern Hill.
On coming into position at
Harrison’s Landing, it was found that the two grand divisions of
The army were separated by a broad and deep tidal stream, with
no bridge for its passage. Generals Porter
and Seymour entrusted the location and
construction of a bridge to Major Stone, the latter saying that the Engineer Corps
would require several days to complete it, and in the meantime the army might be sacrificed in detail. They expressed
the hope that the raftsmen of the Bucktail Regiment might construct it in two days. The
space to be bridged was five hundred feet, and in places the water was tell feet deep. The
only material at hand was the timber growing along the banks of the stream and in the
swamps. At five P. M., the bridge was commenced, the gallant lumbermen stripping to the
work and swimming and wading to raise the cribs. At sunrise on the following morning, to
the great satisfaction of the Generals, the bridge was ready for the artillery to cross.
Soon after the arrival of the command
at Harrison's Landing Major Stone resigned to take command of the
One hundred andd Forty-ninth Regiment, and Colonel W”Neil, who had been
absent sick, returned and assumed command. On the 8th of August, a, portion of the men
captured at Mechanicsville having been exchanged, returned to duty. From the Peninsula the
battalion proceeded to Warrenton, where it joined the Army of Northern Virginia, and was
engaged on the 29th and 30th of August, in the second battle of Bull Run, losing five
killed, nineteen wounded and three missing.
The four
companies which had been under command of Lieutenant Colonel Kane, remained with Fremont's
Corps, now Sigels, after the battle of Cross Keys, and were next engaged at Cedar
Mountain. On the 19th of August they were encamped at Brandy Station, on the Orange and
Alexandria railroad, where Lieutenant Colonel Kane, who had been prisoner since the affair at Harrisonburg,
rejoined them. He has not yet thrown aside his crutch, but he immediately issued an order
that "the soldiers carry at all times, until further orders, 100 rounds of ball
cartridge, forty or more rounds in the cartridge-box, the remainder in the
haversack." On the morning of the 22d the battalion was ordered to accompany the
staff trains and marched back to
Catlett’s Station, to the rear of the army, where were the wagons containing the
private baggage and papers of General Pope, and where several regiments were encamped for
their protection. The Bucktails numbered one hundred and sixty men. Of these, Captain
Winslow with fifteen, was posted at night of the 22d on picket. Early in the evening a
terrific thunderstorm came on, which caused the men to hug closely their tents. Between
nine and ten P. M. a heavy body of rebel. cavalry, under command of General J. E.B.
Stuart, charged directly over the camp of' the Bucktails, taking Winslow and his picket
guard prisoners bef'ore they had time to give the alarm. Stuart was on his famous ride in
the rear or the army, for the purpose. of capturing General Pope and his
headquarters’ train, destroying the
bridge across Cedar Run and cutting off the only avenue of escape for his column. Colonel
Kane immediately rallied his men under fire in a wood adjoining and succeeded in
bringing sixty-eight into line. He sent it few picked men out on a scout, and himself took
a small squad (six) to the bridge, which was
supposed to be the main object of attack. At the railroad station he had a slight brush
with the enemy, but found all quiet at the
bridge. In returning, and while but a short. distance from it he met a considerable
number of the enemy’s horse which was
repulsed and driven in confusion by a single volley. returning to his main body left in
the skirt of the wood, Colonel Kane received satisfactory reports from his scouts. The
enemy was in great force, but over crowded and not well in hand. He was forming in the
open space above. Knowing that the
enemy’s pickets would prevent a
satisfactory surprise, Colonel Kane moved his men quietly over into the Manassas road, and
awaited until the foe got fairly into the throat of it
when he opened fire at short range in their very faces, dropping the troopers and
sending riderless horses galloping about in wild affright. A panic seized the entire
force, and a stampede ensued. A mile away, it
was halted in the midst of M'Dowell's staff train, which it fell to plundering. The wagons were in the open field, and the rebels
could be plainly seen by the light of the fires. Approaching
from the darkness, Kane boldly charged with
his little band, pouring in a deadly fire, which again sent them fleeing from the presence
of imagined thousands. Much of the pillaging of the staff trains was done, after the enemy
was routed, and in full retreat, by camp followers who knew well what wagons contained
valuables. Of the sixty-eight men rallied for the defense of the bridge and the trains,
five were wounded , one, mortally. In the midst; of the, thick darkness, it.was difficult
for the enemy to distinguish friend from foe, and the Bucktails, by their novel tactics
and excellent training realized the language of scripture, “five
of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to
flight.”
In the second battle of Bull Run, Colonel Kane not, being
under orders, repaired to the bridge across Cub Run, over which the disorganized troops
were falling back, and sought, with his small command, to check the panic and secure an
orderly retreat; but the feeble barrier interposed, by his line deployed, was soon swept
away. Abandoning this design he pressed forward towards the front, and met a Lieutenant
commanding four mountain howitzers, willing to turn back. At the Bull Run Bridge, he
formed his line, where he found Cap-
tain. Mathews with one three-inch rifled gun, Captain Thompson with one rifled gun,
and Lieutenant Twitchell with one one brass napoleon, ready to make a stand, if assured of
support. The enemy did not attempt to
drive them, and their presence, restoring
confidence, contributed to diminish the haste and confusion of the retreat. The position was held until three
o'clock on the morning of the 31st, when, the last of the Union forces having crossed, Colonel Kane received orders from
General Pope, conveyed to him by General Sigel, to destroy the bridge, which were executed
by the Bucktails, assisted by company G, of the Fifth Reserve. In recognition of his
gallantry at Catlett's Station. and at Bull Run, Lieutenant Colonel Kane was, on the 7th
of September, commissioned a Brigadier General, and the four companies which he had
commanded with such signal advantage to the service, were united with the six, from which they
had been separated during the Peninsula campaign, amid loud cheers of welcome from the
rank and file of both battalions. The vacancies occasioned by the promotion of Lieutenant
Colonel Kane and Major Stone, were filled by the appointment of Edward A. Irvin, of
company K, Lieutenant Colonel, and Alanson E. Niles, of company E, Major.
On the 7th of September, the regiment,
now led by Colonel M’Neil, was ordered to move to meet the enemy in Maryland, and
arrived in his front at South Mountain on the
14th. General Meade, in command of the division ordered Colonel M’Neil to deploy
his men as skirmishers in front of the division, to move directly up the mountain, and
attack the enemy where found. The movement commenced at four P.M., and his line of battle
was encountered at the foot of the mountain, protected by artillery on the top. A charge
was ordered, and the skirmishers, supported by the entire division, rushed forward with
loud cheers, driving every thing before them, capturing prisoners at every step, until the
top of the mountain was reached. It was now too dark to continue the pursuit, and the
command rested. The loss was eighteen killed and forty-five-wounded. Among the latter were
Captains Irvin and Mack.
On the following morning the troops
moved forward in pursuit of the enemy, and at three P. M., reached the Antietam
battleground. At two P. M., on the 16th, the regiment moved with the division to the right
of the army, when General Meade directed Colonel M’Neil to deploy, as at South
Mountain, in front of his division, and to advance to a piece of wood in front of the
Dunkard Church then visible. The enemy. was soon found in strong force posted behind a
fence in front of the wood indicated. Supports coming promptly up, the order was given to
advance. The Bucktails rushed forward, with a shout, through a terrific fire of artillery
and musketry, and gained the wood; but at a fearful cost. Colonel M’Neil, Lieutenant
William Allison, and twenty-eight men, were killed, and sixty-five officers and men
wounded in this single charge. The last words of Colonel M’Neil were, as he faced the
death laden storm, and led the way, "Forward, Bucktails, forward!” The division
came promptly to their support, and the position was held during the night. At three A.M.,
on the following day, the battle was renewed. The Bucktails, now under command of Captain
Magee, as senior officer, aided by Adjutant Hartshorn, were at once hotly engaged, and
fought with their accustomed gallantry until relieved by order of General Meade. The loss
in killed and wounded in the two days of battle was one hundred and ten officers and men.
Captain Charles F. Taylor, of company
H, (brother of the renowned traveler, Bayard Taylor who was taken prisoner with Colonel
Kane at Harrisonburg, was held in captivity until after the battle of Antietam, when he
was released and returned to his regiment. As senior officer, he at once assumed command
and was soon after commissioned Colonel. From Antietam, the army moved to the Potomac, and
thence to the neighborhood of Warrenton, the Bucktails, upon the March,
having the advance. On the 10th of December, preparations were made to cross the
Rappahannock below Fredericksburg, and attack the enemy. During the following day, pon-
toons were thrown across, an on the 12th the Reserves crossed to the right
bank. Late in the afternoon
The Bucktails moved down the bank of
the river, until they found the enemy’s pickets posted in the edge of a wood, and
across a road running parallel with the river. Remaining on picket during the night,
firing opened early on their front and during the morning the Bucktails remained in
support of artillery, and in the formation for the attack, they occupied the extreme left
of the line. The enemy was posted in the edge of a wood, and as the Bucktails moved
forward were obliged to cross an open field, under a very heavy fire of musketry and
artillery. Upon the order to advance, they rushed forward and soon reached the railroad,
where was a cut of a few feet, which, for a short time, was used as a breastwork,
affording some protection. Again the order to advance was given, and leaping upon the
bank, they moved on in the face of the enemy, pushing him from his sheltered position, and
gaining, at a fearful cost a signal advantage. But supports failing to come, it was deemed
imprudent to push the advantage further, and the division fell back, suffering severely
while executing the movement. The loss wais nineteen killed, and one hundred and thirteen
wounded and missing. Lieutenant W. B. Jenkins was among the killed, and Colonel Taylor,
Lieutenant Colonel Irvin, and Lieutenants O. D. Jenkins,
D. G. M’Naughton, Thomas B. Winslow and R. F. Ward, were of the
wounded.
On tile 6th of February,
18G3, the Reserves were ordered to the defences of Washington, to rest and recruit, being
transferred from the First to the twenty-second Corps. The Bucktails, with the First
Brigade, were ordered to Fairfax Court House, where a permanent camp was established.
Here Lieutenant-Colonel Irvin, on account of his wounds, resigned, and Major Niles was
promoted to fill the vacancy. Adjutant Wm. R. Hartshorn was commissioned Major and
Sergeant-Major Sherman, Adjutant. A large number of men who had been absent, sick or
wounded returned to the ranks, and Colonel Taylor applied himself with tireless energy to
the work of drilling and disciplining his command. The First Brigade, to which the
regiment was attached, was commanded by Colonel William M’Candless, and the
division by Brigadier General S. W. Crawford. On
the 25th of June, the first and Third Brigades were ordered to rejoin the Fifth
Corps, now on its march to meet an invading army in Pennsylvania. At noon on
the twenty-fifth, the regiment reached the neighborhood of Gettysburg, where a
great battle was in progress. After a short rest, the roll was called, and, to the great
satisfaction of its commander every man was found in his place, a force of five hundred
strong. At four P.M. the division was ordered to the front and. moved over in the
direction of Little Round Top,
where the Union lines were being hard pressed, the artillerists ready to spike
their guns. Colonel M’Candless hastily formed his brigade in two lines, the Bucktails
on the left of the second line, and charged down the slope in the face of a heavy fire. At
the foot of the hill was a deep swamp, thirty or forty yards in width, and upon reaching
it, the second line deployed to the left, and wading across, drove the enemy into the
woods beyond the stone wall which skirted it. The left, with Colonel Taylor at its bead,
continued the pursuit through the woods
to a wheat field beyond, where in the act of steadying his men, he fell, shot
through the heart. Lieutenant Colonel
Niles having been wounded early in the engagement, the command devolved on Major
Hartshorn, when, finding his regiment unsupported, he fell back to the wall. This position was held by the First Brigade until three P.M.of the 3d, when Major Hartshorn was ordered by Colonel M’Candless to deploy a single
company as skirmishers upon his left flank at right angles to his line, and to advance
against the enemy. While this movement was being executed, the brigade was
formed in column of regiments closed in mass, the Bucktails in front, and advanced,
charging through the wheat field and into the woods beyond. Here it was
discovered by Colonel M’Candless that the enemy was in large force upon his left
flank. He accordingly halted, and changed direction by that flank and
ordered Major Hartshorn to charge, while he followed close with the balance
of the brigade. The movement resulted in a complete success. The Bucktails were soon
engaged hand to hand with the enemy, and nearly the entire Fifteenth Georgia Regiment,
with its colors, was captured. The rebels were in a short time driven from the wood into
the open country, where the brigade deployed in line, and a large number of prisoners was
again secure. Night coming on, the brigade rested nearly a mile in advance of the
position held in the morning. On the morning of the 4th, the brigade was relieved by a
division of regulars, and the regiment moved to the rear to replenish its
ammunition, which was exhausted. Colonel Taylor, a brave and accomplished officer,
Lieutenant Robert Hall and six men, were killed. Lieutenant Colonel. Niles, Captains Hugh
M’Donald, J. D. Yerkes, Neri Bkinsey, and Frank Bell, Lieutenants J. E. Kratzer, T.
J. Roney, J.R. Sparr and thirty-one enlisted men were wounded.
On the morning of the 5th, it having
been discovered that the enemy was in full retreat, the army marched in pursuit, The
regiment moved with the Fifth Corps, by the Emmetsburg road to Middletown, and thence by
the Hagerstown road, until, on the 12th it came up with the enemy strongly posted in the
vicinity of Williamsport. Sharp skirmishing was kept up during the nights of the 12th and
13th, and on the morning of the 14th, the troops moved forward to attack at daylight, when
it was discovered that the enemy had fled.
In the manoeuvres of the two hostile
armies during the remaining montha of 1863, the Bucktails were constantly upon the
skirmish line, frequently engaging the enemy, rarely in a position. to be secure from
attack, and finally, at the close of the campaign, went into winter quarters at Bristoe
Station, where they remained until the close of April, 1864
The campaign in the Wilderness opened
on the 3d of May. The regiment broke camp on
the 29th of April, and reached Culpepper on the 30th, where their Sharp’s rifles were
exchanged for Spencer's seven shooters. On the 4th of May, it crossed the Rapidan and
bivouacked that night near the Lacy House, in close proximity to the ever memorable
battle-field. At daylight on the morning of the 5th, the Reserves, with the Bucktails in advance as skirmishers,
moved forward in the direction of Parker’s Store. At 9 A.M., Major Hartshorn
reported to General Crawford that. he had come upon the enemy's skirmishers, and that
their line extended considerably beyond both his flanks. Other regiments were at Other regiments were at once distributed upon the line, and Colonel M’Candless with
the First Brigade moved to his support. These dispositions completed, the
Bucktails advanced and attacked the enemy’s skirmishers, pushing them back to their
line of battle, and to a point, in full view
of Parker's Store. The enemy was discovered to be in great force, and the skirmish line
held its position with difficulty. At one P.M., intelligence was communicated to Major
Hartshorn that the division was falling back, and that his command was being surrounded.
The skirmishers were immediately withdrawn, and the
Regiment
re-formed in the open ground which had been
occupied by his supports. The march to the rear was commenced upon the same road by which it had
advanced in the morning. After proceeding a short distance it was discovered
that the
enemy had possession of this road and was rapidly extending his line to the right. The
woods being very dense the Major closed up his regiment, and cautiously moved on, as close
as possible to the rebel column, and, in a favorable position, ordered a charge, by which
he succeeded in breaking through the cordon that had been drawn around him, and in
reaching the division with a loss of but fourteen men.
On the morning of the 6th, the Reserves
were moved to the right of the Fifth Corps, and formed in, two lines, the Bucktails on the
left of the First Brigade, when they advanced to the attack. The fighting was severe, and
was kept up throughout the whole day without advantage to either side. At night the
regiment moved with the division to the support of the Sixth Corps, on the extreme right,
suddenly attacked, but was relieved, and returned to the Lacy House before the morning of
the 7th. At one P. M. Major Hartshorn was directed to deploy his regiment to the front,
and move forward to ascertain the strength of the enemy's works, which had been
constructed during the night. Colonel Ent, of the Sixth, was ordered to protect his
flanks. Approaching the rebel line of skirmishers, a charge was made driving him back into
his entrenchments, when his artillery opened with grape and canister. The object of the
reconnoissance having been accomplished, Major Hartsborn fell back to his old position,
carrying with him his killed and wounded, two of the former and twenty-one of the latter.
Daring the night of the 7th, the inarch
was commenced towards Spottsyvania. At ten A.M. of the 8th, the enemy was encountered
three miles north of the town. When the Bucktails came upon the
field, the First and Second Divisions of the Fifth Corps were already hotly engaged.
Forming in line under a severe fire, on the left. of the road leading to the Court House,
a charge was made by the division across an open field, driving the enemy out of a wood
beyond, which position was held until three P. M., when, finding that
the enemy was massing in great force in front, and was moving around on its unprotected
flanks, the order was given to fall bach to the position hold in the
morning. During the evening the, Reserves made three charges and were as often repulsed. On the 9th the regiment was sent to the
right of the corps, and as skirmishers advanced to the Po river, taking up a position
which it held until the 10th, when it was withdrawn and placed on the right of the
division, in line with at Mountain Run. Here the regiment participated in the two assaults
made on the enemy's works, in both of which our forces were repulsed. On the night of the
10th it was again placed at the front, and kept up a constant fire throughout the night.
On the 11th an assault was made by the
entire army. The position of the Reserves was in front of a double line of works which the
enemy had thrown up during the previous might. Two attempts were made to carry them. by
assault, but in vain. The Bucktails were employed during the 12th in picking off rebel
artillerymen, and driving them from the guns in the works which they had unsuccessfully
charged on the previous day. On the 13th, the regiment was, for the first time since the opening of the
campaign, relieved from the front and
allowed a day of rest. On the following day, together with the division, it marched
several miles to the left, where it remained actively employed upon the skirmish line
until the 20th, when the march was continued to Guinea Station, and from thence, on the
22d, to Jericho Ford, on the North Anna River, which the men were forced to cross by
wading, holding their cartridge boxes above their heads. After the division was safely
across, Colonel Hardin, commanding the brigade, directed Major Hartshorn to advance with
his skirmishers and clear the woods in front. This movement was successfully
accomplished, and upon the advance of the brigade took position on its right, where a
determined attack, made by the enemy at five P. M. was handsomely repulsed. The interval
between the 22d and 26th was occupied in skirmishing, and in strengthening the position
held. During the night of the 26th, another movement to the left was commmenced, and
after a three days' march the command reached the vicinity of Bethesda Church.
On the morning of the 30th, Major Hartshorn was ordered to
advance his skirmishers to the Mechanicsville road, a mile in his front. The enemy's
skirmishers were soon met and driven a half mile, when the Major found that a large force
of rebels was advancing, with lines extending beyond both his flanks. Reporting the fact
to Colonel Hardin, he fell back slowly until he met the brigade coming to his support.
Forming line on the right of the brigade, a charge was made upon the advancing enemy
driving him. back to the shelter of some woods. Discovering that the line which be had
driven was only the advance of a larger force, Colonel Hardin ordered his brigade to fall
back to a position in line with the Third Brigade, and immediately commenced throwing up
rifle pits. He ordered Major Hartshorn to hold the enemy in check with his skirmishers, to
fall back slowly, and to take position on the left of the brigade. This manoeuvre was so
successfully executed that ample time was given to complete a strong line of works. On the
near approach to the lines, Major Hartshorn was so hard pressed that he was obliged to
throw two companies to the right, upon the line occupied by the Third Brigade. With the
remaining eight companies he succeeded in reaching the position designated by Colonel
Hardin; in time to bear his full part in the handsome repulse given to the enemy as he
advanced to the assault. Colonel Fisher warmly commended the conduct of the two companies
which had been driven into his lines, and which fought with his brigade. This was the
Bucktails last battle, their time of service havin this day expired. The casualties during
the campaign were two officers and twenty-six enlisted men killed, and six officers and
one hundred and twelve enlisted men wounded. The veterans and recruits were transferred to
the One Hundred and Ninetieth, of which. Major Hartshorn was appointed Colonel, and the
regiment was mustered out of service at Harrisburg on the 11th.
of June, 1864.
The old bunting which had I floated
over the rafts on which the original Bucktails were borne down the Susquehanna in April,
1861, and which had been carried by them in all their campaigns, was borne in. procession
in Philadelphia, on the 4th of July, 1866, by the scarred veterans who survived, and
delivered up to the Governor of the State, amid the loud acclamations of the multitude, as
they recognized the familiar emblem that surmounted its staff.
Links to the complete roster of the 1st
Rifles as presented by Mr. Bates are indicated below. Depending on the speed of your
internet access this could take several minutes to download, so please be patient.
Field and Staff
Company A
Company B
Company C
Company D
Company E
Company F
Company G
Company H
Company I
Company K
