THE
IRISH NINTH
IN BITOUAC AND BATTLE;
OR,
VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND CAMPAIGNS.
BY
M. H. MA CX AM AH A,
LATE CAPTAIN NINTH MASS. VOLS.
" Patriots have toiled, and in their country's cause
Bled nobly; and their deeds, as they deserve,
Receive proud recompense. We give in charge
Their names to the sweet lyre. The historic muse,
Proud of the treasure, marches with it down
To latest times."
"He sunk to repose where the red heaths are blended;
One dream of his childhood his fancy passed o'er;
But his battles are fought, and his march it is ended;
The sound of the bugle shall wake him no more."
BOSTON:
LEE AND SHE
1867.
P A R D.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by
LEE AND SHEPARD,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
Stereotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry,
U Spring Lane.
TO
MADAM HARRISON. GRAY OTIS,
tKije Patroness of tfje Nintfj Hxegtmenf,
AND THE LADY WHOSE PRACTICAL INTEREST IN THE WELFARE
OF THE FEDERAL SOLDIERS
PLACES TTF.R. FIRST AJMONG THE PATRIOTIC WOMEN OF NEW ENGLAND,
THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,
BY THE AUTHOR.
Boston, March 11, 1867.
Messrs. Lee & Shepard.
Gentlemen : By your kindness I have been
shown the proof sheets of Captain Macnamara's
book, entitled " The Irish Ninth in Bivouac
and Battle." You have also done me the honor
to request my opinion of its merits.
On account of my own intimate relation to
the subject matter of the book, I feel disin¬
clined to say so much in its praise as, under
other circumstances, I would be glad to say.
But perhaps this relation should not, nor does
it, deter me from expressing my approbation of
its general historic accuracy.
Bespectfully,
Your obedient servant,
P. B. Guiney,
Late Col. Ninth Mass. and Brevet Brig.-Gen. Vols.
PREFACE.
J)ROMPTED by a desire to show the world
how well the Irishmen, exiled from their
native land by the ruthless system of English
law practised in Ireland, can serve their adopted
country in the day of her trial, and being
solicitous that the record of their services
should survive the few who remain of "the
Irish Ninth," and go down to the posterity of
all who fought in its ranks, the author presents
this volume to the public.
The incidents and events which constitute
the basis, and perhaps the value, of the fol¬
lowing pages, were noted in a diary as they
occurred, amid the varied scenes through
which we passed during three years of active
(5)
6
Preface.
military service. In addition to these personal
facilities, we have availed ourselves of official
data, obligingly placed at our disposal, in order
to make the regimental roster unquestionably
accurate.
The author has also a subordinate purpose
in presenting so much of a descriptive char¬
acter. He hopes in this manner to give the
public some idea of the way in which Irish
soldiers turn the "horrors of war" into the
most enjoyable of festivities, and to recall to
the minds of his comrades some of the many
happy scenes which he shared with them under
the canvas in the far-off and sunny South.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Page
The Response to the President's Call. — Colonel Cass tenders
his Services to the State. — His Offer accepted. — The Rais¬
ing of the Regiment. — Recruits and Recruiting. — Drilling
Difficulties. — Election of Officers. — Original Muster Roll. —
Removal from Boston to Long Island 13
CHAPTER II
Long Island, Description of. — Arranging our Camp. — Rapid
Acquisition of Military Discipline. — A Sunday at Long Island.
— Reflections 23
CHAPTER III.
Social Parties. — The valiant Sentinel. — Plain, plain Tom. . 31
CHAPTER' IV.
Leaving Long Island.—A false Alarm. — Arrival at Washing¬
ton. — Emmart's Farm. — The Captain and his Dog; or, Dis¬
cipline versus Sagacity 35
(7)
8
Contents.
CHAPTER V.
Summary Treatment of Poachers. — An Unfortunate Rencon¬
tre. — Our Valiant Pickets, Pedlers, and Hawkers. — Rumors
of a Move. — Bull Run. — Our Night March, and speedy
Return to Camp 42
CHAPTER VI.
Our retreating Porces. — Scenes on the Way. —We march for
Arlington. — Our gratifying Reception 49
CHAPTER VII.
Arlington. — General Lee's House.—A Negress How Lee
kept a dying Wish. — A good Breakfast. — Negroes and Negro
Minstrels. — We resume our March 55
CHAPTER VIII.
We occupy the Heights. — Port Cass. —The Cow Bell. — Pleas¬
ant Society. — "Balls Hamilton."—We are presented with
Colors.—McClellan organizes the Army. — Grand Review. . 61
CHAPTER IX.
We leave Arlington. — Arrive at Miner's Hill. — Painful Scene.
— Many killed and wounded. — Colonel Cass' Opinion. —
How we kept Christmas. — Lieutenant-Colonel Peard dies. —
Fairfax. — A March in the Rain. — Alexandria 71
CHAPTER X
Our Bonnie Green Flag. — We reach Hampton, Va. — A Recon-
noissance. — We march for Yorktown.— Our Men dig In-
Contents. 9
trencbments. — The Evacuation of Yorktown. —We start for
" "West Point." — Columbia Landing. — White' House. —
Gaines' Mills and Hanover Court House. —An Engagement.
— A Noble Deed 79
CHAPTER XI.
Our Captain and the General. — Mechanicsville. — Battle of
Gaines' Mills. — Battle of the Chickahominy — Our Position
after the Battle. — Night Scenes 93
CHAPTER XII.
Malvern Hill. — The Battle. — Gallant Charges. — Death of
Colonel Cass. — Is succeeded by Colonel Guiney — Harrison's
Landing. — A Scare. — Straps and no Straps. — A Night's
Rest disturbed 105
CHAPTER XIII.
We leave Harrison's Landing. — Visit Miner's Hill. — Sad Recol¬
lections.— McClellan again resumes Command. — Invasion of
Maryland.—Battle of Antietam. — Retreat of Lee. . . . 114
CHAPTER XIV.
Scenes at Antietam and South Mountain. — The doomed Legion.
— Insults offered to Union Soldiers. — Hospital Scenes. —
Yankee Smartness. — Be careful of your Stars. — It is fin¬
ished. — A miscreant Regiment. — Goteler's Mills. — Picket
Duty. — End of first Maryland Campaign 119
CHAPTER XV.
Crossing the Potomac under Difficulties. — Shepherdstown. —
Rebel Chaff. — That was all it was fit for. — A neat Thing in
10
Contents.
Shawls. — We find the Enemy. — Return to Camp. — Sharps-
burg 128
CHAPTER XVI.
A social Evening. — Presence of Mind. — A startling Narra¬
tive. — A Cure for Bores. — How it was effected 136
CHAPTER XVII.
How the Soldier leaves an old Camp. — Maryland Heights.—
A Night March. — Harper's Eerry. — Surrounding Prospect.
— John Brown's House. — Snicker's Gap.—.We march to
Warrenton. — McClellan superseded. — Stoneman's Station. 147
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Siege of Eredericksburg. — The gallant Irish Brigade. —
Eirst Day. — The Second Day. — In Position. — General
Humphrey. — Expectation. — We sleep on the Field. . . . 156
CHAPTER XIX.
The Continuation of the Siege—Very near. — It takes an Irish¬
man to crack a Joke. — Our hopeless Position. — We evacuate
the Heights. — The sacked City. —How to he jolly under any
Circumstances.—A Presentation. — We return to Falmouth. 162
CHAPTER XX.
Winter Quarters. — Those Pies. — Punch. — The Child of the
Forest.—A Reconnoissance to Barnett's Ford. — Sharp March¬
ing. — Horse Racing. — How we spent St. Patrick's Day. —
Fatal Accident 171
Contents.
11
CHAPTER XXI.
The Regiment is presented with a new Flag. — We leave Fal¬
mouth. — Kelley's Ford. — Ellis' Ford. — The Battle of
Chancellorsville.—The Plank Road.—A wrong Turn.—
How the Doctors were routed. — Ellis' Ford. — Sketch of
Mr. Ellis. — To Brandy Station. — Encounter with the Enemy.
— Tough Marching. — Bad Luck to this Marching 182
CHAPTER XXII.
General Meade assumes Command. — Gettysburg. — Following
the Enemy. — We reenter Virginia. — The Professor's Excuse
for Lagging. — He could not rob the Dead 194
CHAPTER XXIII.
Incidents of a March. — A dirty Musket. — The Colonel and
the Corporal. — An ungrateful Man. — Retaliation. — More of
the Professor. — How he got his Larnin 201
CHAPTER XXIY.
Rectorstown. — How to estimate Compliments. — Wapping
Heights.—Warrenton.—The Landlord played out. — Bev¬
erley Ford. —Our Camp. — Arrival of Conscripts. —We
march for Culpepper 209
CHAPTER XXY.
Culpepper. — Insinuating Females. — Picket Duty. — Drummed
Out. —Speculations. — Guerrillas. — " De ole Man's a grazing
eber since."—A "What is it?"—A Negro Gymnast. — A
crazy Professor. — Uncle Jolly and his good kind Sisters . . 215
12
Contents.
CHAPTER XXYI.
Rainy Weather.—Damp Meditations. — The Rapidan before.
— The Rappahannock behind. — Counter Strategy. — Bull
Run. — The old Battle-ground. — The Death of Kearney. —
Graves of the gallant Dead.—The dead Sentinel.—Heroic
Mementos.—March to Gainesville. — Army Wagons rolling
over the Dead 226
CHAPTER XXVII.
A Rebel Camp. — Rebel Sufferings and Rebel Sympathizers. —
Condition of Rebel Camps. — Of Union Camps. — Preserve
us from the Attributes of Southern Chivalry.—New Balti¬
more. — Auburn. — Three-mile Station. — Rappahannock
Station. — Storming the Enemy's Works.—Brandy Station.
— General Meade and his Movements. — The Ninth in the
Position of Honor and Danger. — The Invitation to Death. —
Description of Mine Run. —Winter Quarters. —Bealton. . 233
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Bealton Station. —Winter Duties. — Mosby's Guerrillas. —Black
Horse Cavalry. — Cutting Railroads.—Vigilance and Valor.
— A March. — The coming Wilderness. — The Battle of the
Wilderness. — Irish Heroism. — Spottsylvania. — Bethesda
Church. — Shady Oak. — Cold Harbor. — The Dead.— Home and
Muster-out. 212
APPENDIX.
Roster of Officers 247
" Enlisted Men 258
THE IRISH NINTH
IN
BIVOUAC AND BATTLE.
CHAPTER I.
The Response to the President's Call. — Colonel Cass tenders his
Services to the State. — His Offer accepted. — The Raising of the
Regiment. — Recruits and Recruiting. — Drilling Difficulties. —
Election of Officers.'—Original Muster Roll.—Removal from
Boston to Long Island.
HE wires that flashed the news of the
fall of Fort Sumter touched with their
electricity, not only the brain, but the great
heart of the nation, stimulating the patriotism
of a peaceful people, and awakening an energy
which for a time submerged the business trans¬
actions of quiet communities in the preparations
for the great and eventful struggle which was
to decide the supremacy of the Federal Govern¬
ment and the stability of the American Consti¬
tution. (13)
14
The Irish Ninth.
The warlike proclivities of the American
people became immediately manifest. The des¬
ecration of the American flag not only fired
with indignation the native, but awakened the
patriotism of the foreign element, so that, in
a few short hours, there were congregated on
" Change " and in the public places, groups and
bodies of indignant citizens, who loudly vowed
the vengeance since inflicted upon the treach¬
erous states which so grossly insulted the sacred
flag, beneath whose folds so much honor had
been achieved, and under the light of whose
stars the American nation marched to pros¬
perity and success.
Immediately after the fall of Fort Sumter
the President of the United States issued a call
for seventy-five thousand men, which were rap-~
idly supplied by the militia of the country, and
sent into the field for three months. Shortly
after this the President issued a second call for'
three hundred thousand volunteers, and prepa¬
rations upon a grand and extensive scale were
immediately made for the enlistment, quarter¬
ing, and equipment of the quota of the several
states.
The enthusiasm • of the people of Massaehu-
Raising of the Regiment. 15
setts was of the first order. Flag's were flung:
to. the breeze from public buildings and private
dwellings in every part of the capital of Mas¬
sachusetts; recruiting offices were opened, and
large handbills posted in every place of prom¬
inence in Boston. The excitement and en¬
thusiasm throughout the city were intense, and
enlistments rapidly progressed. Such was the
state of affairs when, early in the month of
April, Captain Cass, then commanding the Co¬
lumbian Association, proposed to the Governor
of Massachusetts to raise an Irish regiment for
three years, under the call of the President of
the United States, or for a longer period if
they were required.
The proposition of Captain Cass was con¬
sidered by the Governor of Massachusetts, and in
a short time cordially accepted; and, furnished
with the documents authorizing the organiza¬
tion, Captain; Cass made immediate preparations
for the formation of a regiment, opened recruit¬
ing offices under the control of competent gen¬
tlemen, and in a short time the enlistments were
so. rapid as to give every augury of success.
Agents were despatched to every part of
Massachusetts, and able speakers created an
16
The Irish Ninth.
influence in favor of the great work that soon
established a military ardor which placed the
success of the regiment beyond question. The
writer can recall many instances where men,
stalwart and robust young Irishmen, travelled
many miles on foot for the purpose of enlisting
in "Captain Cass' Irish Kegiment;" men who,
having read of the glory of " The Old Brigade,"
felt tingling in their veins the martial ardor
that actuated the Irish exiles in France, when,
under the fleur de Igs, they won so much glory,
and shed so much blood.
It is not wonderful that with material like
this the " Irish Ninth" would win imperishable
renown. The writer has often noticed a dis¬
tinguishing characteristic of the Irish recruit in
painful contrast with the sordid exactions of
some native soldiers. An Irish recruit would
enter an office, and declare his intention of
enlisting; you would explain to him his obli¬
gations ; he would listen as though he had not
the slightest interest in your remarks; and when
you had concluded, he would ask (if he could
write), "Give me the pen!" In a moment his
name would be down, while, on the other hand,
a native would argue for an hour, discuss the
Raising op the Regiment.
17
terms, time of enlistment, and finally wind up
the long colloquy by naively asking, what
chance there was for a commission, for which
he would be as well fitted as "Balls Hamilton"
an " intelligent contraband," who once figured in
a minor capacity with the regiment in Western
Virginia, and who will enact a conspicuous part
in another chapter of our work.
Many of our best soldiers were men of family
and position, comfortably situated, who entered
the service from feelings of pure patriotism and
warm affection for a government under which
they had long lived and their children had been
born. To them the stars and stripes was a
beautiful emblem; and if they could not love
it as dearly as their own native green, they
could fight for it as bravely, and shed their blood
for it as freely, as any u to the manor born."
The process of induction at that time was
exceedingly rapid; a man was enlisted, carried
before the surgeon, pronounced fit or unfit for
military service; if accepted, sent to a boarding-
house, — for the state had no barracks, — and
the next day initiated into the mysteries of the
first position of a soldier, which initiation some¬
times made the joints crack and provoked the
2
18
The Irish Ninth.
innocent exclamation, " Ah! but it's the divil's
own way to stand !" and when told to be silent,
would obey you by saying, " Sure I'm not spak-
ing, sur," which, when he had concluded, would
be undoubtedly true.
When the recruit was perfect in the pre¬
liminary, he would be tried in the serious and
complex "right face." This movement, in the
outset, gave rise to a medley of queer turns and
twists. One would face by the left, and look
with an expression of gratified pride upon his
face into the eyes of his neighbor, whose posi¬
tion was correct, feeling perfectly satisfied that
he was right and his comrade wrong. When
corrected, his face would assume a very sheep¬
ish expression, and with a droll twinkle in his
eye, he would say, "Was it by the right ye
mane ? 0, we'll do it over agin." This time you
would command "left face," and, sure enough,
the gallant fellow would face by the right. The
countenance of the Irish soldier bears a very
solemn expression while on drill — more solemn
than that of the Jew who declares himself
swindled in the midst of -his richest bargain.
The Irish recruit is, notwithstanding, a very
rapid learner, and more readily grasps the prin-
Raising the Regiment.
19
ciples of a movement than the soldiers of other
nations.
Recruiting in Boston at that time was,not the
dreary routine it afterwards became; the excite¬
ment was very great, and enlistments rapid; yet
the recruiting officer had many serious obstacles
to contend with. Not having a proper place of
security for the recruits, many of them, growing
restless, wTould become invisible, — some for a
time, and some forever, — leaving you the gen¬
ial employment of liquidating sundry board bills,
and mentally reckoning the brokerage value of
sundry little loans, which, when your martial
heart overflowed with generosity, you had kindly
transferred from your own pocket to that of the
faithless invisible. However, these were minor
trials, and we all got used to them, and in a
short time became, in our own conceit, " uncom¬
monly sharp on the recruit."
In the short period of three weeks the Ninth
Regiment, then unnumbered and without a
name, was called together at the rooms of the
Columbian Association, which had been kindly
tendered by that patriotic body for the purpose,
and there it was equalized and formed into
companies, and arrangements made for the elec-
20
The Irish Ninth.
tion of officers, which took place at the rooms
of the Columbian Association and at the tem¬
porary barracks in Lindall Street. The election
concluded, the officers passed the ordeal of ex¬
amination — and ordeal it was, in more senses
than one — at the State House, and in a short
time received the state commissions from His
Excellency, Governor John A. Andrew. As these
commissions were received by the original foun¬
ders of the regiment, we feel it our duty to
append the following roster of names: —
Thomas Cass,
C. G. Rowell,
Robert Peard,
Peter Pineo,
Patrick A. O'Connell,
Thomas Scully,
Geo. W. Perkins,
Michael Scanlan,
James E. Gallagher,
Christopher Plunkett,
William Madigan,
James J. Pendergast,
M. H. Macnamara,
Edward Fitzgerald,
John Carey,
Jeremiah O'Niell,
Bernard S. Treanor,
Geo. W. Dutton,
Colonel.
Lieutenant-Colonel.
Major.
Surgeon.
Assistant Surgeon.
Chaplain.
Adjutant.
Quartermaster.
Captain, Company A.
" " B.
" " C.
" " D.
" " E.
" " F.
" G.
" II.
« a j
" " K.
Raising of the Regiment. 21
Francis O'Dowd, 1st Lieutenant, Company A.
Patrick T. Hanley, " " « b.
John W. Mahan, " " « C.
Archibald Simpson, " " « D.
James E. McCafeerty, Jr. " " » E.
Timothy O'Leary, " " " F.
John M. Tobin, " " " G.
Thomas K. Eoach, " " " H.
P. R. Guiney, " " " i.
James E. McGunnigle, " "■ " K.
M. F. O'Hara, 2d Lieutenant, Company A.
John H. Walsh, " " " B.
Edward McSweeney, " " " C.
J. H. Rafferty, " " " D.
J. W. Macnamara, " " " E.
Philip Redmond, " " " F.
Timothy Burke, " " " H.
Richard P. Nugent, " " " I.
Joseph Ford, " " " K.
By the addition of four fine companies from
Milford, Stoughton, Marlboro', and Salem, under
the respective commands of Captains Peard
(afterwards major), Carey, Button, and Fitz¬
gerald, valuable and gallant officers, the two
former of whom have since offered up their
lives in defence of the flag of their adopted coun¬
try, the minimum number of the regiment was
reached, and thus the organization of the Ninth
22 The Irish Ninth.
Massachusetts Volunteers was completed, and by
order of the Governor, and with the consent
of Mayor Wightman, of Boston, the regiment
was marched to Faneuil Hall, then used as bar¬
racks, where they were supplied with quarters
and rations until their removal to Long Island,
in Boston Harbor, which took place in May,
1861.
Long Island.
23
CHAPTER II.
Long Island, Description of. — Arranging our Camp. — Rapid Ac¬
quisition of Military Discipline. — A Sunday at Long Island. —
Reflections.
A MONG the many pleasing memories as-
-k- sociated with the. formation of the Ninth
Regiment, there are none so delightful as those
connected with its sojourn on Long Island.
The local reader is well acquainted with, the
geographical position of that pleasant and healthy
military rendezvous; but. a few words ; for the
benefit of those unacquainted with that lovely
island may not be amiss. It is situated in Bos¬
ton harbor, and distant about four miles from
Boston proper, and from South and East Boston
distant about one mile and a half; elongated in
form, about a mile from point to point. A large
public house stands upon the island, which has
always been a favorite summer resort. The
island, as I remember, was, upon the south side,
thickly studded with trees; a beautiful verdure
24
The Irish Ninth.
clothed the miniature valleys, and of a summer
morning, when the sea was calm and the red
glory of a summer sunrise looked down upon
the dotted camp ground, the scene was inex¬
pressibly beautiful.
It was a good thought, the selection of Long
Island for a military rendezvous, not only for its
sanitary merits, but for the security it afforded
against desertions. It boasts many fine parade
grounds, walks, and lounges, while beautiful
views of sea and land greet the eye in every
direction. It is of easy communication with the
city. I repeat, its selection was a wise idea — a
happy accident in the councils of our city Solons.
Our removal from Faneuil Hall to Long Island
was a glorious change. The close, cramped
quarters at the hall, with the natural accumula¬
tion of filth incidental to the garrisoning of a
large number of recruits, rendered still more so
by the crowds of visitors who were continually
besieging the doors for admittance to see their
gallant friends before their departure for the
seat of war, from this to the bright sunshine,
green fields, and an unimpeded view from the
lofty rising ground over an uninterrupted ex¬
panse of sea, with capital places for sea-bathing,
Long Island.
25
rendered the change one of special congratu¬
lation.
We started from Faneuil Hall early in May,
1861, having previously despatched engineers to
lay out the camp, which, at that time, seemed
a formidable arrangement; though now it is
scarcely five minutes work, then it was five
hours. The regiment was there quartered in
wall tents, and even with those comfortable
accommodations they were not well satisfied
(though they have since been glad of the shelter
of a few boards, and the lucky possessor of an
overcoat, or rubber blanket, thought himself
extremely well protected). Having taken pos¬
session of their new quarters, the Ninth Regi¬
ment, for the first time, considered themselves
soldiers.
Immediately upon the arrival of the regiment
at Long Island, Colonel Cass assumed control,
and it soon became evident to him and his
dfficers, that to make the regiment a good one,
and worthy of its distinctive character, a large
amount of work must be gone through, and the
strictest system of discipline maintained. More
than any other man, Colonel Cass knew this.
He thoroughly understood the elements of the
26
The Irish Ninth.
organization of the men he had to command,
and with this knowledge he used the best
method of control and instruction. The men
were at once instructed in the formula of guard
and picket duties, whilst regimental lines were
formed, through which none could pass without
the countersign or other proper authority. A
picket was thrown out around the island, to pre¬
vent desertion by boats, or the advent on the
island of pleasure parties, without proper author¬
ity to land. The strictest surveillance was then
maintained over the men, and in a short time
the island presented the appearance of a regular
military post.
Colonel Cass, though not then proficient in
military science, gave, thus early in his military
career, evidence of fine soldierly qualities, which,
with cultivation, promised noble fruit. The regi¬
mental discipline experienced by the men, was
also felt by the officers, until at length the spirit
which animated the commander extended itself
throughout the entire regiment, and soon all
joined in the various duties apportioned to them
with a hearty good will and spirit, which prog¬
nosticated a glorious future — a promise which
has since been nobly and gallantly fulfilled.
Long Island. 27
Company drills took place at stated hours,
and in the afternoon battalion drills, under the
supervision of Colonel Cass, gradually, yet surely,
developed the soldierly qualities of the men. In
no camp in the State of Massachusetts could
there he found a more hearty desire, or a regi¬
ment who worked more strenuously to achieve
military perfection than the Ninth. This is
vouched for by the citizens of Boston, who on
many occasions assembled to witness our drills,
when they often expressed themselves greatly
gratified and astonished at the extraordinary
proficiency of the men, and the rapidity with
which they acquired, in so short a time, knowl¬
edge of the manual of arms.
Sunday was always a gala day with us at
Long Island, visitors being allowed free access,
thronged the grounds, seeking among the
quarters for husbands, sons, brothers, sweet¬
hearts, and friends; bearing with them refresh¬
ments and edibles of all kinds, and vying with
each other how to express the deep love they
bore their gallant defenders, from whom they
were soon to be separated, and many of whom
were destined to lay down their lives in de¬
fence of the nation. On these days would
28
The Irish Ninth.
fathers and mothers seek their sons; wives their
husbands; sisters their brothers; while, leaning
on the arm of some stalwart lover might be seen
one of the daughters of Erin's Isle, with blush¬
ing cheeks, fit representatives of that loveliness
of which authors have written and poets sung, —
planning their future after his return, or walking
silently with tearful eyes, her heart swelling with
love, yet smothering with care the agony she
feels at his departure, fearful, lest her despair
should cause him a moment's regret.
But the self-sacrificing mother, with a glow of
matronly pride upon her cheeks, gazed with un¬
speakable affection upon her son, or smiled upon
him, though her heart shed silent tears, brave in
her self-abnegation, for, though language could
not tell the strength of her affection, she would
not have him stay when her adopted country
called him forth to the defence of its honor and
its flag! This was a picture that could be wit¬
nessed in almost every group. The Irish mother,
in this the time of the Union's danger, ex¬
emplified the glorious spirit which animated the .
mothers of Limerick, when their valor hurled
back the legions of Prince William, as he vainly
Long Island.
29
strove to destroy the dearly-prized liberty of
its people.
It is a proud reflection of the Irishman of this
generation, that, when the fidelity of his people
was tested, their allegiance was as good a guar¬
antee as birth and native blood to the nation
which had trusted in and protected them.
We cannot revert to_ the delightful reunions
of that island camp, the introductory step to the
glory which has since crowned our arms, with¬
out feelings of deep regret—regret that its com¬
panionships and pleasures, its meetings and its
partings, may never again be renewed; that we
may never again hear the fervent utterings of
love from the fond mother and sister; from the
cherished wife, and the dear girl whose life was
in her love; from the stern father, who feared
he would never again grasp the hand of his son;
from the brother, undemonstrative in his affec¬
tion, but with a great wealth of feeling in his
heart, — such earnest love is only expressed once
in a lifetime, and is born of the peculiar circum¬
stances by which the loved ones are surrounded.
This brief sketch of our island camp may be
sufficient to revive, in the minds of those who
30
The Irish Ninth.
have visited it, many of the pleasant scenes which
transpired there, and the associations connected
therewith. Many a brave man has bid it fare¬
well forever I A southern sun blazes down upon
his unburied bones; and bleaching skeletons of
many of the " Old Ninth" alone remain of those
who were once the life of our circle and the brave
companions of our battles. To the bereaved
.ones we would say, for their consolation, Faith¬
ful to the cause they joined, they fell; your
honor they nobly defended; the country's cause
and liberty they valiantly asserted, and died
true men and soldiers!
Social Parties.
31
CHAPTER III.
Social Parties. — The Valiant Sentinel—Plain, plain Tom.
SHADE of Bacchus (if that mythological
enormity will condescend us a reflex), what
convivial times we had! Deep into the night,
and oftentimes to the stilly morn, when the
feast of reason and the flow of soul brought
forgetfulness of petty cares, and gradually in¬
doctrinated us into the creed of the soldier, that
to live, we must live to-day, for a soldier dies
to-morrow!
And right willingly we believed in this creed,
the truth of which we have seen exemplified on
many a bloody field, where the living of yester¬
day were among the dead of to-day.
In one of our old wall tents the officers would
often assemble, and, with a zest that would rival
the Irish soldier of the olden time, vent their
genial witticisms, perpetrate their jokes, and un¬
wind everlasting yarns, which, if without point,
32
The Irish Ninth. -
would be certainly brimful of genuine Irish hu¬
mor. These parties would be, in spirit and feel¬
ing, seen all over the camp, and friendships were
made and connections formed which will only
terminate with life.
These happy parties, however, have been some¬
times unceremoniously broken up in the Ninth
Regiment, and often have we sprung up from
the festive board, drinking the last glass to¬
gether for a time, and £he next moment be
sternly dashing into battle, doing our devoir for
the unity of our adopted country.
Many a vacant seat was there when all was
over; but nothing could dampen the ardor of an
Irish soldier, and while he spoke a word of sym¬
pathy for the dead, he would remark," It may
be my turn to-morrow"—words sometimes only
too prophetic.
Many a ludicrous incident occurred at Long
Island during our sojourn. I remember well, one
evening, that a party of officers sallied out on
what we appropriately termed a tour of inspec¬
tion, ostensibly to visit the guard, but really to
pass them, if possible, and visit the camp of
another regiment, quartered at the south end
of the island. The night was dark, and as we
The Valiant Sentinel. 33
approached the sentinel, we could hear his meas¬
ured pace; a little nearer, and we heard him
pause upon his beat; another moment, and the
liquid brogue of the sentinel rang out upon
the air,—
" Halt! Who goes there ? "
"A friend, with the countersign," was the
reply. The sentinel paused, seemingly in medi¬
tation : at last a bright idea seemed to strike
him, and he cried out,—
"Hold on; ye can't pass liere till ye say
' Schouler.'"
We listened with smothered laughter, and then
advanced, said " Schouler," and the innocent,
good fellow allowed us to pass. That was at
Long Island, and the soldier was a recruit.
Woe to the man that pressed an advance on
the same soldier on the peninsula: a failure to
give the proper countersign would be replied to
by an ounce of lead. Then the soldier was a
veteran. At another time, as I was passing from
the camp to the boats to take a trip to the city,
I espied a stout, heavy fellow, of ponderous
proportions, in the full dress of a first-lieutenant.
He carried a valise in his hand, and the perspi¬
ration ran in rivulets down the creases of his
34
The Irish Ninth.
fat physiognomy, and he" seemed laboring un¬
der serious affliction. He was a comical-looking
gentleman, and I paused to survey him more
narrowly, when a soldier, who happened to be
standing near, irreverently bawled out,Hollo,
Tom! yer off!" The solid gentleman laid his
' valise upon the ground, and wiping his stream¬
ing forehead with a large bandanna, plaintively
said, " There it is: a half hour ago it was Lieu¬
tenant R , and now it's plain, plain Tom!"
It seemed that his commission had been revoked
on account of his inability to execute the double-
quick movement, which is really a bothersome
affair, especially to fat old gentlemen. The sol¬
dier knew this, and of the pride Lieutenant
R derived ■ from his title; therefore it was
why the malicious fellow addressed him as plain
Tom.
'Plain, plain, Tom!" Page 34-
Leaving Long Island. 35
CHAPTER IV.
Leaving Long Island. — A False Alarm. — Arrival at Washington. —
Emmart's Farm. — The Captain and his Dog; or, Discipline versus
Sagacity.
N the morning of June 24, 1861, the Ninth
Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers em¬
barked on the Ben de Ford, Pembroke, and
Cambridge, three large government transports,
and in the presence of an immense assemblage,
took their departure from Long Island for the
city of Washington. On the third day of the
passage considerable excitement was manifested,
from the fact that it was expected we should be
shelled passing the coast of Virginia, at a place
called Matthias Point, where, it was authorita¬
tively stated, the rebels had planted a masked
battery, with which to render unnavigable the
waters of the Potomac.
The excitement was increased by the com¬
mander of the Quaker City, a United States
man-of-war, cruising the Potomac, which had
36
The Irish Ninth.
hailed us on the evening of the second day, in¬
structing us to keep a sharp lookout, as, no doubt,
we should be attacked passing this point. The
only armament aboard the transports was three
brass swivel guns of light calibre^ of which each
vessel had one. An understanding was also had
between Colonel Cass and the commander of the
Ben de Ford, that, if attacked, he (Cass) would
man the boats and storm the batteries, if they
opened fire, under the protection of the guns
of the transports. Upon approaching the point,
the eyes of every officer were bent upon the
land with looks of eager expectation, and more
than one heart anxiously longed to hear the
guns of the battery, that they might have the
pleasure of "silencing them.
The men had,* upon nearing the point, been
ordered below, so that the decks were clear for
action, and if swept by the enemy's fire, little
damage could be done them. The colonel and
his officers, with the commanders of the boats,
alone remained on the decks. The guns were
shotted, and the noble vessels proceeded proudly
on their way, and arrived in a short time opposite
the Point. Not a sound was heard ; not a move¬
ment indicated the position where the battery
Passing the Battery.
37
was concealed. In a few minutes the vessels
had passed the Point, and no demonstration had
been made. It is impossible to say what would
have been the result if the battery had opened
fire upon us. That an attempt to storm it would
have been made we feel quite certain; but ex¬
perience has since shown us that it might have
been a very disastrous undertaking; for, from
the nature of the embankment it would be next
to impossible to land; and if musketry fire had
been used against us, the consequences would
have been fearful. After we had passed the
fabled monster, and cleared a sufficient interval,
the little brass gun of the Ben de Ford blazed
forth an indignant challenge, the captain feeling
that the security of his position warranted that
token of his contempt.
Nothing of interest transpired during the rest
of the voyage, except that we lost one man, a
young fellow, named Garland, for whom all were
sincerely sorry; he fell overboard, and though
every effort was made to save him, the darkness
of the night rendered our endeavors to help and
save fruitless.
The accommodation on board the transports
was of the first order; and though we should
38
The Irish Ninth.
have preferred to go by rail, still, everything
considered, the method of transportation was
eminently successful and satisfactory.
On the afternoon of June 29, the transports
arrived at the Arsenal wharf at Washington,
when the troops disembarked, making their quar¬
ters temporarily in the Arsenal yard. Here we
lay in our blankets until the morning of the
30th of June, when, after despatching our break¬
fast, we took up our line of march for the pleasant
locality of Emmart's farm, about three miles out¬
side of the city of Washington, where we arrived
the same day, and at once pitched our camp.
Emmart's farm proved, eventually, a very
excellent place; the mutual understanding be¬
tween all parties increased, and soon we had a
continuation of the genial reunions so auspi¬
ciously begun at Long Island.
A number of comical incidents transpired here,
one of which I cannot recall wuthout a smile.
We have stated that Colonel Cass was a rigid
disciplinarian. This, in truth, he was; so much
so, that an officer could not sleep a moment
after " reveille" without a visit from the colonel,
and a gentle reminder that it was time to be up.
One morning, about five o'clock, the writer,
Anecdotes.
39
while in silent and close communication with
Morpheus, was roughly shaken from his slumbers,
and a sharp voice greeted him as he opened his
eyes: " Come, you're a pretty fellow; isn't it time
for you to be up ? " I turned over, and beheld
the grim colonel of the regiment and Lieutenant-
Colonel Howell standing solemnly by the bed¬
side, and looking grave as the tomb. " All right,
colonel," said I; " I'll get up in a few moments."
" See that you do so;" said he, and then he took
his departure. Now I should have entered into
another arrangement with the mythological god,
but that I thought it my duty to warn my
comrades of the colonel's presence; therefore I
sprang from my couch, consisting of blankets
and rails, donned my clothes, and passed outside
my tent. As I did so, I glanced up the tented
street, and, to my astonishment, beheld the grave
and dignified colonel hopping about in the
strangest manner, and cutting up the queerest
kind of antics, none of which I have ever seen
set down in the military books. I went to the
rear of one of the tents, to see more clearly what
the colonel was doing, and found he was exer¬
cising himself in front of Captain Madigan's tent.
It was a comical scene. The colonel would
40
The Irish Ninth.
cautiously approach the door of the tent, and
then spring hastily back, while the lieutenant-
colonel stood by convulsed with laughter. This
manoeuvre he executed several times with emi¬
nent success, until at last he cried out, " Captain
Madigan, Captain Madigan!" He called several
times, but the captain did not respond. " I think
he's up and out," said Rowell. Cass paused for
a moment, and then, muttering anathemas under
his breath, strode hastily away. I then moved
cautiously towards the tent, to ascertain the cause
of the colonel's excitement, and there I beheld
Madigan's great bull-dog, which he had brought
from Boston, tied to the tent-pole, and growling
savagely.
The dog and I were old friends. I patted him
on the head, and looked into the tent, and be¬
held the jolly captain " en deshabille," sitting on
a stool, shaking with impressible laughter. He
had witnessed the colonel's vain attempt to pass
the savage sentinel, and it was as much as he
could do to keep from betraying himself.
A few minutes afterwards Captain Madigan
met Colonel Cass, and courteously bade him
good morning. The colonel looked at him for
a moment, and then, with a grim smile, said,
The Captain's Dog.
41
" Madigan, that infernal dog of yours saved you
this time; but again, I'll rip open the back of
your tent. So now, captain, take care." Madi-
gan was a diplomat, and his only reply was, in¬
troducing the colonel to a very nice article
which had just come from home.
42
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER V.
Summary Treatment of Poachers. — An Unfortunate Rencontre.—
Our Valiant Pickets, Pedlers, and Hawkers. — Rumors of a Move.
— Bull Run. — Our Night March, and speedy Return to Camp.
HOUGH close to the city of Washington,
picket duty was strictly performed by the
regiment, the lines extending about a mile from
camp, the reserve being stationed near the house
of the Washington banker Cochrane, a large
and splendid mansion, on the right of Emmart's
farm, in a semicircle of dense woods; and never
was wood more thoroughly searched than that
one, which daily underwent a clean scouring, the
commanders of regiments, in the innocence of
inexperience, thinking it the secret depository
of rebel guns, and the general headquarters of
the big spirits of the rebellion!
The residents in that vicinity treated our sol¬
diers with the greatest kindness; and, in return,
their property was carefully guarded, and their
rights as citizens duly respected. One of the
Two Men Shot.
43
principal reasons which led us to suspect the
near vicinage of traitors, was the shooting of two
of the New York Fire Zouave regiment, which
occurred in the grounds of Mr. , who resided
near the house of Mr. Cochrane. It was after¬
wards ascertained that they had been commit¬
ting depredations on the property one night, and
the owner, not knowing them to he soldiers, shot
them — a fate which they richly merited.
One morning, shortly after the arrival of the
regiments at Emmart's farm, an officer was with
his company, engaged in drill, and in passing a
belt of wood, two shots were fired in rapid suc¬
cession, and two of the men fell, one wounded
in the leg, and the other in the shoulder. Two
men were sent into the wood, but soon returned,
stating that they could see no one, and giving it
as their opinion, that the shots had come from
the other side of the wood, from the camp of the
Twenty-seventh New York Volunteers (Germans),
who were out at target practice. As this seemed
the most reasonable view to be taken of the
case, the officer marched his company back to
camp, and reported the affair to the colonel.
But Colonel Cass would not divest his mind of
the idea that the shots had been fired by rebel
44
The Irish Ninth.
scouts, and as the colonel was looked upon by
the regiment as the embodiment of military
wisdom, his opinion was favorably received, and
caused considerable excitement. Before we left
that camp, however, the colonel was compelled
to acknowledge, that if we desired to find rebels,
we must move forward several miles, cross the
Potomac, and picket the enemy's territory — a
movement we shortly afterwards made.
Our regiment greatly improved in discipline
while encamped at Emmart's farm, and became
much more conversant with picket duty, so that,
in a little while, a pig or cow might pass them,
perhaps, in the dark, without receiving a bullet in
its brain for refusing to answer the " challenge;"
though I must confess that when the Ninth had
seen some service, and consequently were more
accurate in their aim, when a pig passed them
they seldom cried, " Who goes there ?" but with
malice presence "nailed" the unfortunate porker
without a word.
Every suspicious-looking individual in the vi¬
cinity of our camp, and every pedler, male or
female, were unceremoniously seized by our
patriotic fellows as spies, and transferred from
department to department, until, finally, after
Soldierly Pride.
45
having "gone the rounds," the unfortunate in¬
dividuals found themselves, several weeks after,
pursuing the same humble but honest occupa¬
tion, in the same place, in the same clothes, and,
seemingly, with the same vendible stock of goods,
but this time under the safeguard of a pass.
One cannot look back to these days of military
verdancy without a smile. We, the scarcely
fledged children of Mars, believed in the omnipo¬
tence of the sword, and had no sooner shed
our citizen's coat than we looked with suspicion
and distrust on every one who twirled canes,
when, instead, we thought they should be manip¬
ulating muskets. These feelings and fancies,
however, are natural to the opening career of
the Republican soldier, and are easily eradicated
by experience. The veteran looks back to them
with mingled feelings of pride and mortification;
therefore it is, that in the conduct of the Ameri¬
can soldier there is nothing arbitrary or tyran¬
nical ; with experience he dismounts from his
stilts, and never strives to reach an unbecoming
altitude again.
The monotony of our life at Emmart's farm
was soon destined to be relieved, for, upon the
evening of July 20, 1861, orders reached our
46
The Irish Ninth.
camp for the troops to be in readiness to move-
at a moment's notice, with three days' rations in
our haversacks. Orderlies and staff officers could
be seen riding rapidly in the direction of every
regiment in our vicinity, and a very large force
was encamped immediately around, for hours
before we received our marching orders. Regi¬
ment after regiment were under arms, and soon
defiling past our camp, — stately columns so soon
to be sundered, broken, and beaten; fresh, noble
soldiers, soon to be weary, dispirited, and de¬
feated, — passed us all the afternoon, and the last
regiment we saw march away was the Second
New Hampshire.
The camp was rife with rumors. A great bat¬
tle was soon to be fought, or was already in
progress. Little we knew that the terrible and
disastrous field of Bull Bun was already lost to
our arms, and that our magnificent legions were
even then flying before a victorious foe.
Rapidly the Second New Hampshire defiled
from the camp, and the sun was already dis¬
appearing behind the hills when the left of the
regiment passed from view. Anxiously the
Ninth, standing armed and equipped in their
company streets, awaited the order to march.
Rumors of a Move.
47
Our brave, muscular fellows seemed animated
with deep enthusiasm; an intense longing to
meet the foe pervaded their breasts. Their nos¬
trils seemed to scent the blood of their dying
countrymen as it poured vainly on the battle¬
field ; and yet this enthusiasm was not vented in
shouts and cheers, but exhibited in the alacrity
which animated their movements; in the firm,
solid grasp of their weapons; in the rapid obedi¬
ence to orders as rapidly given; in the patience
with which, when everything was ready, they
awaited the order to move. Night was upon us
when the order came. It was received with one
wild, ringing cheer, and in another moment the
shadowy outline of the soldiers could be seen
moving swiftly from the camp. We marched
fast until late into the night, with the full con¬
viction that on the morrow we should fight, —
when, suddenly, a stafi-officer halted the regi¬
ment, and desired to speak to Colonel Cass.
The result of this communication was, that the
regiment "about faced," and we marched back
to our old camp by the light of the moon, filled
with chagrin and disappointment. The regiment
was then formed in square, and Colonel Cass
expressed to them his heartiest approval, and the
48
The Irish Ninth.
pride he felt in commanding such men, whose
alacrity and enthusiasm in marching to the field
fully verified his most sanguine expectations.
Well might Colonel Cass feel proud of such men.
Their valor has shed glory on his name, on the
land of their birth, and that of their adoption.
The regiment was then marched to quarters, and
in a little while the whole command was buried
in sleep. The regiments which had marched
away earlier in the day did not return. Had
Colonel Cass received the order a few hours
earlier, the Ninth would have been precipitated
into the disastrous battle of Bull Bun, and,
though they might have shared the general
defeat, they would have valiantly responded to
the despairing cry of the immortal Sixty-ninth,
" Where, O, where, is the Irish Ninth ? "
Our retreating Forces. 49
CHAPTER VI.
Our retreating Forces. — Scenes on the "Way. — We march for
Arlington. — Our gratifying Reception.
r | "HE gloomy morning of Monday, July 22,
broke upon us. The sky, heavy and
dark with clouds, opened its reservoirs of rain,
which poured down without cessation, every¬
thing around looking dark and dismal. The
rain pattered down upon our canvas houses
until the very sound became irksome; as a
relief, we went out into the storm, and after
getting well saturated, visited the quarters of
Lieutenant Tobin, and in company with him and
Captain Madigan, went down to the camp lately
occupied by the Second New Hampshire.
We expected to see no one there, and were
surprised when we learned that Captain S
and some other officers of that regiment had just
arrived. We called at his quarters, and there
learned of the terrible defeat our arms had ex¬
perienced. Captain S gave us a detailed
4
50.
The Irish Ninth.
account of that most fearful rout, and por¬
trayed, in graphic language, the terrible scenes to
be witnessed on the road to Centreville and to¬
wards Washington — wagon trains deserted and
destroyed; supplies of all kinds recklessly flung
away; wounded men stretched about on every
hand, under the furious pelting of the pitiless
storm, no one to care for them; fugitives, half
clad, without muskets or equipments of any kind,
their faces expressing the terror that ran riot in
their hearts; weapons, whole and broken, lying
-by the road-side, the only idea animating the
flying and frightened men being escape from the
victors — the broken wagons and dead horses
pointing the road to the capital. In Washing¬
ton itself the excitement was fearful — the in¬
habitants fleeing to every place of security in
their consternation; wearied soldiers sleeping
upon the sidewalks, the. curbstones for their pil¬
low, and the rain pouring in torrents upon
them ; the streets filled with broken wagons;
stores with doors flung open, no one to protect
the goods nor any to steal them; the very heads
of the nation aghast at the magnitude of their
misfortune, and the whole system of the govern¬
ment for a time impotent and paralyzed. This
Scenes on the Way.
51
solemn news fell upon our ears that fatal Mon¬
day morning. Turning round, we beheld the
fugitives dragging their tired limbs towards the
camps; some, who had been shot through the
cheek and other parts of the head and body,
wretchedly bandaged: men maimed in every
conceivable manner, weak, spiritless, and broken
down, were there, slowly and painfully wending
their weary way. It was a terrible picture of
incompetency and disgrace, and we turned away,
sick at heart, and felt thankful that the Ninth
was still the perfect regiment that came from
home, and that its virgin colors were not stained
by any sign of defeat.
For a while our hearts were heavy as we
gazed on the sad picture spread out before us,
and we could scarcely reconcile the thought
that these men had yesterday marched past us,
strong, valiant, with the flush of hope and
pride beaming on their manly cheeks, so worn,
wretched-looking, and despairing did they now
appear! But only for a while were our hearts
heavy: the sun broke through the black clouds;
the rain ceased to fall, and as we reached our
camp we saw our regiment in line. That splen¬
did array of men. in all the- glorious parapher-
52
The Irish Ninth.
nalia of war, firm, self-reliant, and cheerful, struck
us with admiration. We thought no longer of
the fugitives; we harbored no more pictures of
despair; and as we gazed upon our green flag,
side by side with the starry banner, — the sun¬
burst and the eagle, — we felt that victory would
crown the nation's arms, and shed her glory
upon the Ninth.
The result of the battle of Bull Run did not
in the least affect the spirits of our regiment.
" Send us against them, and we'll turn the tide;
we'd whip them to submission, if only half sup¬
ported," were the remarks they made; and they
performed their duties with the same alacrity
and cheerfulness as if the battle of Bull Run had
never been fought.
The nation rapidly recovered from the effects
of that disastrous battle, and made immediate
preparations for strengthening the defences of
the capital, which caused the Ninth Regiment
again to receive marching orders, which came on
the morning of July 23. At an early hour tents
were struck, baggage wagons loaded, and the
regiment on the road. We marched through
Washington late in the afternoon, crossed the
Potomac, and moved directly to that part of
Gratifying Reception.
53
Arlington known as the " Lee estate," which then
belonged to the commander-in-chief of the Con¬
federate forces. Night came 011 as we continued
our march; and as we moved along the roads and
through the woods, our progress was hailed with
loud cheers from regiments encamped on our line
of march and immense bonfires had been prepared
for our reception, as the fame of the Irish Ninth
had preceded us. These fires extended along
the whole route to Arlington, some being in
dense woods, only visible through one grand
opening where the regiments were encamped,
and presented a spectacle most sublime. The
forms of men reflected in the red light of the
fires, the clash and glitter of arms, the loud
shouts of welcome, and every conceivable expres¬
sion of enthusiasm, made the scene alike grand
and affecting. The route to Arlington was one
grand ovation; and as we left the gallant regi¬
ments behind, we could hear, floating upon the.
night wind, the ghostly echo of, " Three cheers for
the Ninth!" Our men were delighted and sur¬
prised, proud to know that thus early their merits
as Irishmen and gallant soldiers were recognized.
As they marched along, their tread became more
determined; their columns seemed more com-
54
The Irish Ninth.
pact, and satisfaction gleamed on every coun¬
tenance.
At a late hour we halted in a wood at the
rear of Arlington House (Lee's mansion), where,
fires being lighted, we made a hasty supper, and,
spreading our blankets, soon in sleep forgot
the fatigues of the day.
Arlington House.
55
CHAPTER YII.
Arlington. — General Lee's House. — A Negress. — How Lee kept
a dying Wish. — A good Breakfast.—Negroes and Negro Min¬
strels. — We resume our March.
T T[ 7E awoke from the enjoyment of a most
* ^ comfortable night's sleep to behold the
sun glimmering in through the interstices of
the trees, and to hear the birds chirping their
morning melodies from the branches above our
heads. It was early morning, and scarcely any
one had risen, for the bugle had not yet
sounded the reveille, and until its ringing blast
is heard by the soldier, he will sleep on and
on, until, like Rip Van Winkle, he wakes in an¬
other age, and looks around him upon other
scenes. A few of the officers had risen, drawn
from their blankets by the beauty of the morn¬
ing; and, in imitation of these admirers of na¬
ture, we arose and joined them, when it was
proposed that a search should be made for some
habitation, where, by the expenditure of a few
56
The Irish Ninth.
dimes, we might achieve the matutinal meal..
This weighty and important proposition, having
been duly considered, was adopted, and in a
few moments we were working our way along a
footpath through the wood, which, we sincerely
trusted, would -lead to some " local habitation,"
we cared not whether with or without a name.
We followed the path for some distance, and
suddenly found ourselves on the verge of the
wood, and directly before us a large, solid, square-
looking building, architecturally plain, the sur¬
face covered with a kind of rough cement.
There was nothing inviting in the appearance
of the building, hut the scenery by which it
was surrounded at once filled us with admi¬
ration.
It stood upon a high hill, from the base of
which ran undulating valleys, dotted here and
there .with patches of green wood, and likewise
interspersed with rich fields in an advanced state
of cultivation. The view from the front of the
mansion was supremely beautiful, the scenery be¬
ing the only pleasing characteristic. The house
itself looked more like a huge public building
than the residence of a private gentleman.
From the building itself we turned our atten-
Lee's Promise.
57
tion to a group of small, wooden houses, of a
very dilapidated appearance. They had, at some
anterior period of their history, received a care¬
less whitewashing, patches of which, scattered
here and there, alone remained. At the door
of one of these houses stood an ancient negro
— ancient in aspect, ancient in dress, ancient
in his method of speech, with a very ancient
stick in his hand, in an attitude of medi¬
tation.
We courteously accosted him, and asked if he
resided there. He told us that he did, and was
a farm hand of Massa Lee's (since General R. E.
Lee). We learned from him that he had been a
slave from boyhood in the Lee family, and had
passed nearly all his life on that estate. In the
course of conversation, he informed us that Gen¬
eral Lee was very arbitrary with his slaves, and
recognized no rights of theirs, and further, told
us that the "gal" over the way — pointing to
another of the wooden houses—would have been
free upon the death of a certain Mrs. Custis, but
that, although it was her dying wish, General Lee,
notwithstanding he had consented to her wishes
before her death, absolutely refused to recognize
them on being called upon to do so after her de-
58
The Irish Ninth.
cease; so the girl had ever since remained a slave.
The old negro enumerated many other of the
general's characteristics, which, in our opinion,
did not redound to his (General Lee's) honor or
humanity. We left the old man, and went to the
" house over the way," and saw the " gal" re¬
ferred to, — a strapping wench, about thirty-five
years old, — and her husband a man about the
same age. They invited us to take a seat, with
which invitation we complied; and as a warm
and very enticing breakfast was upon the table,
we suggested the propriety of partaking of it,
and under the influence of several glittering
silver quarter dollars, they very cordially acqui¬
esced. A tender steak, beautiful yellow butter,
spread plentifully upon nice corn-cake, rich
cream submerged in a cup of delicious coffee,
sharpened with witty and genial conversation, —
for which the officers of the Ninth are proverbi¬
al,— these were the component parts of that
memorable breakfast. The negress narrated that
phase of her misfortune referred to by the old
negro without, and while she eulogized the mem¬
ory of her " dear departed mistress," she anath¬
ematized, without stint, the treacherous and
Negroes and Negro Minstrels. 59
dishonorable conduct of General Lee; who, she
said, " would never be concerned with anything
good, and if he was, it would be sure to go to
the bad." She was very intelligent, and had
none of that idiom so unsparingly used by the
so-called " minstrels " when delineating negro life
and character. In fact, though we have seen
nearly all kinds of negroes, and have had a gen¬
uine plantation boy in our own service, we have
never yet met with any who can approach the
absurdities, in action, feature, or distorted lan¬
guage, so unsparingly thrust upon the general
public by these pseudo darkies. We remained
in conversation there some time, and when our
drums sounded, came away with a very bad
opinion of the moral character of General Lee,
however great our admiration may be respecting
his military abilities.
We marched from the grounds of the Lee
estate, about ten o'clock on the morning of the
23d, to that part of Arlington Heights where
that noble monument of Irish energy and in¬
dustry stands in frowning might, — Fort Corco¬
ran, — where, after a slow and weary march over
bad roads, we arrived about five o'clock, halted,
60
The Irish Ninth.
and camped for the night a short distance from
the Heights, on the hill fronting the Fort, and
went to sleep, highly pleased with our reception
by the forces of Colonel, afterwards Brigadier-
General Corcoran, who thronged the roads and
cheered us on our way to camp.
Occupying the Heights. 61
CHAPTER VIII.
We occupy the Heights.—Port Cass. — The Cow Bell. — Pleasant
Society. — "Balls Hamilton."—We are presented with Colors
McClellan organizes the Army. — Grand Review.
T an early hour next morning a number
of men were detailed to proceed to the
Heights and clear a sufficient space in the dense
woods for camping purposes. A few hours' labor
and it was done. About noon the tents of the
different companies were pitched, roads from
the camp to the main road cut, and a bridge
constructed under the superintendence of Lieu¬
tenant-Colonel Rowell. The bridge was named
after him, and still exists. After laboring the
whole day to perfect the camp, the men, who
were pretty well tired out with marching and
hard work, retired to their quarters, and slept
comfortably and soundly till morning. Next day
the usual duties of a camp were resumed, and the
regiment, with the exception of those retained
for camp guard and picket duty, commenced to
62
The Irish Ninth.
clear, the wood preparatory to forming an abatis
on our front, to obstruct the passage of the ene¬
my's cavalry should they succeed in forcing our
pickets. About this time picket duty was be¬
coming a serious affair, the rebels being in force
about two or three miles on our front, having a
large camp of infantry and cavalry in the im¬
mediate vicinity of Falls' Church. The utmost
vigilance had to be maintained in order to secure
us from the enemy's incursions; but by this
time our men were thoroughly posted in their
various duties, and we anticipated good and
vigilant service.
It took but a short time to complete the abatis
upon our front and flank; and when this was done,
a new and more stupendous work presented it¬
self, which was no less than the erection of a
large fort on our left, constructed to mount five
guns. To green troops this was no ordinary
undertaking; but the officers and men entered
- into the work with great spirit; space for a mag¬
azine was cleared; the breastworks gradually
arose; the embrasures speedily appeared; then
quarters for officers and men; till, in the space
of two months, that noble work now known as
"Fort Cass," in memory of our lamented and
Fort Cass. — The Cow Bell.
63'
gallant colonel, arose in frowning defiance —
one of the strongest defences upon that side of
the Potomac. It is a lasting monument of in¬
dustry (being completed in less than six weeks)
and mechanical skill, and will bear lasting credit
to our gallant and industrious soldiers. A de¬
tachment from our own regiment garrisoned the
fort for a few weeks, when, after it was fully
mounted and thoroughly completed, it was turned
over to a Wisconsin regiment, which permanently
garrisoned it. These were the principal labors
of the Ninth while at Arlington Heights; and
we are glad to say, they received the highest
encomium from the general officers of the divis¬
ions, and the regiment was highly complimented
for the engineering skill which it exhibited.
While encamped at Arlington the usual num¬
ber of practical jokes were perpetrated; convivial
parties convened, as at our other camps; but it
was here that, for the first time, streets were
named, and particular messes donned the most"
peculiar cognomens. The a Cow Bell," or u Our
Mess," situated in Company C's Street, was the
headquarters of the wags and practical jokers.
There Captain Madigan flourished, a wit and every
inch a gentleman; a brave soldier, who perished
64
The Irish Ninth.
gallantly fighting, at the battle of the Chickahom-
iny. Madigan was a punster and a vocalist; could
tell a pleasing story, or perpetrate a good joke.
He was greatly beloved by his brother officers,
and his death, noble and patriotic though it was,
filled them with profound sorrow. Lieutenant
Ned McSweeney was another member of the "Cow
Bell,"—a dashing, handsome young officer,—
and the life of our circle. He fell bravely fight¬
ing at Malvern Hill. His name is well preserved
in the regiment, and he will ever be remembered
for his genial qualities. Lieutenant John Baf-
ferty, as brave, generous, open-hearted a man
as ever drew a sword, has often made the
"Cow Bell" ring with laughter at his quaint
humor and pleasant stories. He was full of
eccentric notions. He, too, is with the gallant
dead, — struck down in his prime, in the midst
of battle, on Malvern Hill; but he leaves behind
him a memory which is proudly cherished by his
comrades, who mourn his glorious, but, alas! too
speedy end. Three out of the six members of
the " Cow Bell" mess alone remain — we among
them. But a halo of glory surrounds the mem¬
ory of those who are gone, —
Balls Hamilton.
65
" There's a tear for all that die,
A mourner o'er.the humblest grave;
But nations sweTl the funeral cry,
And triumph weeps above the brave."
The furious battles of the peninsula depleted
many a joyful mess, left many a vacant chair.
The tent that resounded with jocund mirth to¬
night would he silent and lonely to-morrow.
Among the men, some of the tents rejoiced in
names expressive, humorous, and even diabolical.
One company had, among others, one called
"The Devil's Kitchenand from the loud con¬
viviality which at times emanated from it, we
would almost conclude that his Satanic majesty
was the president of the assemblage.
One of the many comical characters attached
to our regiment was " Balls Hamilton;" and he,
indeed, was a comical guy. When he first called
on Captain Madigan, he stated to him that he
had been told that he (Captain Madigan) com¬
manded the " colored " company, and that he was
desirous of being servant to the commander.
Madigan told him that he did indeed command
the color company, and if he wished to join, he
might do so, first getting the consent of the
chaplain, whose servant he (Balls) then was.
Balls was too comical a character for the
5
66
The Irish Ninth.
worthy father, and he readily gained his consent
to attach himself to the " colored company."
Great was Hamilton's astonishment when he
found the members of the "colored company"
were as white as the rest of the regiment. The
reader will readily understand the black boy's
mistake • the company always carried the colors
of the regiment, and were therefore called the
" color" company. Hamilton, however, soon re¬
covered from his disappointment, and occupies a
prominent part in a large picture of the " Cow
Bell," by Brady, in which appear all the mem¬
bers of that famous mess — the dead and the
living. In the picture Hamilton is "passant"
upon the ground, with the long, thin sword of a
sergeant in his hand; an expression of " beauti¬
ful serenity " is upon his face, derived, principally,
from the expansion of his tremendous mouth,
and the comical roll of his immense eyes. He
looked so warlike, with the sword in his hand,
that we afterwards christened him "Toussaint
L'Ouverture;" in fact, we imagined him a fair re¬
semblance of that distinguished character. Mr.
" Balls Hamilton " remained with the mess a long
time. He was.originally hired as cook, in which
capacity he officiated for a few days, and was so
Pleasant Society.
67
u remarkably expeditious" in his profession that
we concluded it would he preferable to detail a
white man to supply his place. This was done;
and in a few days " Balls " proved himself more
competent to superintend the white cook than to
perform the labors himself.
Poor Madigan! How he would make that
old mess tent ring with the favorite drinking
song,—
" Come, let every old bachelor fill up his glass,
Vive la compagnie!
And drink to the health of his favorite lass;
Vive la compagnie!
Then rolled out a medley of voices, —
"Vive la, vive la, vive l'amour,
Vive l'amour,
Vive l'amour,
Vive la compagnie!"
We cannot look back upon the history of
our regiment without recalling these pleasant
scenes.
The few that remain of our original regiment
will look back with emotion to the hills of Arling¬
ton, where they graduated as soldiers, and from
whence they went forth to work out their des¬
perate and bloody future upon the peninsula;
68
The Irish Ninth.
where, among the great of the magnificent army
of the Potomac, they were held in warm esteem,
and always occupied the front position.
There we received from the boys of the Eliot
School that distinguished mark of their young
regard, — the national flag, — which led us into
every battle we were engaged in on the pen¬
insula, and in defending which many standard-
bearers fell, notwithstanding, it always fluttered
proudly in the front of the fight, side by side
with our " Irish green." If our gallant fellows
faltered before the desperate onslaught of the
enemy, the cry, " Rally round the green flag,
boys!" brought them together, and, with a
genuine Irish cheer, they would dash down
upon the foe, hurling him back with superhu¬
man strength.
The organization of the army of the Potomac
was commenced at Arlington, in and around
which, the " grand army " was encamped, under
the military supervision of General George B.
McClellan. Order came from chaos; brigades,
divisions, and grand divisions sprang into ex¬
istence, and with them the different departments
necessary to pay, clothe, and feed them. The
grand army, though thus divided, was as a unit
Organization of the Army. 69
in all military manoeuvres ; like a ponderous ma¬
chine of innumerable parts, it was so cleverly
united, that, by the will of one, the whole of
the immense fabric could be moved; and this
stupendous work of military genius was but the
labor of a few weeks; for General McClellan
soon understood the qualities of the men at his
disposal. He found intelligence, patriotism, and
military ardor; his wishes were understood, his
plans of organization rapidly effected; and soon,
very soon, he had the gratification of presenting
to the people of America that mighty indica¬
tor of their power, " the grand army of the
Potomac."
This achieved, brigade drills and brigade and
division reviews became the order of the day,
and gradually the perfection of military discipline
was attained; the rough wheels of the machine
became polished, and soon the gigantic fabric
moved with surprising accuracy and unequalled
success. At the reviews General McClellan was
usually present, and was always received with wild
enthusiasm. We shall never forget the grand
review of the whole army, which took place at
Bailey's Cross Roads, about two miles from Ar¬
lington Heights, in August, 1861. It was a most
70
The Irish Ninth.
magnificent sight. Nearly a hundred thousand
men were under arms, with heads erect, their
arms and equipments almost rivalling the sun in
brightness; themselves models of cleanliness and
uniformity that would have satisfied the most
fastidious military critic; everything was regu¬
larity, and every movement made with that pre¬
cision and perfection which is only attained by
close attention and observance of good discipline,
while their stalwart forms and healthy smiling
faces could not fail to gratify the beholder. These
were the children of the republic, the devoted
sons of the nation, assembled in their might to
smite the traitors that would trample on the
integrity of its constitution. Never before was
such a sight seen upon this broad continent, and,
once seen, will never be forgotten.
General McClellan was pleased to compliment
our regiment on its appearance on this occasion,
with whom he has always enjoyed great popu¬
larity.
Miner's Hill.
71
CHAPTER IX.
We leave Arlington. — Arrive at Miner's Hill.—Painfiil Scene.—
Many killed and wounded. — Colonel Cass' Opinion. — How we
kept Christmas. — Lieutenant-Colonel Peard dies. — Fairfax. — A
March in the Rain. — Alexandria.
E left Arlington Heights late in the af¬
ternoon of October 29, 1861, leaving
the woods all ablaze with innximerable camp
fires, presenting a most brilliant pyrotechnic
display, and marched in the direction of Miner's
Hill, about five miles distant. The roundabout
way which we took in marching there con¬
sumed a deal of time, and caused a late ar¬
rival. We halted near the house of one Basil
Hall, stacked arms, and, resting, waited for or¬
ders to pitch tents. We had waited about an
hour, when the sharp roll of musketry rang
out on the night air, and the cries of falling
men saluted us from the direction of our right,
and about three hundred yards distant. Another
and another roll of musketry proclaimed the
72
The Irish Ninth.
meeting of opposing forces. Colonel Cass gave
the command, " Fall in, lads!" The line officers
took up the cry," Fall in, lads, and lively!" With
the calm precision of veteran troops the men
took their places behind their guns; and, when
the next command, " Take arms," was given, one
could scarce hear the rattle of their weapons.
The cries of wounded men disturbed the stillness
of the night, and told us that considerable havoc
had been made by the firing we had heard.
The regiment stood patiently awaiting orders,
a picket being thrown out on the front and
flanks. In a short time the officer of the picket
came in with the terrible intelligence that our
troops had been firing into each other; that a
force, of cavalry from the front had, upon meet¬
ing the regiment of Colonel Baker (Californian)
mistook his command for rebels, and fired upon
them. Colonel Baker's regiment had imme¬
diately returned the fire. The left of Colonel
Baker's brigade had now come up, and mistaking
the right for rebels, made the same terrible blun¬
der as the cavalry; they immediately levelled
their pieces, and discharged such a terrific volley
at their comrades as stretched many a gallant
Californian upon the grass. Four batteries of
A Painful Scene.
73
artillery were posted a short distance of£ with the
intention of sweeping the* Californian brigade;
and God help the poor fellows if the fuse had
been snapped on the cannon, for terrible would
have been the havoc committed. However,
luckily, they were made aware of the fearful
blunder. In an instant the pieces had changed
position; in an instant every rifle was lowered,
and men kneeling beside the comrade they had
just shot, dropping water upon his parched and
dying lips, and shedding tears of rage and sor¬
row. It was a terrible and affecting scene. The
cause of this unfortunate affair has never been
satisfactorily explained; but General Smith, then
commanding that brigade, we think, cannot but
feel that the onus of that terrible night's work
rests heavily on his shoulders.
The official account given of this extraordi¬
nary mistake, we feel safe in stating, did not cor¬
respond with the facts as they actually occurred.
The names of killed and wounded amounted to
many more than were officially reported, and
bordered somewhere upon fifty-four killed and
wounded. The graves of those killed can still
be seen, and the recollection of that fatal night
awakens feelings of sympathy and regret.
74
The Irish Ninth.
Such was our solemn introduction to our camp
at Miner's Hill, where we remained, doing picket
duty, and a variety of labor incidental to a sol¬
dier's life in camp. Here we will relate an anec¬
dote characteristic of Colonel Cass, in connection
with the unfortunate rencontre above referred to.
The position of the artillery on that occasion
was such that if the Ninth had advanced,
they must have received the same politeness
shown the Californians. In complimenting Colo¬
nel Cass upon the coolness of his regiment
in that fearful and trying emergency, General
Morell asked him what he would have done if
the battery had opened fire upon him. "Done!"
exclaimed the colonel, with a flash of his pene¬
trating eye; " I would have charged the battery,
and by Heaven I'd have taken it too!" Those
who knew Colonel Cass, and the regiment, felt
the full force of his remark; and we think, that
in the panic which then existed, he would have
taken it even if defended by a brigade.
To record many of the events that occurred at
Miner's Hill would only be a repetition of former
scenes, detailed in previous chapters. Christmas
was celebrated there with an eclat highly credit¬
able to those concerned. A profusion of luxuries
How we kept Christmas.
75
was sent to the regiment from Washington, the
camp was splendidly decorated with ivy, ever¬
greens, and arches enclosing appropriate mottos
and compliments to distinguished generals of
the army. General Fitz-John Porter had been
invited, but was unable to attend. In the
punning language of the lamented Madigan,
; While we deplored the absence of ' Porter,' we
were happily supplied with 1 more ale;' the
witty reference being to General Morell, who
honored the regiment with his presence, accom¬
panied by his staff. The joviality of these Christ¬
mas festivities will doubtless be long remembered.
Among the guests present on that memorable
night were Colonel Woodbury, Fourth Michigan,
and Colonel Black, of the Sixty-second Pennsyl¬
vania Volunteers — the guests of Colonel Cass
and his officers. These three colonels, all of the
same brigade, have since died in battle, or from
wounds received on the peninsula. No abler
commanders were in any brigade in the army
of the Potomac.
These festivities were honored by the gratify¬
ing presence of several ladies, which greatly en¬
hanced and increased the enjoyment of the
festive season.
76
The Irish Ninth.
On the 25th of January, Lieutenant-Colonel
Peard died. He was promoted on the discharge
of Lieutenant-Colonel Rowell, who had resigned
some time previously, and was a good officer,
and highly esteemed by the regiment.
Early on the morning of the 10th of March
we struck tents; and, while speaking of tents,
we may relate an incident connected with them
which occurred here. Soon after our arrival at
Miner's Hill, our regiment received that kind of
small tents called u poncho," and now in general
use in the army. The men at that time had
" wedge" tents. When the " ponchos" were
brought, one of them was put up, near the large
tents of the officers for the men to examine.
Truly it was a cheerless-looking little affair: the
men would look at it, walk round it, look through
from one end to the other, then look at the
large and commodious tents they then occupied;
then they would sadly shake their heads, heave
a deep sigh, and walk meditatively away. They
could not imagine how a man was to lie inside
of it: when they got used to them they found that
the same tents would hold three, and sometimes
four, on a pinch.
Our line of march lay over roads deeply cut
Alexandria.
77
up by the artillery and wagon trains. Very
muddy, and very tired, we reached Fairfax Court
House, Virginia, a distance of twelve miles, the
men on this march carrying their knapsacks, &c.,
heavily laden. Here we ascertained, from the
cavalry, that Manassas had been evacuated. We
remained here some days, awaiting orders, and
on the 15th we marched towards Alexandria.
It rained fearfully, and nearly all the day we
were marching knee-deep in water and mud,
and were glad to halt after travelling more than
twelve miles, pitching our camp at a place called
by some "Camp California," while by others,
more appropriately, "Camp Misery."
At reveille in the morning, a waggish sergeant
called at the door(?) of every poncho, and asked
to be allowed to scrape the shoes of the occu¬
pants. The request was novel and surprising,
but of course granted with alacrity. The ser¬
geant was careful to put into a great paper bag
the combined dirt of five hundred army brogans.
Having got back to his headquarters, he closed
the bag, and tied it with all the taste and tidiness
of a grocer's clerk. His eccentric proceeding
was still a mystery to his comrades, some of
whom were watching him with a lively curiosity.
78
The Irish Ninth.
The sergeant took his pen, and explained him¬
self by labelling the package, ironically, "The
Government Bounty Land of Five Hundred
Veteran Volunteers." I dedicate this joke to
Congress.
The next day was Sunday, and being a bright,
clear day, gave the men a good opportunity to
dry their clothes, which it is unnecessary to say
they took advantage of. ^During the day our
camp was shifted a few hundred yards back, and
directly in front of Fort "Worth.
We remained at this place until Friday, the
21st, when, passing through Alexandria, we em¬
barked on board, the steamer State of Maine,
for Fortress Monroe. On board the transport we
found very comfortable and satisfactory arrange¬
ments, and started on our voyage, the men of
the regiment in the best possible spirits.
Ouft Green Flag hoisted.
79
CHAPTER X.
Our Bonnie Green Flag. — We reach Hampton, Va. —A Reconnois-
sanee. — We march for Yorktown. — Our Men dig Intrenchments.
— The Evacuation of Yorktown. — We start for West Point.—
Columbia Landing. — White House. — Gaines' Mills and Hanover
Court House. — An Engagement. —A noble Deed.
Til THEN the steamer had hauled out into
* * the stream, the general commanding or¬
dered our green flag to be hoisted at the main
truck. In a few moments the Irish symbol was
run up aloft, and proudly the dear old flag flut¬
tered in the breeze. It seemed like a bird of
golden plumage, that had been long imprisoned,
and snapped its folds in a sort of triumphant
glee. Wild cheers rang out from a thousand
Irish throats, and many a tear-dimmed eye gazed
011 the famous banner as it proudly floated on
the air, and, from its glorious altitude, seeming
to symbolize poor Ireland's future.
What wild thoughts animated the hearts of
those exiled heroes as they gazed upon that
80
The Irish Ninth.
flaunting flag, the world will never know ; but
that glorious moment will never pass from the
minds of those that live to keep it cherished in
the sanctuary of their memory.
The next day the regiment arrived at Fortress
Monroe, and, after disembarking, marched at
once to Hampton, Virginia. Nothing of interest
occurred upon the route. The next day we
changed our camp, to make room for other
troops, which were continually arriving, and
moved a distance of two miles, to a place in the
vicinty of Newmarket Bridge, Virginia.
On the 27th of March the regiment formed
part of a grand reconnoissance to Big Bethel,
under command of General Porter, where they
discovered a nest of rebels about five hundred
strong. After a sharp contest, they were driven
from their works, leaving their dinners behind
them in their hasty flight. The same night we
returned to camp, after marching a distance of
twenty miles.
Early on the morning of Friday, the 4th of
April, the regiment left Hampton, en route for
Yorktown, throwing out skirmishers during the
march. The enemy left their fortifications after
firing a few shells. That night we reached
March to Yorktown.
81
Cockletown, and camped there, having marched
about eighteen miles. We were very tired, and
soon afterwards all hands gladly lay down and
slept.
Early the following day the regiment contin¬
ued the line of march, and about one o'clock
arrived in front of the enemy's works before
Yorktown, when they opened fire upon us, doing,
however, little or no damage. Companies D and
I were thrown out as skirmishers, and advanced
to within four hundred yards of the enemy's
works, which kept up a heavy and continuous
fire. It was not, however, until the enemy
opened upon them with some very large guns,
casting shell and shot around, that they thought
it advisable to retire.
They remained that night in a ravine, close to
the enemy's works, and could not pitch their
tents, as they would attract attention. The shells
throughout the night flew among them rather
thick, without, however, doing any harm, though
one man was killed and four wounded in the
next regiment. General McClellan passed us
here for the first time on the peninsula, and was
received with great enthusiasm.
On the night of April 6 the Ninth was ordered
6
82
The Irish Ninth.
out to dig intrenchments close to the enemy's
works. The men labored with cautiousness and
silence, and fully succeeded in their undertaking.
With the morning sun the enemy perceived, to
their astonishment and chagrin, a fine intrench-
ment, with good breastworks, dug out and thrown
up under the very muzzles of their guns. They,
however, did not seem to appreciate it as well
as ourselves, and began shelling us in a "pro¬
miscuous " manner. It rained extremely hard the
next day, and fifty men from each company in
our regiment were detailed for picket duty. This
was quite an uncomfortable job; but our lads
obeyed the order with alacrity. During the day
the firing between our artillery and that of the
enemy was pretty heavy, and a large number of
our party were killed. A continuous rain ex¬
tended over that and the whole of the following
day, with no prospect of clearing up. The shells
from the enemy burst around us on every hand,
some close to our regiment, but doing little
or no damage. For some days the men were
kept very busy at work in the trenches, the
enemy firing occasionally, but never deterring
our men from the pursuit of their honest avoca¬
tions. Sometimes in the night we would be
Before Yorktown.
83
aroused from our repose by the loud thunder of
the enemy's cannon, and the shriek of shells,
that would pass in, over, and around our camp,
scattering men and matter with the utmost non¬
chalance and impunity. The impudence of these
shells was unparalleled; there was no mischief
they would not do if properly directed; in fact,
in the expressive language of " one of ours,"
"They had more cheek than they could well
carry."
Matters continued in this state for a number
of days. At three o'clock in the afternoon of
Saturday, May 3, 1862, a shell burst close to our
camp. It was the last shell sent forth from be.-
leaguered Yorktown. A piece of it, weighing
eight pounds, dropped near the right of Com¬
pany I's street.
At seven o'clock A. M., on Sunday, May 14, a
report spread from mouth to mouth, and from
camp to camp, that Yorktown was evacuated.
The greatest enthusiasm prevailed. The engi¬
neering genius of McClellan had overcome all
obstacles, and Yorktown had succumbed.
About one o'clock P. M., the same day, we
were ordered out, in light marching order, to
garrison and guard the forts that were taken.
84
The Irish Ninth.
Shortly after the victorious array of the Potomac
was on the inarch in search of the foe.
At eight o'clock, on that memorable day, our
regiment returned to camp, and soon afterwards
three days' rations were issued to each man, in
preparation for an immediate march; but later
we learned, to our great disappointment, that it
had been decided to leave our division behind.
The night was dark and dismal; the rain poured
in torrents. The regiment was expecting to move
at a moment's notice, and they waited with
great impatience the coming of orders. In the
morning heavy firing was heard in the direction
of Williamsburg, and it was surmised that our
army had reached the rearguard of the retreat¬
ing forces. About seven o'clock in the evening
our division was upon the road, but was imme¬
diately ordered back until daylight.
The next morning was beautiful and bracing;
the firing had ceased. We were preparing to
march, when a rumor reached us that McClellan
had captured a thousand prisoners, and was in
hopes of a complete victory. In the evening,
about eight o'clock, we struck tents, and at mid¬
night moved on Yorktown. After a rapid march
the regiment arrived there, and we stretched
Plans of General McClellan. 85
ourselves upon the ground, and, wrapped in our
blankets, slept until morning.
The next day we had an opportunity of visit¬
ing the various forts and defences in the imme¬
diate vicinity, and could not but admire the
engineering skill they exhibited. Then, for the
first time, the extraordinary labor of General
McClellan could be appreciated. There, before
us, stood that monument of the triumph of his
engineering skill. Yorktown could have been
made to succumb in no othet way. Generals of
less ability would have attempted the subjuga¬
tion of the works by storm — a proceeding which
would have been attended with terrible disasters,
and have culminated in defeat.
The method and plans of General McClellan
were those of a wise and humane soldier; and
history will eventually decide that, in compelling
the evacuation of Yorktown, McClellan achieved
one of those rare feats in military history, which
will prove the finest laurel in the chaplet that
crowns his brow. As we passed, a number of
soldiers of various regiments were clustered
round and upon the spot where Cornwallis de¬
livered his sword to Washington; and we noticed
that many of them broke off pieces of stone and
86
The Irish Ninth.
carried them away as " souvenirs " of that mem¬
orable surrender.
On the 9th of May we arrived at West Point,
Virginia, about two miles from which we en¬
camped for the night, the men here being
obliged to sleep on the ground, as their tents
had not arrived. But we managed to pass a tol¬
erable night. The next day we moved our camp
a short distance. At this time we were about
twenty-eight miles from Richmond.
The following day we were again supplied
with three daj^s' rations, and had orders to be
ready, in light marching order, to move on Rich¬
mond. The graves of Union and rebel soldiers
are scattered plentifully about West Point, and
tell of the vigor of the fighting at that place.
Next day General McClellan, happening to pass
by where our regiment lay, our boys loudly
cheered him, which was continued by other regi¬
ments as he passed on the road.
We remained here about two days, when we
received orders to draw five days' rations, and to
have one day's ration cooked, and be ready to
move at two o'clock the following morning,
when we struck tents, and about half past four
were on our line of march.
West Point.
87
The reader will, no doubt, perceive how rig¬
orous and unceasing was the work of the last
few weeks. But he cannot comprehend the
innumerable difficulties with which we had to
contend; the many comfortless nights we passed
without shelter, in the midst of storm and rain,
marching ankle-deep in mud and water, and ly¬
ing down at night on a couch composed of that
cold but plastic compound.
However, the thought that Richmond was to
fall before our conquering arms, and that the im¬
pious men who had conspired and fostered the
rebellion were soon to experience the full pen¬
alty of their treachery, animated the breasts of
our gallant fellows, and they marched on*, with
merry songs and light hearts, to the fatal' fields
in front of the Confederate capital.
But many of the poor fellows suffered sadly.
Weary and fooirsore they struggle on, not a mur-
mer passing their lips.
On the morning of May 13 we resumed our
weary march about half past four o'clock. Noon
came, and by that time the sun shone so hot,
and the roads were so dusty, that one by one the
gallant fellows dropped behind, falling from sheer
exhaustion by the roadside, throwing knapsack,
88
The Irish Ninth.
blankets, and other articles of the soldier's kit,
recklessly away.
The scenery in that part of the country was
surprisingly beautiful; but, tired out as our fellows
were, they had no eye for scenic beauties. At
last, completely worn out, we halted on the
night of the 14th at Columbia Landing, but had
orders to hold ourselves ready to march at a
moment's notice. Next day it rained heavily,
but marching orders did not come, for which all
of us were devoutly thankful. After remaining
here about twenty-four hours, we resumed our
march over a road deep with mud, so deep that
the wagon trains could not be moved without
extra assistance. After marching about six miles,
the regiment reached " White House," an estate
belonging to General Lee. Here we encamped,
and, having no tents with us, were again obliged
to sleep in the open air. Shortly afterwards we
shifted our camp to take up our proper position
in line.
We remained at White House for a short time,
and then proceeded to Tunstall's Station, leav¬
ing two companies behind performing " fatigue
duty." These companies joined the regiment on
the 20th, having been relieved. We were now
Before Richmond.
89
within eighteen miles of Richmond, and the next
day we moved four miles forward. Contrabands
here swarmed about in all directions, and camps
were being organized in which to keep them.
There are many fine houses in that part of Vir¬
ginia, and the land generally appeared to be in a
good state of cultivation.
We had now arrived in Hanover County.
About one o'clock, on the afternoon of the 22d
of May, we again started, and, after marching
about five miles, encamped in a fine field, com¬
pletely surrounded by dense woods, forming a
beautiful camp, having plenty of sun and shade,
and good water easy of access. Heavy firing
was heard the whole of the next day, and from
our camp we could plainly see the balloon used
by our commander in reconnoitring the posi¬
tion of the enemy; and being so close, we had
strict orders to keep all music quiet. Our drums,
therefore, were obliged to be still. We were
now about ten miles and a half from Richmond.
On Saturday morning, May 24, a regiment of
our brigade was ordered out on a reconnoissance.
They cautiously advanced, until their skirmishers
saw signs of the enemy. The regiment then
dashed forward, and came upon a whole brigade
90
The Irish Ninth.
of rebels. A sharp contest ensued; and, having
been taken unawares, the enemy were compelled
to retreat. In this skirmish, our side lost twelve
killed and six wounded; they were all brought
safely in, and the dead buried next day with
military honors. On the following day our regi¬
ment received orders to march forward towards
Richmond. They halted at a place called Gaines'
Mills, within eight miles of the Confederate
capital.
On the morning of Tuesday, May 27, the Ninth
Regiment moved from camp, near Gaines' Mills,
in light marching order. The rain poured down
incessantly all the morning, which made the
roads very muddy. About noon, however, the
rain 'ceased, and the* sun shone very warmly.
By a circuitous route, after marching about eigh¬
teen miles, and very weary, we reached the
vicinity of Hanover Court House, where a fierce
fight seemed to be raging, the regiments already
arrived there hailing the approach of our Bonnie
Green Flag with vociferous cheering. Our boys,
tired though they were, moved steadily forward,
and took up their position in front. About three
o'clock, the Ninth was engaged with the enemy.
After several volleys, which appeared to take
Before Richmond.
91
effect, we had orders to charge down upon a
dense wood, on which the left of the rebel line
rested, their whole force being under the com¬
mand of General Branch. With vigorous cheers
our regiment obeyed, and the long, unwavering
line of the Ninth swept down upon the wood.
A fierce hand-to-hand conflict ensued, in which
Irish valor proved itself victorious; the enemy
turned about and fled from the wood, followed
by our determined lads, who pursued them to an
adjoining wheat field, shooting and bayoneting
them with fearful rapidity, and making prisoners
of such as would yield. We captured a stand of
rebel colors, and retook two guns of Martin's
Battery, which had been captured by the enemy.
That night the enemy, having been compelled to
retire, our regiment encamped on the field, and
were soon buried in sleep. In this brief contest
we lost one man killed -(Sergeant Regan), and
eleven were wounded. We buried Regan on the
field, with military honors. In passing through
the woods the following day, piles of dead rebels
could be seen — some bayoneted, more shot;
knapsacks, blankets, and clothing of all kinds
lay strewn around. In one heap we counted
thirty dead men, and single forms were scat-
92
The Irish Ninth.
tered promiscuously around, while horses were
stretched in every attitude of death. This battle
is known as that of Hanover Court House,
and was our first engagement of any importance
after the evacuation of Yorktown, on the pen¬
insula.
On the 29th, the right wing (five companies)
of our regiment was ordered on picket duty, and
was relieved on the 30th. Our men were very
much exhausted, having, for the last two days,
eaten but two meals of coffee and army bread,
commonly known as " hard tack."
Our Captain and the General.
03
CHAPTER XI.
Our Captain and the General. — Mechanicsville. — Battle of Gaines'
Mill. — Battle of the Chickahominy. — Our Position after the Bat¬
tle. — Night Scenes.
FTER the stirring events mentioned in the
preceding chapter, our regiment returned
to Gaines' Mills, where they performed the varied
duties incidental to camp life, and had an oppor¬
tunity to recruit themselves after the severe
ordeal their physical powers had undergone,
taking their share of picket duty with other regi¬
ments.
On one occasion a detachment of one hun¬
dred men of ours, under the command of Cap¬
tain John Carey, were posted at and around New¬
market Bridge, adjacent to Gaines' Mills, with
special instructions to hold the bridge against
the enemy at all hazards. From secret informa¬
tion he had received, General Fitz-John Porter
was led to expect that an attack would be made
94
The Irish Ninth.
on the bridge on this particular night, and feel¬
ing anxious, and knowing the importance of the
position, went himself and conferred with the cap¬
tain in command of the picket, " Carey of ours," as
before stated. After giving minute instructions,
as he was leaving, General Porter said to Carey,
" Well, captain, you know what you have to do;
mind, I hold you responsible;" to which the gal¬
lant captain, with his usual bluntness, replied,
"Make yourself perfectly easy on that score,
general; whoever passes over here must pass
over the dead bodies of a hundred Irishmen."
This reply may, by some, be taken as speaking
boastingly; yet we can vouch for its accuracy,
as expressing the confidence existing between
our officers and men.
In this way the month of May and part of
June were passed; nothing of importance oc¬
curring to call for remark. On the afternoon
of the 26th of June the regiment marched for
Mechanicsville, and, on arriving there, formed in
line of battle, and took part in the engagement
which took place there. We remained under
fire, until the enemy was repulsed, the regiment
stacking arms and sleeping on the scene of the
Battle of Gaines' Mill.
95
encounter, and early in the morning we marched
back to our old camp at Gaines' Mills.
Immediately on our return to camp, we re¬
ceived orders to cook some food, and be ready to
march in half an hour, at the expiration of which
time our regiment fell back about two miles, and
stacked arms, prior to sending out two companies
as skirmishers. Shortly afterwards we retraced
our way back towards Gaines' Mills. When we
arrived at the Mill Creek we found a section of
Titball's United States Battery, unsupported, and
gallantly contesting the passage of- the bridge at
the mill. The two flank companies of our regi¬
ment were then deployed as skirmishers, and
shortly afterwards it was found necessary to send
out two more, and finally two more companies,
to support the whole.* At this time the enemy
came around us so closely that they gradually
overlapped our lines; we then saw that only one
of two alternatives presented itself—the capture
of our entire regiment or retreat. The latter, as
it would still preserve to us the advantage of
position, was adopted, though not until we re-,
ceived orders from General Griffin. We then
made our retreat, gradually and slowly, contend¬
ing every inch of ground, till we reached Porter's
* This line was gallantly commanded by Major P. T. Hanley,
afterwards promoted Lieutenant Colonel.
96
The Irish Ninth.
main line. This affair was fought with indomita¬
ble firmness. When we had orders to advance
and hold the Mill Creek, two other regiments had
been ordered to advance with us. These regi¬
ments, however, by some misapprehension of
orders, did not move forward with us. This alone
would,have been sufficient to intimidate most
men; with the Ninth it had a contrary effect.
They advanced and firmly held the position,
fighting a vastly superior force, and keeping them
at bay, until General Griffin gave orders to fall
back ; then, for the first time, the general learned
that the other regiments, supposed to be cooper¬
ating with us, had not arrived on the ground, and
was, therefore, greatly surprised. In this engage¬
ment we had six men killed, twenty wounded,
and one missing. Proudly we write of the de¬
termination and coolness displayed by our little
band in their isolated position, as only brave men
can and will do. They fought, and won for
themselves a name which time will hallow and
preserve.
Having gradually retreated and reached the
lines of General Porter, the enemy could be
observed cautiously following our green flag in
its retrograde movement, and then were gradu-
Battle of the Chickaiiominy. 97
ally led on towards that section of the wood where
our regiment had taken up its position, a fierce
conflict at the same time raging over the extensive
area which surrounded us. Having got our regi¬
ment into good form under the crest of a hill, we
perceived, to onr astonishment, that our entire ar¬
my had disappeared from view, and that we, alone
and unsupported, were left to meet the advancing
foe; while, to add to our dismay, whole batteries,
which we had lately seen in full play, and doing,
as we hoped, effective service, were deserted by
our men, and in full possession of the advancing
hordes. An effort was being made to collect the
scattered and disconnected portions of our corps
in a valley about half a mile in the rear. Mid¬
way between that valley and the advancing
yelling enemy, the remnant of the Ninth stood
in line, amid the chaotic dispersion that reigned
around. Colonels might be seen vainly striving
to collect the remnants of their regiments; colors
without escort; men rushing madly about, seem¬
ingly without knowing where to go, or what to do;
and disaster, black and overwhelming, seeming
to envelop all. Our little band, standing among
the dead, hoping, longing for support, — though
none came, as no troops could be rallied to that
7
98
The Irish Ninth.
position amid the terror and confusion that pre¬
vailed. — was compelled to be the spectators of
this terrible scene. Many noble fellows shed
tears of anguish and rage as they looked upon
the solitary flags wandering over the field in the
hands of their faithful bearers, who anxiously
called aloud for defenders; yet still our regiment
retained its position, their colors, torn with shot
and shell, still gayly fluttering in the breeze, the
stars and sunburst gleaming out a calm defiance.
Suddenly a rebel brigade detached itself from
line, and ran forward against the position occu¬
pied by the "Ninth;" on they came, and de¬
livered a tremendous volley, their discordant yells
grating harshly upon our ears. Our regiment
stood firm as statues, vigorously clutching their
weapons, waiting the order of their commander.
To stand was impossible; two more such volleys,
and the Ninth would have been a regiment of
dead ! We must either go forward or retreat. It
was resolved to advance. The glory that was
offered was too tempting for an Irishman to resist.
Lieutenant-Colonel Guiney, who was then in
command (Colonel Cass, who had been gallantly
fighting all day, and who was unfit for the saddle
from exhaustion, having turned over the com-
Battle of the Chickahominy. 99
mand to his lieutenant-colonel), immediately
ordered the color-bearers forward, and gave the
command, "Men, follow your colors!"* Upon
this our brave little line dashed forward, and de¬
livered a galling and destructive fire, and then,
coming to the charge, immediately dashed upon
the enemy's lines, broke, chased, and routed
them; and again, when we succeeded in driving
the enemy, we hotly pressed upon his heels into
an open field. This success, however, was hut
temporary; for the enemy, by a fierce, enfilad¬
ing fire, caused our poor fellows to fall so
fast, that it was deemed expedient to retire.
* " The Ninth Massachusetts Regiment was the rear of the re¬
treating column which had just passed over a hill into a large, open
plain. . . .
" To break and run was not for the men who had covered themselves
with glory during the entire day. Colonel P. R. Guiney (now in
command) decided to form a line of battle on his colors, and resist
the approach of the enemy until the advance of the retreat should
have been far enough to leave ground sufficient to enable him to com¬
mence his retreat in good order. Colonel Guiney, with his standard-
hearers, advanced upon the rebels with the words, 'Men, follow
your colors!' It was enough. Before that small hand of jaded
heroes waved the ' Stars and Stripes' and the ' Green Flag of
Erin,' and, with loud huzzas, they rushed upon the rebels, driving
them up the hill. Nine times did the remnant of the Ninth drive,
with ball and buckshot, the advance of the rebel army before they
could make good their retreat, the rebels being often within sixty
yards of them." — Military Correspondence of the New York Herald.
100
The Irish Ninth.
The firing was continued without intermission,
and our regiment was again forced to fall back;
yet again and again they rallied, and once more
dashed forward like giants, and closed with their
opponents in a desperate struggle, at the same
time cheering, as only Irishmen can cheer, their
idolized emblem still at their front, waving its
folds amid the torrent of bullets and clouds of
smoke which enveloped it, and driving the enemy
back, step by step, they regained more ground
than they had lost.
But our gallant regiment, decimated by the
shot and shell of the enemy, exhausted by the
rapid fighting of eight consecutive hours, with¬
out food, many of them falling from thirst and
exhaustion, paused in their victorious career,
vainly striving to advance against the over¬
whelming legions of the enemy. But all their
valor was in vain. They fell back, step by step,
sending to their foes the leaden messengers of
defiance. Human nature could do no more;
but at last, in the sullen savageness of despair,
with heroic determination, they rallied again, and
rushed once more on the astonished foe; again
they fell back; these terrific encounters were
repeated nine times in succession. General offi-
Battle of the Chickahominy. 101
cers, separated from their commands, fired with
enthusiasm by the gallant conduct of our men,
joined with them in these fearful conflicts. Thus
the fierce struggle went on with alternate suc¬
cess until darkness came on, and the enemy
withdrew from the contest.
Dusk was fast approaching, and our men,
weary and worn out, taking advantage of the
lull which ensued, threw themselves carelessly
down upon the hill-side, striving to forget in
sleep the gloom and disaster of the day. Gloomy,
indeed, it was; the dead and the living inter¬
mingled, while, occasionally, a moan or cry of
anguish from some poor, maimed, bruised, or dy¬
ing soldier, as he strove to ease the pain of his
gaping wounds, begged for water to moisten
his parched tongue, or cool his throbbing bro\Y;
again the frenzied cry of a sufferer, the intensity
of whose pain had hurled lordly reason from
its throne, — all these would rouse the tired sol¬
dier, though but for a moment, and again he
slept on, strange though it may seem. Mean¬
while, the night progressed slowly, its monotony
only broken by the deep breathing of the sleep¬
ing men of our regiment, or the agonized cry of
the wounded around us — then followed by an
102
The Irish Ninth.
oppressing silence. The night had far advanced^
when, looking toward the valley before men¬
tioned, we discerned what seemed to be com¬
pact masses of troops approaching; nearer
and nearer they came, until they reached the
hill whereon wTe lay; then, in the feeble light,
we gladly hailed the " green and gold" banner
of "Meagher's Immortal Brigade." They had
come to relieve us. They greeted us with rous¬
ing cheers which wTe as heartily returned, and
resigned to them the position we had held during
the day.*
In a report of this battle by " A Prussian Offi¬
cer," the credit of the action has been given to
the "Irish Brigadeon the contrary, they took
no part in the battle of the Chickahominy; it
was the green flag of the Ninth that deceived
the " Prussian Officer," and occasioned the state¬
ment in his report.
The glory of that day cost us too much blood
to be easily parted with.f
* "The Ninth Regiment (Massachusetts Volunteers), with a hand¬
ful of regulars, were the last to leave the field." — General Marcy.
(Vide Slocum's Report.)
f "The billows of battle raged fiercely around. The struggle
was man to man, eye to eye, and bayonet to bayonet. The hostile
'Meagher Brigade' [the Ninth Massachusetts Volunteers-], com-
Battle of the Chick ahominy. 103
From the general officers of our division, our
regiment received expressions of satisfaction and
admiration for their courageous and heroic de¬
posed chiefly of Irishmen, offered heroic resistance. After a fierce
struggle our people were compelled to give way, and at length all
orders and encouragements were in vain. They were falling back in
great disorder. Infuriate, foaming at the mouth, bareheaded, sabre
in hand, at this critical moment General Cobb appeared upon the
field at the head of his legion, and with him the Nineteenth North
Carolina and Fourteenth Virginia.
"At once the troops renewed the attack, but all their devotion and
sacrifice were in vain. The Irish held their position with a determi¬
nation and ferocity that called forth the admiration of our own offi¬
cers. Broken to pieces and disorganized, the fragments of that fine
legion came rolling back from the charge. The Ninteenth North
Carolina lost eight standard-bearers, and most of their staff-officers
were either killed or wounded. Again Generals Hill and Andrews
led their troops to the attack, and some regiments covered themselves
with immortal glory. Our troops exhibited a contempt of death
that made them the equal of old, experienced veterans; for, notwith¬
standing the bloody harvest the destroyer reaped in our ranks that
day, no disorder, no timid bearing, revealed that many of the regi¬
ments were under fire for the first time. But the enemy, neverthe¬
less, quietly and coolly held out against every attack we made, one
after the other, notwithstanding the fact that this solitary brigade had
to stand their ground from four until eight o'clock P. M. They
[the Ninth] performed feats of incredible valor; and it was only
when the news came that Jackson was upon them in the rear, at
about eight, they retired before our advance. Despite the dreadful
carnage in their ranks, they marched on with streaming banners and
rolling drums, and carried with them all their slightly wounded and
all their baggage, and, when the cavalry of Davis and Wickham
went in pursuit, repelled this assault with perfect coolness." — The
Peninsular Campaign. By a Prussian Officer (Kebel).
104
The Irish Ninth.
fence of a most exposed position, for many
hours, against a vastly superior force. In the
closer phases of the conflict the desperate
strength of the Irish soldier made tremendous
havoc among the ranks of the enemy. On that
day the Ninth won great renown, and by their
bravery showed themselves worthy of the land
which gave them birth and of maintaining the
honor of their adopted country.
In this action we lost Captains Madigan,
Carey, O'Neil, and McCafFerty, and Lieutenants
Frank O'Dowd and Richard P. Nugent, who fell
gallantly fighting while discharging their duties.
Our total loss in this engagement was seventy-
one killed, one hundred and thirty wounded, and
fifteen missing.
Malvern Hill.
105
CHAPTER XII.
Malvern Hill. —The Battle. — Gallant Charges. —Death of Colonel
Cass. — He is succeeded by Colonel Guiney. — Harrison's Land¬
ing.— A Scare. — Straps and no Straps. — A Night's Rest dis¬
turbed.
ON the morning following the battle of the
Chickahominy, we recrossed the river in
fine order, and bivouacked upon its banks, where
we remained until the following day, when we
marched to Malvern Hill. The men of the
Ninth were in good spirits, having the fullest
confidence in General McClellan, and moved
forward with the warmest anticipations of suc¬
cess. We arrived at Malvern Hill in the after¬
noon, and immediately took up a position on
the heights, which we occupied until midnight.
After changing our position several times, we
were sent as a support to the artillery which
was in position on the plain running from the
base of Malvern Hill. Here our forces were
much exposed, no natural advantage of ground
106
The Irish Ninth.
intervening between ourselves and the enemy,
who were posted in line of battle in a dense
wood, which formed a semicircle around the po¬
sition held by the Union troops. Our principal
strength consisted in the immense guns planted
in our rear, which shelled the woods unceasingly,
and in our fleet of gunboats, which, though some
two miles distant, rendered efficient service, and
caused some terrible destruction. About nine
o'clock the artillery of the contending forces
opened fire, and continued it with great vigor for
nearly three hours, terrible execution being done
on both sides.
About one o'clock the columns of the enemy,
under General Magruder, advanced boldly and
rapidly from the wood, with the intention of
seizing the batteries in position on the plain.
A terrific storm of grape-shot greeted them as
they came on. Again and again the cannons
blazed forth their murderous rage, and whole
ranks fell down, actually shattered and blown to
pieces; yet still the brave fellows came on,
closer and closer to the batteries, until they
seemed in imminent danger of being taken, when
General Griffin, who had command of the artil¬
lery, exclaimed, " Up and at them, Ninth!"
Battle of Malvern Hill. 107.
The words had scarcely passed his lips when
Colonel Cass, turning to his gallant fellows,
gave the command, " Charge !" Our men then
sprang forward to the front of the cannon,
and dashed on the advancing foe. The enemy
paused for an instant; their line wavered ;
a moment more it broke, and fled to the woods.
Here Colonel Cass fell mortally wounded.
The artillery of the enemy now opened fire
upon the regiment, compelling us to retire.
The conflict that followed that glorious charge
baffles description. It was a series of bril¬
liant charges on both sides. The tenacity of
the combatants in their fierce struggle for the
victory, and the desperate ferocity which ani¬
mated them, are scarcely paralleled in the history
of battles. Colonel Thomas Cass was brought
safely from the field. He was very badly
wounded, but the surgeon who attended him
when he was carried to the rear expressed
hopes of his recovery. In this, we are grieved
to say, he was mistaken. He was taken home
to Boston, where he expired July 12, 1862. He
was an able soldier. He served his country
well, and will ever hold a distinguished place in
her history.
108
The Irish Ninth.
Lieutenants John H. Rafferty and Edward
McSweeny were killed in this engagement.
They fell fighting bravely at the head of their
companies. Young, brave, and generous, their
loss was deeply felt.
The battle closed at nightfall. At midnight,
General McClellan had evacuated his position,
and the following morning the bulk of his army
was at Harrison's Landing, on the banks of the
James River, where the Ninth Regiment en¬
camped until August 14, 1862. It was at Har¬
rison's Landing that the Ninth — in fact, the
whole army of the Potomac — learned, for the
first time, that they had been defeated, and that
the campaign upon the peninsula was a failure. .
Colonel P. R. Guiney, who succeeded Colonel
Cass in the command of the Ninth Regiment, was
born in Ireland, at Parkstown, in the County of
Tipperary, having come to this country when a
boy of eight years. He was educated to the pro¬
fession of law, and admitted to practice in 1856.
Upon the breaking out of the rebellion, he
threw aside his legal pursuits, and took an active
part in the organization of the Ninth Regiment,
and came with it into the field with the rank
of captain. For " meritorions and gallant conduct
Harrison's Landing. 109
at the battle of the Chickahominy " * he was
raised, upon the death of Colonel Cass, to the
colonelcy of the Ninth Regiment, by a special
order of General Fitz-John Porter who com¬
manded the corps upon the peninsula, which
special order was published in all the papers of
Massachusetts after its receipt at the State
House, by order of His Excellency, Governor
John A. Andrew, and was really the only public
acknowledgment made of the services of the
regiment that had done so much. Colonel
Guiney assumed command of the Ninth Regi¬
ment at Harrison's Landing in August, 1862.
The country in the vicinity of Harrison's
Landing has been aptly termed the " Eden of
Virginia;" but, when the army of McClellan
gathered itself together the morning after the
terrible battle of Malvern Hill, and moved to¬
wards the landing, the ripening fields of wheat
and corn, in all their golden luxuriance, were
trafnpled under foot, and the beautiful picture
of plenty and peace passed like a mirage from
the view ; and before the night of that day the
scene that presented itself defies description. It
* See Report of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts for 1862,
p. 30.
110
The Irish Ninth.
was a desolate sight to behold the remnant of
that once splendid army of the Potomac huddled
together under the pelting storm, without shel¬
ter, without food, knee-deep in mud, weary and
exhausted, vainly seeking a dry spot whereon to
stretch their sore and tired limbs.
In spite of the great discomforts of that day,
one could scarce forbear smiling as he beheld the
soldiers plodding their way through the mud. A
step, and down they would go, leaving shoes and
boots behind them with placid resignation, know¬
ing that it was useless to struggle, and finally
sinking from sheer exhaustion. Millions worth
of property was destroyed upon the route. In
the fields, wagons and commissary stores of all
kinds were piled together and burned to prevent
them from falling into the hands of the enemy.
Barrels of sugar, coffee, pork, rice, beans, and
boxes of bread, were recklessly flung into the
roads, or piled in masses and set fire to. Public
and private stores shared the same fate. The
luxuries of the general were flung into the same
blaze that consumed the coarse necessaries of
the soldier. No distinctions were made; de¬
struction was the order of the day; and every¬
thing that could not be transported was given
over to the destroying element.
Harrison's Landing. Ill
When the soldiers witnessed this dire destruc¬
tion, they could no longer doubt the magnitude
of their misfortune. Those burning piles were
significant of defeat, and they turned their eyes,
sad and dispirited, in the direction of the Landing,
where were gathered the transports that were
soon, they supposed, to take them from the
scenes of their great disasters.
The rebel army were, however, in a far worse
condition than ourselves. They were actually
starving, and, fortunately for us, in the language
of the Prussian officer, Colonel Estvan, "they
had no army with which to pursue us." *
Officers of every grade were down at the Land¬
ing, having no commands, and waiting for an
opportunity to get aboard the transports. One
of these, General F , was engaged in a con¬
troversy with one of our men, Peter McQueeny,
a quaint fellow, of infinite humor. The general
had ordered Peter to do something, which the
latter refused, on the ground that the general
had no command over him, and had no straps
upon his shoulder to indicate his rank.
" I'm General F , fellow," cried that digni¬
tary.
* See Report of Peninsular Campaign. By a Prussian Officer.
112
The Irish Ninth.
" Excuse me, gineral," said Peter, with a droll
salute; " I thought you was some other loafer !"
The crowd laughed heartily, and the discon¬
certed general very soon disappeared.
One night, about twelve o'clock, when we were
all buried in slumber, a rebel battery was run
down to the bank upon the other side of the
river, and opened fire upon us. The shells went
shrieking through the air, dropping in every di¬
rection ; men, roused from their slumbers, ran
wildly about, ducking their heads in the most
comical manner, in vain search for a place of
security.
Indeed, they had good cause for the fear they
manifested; for the shell exploded all around
them, creating immense confusion and doing
considerable damage. What made the matter
worse was the fact that we were utterly help¬
less, and had to stand the brunt of the enemy's
fire without the power to return it.
The shells were flying among the shipping,
and sailors and soldiers jumped into the river,
where they were in more danger of getting hit,
and struck out for shore, where, when they had
arrived, they found the missiles more plentiful
and destructive than on shipboard.
Harrison's Landing. 113
The excitement lasted for nearly an hour,
when the aerial demons ceased to fly, much to
the satisfaction of our men, who muttered tender
blessings on the heads of those that caused the
mischief.
Strange to say, none were injured in our regi¬
ment, though one man was struck dead in the
Sixty-second Pennsylvania Regiment, which was
encamped next to us.
8
114
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XIII.
We leave Harrison's Landing. — Visit Miner's Hill. — Sad Reeollec
tions. — McClellan again resumes Command. — Invasion of Mary
land. — Battle of Antietam. — Retreat of Lee.
HE Ninth remained at Harrison's Landing
till August 14, 1862; thence they marched
down the peninsula, en route, for Fortress Mon¬
roe, passing, on their way, through nearly all
our old camps. Again we beheld the result of
our labors in front of Yorktown. With what
different emotions we gazed upon theum! Our
memories naturally reverted to the gallant dead
who had cheerfully labored with us in those in-
trenchments, and who now sleep forever on the
bloody field of the Chickahominy, or the plains
of Malvern. We had started from this place
with exultant hearts — the enemy in flight be¬
fore us; we returned drooping and dispirited —
a triumphant enemy behind us. But we had our
scars and our glory; and our virgin flags had
been baptized in the fierce fire of five battles,
Visit to Miner's Hill. 115
and we had even wrested victory from ruinous
defeat.
Our march was rapidly continued, and in
about five days we reached Fortress Monroe,
where we remained for a short time, receiving
there a number of recruits from Massachusetts,
who were enthusiastically welcomed. Thence
we marched to Newport News, where we em¬
barked for Acquia Creek, which we reached the
next day. From that place we went by rail to
Fredericksburg, encamping at Stafford Heights,
where we remained two or three days. From
this camp we marched, on the 24th of August,
to Ellis' Ford, on the Rappahannock, where we
watched and waited for about a week, and then
proceeded to Warrenton Junction. Leaving that
place we went on to Manassas, and participated
in all the disastrous encounters which occurred
there. Our regiment, however,, did not suffer,
as we only had five wounded. We then pro¬
ceeded, via Vienna, to Chain Bridge, on the
Potomac, whence we returned to our old camp
at Miner's Hill, after an absence of nearly six
months. We marched slowly and silently up
the hill, familiar scenes meeting us on every
hand; we passed over the pathways which had
116
The Irish Ninth.
been worn by the feet of the men of the Ninth;
we reached the old parade ground, where we had
so often stood in the pride of full ranks; sadly
and silently we marched into the company
streets; the tall weeds nearly obscured the cel¬
lars we had dug the last winter; the old seats
and shelves we had erected still remained.
The ashes of the old camp fires were still visi¬
ble, and the tent poles we had stuck into the
ground still remained standing. One by one our
poor fellows pitched their tents. In a little while
all was done; then the history of the last few
months became painfully evident. The vacant
cellars could be seen on every hand. The men
who had once lived, laughed, and sung within
them were dead. The officers' tents were pitched
in line. Another terrible hiatus appeared. Com¬
pany I's tent was not pitched; its cellar was not
covered; its officers had not returned. All had
been killed on the peninsula.
In a few days the broken corps of the army
of the Potomac were gathered before the works
that protected Washington, and the process of
reorganization wras commenced by General Mc-
Clellan, who had again assumed control of the
army, after the disastrous campaign of Pope.
Invasion of Maryland. 117
About this time rumors were rife that General
Lee meditated the invasion of Maryland. Soon
corps after corps moved on Washington.
On the 12th of September our regiment
started, and, recrossing the Potomac at George¬
town, reached the capital, which was in a state
of great excitement.
The threatened invasion of the northern states,
and the dire rumors that the capital itself was
menaced, was sufficient material for the most
intense feeling, and the progress of the army
of the Potomac was watched with anxiety; the
citizens greeted them with great demonstrations
of affection and delight. In their compact ranks
and brown faces they showed little of the wreck
of the peninsula, and the recruits since received
greatly enlarged their columns. Two days' rapid
marching, under a hot sun, and over dusty roads,
brought us to Leesburg, in Maryland. The fol¬
lowing day we passed through Rockville and
Clarksburg, halting on the night of the 13th,
near Hyattstown—a most insignificant place,
with scarcely provision enough to feed a chicken.
A place called Urbana is another effort of mind
over matter, but is somewhat dignified by its
vicinity to Monocacy Station. We staid here a
118
The Irish Ninth.
few hours, and then resumed our march, arriving
at Frederick City, in Maryland. In these four
days the Ninth marched nearly one hundred
miles, — in the best possible humor, and every
day in anticipation of an engagement. The
regiment passed immediately through Frederick,
by way of Middleton, and, on the morning of the
17th of September, the Ninth joined in the well-
fought field of Antietam, our regiment being
employed in supporting Griffin's United States
Battery D. The progress of this engagement
was remarkably splendid; the masses of our
army were moved with precision and celerity,
our charging columns moving forward unwaver¬
ingly"; and the entire army moved under the in¬
fluence of one will, carrying fear and consterna¬
tion into the ranks of the enemy, the determined
and valorous fighting of the northern soldiers
being terribly conspicuous; and terror reigned
in all the ranks of the rebel horde. McClellan
vigorously assailed the retreating forces of the
enemy, driving them to the Potomac, where
they would have been almost annihilated but
for the extraordinary lowness of the water in
the river, and the unfortunate surrender of the
Loudon Heights, and the works and defences
about Harper's Ferry.
Scenes at Antietam.
119
CHAPTER XIY.
Scenes at Antietam and South Mountain. — The doomed Legion. —
Insults offered to Union Soldiers. — Hospital Scenes.—Yankee
Smartness. — Be careful of your Stars. — It is finished. —A mis¬
creant Begiment. —Boteler's Mills. —Picket Duty. — End of First
Maryland Campaign.
HE battle-fields of South. Mountain and An¬
tietam showed a frightful loss of human
life. The dead were thickly strewn about the
roads and piled in stagnant ditches, in some cases
hidden by the cornstalks and grass, in many
instances frightfully mutilated by the feet of the
immense bodies of cavalry and infantry that had
passed over them in the progress of the terrific
struggle. As we slowly and carefully picked our
way along, long lines of the soiled gray coats of
the dead enemy showed the position in which
they had been placed, and which they were in¬
structed to maintain at all hazards, and in defend¬
ing which they had perished gallantly. Blue
coats and gray coats were lying side by side,
their quarrels over; though in " life divided, yet
120
The Irish Ninth.
in death united." Wounded men were thickly
scattered around, and many of them had lain for
two nights upon the field before they were re¬
moved to the hospital. Upon some of the bodies
of the dead rebels we noticed papers attached,
giving the name of the unfortunate men, and re¬
questing that their graves might be marked, as a
means of future identification. One of the most
revolting scenes we have ever witnessed actually
came under our notice. This was after the en¬
gagement of South Mountain, two days before
the decisive battle of Antietam. We came to a
field enclosed on every side by stone walls, liter¬
ally covered with dead men, in indescribable con¬
fusion. These were the remains of the Georgia
Legion, under the command of General Howell
Cobb. They had marched into the enclosure,
there to hold the position at the base of the
mountain; they were then instantly attacked by
our troops on all sides, and literally destroyed.
Cavalry, infantry, and artillery simultaneously
assailed them, and scarce one man of that fine
legion escaped to tell the story of its fate ! There
they lay in all attitudes of death; some stiff and
cold, in the act of firing; some calmly lay, as if
in sleep; others appeared like living men resting
Hospital Scenes.
121
against trees which were there ; again there
were masses of dead, many maimed, bruised, and
so mangled by shot and shell as scarcely to re¬
tain the appearance of human beings. It was
a terrible picture of human ferocity, and yet
scarcely expressed a tittle of the horrors of that
campaign.
Houses and barns in the vicinity of the battle¬
fields were used for hospital purposes, and these
were filled with, wounded men, mostly rebels.
Low platforms were raised before the doors of
many of these houses, on which would be stretched
the figure of a man, one of whose limbs would be
in process of amputation. Eebel surgeons worked
side by side with Union surgeons, and, unlike doc¬
tors in general, seemed to agree most cordially.
Amputated arms and legs were flung unconcern¬
edly upon the ground, and sometimes carelessly
handled and examined by the soldiers whose
curiosity led them to be spectators of the scene.
Ladies, richly dressed, would come from the
adjacent places to visit the rebel wounded, bring¬
ing with them jellies, wines, and preserved meats,
which they would give to our wounded pris¬
oners, passing the poor northern soldier upon
his bed pf racking pain, without a word or look
122
The Irish Ninth.
of sympathy, or a drop of the precious liquid
with which they cooled the lips of the wounded
traitor. Many of the rebels expressed hopes that
the war would soon be over, and more of them
spoke of the North with great bitterness, and
said that only by a war of extermination would
the South be beaten; many of them asserted the
superiority of their soldiers over ours, which we
thought displayed considerable hardihood, after
the terrible whipping we had just given them;
but it was made seemingly with full reliance in
its truth. The wounded men left in our hands
by the rebels amounted to several thousands, a
number of whom were conscripts. These re¬
ceived every care from our surgeons and their
own, as well as from visitors; and our lads,
with noble generosity, supplied them with such
necessaries as they could command, in the shape
of tobacco, pipes, &c., for which they seemed very
thankful. They were eager to exchange their
"scrip" for our greenbacks, sometimes offering ten
dollars in scrip for one dollar in our currency.
Owing to the care taken, very few of those
injured died, and as soon as they recovered were
sent to Washington, and shortly after their ar¬
rival would be exchanged.
Yankee Smartness.
123
Scenes like these could be witnessed about
Sharp sburg, and within less than half a mile of
the Potomac, and in the immediate vicinity of the
camp occupied by the Ninth. Our men paid
daily visits to the hospitals containing the rebel
wounded, and many of them contracted friend¬
ships which they afterwards found very useful,
some when wounded on the battle-field, and
others when in the prisons at Richmond.
We remember an incident which occurred
one day before one of these temporary hospitals.
A rebel surgeon was busily engaged in amputat¬
ing the leg of one of his own men, and at the
same time conversing with a tall, muscular man,
of the u Maine lumber" species. In the course
of his work the surgeon laid down a small pair of
scissors, which the tall Yankee picked up, and
seemed to examine with great curiosity, at the
same time turning his eyes upon one of the glit¬
tering stars adorning the collar of the doctor's
coat, indicating his rank in the rebel service.
By a dexterous, and, to us, almost imperceptible
application of the scissors, the Yankee filched
one of the stars, and, whistling the national air,
walked coolly away.
In a short time the doctor noticed the loss of
124
The Irish Ninth.
his star; he looked about for his Yankee friend;
not seeing him, at last he said, "Well, gentle¬
men, I've never been north, but I've heard a great
deal about Yankee smartness, and wooden hams
and nutmegs,and I concluded the 'Yanks' were
pretty smart; but I never did think one of them
smart enough to steal a star from under a man's
chin before !" Another, though painful inci¬
dent, occurred here. A boy, about fourteen years
old, was one day undergoing the process of am¬
putation. He lay upon the stage, dressed in his
rebel uniform, his face pale, and his large blue
eyes gazing wonderingly around. His injured
leg was stretched before the surgeons, who were
carefully feeling it about the wound — a black
break, about the size of a nickel cent. A sign
from one of the doctors, and the instruments
were brought and placed upon a large box that
once contained army clothes, but now was partly
filled with bandages besmeared with blood. The
surgeon selected one of the instruments; a cloth
was held before the nostrils of the white-faced
boy; the surgeon began his work. The skin
of the white leg was cut; in a little while the
bone was off, the arteries taken up, the skin
laid over, the bandages applied, and the whole
Orders to Move.
125
bound carefully up. "It is finished," said the
doctor, as he wiped the blood from off his hands.
He said truly; the work was finished. The hoy
was dead I
On the evening of the 18th of September,
while lying close to the banks of the Potomac,
we received orders to move. The enemy were
reported to be in force on the other side of the
river, and a sharp fight was anticipated. The
One Hundred and Eighteenth Pennsylvania Vol¬
unteers were ordered to cross the river and
engage the enemy posted on the high bluffs
overlooking the Potomac. The river, or that
part of. it which divided us from the enemy, was
scarcely two hundred yards wide, and easily ford-
able. The One Hundred and Eighteenth immedi¬
ately took to the water, and moved across the
river. As they approached the opposite bank,
the enemy opened a fierce fire upon them. The
Pennsylvanians halted, staggered a moment, and
then, seized with panic, turned about and fled.
But this desertion of the flag was fiercely avenged ;
for our batteries upon the bank hurled their shot
and shrapnel among them until they attacked
the enemy, who captured a large number of
them. But the true metal of the Fourth Michi-
126
The Irish Ninth.
gan, backed by the Irish Ninth, turned the fate
of the battle, and in a short time, after a fierce
and gallant contest, the enemy retreated, leav¬
ing in our hands a number of prisoners and
several pieces of artillery.
This engagement is known as that of Boteler's
Mills. It is the same place where General Banks
destroyed so many millions worth of rebel prop¬
erty, including all the mills in that vicinity from
which the rebels were supplied with grain, upon
his famous retreat from the Shenandoah. In this
engagement two pieces of the artillery captured
were found to be of those which were taken by
the enemy at the first battle of Bull Bun. Gen¬
eral Griffin was exceedingly pleased at this re¬
capture, and highly complimented the gallantry
of his brigade. One of the guns taken here
turned out to have been one of those taken from
the general's battery at the first battle of Bull
Bun.
Next day our regiment encamped a few yards
from the banks of the Potomac, having its picket
posted close to the river, as it was deemed unad-
visable to post a force on the other side. In a
few days the enemy's picket gradually advanced,
and moved down to the banks of the river, on
End of Maryland Campaign. 127
the opposite side, and opened communication
with our lads, and in a little while a very good
feeling seemed to prevail between them. Our
men would bathe in their own side of the river,
and hold interesting conversations at the same
time with a rebel on the other side, who, leaning
on his gun, would watch our lads as they dis¬
ported themselves in the water. Papers would
be exchanged, and tobacco and coffee; and, in
fact, a proper "picket feeling" was soon estab¬
lished.
On arriving at the bank of the Potomac, the
Maryland campaign was virtually ended. It was
a rapid and glorious one for General McClellan
and his army, and caused much rejoicing in the
Northern States.
At its conclusion, unlike that of the peninsular
campaign, our army wras in splendid condition,
and ready for an immediate move. It is not in
our power, even if we had the desire, to state the
reason of the idle days which ensued, but we
have the fullest confidence in General McClellan,
and feel sure that he had good reasons for that
delay, and have no doubt the history of the
rebellion will fully justify them.
128
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XV.
Crossing the Potomac under Difficulties. — Shepherdstown. — Rebel
Chaff. — That was all it was fit for. — A neat Thing in Shawls. —
We find the Enemy. — Return to Camp. — Sharpsburg.
ONE morning our cavalry crossed the river,
causing the enemy's picket to fall has-
tity back; our troopers followed them rapidly,
felt the enemy after a ride of nearly twenty
miles, and, after a slight skirmish, returned to
camp. An infantry reconnoissance was speedily
projected, and, among others, our regiment or¬
dered out. We crossed the river, finding the
water in some places very deep, and through
which our men had to wade, the water reaching
to their waist, causing them much trouble to
secure their arms and ammunition from getting
wet. We crossed with hut little opposition, and
proceeded cautiously forward, our force being
under the command of General Humphrey. After
a short march, we reached Shepherdstown, where
we learned that a strong force of the enemy had
Crossing the Potomac. 129
just passed through, their rear being but about
an hour's march in advance; our line was halted,
and a strong body of skirmishers deployed to feel
the enemy and secure our advance.
We rested in the main street, awaiting informa¬
tion from the front, and had, therefore, plenty of
time for observation.
Shepherdstown seemed to have been quite an
enterprising place formerly, as it contained plenty
of stores, but with very little in them; what
there was, was marked at such exorbitant prices
as to find but few purchasers. A large number
of paroled rebel officers and soldiers could be
seen; the former, in most cases, looking from
windows, tete a tete with pretty female rebels, who
looked with cold disdain upon our bold fellows
as they rested upon the curbstones, gazing curi¬
ously about them, while the rebels sauntered
round, with their hands deep in their trousers
pockets, ventilating their "tatters," asking im¬
pertinent questions, and gratuitously informing
us that we should leave Shepherdstown, not as
we entered it, with a twenty-eight inch step, but
at a gait commonly known as the "double-
quick."
That very useful northern expression known
9
130
The Irish Ninth.
as "Gas" was the only reply deigned by our
boys, who looked at their tormentors and their
" tatters " with eyes of supreme contempt.
It was easy to be seen that the inhabitants of
this town bore us little good will, though they
were greatly astonished at the fine, comfortable
appearance of our soldiers; at the full haversack
and the abundance of coffee and sugar they
carried, and which some exchanged for tobacco:
coffee, sugar, and such necessaries, could scarcely
be purchased in Shepherdstown. On one side
of the street was a miserable, dilapidated-look¬
ing shanty, with the legend " Tailor " overhead;
within was a wee little old man, doing a large
business; that is, putting an extremely large
patch upon a very mean coat, belonging to a
rebel officer sick in the town; a bench, sleeve-
hoard, and a heavy goose, were the only " chat¬
tels and appurtenances" the place contained.
That tailor's shop seemed to be the only paying
establishment in the place.
As an example of the good will manifested
towards us, we may relate an incident which hap¬
pened there.
A female stood at one of the garden gates,
with a large warm flour cake in her hands, which
Shepherdstown.
131
she held temptingly before some of the Union
soldiers, as if waiting for them to purchase. If
that was her intention, she was soon successful,
for one of our men stepped up and asked her
what she would take for the cake ? She looked
at him sourly for an instant, and then, with an
insulting laugh, threw the cake to a dog that
was near. The insulted soldier gazed on her for
a moment with an eye of fire; but then, recol¬
lecting himself, turned away with a smile, saying,
" I beg your pardon, madam; that was all it was
fit for." Whenever any of the inhabitants could
insult a Union soldier, it would be done ; but our
men bore their taunts and sarcasms with great
good humor, rarely, if ever, replying to them.
The churches and public buildings in the town
had been turned into hospitals, and the yellow
flags that waved from their roofs indicated that
they contained quite a large number of wounded,
who had been unable to leave the place 011 our
approach, and, therefore, had been paroled. The
inhabitants, however, did not scruple to make
great complaints about the scarcity of provisions
and the large prices demanded for what was to
be had. A soldier chanced to ask a lady for a
match to light his pipe (she was standing at the
132
The Irish Ninth.
door), and in a moment supplied him with one,
merely remarking, "You are welcome to it, sir;
I would give you more, but they cost a dollar
per box." Notwithstanding her politeness, she
was a downright rebel, but had many lady-like
qualities. The soldier presented her with some
coffee, which she gratefully accepted; it was,
indeed, quite a luxury. As a general thing, we
found that the old ladies were very kind and very
polite, keeping their opinions to themselves, and
treating our soldiers with considerable affability.
The young women, however, were sometimes quite
ferocious; not very select in their language, or
dignified in their demeanor. This was owing,
perhaps, to the great scarcity of young men, who
had been conscripted from their "side," or had
voluntarily gone to fight the " black invaders."
But few men were to be found in the town,
and those, with the exception of some on parole,
as before mentioned, were aged and unservice¬
able; the good and healthy material had been
seized upon long ago, or had volunteered, and
were then in our front, or hidden in the town,
until they could safely leave on our departure.
We had halted in Shepherdstown about an hour,
when we received orders to move forward. As
Skirmishing.
133
we advanced, crowds of women and boys, black
and white, lined the sidewalks, making remarks
by no means complimentary either to our hu¬
manity or honesty. Moving on, we came in
sight of a group of black women, who clapped
their fat hands in seeming ecstasy as they saw
our compact mass of troops approaching with
glistening arms and martial bearing, forming, we
have no doubt, a striking contrast to the rebel
troops, who had hastily left the town before us.
As our Green Flag was seen, fluttering its golden
glories upon the breeze, by a passing group of
colored wenches, one of them, extraordinary in
rotundity and luxurious in fat, clapped her hands,
exclaiming, u See dar! ain't dat beautiful!" To
which a vinegar-faced white woman pointedly
replied, "It is, indeed; it would make a very
handsome shawl, with that fine gold border."
Whether the sharp-nosed female intended a sar¬
casm or not, we could not tell; but it looked and
sounded to us very much like it.
We marched some ten miles beyond Shep-
herdstown, and halted for a while, sending
skirmishers out on our flanks. A rumor came
down the line that our advance had overtaken
the .enemy, who was in position some distance
134
The Irish Ninth.
ahead, and well protected by artillery. We had
been halted but a few minutes when heavy
firing commenced. The reconnoissance began
to assume very large dimensions; in fact, it
looked as if a sharp fight was in progress.
Suddenly the fierce shriek of a shell, rapidly
hissing through the air, attracted our attention,
and, turning to see where it had struck, we beheld
one man of Company H lying on the ground, a
pool of blood rapidly accumulating round his
head; a piece of shell had struck him on the
left side of the head, behind the ear, danger¬
ously wounding him. He was moved into an
adjoining field on a stretcher, where we left him
with the surgeon of our regiment. The man's
name was Mullen, belonging to Milford.
After firing heavily for some time, we made
another advance, and in a short time had the
pleasure of driving the enemy.
Having discovered his whereabouts, the object
for which we started was attained; and towards
night we marched back, and after moving from
place to place for nearly an hour, and throwing
out pickets, and calling them in, — all this time
under a pelting rain, and up to our knees in
Return to Camp.
135
mud, — we continued our march, and, late in
the night, re-crossed the Potomac, again wading
through, and, weary, wet, exhausted, and thor¬
oughly miserable, laid ourselves down by our
fires to sleep and dry our clothes.
136
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XVI,
A social Evening. — Presence of Mind. — A startling Narrative.—
NE day, while at Sharpsburg, a number
of us were seated around a large log
fire in an adjoining camp to that of ours, and
conversing on a variety of subjects. Finally one
of the party related Jerrold's bit of humor on
"Presence of Mind." Said he," The subject arose
in Jerrold's presence as to the value of that
faculty, and some one said, 'Yes, it was very
valuable, especially when attacked by a mad bull
or dog.' (Ay,' returned Jerrold, 'in that case
presence of mind is very good, but absence of
body is better.'" In a little while " presence of
mind " became the subject matter of conversa¬
tion ; and one of the party, a , large, fat, jolly
captain, noted for telling " whopping big stories,"
remarked that he exhibited that valuable faculty
in a most wonderful manner.
A Cure for Bores. — How it was effected.
A Social Evening.
187
" How ? let's hear it, captain," queried the
party, with a great deal of interest. The fat
captain puffed forth an immense volume of
smoke, and, settling himself more comfortably
on his " hard-tack " box, proceeded to unburden
himself to the following effect: —
"You may know, boys, that I trapped and
hunted for a considerable time in the Canadas;
and a most exciting life I led, I tell you. Many
a time I've camped out on the snowy hills, with
nothing but a heavy coat of buffalo skin for extra
covering, making myself as comfortable as I could
in a log hut of my own construction, living prin¬
cipally on dried meats — trapping, killing foxes,
and other animals I could find, and now and
then capturing a bear, whose skins at that time
were very valuable. Well, one morning I got
up pretty early, and started out to look at my
traps. I left my rifle behind me, and with my
snow-shoes on, hurried as rapidly as I could over
the snow-covered hills. The morning was very
cold, and my muffler was closely wrapped around
my head, almost covering my eyes, and obstruct¬
ing my vision. I had walked about a mile, and
had just reached an immense shelf of rock,
forming a precipice several hundred feet deep,
138
The Irish Ninth.
when I heard a deep growl, and, turning about,
beheld a huge black bear within a few feet of
me. I tell you, boys, I was rather astonished,
and somewhat sheered. Before I could make up
my mind what to do, the bear leaped upon me ;
and the first thing I knew distinctly was, that I
was clinging on the edge of the rock, and hang¬
ing over the frightful precipice. Boys, I tell you
it was a fearful predicament for a man of my
rotundity, and I thought I was 4 gone up.'"
44 Gone up! " cried one of the listeners;44 gone
down, you mean."
44 Hush, Sammy," quoth the captain, reproving¬
ly; "you don't understand these things. Well,
as I was saying, I thought I was gone up.
However, I made up my mind to hang on as
long as I could, when the bear, who had been
looking at me, turned about and was going off.
An idea struck me. With wonderful presence
of mind I seized the bear by the hind leg, — he
gave a howl, bounded forward, and dragged me
to the top of the ledge, and left me there safe
and sound! Talk of presence of mind — pshaw!
show me anything to equal that!" and the fat
captain puffed away more vigorously than ever,
whilst a look of gentle satisfaction stole across
The Captain and the Bear. 139
his plump physiogomy. We listened to him
with mingled admiration and interest, wishing to
ask him what he and the bear did when he
came so unexpectedly back to the top of the
ledge ; but we feared a more tremendous whop¬
per, so deemed it prudent to remain silent. At
last, one daring fellow had the temerity to put
the query. " What did we do ? " repeated the
captain, in a slight state of bewilderment; "what
did we do ? Why, you don't suppose I would
hurt a hair of that bear's head, do you, after sav¬
ing my life ? No, no ; I just let Mm go — I just
let Mm go. I did!"
We all knew that Munchausen was a minor
light compared with the " fat captain ;" but one
of the officers of the assembled party knew this
better than ourselves, and as he was one of the
captain's lieutenants, he was continually bored
with the tremendous yarns he used to tell;
therefore he determined to put a stop to them
in some way. He arranged a plan, and, strange
to say, was remarkably successful.
The way of it was this. The officer who had
undertaken the cure went, one day, to a hos¬
pital where the wounded rebel prisoners were,
and secured a leg which had just been ampu-
140
The Irish Ninth.
tated, and had it secretly conveyed to the tent
occupied by himself and the talkative captain.
At night, taking advantage of the temporary
absence of his fat friend, he settled himself in
bed, and placed the inanimate leg by his side
so as to allow the foot partly to protrude from
underneath the bed-clothes. The captain soon
after entered the tent, and heard his chum moan¬
ing piteously.
" What's the matter, Dick ?" asked the cap¬
tain.
" O, I've got an awful cramp in my left leg;
it pains me fearfully ; 0 ! 0 !"
"I'll soon fix that for you, Dick," cried the
captain. " Where's your leg ? "
" Here, this one," said Dick, indicating the
position of the substituted limb by a gesture, at
the same time moaning, and taking the precau¬
tion to hold it firmly in a sort of natural posi¬
tion.
" Whew ! it's awful cold, boy," exclaimed Mun¬
chausen, seizing hold of the protruding foot.
" You'll freeze a fellow if he gets into that
bed;" and he gave it a pull.
" How is it now, Dick ?"
"Pull again," urged Dick. Another pull, and
"Presence of mind" of the Fat Captain. Page i4r.
A Startling Narrative. 141
another; the sweat standing in great drops on
the fat man's brow.
a How is it now, Dick ? "
" 0, it's awful," groaned the victim; this time
the captain gave a tremendous jerk. The leg
gave way, and the fat servant of Uncle Sam was
flung upon his back with what he thought the
severed limb of his unfortunate companion in
his hands ! A howl of poignant anguish, inter¬
mingled with smothered laughter, rung out upon
the night air, calling every one from their beds
to the tent, where they beheld the victimized
captain in a state of horror and amazement,
gazing upon the dead limb lying before him.
He was incapable of speech or motion. He had,
as he imagined, destroyed his beloved comrade,
and his extremity was such that the valuable
faculty, "presence of mind," which he boasted
he possessed to such a remarkable degree (vide
" the bear story " and others equally demonstra¬
tive), had entirely deserted him; but the roars
of Dick, and the uncontrollable laughter of the
crowd, brought him soon to his senses. He
looked around, saw Dick sitting on the bed,
boasting the ownership of two good legs. A
light broke in upon him; he jumped up with
142
The Irish Ninth.
a look of disgust, and, with many anathemas,
went to his chest, opened it, placed the decanters
upon the table, lit his pipe, and was soon envel¬
oped in a cloud of smoke.
The cure was an effective one, and we never
afterwards heard the captain (though we met
him several times) indulge in detailing his ex¬
traordinary personal reminiscences.
Another specimen of humor was perpetrated
at this camp upon a regimental surgeon, nearly
as good as the former. A certain officer, desirous
of tasting the doctor's brandy, which, by the by,
was rarely produced, went to him one morning
and said,—
" Doctor, an old ailing of mine has returned
after an absence of about a year, and I fear, if not
soon attended to, the consequences will be seri¬
ous ; as it is, it totally unfits me for duty."
"What is it, lieutenant?" asked the doctor,
blandly, as he motioned the patient to a seat.
" I don't know exactly what to term it, doctor,"
replied our friend. " My arm is completely dead,
and I find it utterly impossible to move it;" and,
with a very doleful expression, he lifted up the
" deceased" limb, holding it with the right hand
under the scrutiny of the doctor. The officer
The Dead Arm.
143
■wore one of the heavy military coats with wide
sleeves, which he kept closed together with his
hand. The doctor took hold of the arm, and
started with astonishment when he felt how cold
it was.
» Why," said he, a it's heavy as lead and white
as wax! Your hand, lieutenant, appears to be
completely dead;" and he looked into the eyes
of the unfortunate man with an expression of
profound sympathy on his face.
" Yes, I know it is, doctor, but it has been so
before, and has been cured for a time, and I think
can be cured again."
" Ah, indeed! Who attended you before, lieu¬
tenant ?"
" Doctor ," was the reply.
" What did he prescribe ?" continued the
doctor.
" Brandy," moaned the patient, to smother his
desire to laugh.
"Brandy! Well, that's curious! How soon
does it operate ? "
" Sometimes in an hour, sometimes in two;
generally in an hour."
The doctor let go his hold of the hand, and,
going to a large black bottle, poured out a good
144
The Irish Ninth.
half glass, at the same time saying," There, take
that." The officer took the glass and hastily
swallowed its contents. He then got up, and
was moving away, when the doctor said, " Call in
again in a couple of hours, and let us see what
effect the medicine has."
The lieutenant bowed and passed out.
" A very curious case, indeed," muttered the
doctor, as he resumed his pill and quinine opera¬
tions. In about two hours his patient again pre¬
sented himself, showed his hand, and the doctor
found it was all right.
"Well, that's devilish curious," quoth the doc¬
tor. " In all my experience, and it's not a short
one, I never met a parallel case. Brandy has
many peculiar properties which are as yet undis¬
covered; but in a case of complete paralysis I
never knew its power as an important curative,
or even such an auxiliary as it has proved in
your case. The examination of the paralysis and
the healing properties of brandy, as applied to
the disease, would, I think, throw a new light 011
science, and, if you have no objection, I will
convene a meeting of the surgeons of the brigade
upon this most astonishing case, the result of
which I will submit to the medical director of the
corps."
Medical Consultation.
145
a Doctor," returned the audacious wag, u to
benefit science I would undergo any experiment
upon the unfortunate limb; and I heartily as¬
sure you, that whenever the consultation is called
I shall be entirely at your service."
The doctor produced the coveted brandy, and
another libation was had in honor of the unfor¬
tunate member.
The hour appointed by the doctor (who was
to throw new light on science) for consulta¬
tion arrived. The surgeons of the brigade and
some officers were assembled at his quarters.
The doctor then sent his " dark Adolphus " to the
quarters of the officer owning the extraordinary
limb. Our boy returned with a package and a
note. The doctor seized the note with some
astonishment, tore it open, and began to read
it. As he went on an expression of blank dis¬
may came into his countenance. At last he flung
down the note with an expression of rage. " One
of ours " picked it up, and read aloud, —
My dear Doctor : I have been called hur¬
riedly away, and cannot attend the consultation
which is " destined to throw so much light on
science." I forward you the limb which you say
10
146
The Irish Ninth.
is in a state of complete paralysis. I trust, when
you have carefully examined it, you will " strike "
the before-mentioned " light." I hope also that
you wTill demonstrate to the satisfaction of the
wise men assembled that "brandy" has many
peculiar properties which are as yet " undiscov¬
ered," and which, I may say, so far as your brandy
is concerned, will remain undiscovered. Thank¬
ing you for your kindness to me while under
your care, and with many compliments upon the
goodness of your brandy,
I am, my dear doctor,
Yours truly obliged,
Lieutenant
The loud roars of laughter which followed
the reading of the note and the examination of
the package would be impossible to describe,
and for several minutes the doctor's tent was
in a great uproar. The doctor himself finally
joined in, and in a little while resumed his good
humor, and sent for the successful wag. He then
produced the article containing so many " undis¬
covered properties." It is unnecessary to add
that the consultation was eminently satisfactory,
and we think the disciples of Galen went away
in a slightly " obfuscated " state.
Breaking Camp.
147
CHAPTER XVII.
How the Soldier leaves an old Camp. — Maryland Heights. — A
Night March. — Harper's Ferry. — Surrounding Prospect.— John
Brown's House. — Snicker's Gap. —We march to Warrenton. —
McClellan superseded. — Stoneman's Station.
E broke camp at Sharpsburg on the 30th
of October, and prepared to march to
Harper's Ferry, distant about twenty-five miles.
We started about seven o'clock in the evening,
leaving the camp, as is usual on a move, ablaze
with innumerable fires, composed of superfluous
firewood, old boxes, barrels, in fact, everything
burnable that can be collected, which is gen¬
erally piled on until mountains of flame appear
in every direction. We have noticed, as a rule,
that our " boys " seemed to derive much pleasure
in accelerating the work of the devouring ele¬
ments, and merry groups would vie with each
other in making the most extensive conflagration,
while loud bursts of laughter would greet the
fall of an artfully-constructed pile, driving the
148
The Irish Ninth.
assembled groups in all ways, merrily shouting
their satisfaction, though the smoke and sparks
of fire seemingly enveloped them. Our long
line of men moved rapidly across the fields for
the main road, and marching through Antietam,
we shaped our course for Maryland Heights. The
greater portion of our way was along a deep
valley, through high, shelving rocks, which tow¬
ered on either side, boldly standing out in strong
relief against the sky, massive and jagged,—
while here and there a shrub or stunted tree
peeped out, as if clinging nervously to its
strong protector.
■' The mountain mist took form and limb
Of noontide hag or goblin grim."
The fires that blazed along the road, lighted
by the troops which had preceded us, lit up the
gigantic rocks, boldly developing the fantastic
curves and crags, shaping them into giants, pyg¬
mies, and strange wild, weird shapes, and then
flickering them into confused and indistinct
shadows, and dark, sombre rpasses, at times con¬
cealing even the rough surface of the rock around
and about which the- reflection of the firelight
played so many curious antics; in fact, our whole
line of march was replete with beautiful night
Harper's Ferry.
149
scenes, which called forth, at times, even from the
least enthusiastic, many expressions of surprise
and admiration.
The sharp, clear air, and the exhilarating in¬
fluence of the varied associations, seemed to
inspire our lads with extraordinary alertness:
quickly we stepped forward over the rocky road,
passed narrow streams at a bound, and, merrily
trudging along, reached Maryland Heights about
midnight, unrolled our blankets, and composed
ourselves to sleep.
Early in the morning, while the sun was linger¬
ing in loving dalliance with the beautiful Aurora,
our regiment was on the move. The morning
was supremely beautiful; a light wind was blow¬
ing from the west, and the clear air, impregnated
with the delicious aroma of flowers, gratefully
saluted our nostrils, and imperceptibly seemed
to endue us with vigor, so that we all started
forward in great spirits, and with jokes, songs,
and merry laughter, gayly went on our way,
and reached Harper's Ferry about ten o'clock.
As we emerged from the ravine-like road which
let us out from Maryland, and left us on its bor¬
der, we beheld the rapid torrent of the Potomac,
rushing down before us, and its shallower parts
150
The Irish Ninth.
presenting a ruin of pontoon trains, whi'ch had
been destroyed by the rebels upon their rapid
and disastrous retreat from Maryland. We be¬
held the wreck of an immense fabric, which had
once been a splendid bridge, broken, dismantled,
and hanging over the river, in ruins which pro¬
claimed its former architectural beauty.
The government iron works on the Maryland
side had also felt the mutilating hand of the
"chivalrous" invader; but his hurried retreat
prevented the disastrous consummation he so
devoutly wished; and while one wing of the
extensive range of buildings lay in inglorious
ruin and confusion, the other stood up, tough,
strong, and mighty, untouched, like the fabled
Achilles after his encounter with Hector.
We looked across the Potomac, which is here
about two hundred feet wide, and beheld the
ruins of Harper's Ferry. We gazed around: on
the Maryland side there lay heaps of railroad
material, in indescribable confusion — sleepers,
heaps of broken cars, piles of brick and stone,
and every kind of building material, which the
rebels had vainly attempted to destroy, but which,
owing to the huge quantities, they had only suc¬
ceeded in scattering about. Bolivar and Loudon
Harper's Ferry.
151
Heights arose before us in their stateliness and
grandeur, and painfully reminded us of the dis¬
graceful surrender that had been consummated
there but a few days before, which had allowed
the decimated, routed army of Lee to evade the
grasp of the victorious McCIellan.
A long, dirty, dusty street reached along close
to the margin of the river, through which a rail¬
road track was laid; a few straggling wooden
houses were located on one side, and every one-
of these shanties boasted a sign, the burden of
which was, " Bred an Pi Here To Sell," the par¬
simonious inhabitants charging the most exorbi¬
tant prices for the slimmest kind of pies, and
introducing the purchaser to a species of small
beer termed " pop," which, when it had ceased to
effervesce, left the tumbler in its original state—
empty! This place we thought might with pro¬
priety be termed "the withered edge of Mary¬
land." The hot noonday sun streamed down
upon us, as we sat by the railroad track waiting
our turn to cross over the pontoon bridge which
was laid to the other side. After clambering
with much difficulty, we reached Harper's Ferry
proper; and, losing the river from our view, saw
the spot where John Brown, of martyred mem-
152
The Irish Ninth.
ory, made his last stand when hunted by the
militia of the witless "Wise.
The house, a small wooden building, was fast
falling to pieces; at one end the remains of an
immense chimney could be seen, which, in its
original state, must have been larger than the
dwelling itself. A broken fence surrounded the
ruin where the gallant Brown, with a few com¬
rades, defied a large number of the militia of
Virginia, but was overcome by superior force,
and reluctantly compelled to yield. The main
street was composed of numerous brick houses,
nearly all of which had been converted into hos¬
pitals, barracks, and provost marshals' offices;
patented wooden houses were set up on the va¬
cant lots, from which sutlers peddled their shop¬
worn goods, doing a double trade, taking in
soldiers and greenbacks at the same time. Fur-
loughed and wounded officers and men were
staying throughout the town, and we saw many
stragglers belonging to the regiments which
had preceded us. Resuming our march, we left
Harper's Ferry behind us. Our regiment — in
fact, the whole army — were in the finest spirits,
flushed as they seemed to be by their recent
victories j and under the leadership of their favor-
Snicker's Gap.
153
ite, General McClellan, they began to feel invin¬
cible. We passed regiments on the road as
light-hearted and cheerful as ourselves, and at
nightfall we encamped a few miles from the
town.
The next morning we resumed our march, and
•in the afternoon reached a place called Snicker's
Gap, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and, estab¬
lishing ourselves, remained there for four days,
expecting that the enemy would endeavor to
force the passage of the gap. This movement,
however, was not attempted; owing, we suppose,
to the large force upon the north side, where a
considerable part of the army of the Potomac
was in position. The progress of the rebels
having made the defence of the " Gap " of little
or no importance, we prepared to move; and
started on the morning of November 6, and
after wearily marching for about three days, we
arrived at Warrenton, Virginia, where we en¬
camped on the 10th of November, 1862. Here
the army of the Potomac received information
of the removal of General McClellan, who was
superseded by General Burnside. This informa¬
tion, though it caused considerable disappoint¬
ment, did not in the slightest degree affect the
morale of the army.
154
The Irish Ninth.
From Warrenton we soon afterwards marched
to Hartwood Church, and from thence to Stone-
man's Station, near Falmouth, Virginia. These
marches were devoid of interest, save in the fol¬
lowing laughable incident, which we relate to
show the legal ingenuity of the soldiers when
foraging: —
When General Butler called slaves " contra¬
band," he did the nation a service which is, I
think, as yet unappreciated. That word expressed
to the government and people a principle upon
which to act in dealing with the slaveholders.
That is a serious matter. This is a true one.
The soldiers were really anxious, inasmuch as
chickens would be seized any how, as occasion
required, to find some principle upon which the
seizure could be made. There was a Butler in
the ranks, and, growing great with the occasion,
he solemnly pronounced that all the chickens in
Virginia were wild.
In pursuance of this law of war, a soldier,
boldly penetrating a Virginian farm-yard, seized
and put firmly under his left arm the soundest
and blackest pullet in the lot. Hearing the noise
consequent upon this seizure of her wild fowl,
the woman of the house rushed out, exclaiming,
Chicken Story.
155
" You miserable Yankee ! You've got my favor¬
ite. You're no gentleman." The soldier took
the position of "front," his feet apart and at a
wide brace; then thrusting his two hands into
his pockets, and shifting a little the position of
his left arm, so as to assure himself of a safe pur¬
chase on the chicken, as Moore says of Feramorz
in Lalla Rookh, "he thus began:" "Madam,your
first proposition is not true; your second may be
correct; your third I admit; but while I admit
that I am no 4 gentleman,' I want you to
acknowledge that I am a d d good judge
of poultry!"
The cold weather now was well upon us, and,
after the hard marching and fighting of the . sum¬
mer, we expected soon to be ordered into winter
quarters.
156
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XVni.
The Siege of Fredericksburg. — The gallant Irish Brigade. — First
Day. — The Second Day. — In Position. — General Humphrey.
— Expectation. — We sleep on the Field.
E remained in camp at Falmouth a few
days, while General Burnside was perfect¬
ing his plans for the siege of Fredericksburg,
which commenced on the 11th of December,
1862. The siege guns of the army of the Poto¬
mac, in position on elevated points on the right
and left of the houses of Phillips and De Lacey,
opening fire upon the city, and continuing, for
nearly three days, to hurl into the devoted city
their tremendous missiles of destruction. Our
engineers were desperately striving, under the
cover of our guns, to lay a pontoon bridge, over
which our army was to pass j and time after time
they were repelled by the galling fire of mus¬
ketry from the rebels in the rifle-pits on the
banks of the river. But our men still continued
Siege oe Fredericksburg. 157
their work, and, driving their boats upon the op¬
posite bank, they sprang at the pits, and a fierce
contest ensued, which resulted in the flight of
the enemy, who rapidly retreated to the city,
where again they made a stand.
The work of laying the bridges was soon ef¬
fected, and a Massachusetts and a Michigan regi¬
ment passed over directly in front of the city,
for the purpose of attacking it. After a brisk
engagement, these regiments drove the rebels
from the city to the hills beyond. A fierce fire
from the artillery of the enemy, which was in
position on these eminences, was then opened,
and shell and shot flew thick and fast, but did
not succeed in dislodging these gallant fellows.
A strong force was then sent to support these
two regiments, crossing the Potomac by pontoon
bridges on the right and left of the city. The
famous Irish Brigade formed a part of this
force, and they no sooner reached the opposite
side than they received orders to charge.
Posted in front of St. Mary's Heights, a posi¬
tion of great natural strength, and under a heavy
fire, this famous brigade moved, under the lead¬
ership of the brave and accomplished Meagher,
forward on their errand of death: up the steep
158
The Irish Ninth.
hills, like lions they dashed upon the almost im¬
pregnable works of the foe; they fell fast, dead
and dying, under the red blaze of the cannon.
Again and again did they manfully try to force
the Heights; time after time did they rally and
again dash forward; but their devotion was in
vain. The continuous artillery as well as mus¬
ketry fire made fearful havoc in their ranks;
and, exhausted by their herculean efforts to sub¬
jugate this stronghold, they were compelled to
fall back and re-form at the foot of the hill. The
fighting was continued in all parts of the field,
and when night came on, and hostilities had
ceased for that day, we had' gained little or no
material advantage.
The next day our regiment crossed, under
cover of our batteries. The wounded of the
Irish Brigade were down at the river side, wait¬
ing to be taken across, and were greeted with
cheers by our lads as we passed, and many a
stout fellow with the green boxwood in his cap
looked at our Green Flag and our long lines with
pitiful eyes, fearing that few of us would ever
return. But the laugh and joke went round
among us with the same ease and freedom as
they ever did in camp. We were all in the best
Siege of Fredericksburg. 159
spirits. It was not for the regiment which had
heen baptized in the battles of the peninsula to
feel otherwise.
We marched from the beach up the hill lead¬
ing to the town and soon found ourselves in a
long, narrow street. Here Colonel Guiney gave
orders to unsling knapsacks. This was done;
the men fell into their places. The colonel gave
the command, " Load!" The guns were loaded.
a Right face I" " Double-quick! March!" were
the orders that next fell upon our ears; we
passed through a couple of desolate streets, and
in a few moments found ourselves in a large,
unsheltered plain, and bullets and shells keeping
high festival in the air.
We halted by order for a moment, then
marched slowly and steadily by the right flank
farther across the plain, crossing a small gully
in which lay several bodies. Having marched a
sufficient distance in the estimation of a Pennsyl¬
vania colonel who commanded our brigade, we
again changed our flank, and moved in line of
battle up the hill, the regiment behaving splen¬
didly. By order of the brigade commander we
again halted under a tempest of bullets and shells,
and remained again inactive for several minutes.
160
The Irish Ninth.
Up to this time a number of our men had been
wounded. While in this position, a regiment, or
the remainder of one, came scattering in, which
was the same regiment, we afterwards learned,
that retreated at Boteler's Mills. They had
scarcely passed, when the noble General Humph¬
rey, hat in hand, rode up to the very top of the
hill, and remained there for a few seconds in the
face of a destructive fire, and under the eyes of
the enemy's sharpshooters, and then rode slowly
back unharmed. We remained on the hill for a
time, the front regiment of the brigade,' with
the exception of the Fourth Michigan, being
jumbled together in some confusion behind,
when again we received orders to march by the
left flank. All this waste of time chafed Colonel
Guiney and his officers exceedingly. We moved
by the flank, however, and were then ordered to
march in line of battle up the hill, to take a
position at the crest, and hold it. This was
definite, and promised something exciting • so,
on we went through the enemy's fire, cutting
down and dashing through wire fences, until we
gained the brow of the hill. Our flags were
driven into the ground, and with our colors
fluttering defiance in front of the enemy, we lay
The Battle Suspended. 161
down, leaving the bullets to whistle harmlessly
over our heads. We lay in this position, expect¬
ing every moment orders to charge the stone
wall from behind which Ewell's division was doing
such tremendous execution. But they did not
come. Night gradually fell upon us; the roar
of artillery ceased; the roll of musketry grad¬
ually died away; and at dark all was still. The
shouts of the rebels, who were but a few hundred
yards from us, could be heard, and the groans of
their wounded j ours had been taken to the city,
and across the river. Their camp fires could be
seen; we had none burning: amid the carnage
and destruction that reigned around, we lay in
our blankets, and many of us slept.
11
162
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XIX.
The Continuation of the Siege—Very near. — It takes an Irishman
to crack a Joke. — Our hopeless Position.—We evacuate the
Heights. — The sacked City. — How to be jolly under any Cir¬
cumstances. — A Presentation. — We return to Falmouth.
HE next morning (Sunday) was bright and
clear, and the terrible conflict of the pre¬
vious day was resumed. The artillery roared
along the line, and the fierce musketry fires of
the contending forces made the din almost inde¬
scribable. A Massachusetts volunteer regiment
near us kept up a continuous fire ; for what
purpose no one could tell, for it is our conviction
that not one shot out of the eighty rounds per
man that was fired, did any execution. It served
to draw the terrific fire of the enemy upon us,
and to render our position very dangerous and
uncomfortable. This we should not have cared
so much about if we had had a chance to return
their fire effectively j but, sheltered as the enemy
Continuation of the Siege. 163
were by an almost impregnable stone wall, it
was impossible to do so. However, the regiment
kept up its fire, and did not cease until every
man had expended his ammunition. Had the
enemy then charged on them they could not
have repulsed them for want of ammunition.
Orders had been sent to them several times to
cease firing; but we suppose the near proximity
of the enemy, though defended by a stone wall,
was too tempting an opportunity to be passed
by such enterprising marksmen.
The Ninth kept their place upon the hill in
full enjoyment of their otiwn cum dignitate. Many
of the officers surrounded Colonel Guiney, smok¬
ing, telling stories, cracking jokes, and perpetrat¬
ing such conundrums as would win the envy of
Joe Miller, were he then in the land of the liv¬
ing. Whiz — whiz — came the bullets, without
cessation, hundreds of times unpleasantly close
to us; but the puns would come, the joke woidd
be cracked, the story told, notwithstanding the
authors thereof stood a most likely chance to
be hit by the deadly missiles that were flying
. around.
If we remember aright, a great deal of to¬
bacco was consumed that day; and one soldier
164
The Irish Ninth.
had his pipe knocked from his mouth by a bul¬
let. This was a great misfortune, as pipes were
very scarce, and the poor fellow could not bor¬
row another.
Whilst we lay upon this hill the firing contin¬
ued very heavily, and we were anxiously expect¬
ing orders to charge the enemy, when, looking
around, we noticed a tall, stout fellow of our
regiment, whom we had remarked some few
minutes before, calmly sleeping amid the crash¬
ing and roaring around, start up from his slum¬
bers, with a cry of pain, and pressing his arm,
moan piteously. " Arrah, hold yer whist! "
cried a companion near ; " the bullet didn't hurt
ye — look at that!" and taking his cap from
his head, he took the ball from the inside ! It
seems the bullet had glanced from the arm of
the sleeper and perforated the cap of his com¬
rade, whose head was lying in close proximity
to his companion's elbow.
The colonel of the One Hundred and Tenth
Pennsylvania happened to be looking at him,
and when he saw the bullet, remarked, "Well,
it takes an Irishman to crack a joke."
We lay on the hill that day, chafing with
impatience for a more active part in the battle
Position on the Heights.
165
then fiercely raging. Many of our men were hit,
and sometimes wounded as badly as though in
the midst of the conflict, and we were in infi¬
nitely greater danger from the explosion of the
shells than if farther in the front. However,
there we were ordered to remain. We must
curb our impatience, and, if we could not actively
participate in, await the issue of the conflict.
It was now evident to the soldiers of the army
of the Potomac, that, however well they might
fight, whatever valor they might display, this
great assault would be attended with only one
result — the falling back of our entire army.
The Heights of Fredericksburg, of immense nat¬
ural strength, were strongly supported both by
artillery and infantry; and Lee having the best
position it was possible to select, could easily repel
the onslaught of our troops with a much smaller
force of his own. On the other hand, our forces
were massed upon his front, literally piled up
before him, and from their unscientific and cir¬
cumscribed position, one half of our army para¬
lyzed the other. The attack upon the enemy's
works was continued throughout the day, our
artillery on the right doing splendid execution.
The forces upon the flank of our line, under
166
The Irish Ninth.
Franklin, had thrice unsuccessfully assaulted the
works of the enemy, but the blinding storm of
bullets, grape, and shrapnel mowed down the
gallant regiments as they advanced, literally de¬
stroying them before they reached the works.
Yet still the hopeless task was continued. The
brave men of our army moved steadily in the
footsteps of those that had fallen only to share
their fate. Thus regiment after regiment, bri¬
gade after brigade, and division after division,
moved forward to play their role in the mighty
tragedy that was being enacted, until the curtain
of night dropped, and closed the bloody and
heart-rending scene. On that terrible Sunday
night we knew that the army of the Potomac
had been repulsed. Orderlies and staff officers
passed swiftly to and fro over the field; whis¬
pered orders passed rapidly from mouth to
mouth; messengers flitted from regiment to
regiment in the darkness. Suddenly, the whole
army arose. Silently the men rolled up their
blankets and prepared to move. Shortly before
midnight the repulsed columns moved back to¬
ward the city. The Heights had been evac¬
uated. The great sacrifice of human lives had
been in vain.
Appearance of the City. 167
It was about midnight when we entered the
city. We found several divisions of the army
already assembled there. Stacks of arms lined
both sides of the street. Along the sidewalks
were stretched hundreds of weary soldiers, sleep¬
ing in their blankets, while here and there a
form rolled in a shelter-tent, which had origi¬
nally been white, presented, in the misty light, a
spectral looking appearance. Flickering lights
could be seen slowly moving in the streets, and
here and there dingy lights lit up dingy corners,
seemingly increasing the gloom. From the win¬
dows of large buildings calm, steady lights strug¬
gled faintly forth, and the passenger, looking up
from the street, could discern that they were full
of sick and wounded; while in the steadily-mov¬
ing figures shadowed forth could be plainly seen
surgeons and nurses as they tended the poor
soldier. In the entries of houses dead and
wounded were lying on stretchers. The dead
had been brought in from the field alive, but had
since expired. Wagons stood in the streets, from
which rations were being issued to the tired and
hungry men who had come in from the front.
Bread was not weighed out there ; it was " take
what you want." The store doors were wide
168
The Irish Ninth.
open, and broken boxes and barrels, weights,
scales, and destroyed goods of all kinds flung
recklessly around. Soldiers, with bits of tallow
candles in their powder-begrimed hands, were
prying into the different apartments in search
of spoil. Some were pulling up the flooring in
search of treasure, which they imagined was
secreted everywhere; some were sounding the
walls around; others, standing on the end of a
barrel, were holding a mimic auction, and dis¬
posing of coats and waistcoats at "ruinous sac¬
rifices" to the laughing and admiring crowd.
Others, of a literary turn, were deciphering ac¬
counts from great ledgers and entry books, and
commenting on the lucky situation of John Doe,
who was the debtor of Richard Roe to an im¬
mense amount. More were counting out large
piles of Virginia bank notes of which the bank
next door had been despoiled. Here and there
you could see a~ waggish fellow, in female attire,
strutting about on the arm of a comrade, and,
daintily lifting his skirts, exposing a tremendous
ankle clad in an unromantic government shoe.
We watched these scenes a little while, and then
moved away in search of more aristocratic quar¬
ters ; and these were plenty. We found a fine
Haying a Good Time.
169
dwelling, with the windows standing invitingly
open. We tried the door; it yielded. Entering
a fine hall, a side-door led ns into a splendidly-
furnished parlor; a rich carpet was on the floor ;
a well-filled book-case against the wall; a com¬
fortable sofa and numerous easy chairs were dis¬
posed about the room. We let down the cur¬
tains, and locked the door. One of " ours " went
to a fine piano, opened it, and, seating himself,
gave us snatches from 11 Trovatore, La Sonnambula,
Le Prophet e,' Der Freyschutz, and gliding from
Traviata, to the dashing melody of the " Bowld
Soger Boy" an hour or two passed merrily in
music and song; then the piano was closed,, and,
after a brief examination of the house, which
belonged to Dr. , we lay down on the soft
carpet, and soon were buried in sleep.
Early the next morning we strolled about the
city, and went to the quarters of the remnant
of the famous Irish Brigade. They were down
by the river side, and we found the havoc made
among their ranks to be worse than we antici¬
pated. Later in the day, our officers received a
cordial invitation to witness the presentation of
a stand of new colors, given to the Irish Brigade
by the ladies of New York, which took place in
170 Evacuation of Fredericksburg.
the theatre of Fredericksburg, and, considering
the surrounding oppressive circumstances, passed
off with considerable eclat. After the presentation,
on returning to our comfortable quarters, news
greeted us that our regiment was to be again
ordered to the front. Hour after hour passed
away, however, and still no orders came. At last
we retired to rest. About midnight we were
aroused, and the regiment began to move. "We
imagined we were going to the front, and not
until we arrived at the pontoon did we discover
that Fredericksburg was being evacuated. We
crossed the river that night, and, after a weary
march, reached our old camp at Stoneman's Sta¬
tion, Falmouth, as the day was breaking.
At Fredericksburg, Burnside suffered in more
respects than one. When that unfortunate bat¬
tle was over, we re-crossed the Rappahannock,
and while engaged in the weary process of re¬
treat, a long and inexplicable halt occurred on
the bridge, the commanding general reminding
me of Swaran in the ancient poem of Cath-Loda,
when " slowly stealing over the stream, he
whistled as he went."
The Irish Ninth.
171
CHAPTER XX.
Winter Quarters- — Those Pies. — Punch. — The Child of the For¬
est. — A Reconnoissance to Barnett's Ford. — Sharp Marching.
— Horse-racing. — How we spent St. Patrick's Day. — Fatal Ac¬
cident.
HAYING again settled ourselves down at
Falmouth, in front of Fredericksburg, we
cast about for something to vary the monotony of
camp life. The first thing to be done, however,
was to prepare for winter, which was now upon
us. We therefore went to work, erected log
foundations over deep cellars, fixed our wall and
shelter tents upon them, devised and built prac¬
ticable fireplaces with mud chimneys, and soon
began to feel very comfortable. Sutlers, which
the majority of our fellows, to this day, call
" Settlers," and purveyors swarmed about the
camp, and all kinds of articles, edible, useful,
and ornamental, could be purchased of them by
paying unheard-of prices. Bakeries were estab¬
lished with " patent ovens," invented by some
172
Sutlers and Purveyors.
enterprising genius in New York, who supplied
soft bread to the troops. These bakers received
their flour from the government, and in making
the bread they managed, likewise, to make a
large percentage. " Cute " men, hearing of the
great success of the " patent ovens," determined
to come down to Falmouth from Washington
and start opposition bakeries. A number of
them came down and manufactured pies. " Pies "
— that was the sweet, luscious appellation given
to some flat circular pieces of paste, baked brown,
in one of the said ovens. A few bites off one of
the pies would bring you to a few berries, of
what kind the soldiers have never discovered;
and after curiously examining these hidden
mysteries, finding they could make nothing of
them, it was deemed best to press them into the
crust and swallow them incontinently. Gradu¬
ally the sutlers and purveyors became more en¬
terprising, and would bring down ale, &c.; the
advent of the beer, we know, was a joyful oc¬
casion; we had not tasted any for more than
a year, and as this was remarkably good, it was
received and drank with a great deal of satisfac¬
tion.
Our evenings in camp were spent cheerfully
Punch-making.
173
and pleasantly. Before a blazing fire of no or¬
dinary dimensions, half a dozen of us would be
seated under the canvas shelter in front, watch¬
ing with profound interest the solemn and Sys¬
tematic proceedings of one of a ours." From one
pocket he would take a few lemons, which he
would place, with considerable dignity, upon the
bed. Then, stooping down and making a few
vigorous dives under that rustic couch, he would
reappear with two or three suspicious-looking can¬
teens ; these, with a mysterious wink, he would
deposit beside the lemons; this done, half a dozen
anxious voices would cry out simultaneously,
" Harry ! " The individual addressed, whose op¬
tics were rather sharp, and whose sense of smell
was rather keen, would unthinkingly expose his
proximity by instantaneously introducing his
head through the partial opening in the tent.
" Well, gemmen ? " u Bring — the — sugar —
Harry — and — one spoon — and, my 4 Child of
the Forest,' be expeditious!" Harry was com¬
monly known as the Child of the Forest. He
looked more like a victim fresh from the rack.
He was a huge, ungainly, loose-jointed fellow,
and always, when walking, seemed to proceed
sideways, like a rooster preparing to fight. Well,
174
The Irish Ninth.
Harry would produce the sugar from some mys¬
terious corner, which was placed beside the other
necessaries. Then a few anxious voices would
insinuatingly hint, for the edification of one of
our circle (who had joined the Child of the For¬
est within), " I'd make it pretty strong, Nick, if I
were you." " 0, yes," the balance would chorus,
"make it hot and strong;" and then another
ominous silence would ensue, every eye being
bent on the dignified compounder. Soon the
mysterious decoction would be completed; then
half a dozen drinking tins would be filled with the
steaming and fragrant beverage yclept " punch,"
and soon, very soon, emptied, — Harry looking
on at the rapid consumption with what we should
imagine to be a fair resemblance of the grin of a
pleased demon displayed on his huge face; and
with a chuckle, would turn about and shuffle
away to his cook-house, hidden in some remote
part of which he would watch the advent of some
daring fellow who would come to abstract some of
the articles of the mess, and, when he appeared,
pounce on him with a tragic growl, and a " I've
got yer now 1" but sometimes, before he had
concluded the sentence, he would be knocked
into a kettle of his own soup!
Social Meetings.
175
A draught from the steaming jug of punch
completely changed the scene. Good humor
sparkled forth on every face, the bright glow
from the fire seeming to increase in warmth, till
we moved back our seats, and threw ourselves into
more comfortable attitudes. Conversation would
soon merge into relations of adventure, surmises as
to pending movements, home, friends, and coun¬
try; occasionally the narratives would take a
cheerful tone, then melancholy, and at times
even terrible; and, amid a breathless silence, the
narrator would proceed till our interest had been
thoroughly excited, and then abruptly stop; and
we all laughed merrily to think that we had
so soon been interested; then songs would be
sung, — for many of our circle were good sing¬
ers; then came solos, glees, quartets, and cho¬
ruses, that would, for power and energy, if not
for melody, rival the elaborate concerts of our
own dear little city of Boston.
Thus the time passed on, varied by some slight
marches and reeonnoissances. One of the latter
-we well remember: it was made by our brigade,
under the command of General Barnes, to Kel-
ley's Ford, on the other side of which the rebels
were in force, having rifle-pits upon the banks of
the river.
The Irish Ninth.
We started early on the morning of December
30, and, after marching rapidly many miles,
halted for the night; and, as we could not light
fires for fear of attracting the attention of the
enemy, we were compelled to go to bed supper-
less, but, being very weary, slept soundly. A
very heavy mist fell during the night, and when
we awoke in the morning our blankets were sat¬
urated. We continued our march, and reached
the ford, our cavalry, who were in advance of
us, capturing four or five rebels. Having accu¬
rately ascertained the enemy's position, we
started back the same morning for our camp:
continuing on our way, our'men showing evident
signs of exhaustion, we arrived near Harwood
Church, ten miles from our camp. Here choice
was given us, either to encamp for the night, or
march onward to camp. After some consid¬
eration, the decision was, " keep on:" this we
did, and reached our quarters at Falmouth about
eight o'clock. That reconnoissance was the hard¬
est march performed by any brigade in the army
of the Potomac. We marched fifty-four miles in
less than thirty-one hours; deducting from that
the eight or nine hours we rested on the first
night, there will be left, we think, a record of
Horse-racing.
177
endurance highly creditable to those who took
part therein.
After this tough sample of military labor, we
were allowed to rest, and pass away the time
as best we could. One of our principal sources
of amusement was horse-racing. The regiment
boasted many remarkable specimens of horse
flesh, all of them being, in the estimation of their
owners, something extraordinary. Among these
was one called the " Cat," which, in the language
of one of our men, " wasn't much to look at, but
the devil's own boy to go." Where the Cat
came from, to whom he belonged, or where he
finally went, nobody knows. Dr. Ryan, how¬
ever, introduced him to our regimental turf; the
doctor swore that the Cat was sired by one of
the best stallions in the country, and foaled by a
mare that would knock bright spots out of Flora
Temple. As the doctor was " up " on horse flesh,
no one contradicted him; but when they went
away they would silently gyrate their thumbs
upon the nose and invest their pile upon the
other side. Ryan generally rode the Cat, and
by some hocus-pocus always managed to come
in. ahead. So it was that the fame of the wretched-
looking Cat went up. There was another noted
178
The Irish Ninth.
horse we saw there, rejoicing in the modest ap¬
pellation of the " War Horse? Tradition said he
was very fast, but the old fellow never would
verify tradition. He was matched against the
Cat, but the tremendous gap intervening be¬
tween the latter and himself completely destroyed
his reputation for fieetness. It is but justice,
however, to the old War Horse, to say, that he
always held his character for being a "fast eater."
Many very fine races were run there, however,
in which the horses of General Griffin, our divis¬
ion commander, took part; the white Arabian
of Colonel Guiney; the fine animal " Dick " of
Lieutenant-Colonel Hanley; and, between horses,
the property of other officers of the brigade.
Very exciting times we used to have; and the
brigade would turn out en masse to witness
these racing carnivals, which helped to pass time
pleasantly away.
In this manner we jogged along until the
month of March, when we began to make prepa-.
rations for the celebration of St. Patrick's Day.
Arrangements on an extensive scale were made
for a pleasant celebration. " Goodies" were
brought from Washington by the sutlers, and a
large wall tent erected, in which, after the fes-
Celebration of St. Patrick's Day. 179
tivities of the day, the officers and their friends
and guests were to assemble and spend the even¬
ing. The morning of the 17th came upon us
bright, beautiful, and bracing, and found the
camp in a fine state of cleanliness, and tastefully
decorated with evergreens and appropriate mot¬
toes. A tall pole was erected on a vacant spot,
opposite the regimental quarters, which was
thickly greased: on the top of the pole was a
furlough paper for ten days, which was to be the
prize for the successful climber. A number of
candidates appeared, and about ten o'clock in
the morning, these slippery ascensions com¬
menced. One tall, stout fellow made a desperate
effort to lift himself from the ground, and,
after trying for about half an hour, was reluc¬
tantly compelled to give it up, having in that
time only achieved about an inch; he looked
wistfully at the paper fluttering above him, and
then turned away to give room to an ambitious
youngster, who succeeded in getting half way
up, when, coming to a spot greasier than the
rest, he began to slip, and did not pause until he
came to ground, amid the roars of the crowd.
Several other enterprising spirits attempted
the task, but the pole slipped through their
180
The Irish Ninth.
hands, and the furlough fluttered tauntingly above
them, until, at last, no more could be found to
make the attempt, and then the crowd adjourned
to the race ground, where several fast runners
were in line; an exciting race was then run,
when the grand event of the day came off— a
horse-race, in which several of the fastest horses of
the brigade were entered. It was in this race that
Quartermaster Thomas Mooney received the fear¬
ful injuries which eventually terminated his life.
This unfortunate occurrence closed the festiv¬
ities, and cast a shadow over the spirits of us all.
Lieutenant Mooney was highly respected by his
associates, and was a genial, warm-hearted man,
and the sad termination -of his life was deeply
regretted. Every care was bestowed on him by
the surgeons and his brother officers, but all in
vain; he died shortly afterwards, and his re¬
mains were conveyed to his home in Boston.
The Irish Brigade, at this time, was encamped
about two miles from us; they also had a grand
celebration, at which General Hooker was pres¬
ent ; some splendid samples of horse flesh were
brought upon the ground, and, in addition to flat
races, a steeple chase was run in presence of an
immense assemblage.
Encampment at Falmouth. 181
That winter at Falmouth was the most genial
and comfortable one we ever spent; and, after
the toil of marches and the ordeal of battles, we
gladly look back on it with feelings of pleasura¬
ble satisfaction.
182
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XXI.
The Regiment is presented with a new Flag. — We leave Falmouth.
— Kelley's Ford. — Ellis' Ford. — The Battle of Chancellorsville.
— The Plank Road. — A wrong Turn. —How the Doctors were
routed. — Ellis' Ford. — Sketch of Mr. Ellis. — To Brandy Sta¬
tion. — Encounter with the Enemy. — Tough Marching. — Bad
Luck to this Marching.
HILE at this camp we were highly hon¬
ored by the presentation to our regiment
of a splendid green flag, of great value, by the
Irish brigade. The names of all the battles we
had passed through were inscribed on the face
of it in letters of gold, while, on the reverse, a
large gold harp was embroidered of exquisite
beauty and workmanship.
This gratifying presentation took place in the
centre of a square formed by our regiment, and
the flag was turned over to Colonel P. R. Guiney
by General Meagher, in one of those magnificent
rhetorical efforts for which he is distinguished,
and appropriately responded to by Colonel
Guiney in the name of the regiment.
Battle of Chancellorsville. 183
The remainder of the winter months soon
passed away. General Burnside, having re¬
signed his command, was succeeded by General
Hooker, and preparations were then made for
a spring campaign, which culminated in the bat¬
tle of Chancellorsville.
On the 27th of April, our army, under the
command of General Hooker, moved from Fal¬
mouth in the direction of Kelley's Ford, on the
Rappahannock, which we crossed, surprising the
enemy and driving him back upon the formida¬
ble works in his rear. The army then crossed
the Rapidan, at Ellis' Ford, and marched to a
place called Chancellorsville, in Orange County,
Virginia. Here we halted, and soon our forces
were in position, and prepared to give battle to
General Lee. The engagement was commenced
by the artillery of the Union troops, which kept
up a continuous fire throughout the day. The
Fifth Corps, under the command of General
Sykes, commenced the conflict, and succeeded
in driving the rebel force from its position. A
large number of the Zouaves, a fine regiment
from New York, were killed and wounded.
They fought magnificently that day, and suc¬
ceeded in maintaining the position they had so
184
The Irish Ninth.
bravely won. The Ninth, upon the extreme
left of the right wing, had thrown up strong
breastworks facing the enemy's centre, which
they had been instructed to maintain to the
death.
The columns of Jackson, escaping the clutch
of Sedgwick, at Fredericksburg, changed the
face of affairs, however, making it necessary for
our division to leave their works, and march on
the plank road to intercept Jackson, and keep
him from the field until the forces of Lee, in
the front, were beaten by General Hooker. By
some mistake upon the part of subordinate com¬
manders, a wrong route was taken, and Jackson,
in full possession of the plank road, marched
without interruption to the support of Lee, and
succeeded in repulsing the main force of Hooker,
compelling him to take up a new position on the
fields in front of Chancellorsville House, where
a portion of our artillery was posted, and about
a quarter of a mile in the rear of our original
line. The fine fighting of our troops, however,
preserved all our original advantages of position,
and the general feeling among them was, that
Lee would be defeated. The movements of
General Hooker were characterized by celerity
Battle of Chancellorsville. 185
and decision, and the troops had the fullest con¬
fidence in his ability; and, being in the best of
spirits, the defeat of the rebels was anticipated.
From prisoners that were captured we learned
that the rapid movements of Hooker had taken
Lee completely by surprise; and many of them
further remarked that we had " taken the right
way to master Lee ;" in fact, they all seemed to
believe that Chancellorsville was the beginning
of the last days of the Confederacy.
Our regiment was engaged a great part of the
time in supporting Griffin's battery and doing
picket duty. Two of the companies of our regi¬
ment, while on picket, were engaged with the
enemy, and handsomely repulsed him. The bat¬
tle of Chancellorsville occupied about three days,
when General Hooker found it necessary to fall
back, the army crossing safely at the United
States Ford on the morning of May 5, having
marched all night without being harassed by
Lee's forces, to whom our retreat was entirely
unexpected.
The battle cost a great many lives, and follow¬
ing as it did upon the heels of Fredericksburg,
seemed to leave our army in a very bewildered
state. They could scarcely understand how
186
The Irish Ninth.
these consecutive defeats had occurred, after all
the splendid fighting they had done and the
extraordinary marches they had performed. We
are reminded of an incident of that battle which
may be worth relating. We were engaged on
the provost guard, of the First Division, Fifth
Army Corps, and we had charge of. a number
of rebel prisoners who had been taken in the
first day's fighting. When this division moved
in the direction of the plank road, so called,
one of the prisoners remarked to us, " You are
going to intercept Jackson; you have missed
him, however; while you are marching this way
he is coming down the plank road, beyond those
hills," pointing to a range about a quarter of a
mile distant, "and will form a junction with
Lee's main body before you can turn back and
catch him." It proved to be very true; the
junction was formed, and the army of the Poto¬
mac was repulsed.
An amusing incident came under our notice
during the progress of the engagement at Chan-
cellorsville, which may prove interesting. A
large number of wounded had been brought in
from the front upon stretchers, and carried to
the hospital tents about a quarter of a mile in
An Amusing Incident. 187
the rear. These tents were pitched in the woods,
and were supposed to be out of reach of the
enemy's fire. About noon, however, of the sec¬
ond day's fight, the heavy guns of the enemy
opened fire, and threw their shells right into the
wood and surrounding places.
It was a curious sight to see the wounded men,
who, a moment before, seemed unable to rise up,
scramble from their stretchers, and hobble far¬
ther to the rear; to see the surgeons display
extraordinary agility in packing up their mur¬
derous-looking instruments, strike their tents,
and follow their astonished patients to a place
of greater security.
It was, " Take up thy bed and walk" most
comically illustrated. The poor, wounded fel¬
lows no doubt thought that it was enough to get
struck in action, without waiting to be demol¬
ished in their beds; and they were right. No
one was hit, however, and they succeeded in
making their retreat in good order, the soldier
with his " kit," and the surgeons with their imple¬
ments of torture.
On the evening of the 6th of May, the whole
army, after a tiresome march over rough, muddy
roads, found themselves back in their old camps,
188
The Irish Ninth.
anxiously speculating as to who would be the
next commander of the army of the Potomac;
for, in the terse and expressive language of the
Ninth, General Hooker was " certainly gone up."
On the 28th of the same month, our army was
again on the move: as usual, the roads were
very bad: after a march of about ten miles our
regiment encamped at Harwood Church. Early
the next morning the march was resumed, and,
after bivouacking one or two nights, we arrived at
Ellis' Ford, on the Eappahannock, and estab¬
lished ourselves in camp in the woods, close to
the river. We then sent two companies of ours
out on picket to guard the ford, and men were
detailed from the remainder of the regiment to
throw up breastworks along the edge of the river.
The enemy, who were posted on the summit of
the bluff on the opposite side, opened fire upon
our working party with musketry, and after¬
wards brought up a piece of artillery, and fired
two charges of grape and canister. Fortunately
no one was hit, and our work proceeded.
The following description, from ,the note-book
of an officer,* of Ellis, of Ellis' Ford, may be
found interesting: —
* Notes by an officer of the regiment.
Description of Mr. Ellis. 189
" I have not stated anything of our stay at old
Ellis', at the ford, and the friendly converse
maintained with him, and the inexpressible
pleasure I enjoyed in sleeping on his comforta¬
ble sofa, and occasionally reclining even on his
soft and downy bed. The old man, somewhat
of a cripple, did not like the idea of remaining
in his chamber during the night, lest an engage¬
ment might take place between the opposing
forces, and an accidental shot might send him,
not prematurely, to the dominions of Pluto; he
would find himself between two fires, and the
situation might not be considered enviable. He
was, therefore, careful to vacate the premises
each evening and hobble to the rear, where he
found rest, and imagined he found security in
the house of one of his employees. Before leav¬
ing, he would regularly hand over the key of
his chamber, which was just inside the pi&zza, to
the officer in command of the post, with liberty
to enjoy the comforts of his bed or sofa. These
were a rich treat to the soldier long accustomed
to nothing but the greensward or hard boards;
however, I always remarked I slept better on
the hard boards outside on the platform of the
piazza, or on the green grass, than on the old
190
The Irish Ninth.
man's luxurious couch. Old Mr. Ellis is a perfect
Croesus — rich in land, money, and negroes. But
I think he suffers from a want of the necessaries
of life, as his supplies are, to a great extent, cut
off by the occupation of his territory by the con¬
flicting forces. He was never married. All the
female society he at presents enjoys is confined
to two smutty, corpulent, dirty, aged colored
women, whom I, at least, would not suffer in
sight. I wonder how it is that any man of re¬
spectability, feeling, or decency, can bear to be a
slaveholder, while he is surrounded by such pic¬
tures of degradation and misery as many of the
southern plantations present, and which should
appeal to the finer feelings of his nature."
Ellis' house was situated within a few yards
of the river bank, along which our forces had
thrown up rifle-pits. The ford was about thirty
feet wide, and the rebel picket on the other side
was within speaking distance. During the day¬
time, no shots would be exchanged, though at
night the stillness would sometimes be broken
by a few straggling rifle-shots, and sometimes by
a volley when the rebels apprehended an attack
from our side. Nothing of interest or impor¬
tance took place while we were there, the gen-
The Enemy badly Beaten. 191
eral position of the opposing forces being still the
same as when we first moved down to the ford.
We left that place about the 5th of June, and
moved on to Kelley's Ford, and remained there
for three or four days, engaged in duties similar
to those at Ellis'. On the morning of the 9th
we crossed the Kappahannock via Kelley's Ford,
to support our cavalry, which had crossed the
river in great force under Generals Gregg and
Kilpatrick. They encountered the enemy near
Brandy Station, some ten or fifteen thousand
strong, and a fierce fight took place. The Ninth
and Thirty-second Begiments were ordered
farther to the front, in support of our cavalry,
and we passed on for -about five miles. The
First Michigan followed, and protected the road
over which we had passed to prevent our retreat
being cut off. The cavalry engagement was
commenced by a heavy artillery fire. About
four o'clock the former became engaged, fighting
until dark, when the enemy fell back badly
beaten. Several wounded men of both sides
were carried to the rear, where we were held in
reserve, and they represented the fight as the
greatest cavalry engagement that ever took
place on this continent. The number of sabre
192
The Irish Ninth.
cuts on heads and arms proclaimed the severity
of the contest and the close proximity of the
combatants. We returned the same night to
Kelley's Ford, and marched shortly afterwards
to Morrisville. From there we pushed on, and
marched day after day, with irregular intervals
of rest, via Warrenton, Manassas, and Centreville
to Gum Springs, Aldie, Virginia. During these
marches the heat was unusually oppressive;
many "poor fellows dropped down exhausted by
the road-side. Many men died, overcome by the
intolerable heat, and the weight of their knap¬
sacks and other habiliments of a soldier. While
we were marching in the direction of Bull Bun,
a remark reached us from one of " our " comical
characters. On leaving Catlett's Station it be¬
came evident where we were bound.
" Where's the grand army going now, Pat ? "
queried one of the other.
u 0, then, don't you know," was the reply,
" we are going to Bull Bun to get our annual
baUtf ? "
At another time, as we were crossing the Bap-
pahannock, a tall, strapping fellow of u ours"
stopped, and suddenly laid down his gun.
" What are you doing now, Jim?" said a com¬
panion.
Stopped to Reorganize.
193
" 0, the divil! I'm stoppin' to reorganize !"
at the same time shifting his knapsack more com¬
fortably and securely on his shoulders.
When he was " reorganized" he resumed his
march, humming, —
" Bad luck to this marching,
Pipe-claying and starching:
How neat one must be to be killed by the French 1
I'm sick of parading,
Through wet and cold wading,
Or standing all night to be shot in a trench."
13
194
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XXII.
General Meade assumes Command. — Gettysburg. — Following tire
Enemy. — We reenter Virginia. — The Professor's Excuse for Lag¬
ging. — He could not rob the Dead.
HE army of the Potomac was rapidly con¬
centrated in and about Aldie, from which
place General Hooker, still in command, moved
his columns down in pursuit of Lee's army, which
was rapidly advancing through Maryland upon
Pennsylvania, to carry out his scheme of retalia¬
tion, and to encourage the great peace party,
which he imagined then existed in the North,
but in which he eventually found himself wo-
fully mistaken.
We passed rapidly through the several towns
and cities of Maryland, and on reaching Fred¬
erick City, Md., learned that Hooker had been
relieved by General Meade. We were followed
by the good wishes of nearly all the inhabitants,
and on the morning of July 1 crossed the Penn¬
sylvania state line, close upon the rear of Lee's
Gettysburg.
195
invading array. The same night we arrived at
Hanover, Pa., and encamped within a few miles
of the memorable field of Gettysburg. The next
day our regiment was sent on picket on the
extreme right of the line of battle; but we were
called in, later in the day, to participate in the
great battle that was then raging; but as night
was advancing, we were not very prominently
exposed.
The position-of the regiment was changed to
the left on the 3d and 4th, and we were engaged
in a heavy skirmish with the enemy in front, and
succeeded in maintaining our position, though
opposed by a heavy force. The position where
they were placed was of great importance to the
success of General Meade's plans; and the gen¬
eral opinion was, that if the right of Lee's army
pressed their attack on this wing, the Ninth, un¬
less strongly reenforced, would be annihilated.
In fact, the regiment moved forward to their
position with a sort of misgiving that we should
have very hot work, and that to escape without
terrific loss of life would be next to a miracle;
but even this did not lessen the ardor of our
brave boys, and they took their position and
firmly maintained it.
196
The Irish Ninth.
The terrible onslaughts of Meade on Lee's front
were of that powerful nature that demanded all
of the enemy's strength to resist, and before he
could well turn his attention to other sections of
his elongated front, the battle had been decided
and the invader ignominiously beaten; the other
regiments of our brigade, detached from us,
and more immediately in the midst of-the fight,
were terribly cut up. They fought with great
gallantry, and in the midst of the dire conflict
the murmur ran through their lines, " Where's
the Ninth? Why have they been taken from
us?" But the Ninth, solitary and alone, held
their place in a distant part of the field, and they
asked, "Where's the rest of our brigade?" The
dividing of the brigade, the regiments of which
had so often met the enemy side by side, caused
much dissatisfaction.
It is not for us to present a picture of the ter¬
rible field of Gettysburg. We fear a true and
faithful account can never be written, or the
many tableaux of that panorama of brave deeds,
indomitable courage, or of carnage, destruc¬
tion, and terror, be depicted. The vacant chair
in many a home, the seared spot on many a
heart, the epitaph for many a grave, may be
Following the Enemy.
197
read in the now familiar name, " Gettsyburg;"
while, towering above all, it forms a monument
of Meade's genius, which will last even when the
great shaft that there commemorates the dead
has crumbled into dust!
General Lee, having evacuated his position and
commenced his retreat, was closely followed up
by our army. On the 5th of July, Kilpatrick's
division of cavalry, which had been sent out
early in the day, returned, and reported that
Lee's army was making for Williamsport. We
therefore immediately moved by way of South
Mountain, passing through Boonsboro' and Tem-
blinstown, and soon came upon the enemy in
position a short distance from Williamsport, his
left within a few miles of Temblinstown. Here
General Meade, no doubt, expected Lee would give
him battle : he therefore proceeded to strengthen
his position by such fortifications as were neces¬
sary, and awaited Lee's preliminary movements.
No sign, however, indicated the enemy's inten¬
tions during the night of the 13th; on the next
day, on our skirmishers being deployed, and grad¬
ually contracting their lines about Williamsport,
they found it to be evacuated.
Thus was the second Maryland campaign
198
The Irish Ninth.
ended, and with losses equally disastrous, if not
worse than the first to the audacious Rebels.*
The army of the Potomac, on the 17th of July,
inspired by the success of Gettysburg, proceeded
to pay back the compliment by an invasion of
their own, and, crossing the Potomac at Berlin,
Maryland, they entered that barrenest of all
barren states, Virginia.
We had one of those odd characters called an
"Irish hedge schoolmaster" in the regiment.
He was technically called the " Professor," and
we think our trans-Atlantic friends will recognize
him as a type of the ancient genus. Be his offi¬
cers ever so watchful, the professor generally
managed to fall out when the regiment was ap¬
proaching an engagement. He did this at Get¬
tysburg; the day after the engagement he
rejoined his company, and was accosted by the
colonel with,—
"Well, sir, how came you absent from the
ranks?" The professor threw himself into po-
* The result of the campaign may be briefly stated: the defeat
of the enemy at Gettysburg, their compulsory evacuation of Pennsyl¬
vania and Maryland, and withdrawal from the upper valley of the
Shenandoah, and the capture of three guns, forty-one standards, and
13,621 prisoners, and 24,978 small arms collected on the battle¬
field. — Extract from General Meade's Official Report.
The Professor's Excuse for Lagging. 199
sition, and, having given the customary salute
with considerable dignity, delivered the following
characteristic explanation: —
" When within about two miles of this historic
field, I fell out by the road-side for the purpose
of recuperating my exhausted energies. After
five hours' unruffled slumber I awoke, startled by
the roaring of many batteries of artillery, and,
colonel, in the weakness of my judgment, and
under all the painful circumstances, I deemed it
prudent to remain in the rear."
The colonel was so stunned by this lucid and
grandiloquent explanation, that, to this day, no
punishment for this dereliction of duty has been
inflicted on the prudent professor.
During the first day of the battle our men
were somewhat short of provisions, the wagons
being some distance in the rear. After we had
lain down at night, one of our fellows, more
hungry and wide awake than the rest, rose, and
approached a dead soldier that was near, by
whose side lay a well-filled haversack : kneeling
down by the body, he opened the haversack and
saw, revealed by the clear light of the moon, a
goodly feast of " flour rolls," looking temptingly
brown and nice, which the poor fallen soldier
200
The Irish Ninth.
had purchased on the inarch, but had not had time
to eat before he was engaged in his last fight.
One by one, our boy transferred them to his own
haversack, and then he rose to move away. He
moved about two paces, and suddenly stopped.
Pausing a moment in seeming meditation, he
turned round to where the dead soldier was lying,
his pale face revealed by the moonlight. Our
fellow kneeled gently down by his side, and one
by one he took the rolls from his haversack, and
placed them in that from which he had taken
them: carefully drawing a blanket over the face
of the dead man, he passed slowly away. The
poor fellow was too conscientious to despoil the
dead of his food, although himself very hungry.
Conscience vs. Hunger. Page 200
Incidents of a March. 201
CHAPTER XXIII.
Incidents of a March. — A dirty Musket. — The Colonel and the
Corporal. — An ungrateful Man. — Retaliation. — More of the
Professor. — How he got his Larnin'.
HE Ninth found themselves once more in
Virginia, marching over the same ground
and gazing upon the same familiar scenes they
had so often passed during the last two years.
Not a road, not a stream, or hill, or valley, or
shorn wood, but looked to them like an old
friend. Here they had done picket duty on
many a long night. There many a pleasant
evening had been passed around that charred
old stump, against which the camp fires had
cheerily burned. Along that smooth, hard road,
many a foot-race had been run, or many a wres¬
tling match had been consummated. Between
those little drains and ridges they had often
soundly slept ; and those unromantic heaps
which at one time were considered an " illi-
202
The Irish Ninth.
gant" chimney, in our not-over-fastidious esti¬
mation, could they speak, what stories they
might tell of adventure, personal or romantic,
told by our gossiping lads of a winter night as
they sat around the cheerful fire that blazed
therein! The soldier's life may not be condu¬
cive to the development of the gentler feelings,
of our nature. But this we do know : we have
seen strong, cold-hearted men moved by such
scenes as we have feebly attempted to portray,
and the recurrence of so many familiar places
made it seem as though the mission of the army
of the Potomac was indeed circumscribed — as
though their battles and bivouacs were to be
fought and made in the self-same area. In a
word, Virginia and its vicinity were the great
book which they had long perused, the chap¬
ters of which were indelibly impressed on their
memory, and every passage was to them as
familiar as a song.
Our boys, as they trudged along, pointed out
well-known spots; and then came quaint sayings
and comical stories, in some way associated with
them.
" Jimmie, d'ye remember when we was here,
when the kurnel axed me what I had sich a
A Dirty Musket.
203
dirty musket for, and I showed him me shovel,
an' ses I,' Kurnel, maybe the gun's a bit dirty,
but this shovel's purty well polished;' 'cause
I'd bin worki'n' at that there fort for a fort¬
night ; an' the kurnel laughed, an' ses he to the
captin, as they went away,' P'raps, captin, that's
more in his line.'" " 0, yes ; I remember that
well, Tim," returned Jimmie, with a broad grin;
" but ould Mike the corpler kot the kurnel
as fine as ever he war kot in his life. Mike
was on juty one day, an' he let somebody pass,
what had no business to. The kurnel herd
it, and when he sees the corpler he axed him
' what for he done that.' Mike said,4 'cause he
thought it war all right.' Ses the kurnel,' Well,
you're a purty feller ! what confounded fool
made you a corpler ?' ' Shure, kurnel,' ses
Mike, e it was yourself.'" Eoars of laughter fol¬
lowed this narration; then Jimmie resumed the
conversation. " God be wid them times; poor
Mike was a quare fellow. It war a shame he
war killed the way he was. We war goin'
through the wood at Malvern, jist out from the
field, when we seed a wownded reb setting fore-
nenst a tree. ' Give us a drink of water,' ses
he. Ould Mike stopped and give him a drink
204
The Irish Ninth.
out of his canteen, while we went on. Purty
soon we herd a shot, and looked back and seed
poor Mike fall. The cowardly snake had shot
him after drinkin' his water* Charley Willis
run back an' dashed the butt of his musket on
the rascal's head, an' settled him, the brute!
Arrah, some of them war great villains, Tim."
" They war, indeed ! didn't meself see 'em prod-
din' the wounded with their bayonets, an' rob-
bin' 'em afore they was dead?" Here Jimmie
pulled out his old black pipe, and, seizing a
brand from a fire by the road-side, hastily lit
it, and was about to proceed with the conversa¬
tion.
u Whist!" said Tim, with a nudge of the
elbow, as Jimmie was about to speak; " here's
the Purfessor. We'll have some fun wid the
quare divil, for he's mighty grand whin he wants
to be."
The Professor, who has been introduced to our
readers in the previous chapter, now appeared
— the perspiration pouring off his brow; and,
bending beneath the weight of a well-filled
* This treacherous act was perpetrated at the battle of Malvern
Hill, as stated. Poor Willis, who inflicted such summary retribution,
was afterwards killed.
The Professor.
205
knapsack * he presented the appearance of one
laboring under sore affliction.
"Well, me man o' wax," quoth Tim, "ye's
looks tired an' purty well played out! "
" It's not exhausted, nayther is it debilitated, I
am; nor is this perspiration exhumed from my
flesh by the unaccustomed exercise of my fermo-
ral muscles; but I am greatly exercised by the
rapacious villany of a dishonest soger, whose au¬
dacious immorality has culminated in the appro¬
priation of my frying-pan!"
Jimmie and Tim seemed stunned for a mo¬
ment by the Professor's eloquence; the latter at
last recovered himself and said," It must be a
quare frying-pan; if yer plase, let's look at it."
"Haven't I explained to ye, in the clearest
terrums, words, and expressions, that can be
taken, picked, chosen, or selected from the un¬
limited vocabulary of the English tongue, the
frying-pan that was attached to my back has
taken unto itself wings and flown away!" and
the Professor looked about him with as much
dignity as his red, freckled face and extensive
knapsack would allow.
* The author has observed that skulkers, stragglers, and army-
bummers carry the heaviest loads in clothes, kitchen utensils, and
rations, and will not surrender them, even if dying with fatigue.
206
The Irish Ninth.
" 0, it must be the divil's own frying-pan that
could get off that way; it dropped off, ye mane."
"Ye war niver at Maynooth," interrupted the
Professor, with a self-satisfied look.
"No," said Tim, innocently, "but I've a brother
that was."
" Did he take his degrees ?" queried the Pro¬
fessor.
" He did, indeed. I don't know what you call
'em, but he took something, and that's what got
him there. Were you ever there?" asked Tim,
in his turn.
" Faith, I was; 'twas there I got my larnin'."
" The divil! " quoth the astonished Tim; " ye
ought to be ashamed to tell it, ye reprobate!"
" To tell it!" exclaimed the astonished Pro¬
fessor.
" Yes," yelled Tim, " ye got yer larnin' in May¬
nooth Jail, and ye'd be boastin' of it. It's little
that my brother Dick would do.the likes o' that,
though he can make a brush or break a stone as
clever as the next man, an' he didn't serve half
as long as you."
The astounded Professor gave his knapsack a
hitch, and fell to the rear, away from the boys,
who laughed long and boisterously.
The Professor.
207
"Well, he's a man of wonderful larnin', Tim,"
quoth Jimmie.
" Ay," replied Tim; and he sang the following
stanza in a clear and not unmusical voice: —
"He's a fine and mighty janius, full of larnin' and of wit,
And can spake of other nations that are far beyant the say;
He can talk in Greek or Latin, or elucidate Sanscrit.
He's the gratest livin' scholar in the univarsitay."
" I wonder what made him 'list," said Jimmie,
when his companion had unburdened himself
of the above elegant lines.
" What made him inlist, is it ? sure that's aisily
answered. He larned everything that there was
to be larned, 'cept sogerin'; so he jist come here
to complate his accomplishments by larnin' how
to make coffee, eat hard tack and pork, and sleep
on the could, could ground; an' thin he'll go
home wid a big diary an' a skin full of rumatics.
That's the way wid these ambitious min, Jimmie;
they'd go to the ould boy hisself for larnin'. It's
well for us we are not janiuses, eh, Jimmie?"
"Yes, and for Unqle Sam too, Tim; for these
janiuses is alius behind when there's any fightin'
to be done; they doos be examinin' the juology
of the rocks. I seed the Purfessor, the last time
we'd a cut at the ' Johnnies,' behind a big pile,
208
The Irish Ninth.
and I axed what he war doin', an' he sed he war
'juologizin' or some sort of gizin of the rocks!"
Thus the boys would travel on, relating anec¬
dotes of their military experiences, and throwing
off comical descriptions of character which kept
their companions in a continual roar of laugh¬
ter. Reaching Lovettsville late in the day, all
soon were busy cooking their suppers, prepar¬
atory to sleep.
Rectorstown.
209
CHAPTER XXIY.
Rectorstown.—How to estimate Compliments. — Wapping Heights.
— Warrenton. — The Landlord played out. — Beverley Ford.—
Our Camp. — Arrival of Conscripts. —We march for Culpepper.
INTELLIGENCE reached us the next morning
that the left of the rebel column was but a
few miles in front; and at an early hour the regi¬
ment resumed its march, and after bivouacking
three times, at Oatland's, and Goose Creek, ar¬
rived, on the evening of July 22, at Rectorstown,
Va., through which, we learned, the victorious
Mosby had passed the day before. We marched
through this wretched place next day, and found
it to contain a few wooden houses, several dimin¬
utive pigs, and a number of sharp, surly women,
who, from their unladylike gestures and remarks,
seemed to hold ourselves and flag in profound
contempt; little notice was taken of them, how¬
ever, though considerable attention was paid to
the "grunters," many of which squealed their
own most unmusical requiem. As we marched
14
210
The Irish Ninth.
on, snuffing up the fresh air from the hills adja¬
cent,- and scanning the beautiful scenery by
which this consumptive-looking town was sur¬
rounded, about noon, we arrived near Wapping
Heights, a short distance from Manassas Gap.
Wapping Heights is a great rocky mountain,
the Shenandoah Valley on one side, and the
Manassas Station on the other. It is entirely
devoid of vegetation, and the surface so sharp
and pointed as to do great injury to the feet of
the cavalry horses that passed over. At Wap¬
ping Heights we found the enemy drawn up in
line of battle. Next day we attacked them, and
they retreated in considerable confusion across
the Shenandoah, having received a whipping
from our forces.
We then turned our steps towards Warrenton,
Virginia, and after two days' marching we halted
and encamped about three miles from the town
of Warrenton, which was a fine enterprising place
before the war, and contained a population of
two or three thousand inhabitants, among them
many men of enterprise and ability. It contains
several fine churches, and a number of public
buildings, which, though now in a ruinous condi¬
tion, still show traces of considerable architec-
The Landlord Played Out. 211
tural beauty. The streets are wide, well paved,
and bordered by neatly-laid brick sidewalks ;
many beautiful lawns extend from the fronts of
dwellings to the street, neatly enclosed by iron
palisadings, and abutting on well-kept gardens.
Several houses were surrounded with tastefully
arranged flower beds, and here and there nice,
comfortable-looking arbors and roomy porticos;
just the place one could comfortably enjoy one's
self of a summer evening with a friend, a book, or
a cigar. This place looked more like the north¬
ern cities and towns than any other place we
have visited south. We went to the large hotel
there, but could not obtain anything. When we
asked for wine, the eyes of the landlord nearly
started from their sockets, as, in a flurried man¬
ner, he assured us that such an article he had not
seen for over a year. " Nor whiskey ? " we in¬
sinuated. " Nor whiskey," he answered, mourn¬
fully. So, at our suggestion, he showed us into
a private room, where we produced our " private
flask," at the sight of which he started back as
though a Paixhan gun was aimed at him. We
reassured him, however, and he took the flask
and drank. He wiped his mouth with the back of
his hand, and muttered, abstractedly, " Brandy."
212
Beverley Ford.
" Ay," said we, turning to leave the hospitable
mansion," it's brandy." Whether that libation
had any unfortunate effects upon the long ab¬
stemious landlord, we are not aware; but we
left him in such a fit of astonishment at behold¬
ing the liquor that we were fearful he would
never again recover the full use of his faculties.
From Warrenton the regiment marched to
Beverley Ford, on the Rappahannock, where we
encamped, about fifty yards from the river. The
whole army was concentrated in the vicinity of
the river, which in this place is about twenty
yards wide.
Our camp at Beverley Ford was a very hand¬
some one, and, seen from the surrounding ele¬
vations, presented quite a picturesque appearance.
The streets, being laid out with due regard to
comfort and the army regulations, were studded
on either side with fir trees, which served as a
protection from the sun, the weather being re¬
markably warm: being situate on a hill, it was
very dry, and the men were soon able to make
themselves comfortable. The distance to the
picket lines was about half a mile, and the duty,
therefore, far from irksome. We passed many
pleasant days at Beverley Ford watching the
The Irish Ninth.
213
rebels, and resting ourselves after the arduous
marching we had undergone.
While here we were obliged to witness the
public execution of five deserters from the One
Hundred and Eighteenth Pennsylvania Regi¬
ment* It was a strange and affecting scene, and
was felt remarkably by our lads, many of whom
said, at the time, they felt more cut up at this
sight than at all the battles and battle-fields they
had seen. We trust we shall never be called to
witness such a sight again, though we fully main¬
tain the justice of the sentence.
Shortly after this our regiment received a
detachment of conscripted men and substitutes,
the result of the first draft, from Long Island.
We had heard a good deal of the draft, and were
naturally anxious as to the kind of men we
should get, as we found the commutation fee
was taken advantage of by many who ought to
have volunteered. Their arrival caused our camp
to be very busy for a while, as they had to be
drilled. Thus occupied, and with the kind of
amusement incidental to our other camps, we
passed away the time until the 15th of Septem-
* The same that so shamefully retreated at Boteler's Mills and
Fredericksburg.
214
Forward Movement.
ber, when, with the rest of the army, we moved
forward, crossing the river at Rappahannock Sta¬
tion. Our men had by this time become at home
with their new associates, who would listen with
interest to our fellows, as they related their ad¬
ventures, and in return would detail their own.
Culpepper.
215
CHAPTER XXV.
Culpepper. — Insinuating Females. — Picket Duty. — Drummed
out.— Speculations. — Guerrillas. — " De ole Man's a grazing eber
since."—A "What is it?"—A Negro Gymnast. — A crazy Pro¬
fessor. — Uncle Jolly and his good kind Sisters.
ROM the Rappahannock we moved forward,
and marched through the town of Culpep¬
per. Like the rest of the towns and cities of
Virginia, Culpepper is greatly depopulated by
the war, and from the fresh, bright, and clean-
ly appearance it seemed formerly to have pre¬
sented, had merged into a dingy, dirty-looking
place. When we saw it, its principal buildings,
having been used as hospitals and barracks, were
rapidly tumbling to pieces. The place boasted
of many stores, the majority of which were
closed; and we noticed some very handsome
private dwellings. When we arrived, the sutlers
who had preceded us were driving a very profit¬
able traffic in disposing of preserved fruits, meat,
and vegetables, tobacco and cigars, soda and
216
The Irish Ninth.
other articles comparatively useless to the soldier,
but done up in such tempting packages that it
waa nearly impossible to resist the purchase.
The female portion of the inhabitants watched
our progress with some interest, but did not
scruple to inform us that we should soon leave
with the redoubtable "rebs" behind us. We
marched along, however, intending to stop as
long as necessary, and to leave only when Gen¬
eral Meade should order us; and we felt in no
wise hurt at the covert insinuations of these
thoughtless ladies. When we had marched some
two miles outside the town we halted in a small
wood on the south side of the main road, and
there pitched our camp. Being so close to the
depot, supplies were plentiful; and therefore
many important messing elements were at our
command. One great luxury to the soldier was
here in abundance — "soft bread." This was
brought by rail from Washington, was very often
supplied, and, after having been confined to " hard
tack," the change was most welcome.
Our regiment here, with others, performed
picket duty, and passed the time away very com¬
fortably.
One day, while here, they were treated to the
The Deserter.
217
exhibition of a deserter being drummed out,
which was looked upon as a good joke by our
boys. The culprit, a poor half-witted looking
fellow, after being marched in front of all the'
brigade, had the hair cut off one side of his head,
quite close, making him look like a mountebank ;
then, being branded with the letter D, with a
great deal of drumming of the tune known as the
"Rogue's March," he was allowed to go on his
way. Beyond this nothing of interest tran¬
spired at this camp out of the ordinary routine
of military life. We strolled about the fields,
patronized the "settlers" to the extent of our
currency, smoked their abominably bad cigars,
and visited, as often as circumstances would
allow, the commissary of our brigade, who, in
certain matters, was nearly omnipotent. We
entertained our friends, and they entertained
us, both parties ventilating old and new stories,
and, when not employed in this way, anathe¬
matizing the weather, or speculating on the
kind of reception we should meet when we ar¬
rived at Richmond. We paid an attentive ear
to the news from the North; and when the
" draft was commenced," we fervently wished we
were at home to help enforce it. When we
218
The Irish Ninth.
learned of the disgraceful New York riots, how
heartily we wished for a chance to give those fel¬
lows a taste of our quality, and show them how
the Irish Ninth could charge; but, as none of
these gratifying duties were vouchsafed us, we
would drop the discussion of the subject with
maledictions on the copperheads, who were con¬
sidered infinitely more contemptible than the
crawling viper — the thing from which they
have received their name.
The guerrillas, hovering about the flanks of our
army, would sometimes cause a little excitement,
by gobbling up quartermasters and staff* officers,
or seizing ambulances containing our sick and
wounded; but these little ventures were speedily
stopped by our cavalry, who were now in a fine
state of discipline, and exhibiting more dash
every day.
One day, while here, we came upon a negro
family, who were living near what had once been
almost a palatial mansion; the cabin was of log,
the interstices being filled with clay, covered with
a roof of thatch, browned by the action of the
atmosphere. A broken rail fence, which enclosed
the hut, and a dilapidated pigsty, within which
four young "grunters" and their maternal "pa-
De Ole Man's a-grazing eber since. 219
rient" were industriously rooting up tlie mud,
comprised the limited domain of the venerable
darky who was the presiding genius. We en¬
gaged him in conversation, who was nothing loath
to converse with any one, leaning on his stick,
apparently about eighty years of age, bent
nearly double. As he stood beside his hut, we
asked him, after a while, if he was a slave. He
said, " No, dey kep de ole man as long as dere
was any good in him, and worked him like a
beast; and now they've turned him out to graze,
and de ole man's a-grazing eber since."
There was much pathos in the mournful tone
of the old man as he said this, and he shook his
head and moved slowly away. We thought, as
we stood musing, what a terrible thing to have
to pass eighty long years in slavery; and, when
the sap and vigor of manhood's usefulness had
been wrung from him, like the withered trunk
of the once stalwart tree, become useless, then,
and only then, in the expressive words of the poor
old darky, to be turned out, like a broken-down
horse, u to graze " and die. Such was the idea
that crossed our crude, free, northern mind, and
we felt, more than ever, in heart and principle,
an uncompromising enmity to human slavery.
220
The Irish Ninth.
Of this family was one of the queerest speci¬
mens of negro boys we ever saw. He was slimly
built, from ten to twelve years old, with a huge
misshapen head loosely set on his shoulders, and
a countenance of the drollest description it is
possible to conceive. As we first saw him, he
was partly concealed by some logs of timber,
with his head thrust forward, and his large eyes
rolling at us with a peculiar expression of drollery.
One of " ours " seized him by the scalp and drew
him forth from his hiding-place; he stood for a
moment on his feet, and then bounded away on
all fours, with uncommon rapidity. On reach¬
ing the foot of a large tree, he scrambled up with
the agility of a monkey, and ran out far on a
branch at a dizzy height above us, and sat there,
seeming to enjoy our amazement. After a little
while, he came down; at a bound leaped upon
the back of our horse; but, before we could catch
him, he was gone, and had cleared the fence, and
was out of sight. The next time we saw him he
was perched upon the branch of a tree, squatting
upon his haunches, eating some corn-cake, which
he dexterously extracted from his pocket while
in that position. When he came down, he re¬
mained seated at the bottom for a moment, and
A What is it.
221
then, with an extraordinary effort, sprang from
the ground, and clutching a branch more than
twelve feet above him, adroitly swung himself
up into the tree. When we saw the old man,
we said, —
" That's a smart boy of yours."
"Smart ? yes,he's smart! too smart! too smart!"
was the old man's reply, at the same time direct¬
ing our attention to a heap of some ten or twelve
corn cobs which the youngster had just polished
off for his lunch, not exactly to the old man's
satisfaction. We stuck a greenback high up on
a pine, close by, for the boy, and rode away. On
looking round, ere we had gone far, to our sur¬
prise he was upon our horse's haunches, examin¬
ing the note attentively ; upon seeing our aston¬
ished look, he sprang to the ground and bounded
away. Many of the officers saw much more of
his gymnastic feats, and expressed their astonish¬
ment at the drollery of his antics. That boy
reminded us very much of Barnum's " What is
it," only he was " more so."
We turned our horse's head in the direction
of a large slate-colored house, about a quarter
of a mile distant. Arriving there, we asked a
colored man we met at the gate, if we could
222
The Irish Ninth.
get a drink of milk. " Yas," lie answered; and,
opening the gate, we passed in. Going up the
gravel pathway, we came upon a fine-looking,
stout old gentleman, who bowed to us with the
stately courtesy of the old school. Learning our
wishes, he preceded us to a wing of the mansion,
and, putting his face to an open window, shouted,
" Sally, milk for the gentleman." In a moment,
Sally — a very comely-looking young colored
woman — appeared with the milk, which we took
and drank, and were about to return the mug,
when, behind the pleasant face of Sally, at the
open window, we saw the faces of three ladies,
who seemed to gaze upon us with much compla¬
cency, — or else 'twas our conceit that led us to
think so. We bowed politely, when the old gen¬
tleman bawled out, " My sisters, sir! my sisters!"
Again we bowed, somewhat astonished at the
gruffness of the old gentleman. The ladies
asked us to dismount — a request we were not
slow in obeying ; for a vision of warm rolls,
bright yellow butter, and new milk, passed
before us, completely eclipsing the frugal fare
of camp. The old gentleman seemed highly
pleased when we dismounted, and, rubbing his
hands gleefully, ushered us into a neat, cool,
Uncle Jollie and his good kind Sisters. 223
and comfortable parlor, tastefully arranged. We
found the ladies very well informed, and, without
flattery, very pretty — we won't say beautiful.
They seemed to regard the old gentleman with
peculiar affection, intermingled with considerable
anxiety, the reason of which for some time we
could not ascertain. After some conversation,
he introduced the subject of the present rebel¬
lion. We had always made it a point never
to discuss the subject with a rebel, or resident
in any evacuated country; and in this case
scarcely replied to him, making every possible
effort to divert the conversation into some other
channel ; happening, unwittingly, to quote a
line from Shakspeare, the old gentleman started
from his seat, throwing back the scanty hair
. from his forehead, and assuming an erect, defiant
attitude, began, —
" Either thou wilt die, by God's just ordinance,
Ere from this war thou turn a conqueror,
Or I with grief and extreme age shall perish,
And never look upon thy face again.
Therefore, take with thee my most heavy curse,
Which, in the day of battle, tire thee more
Than all the complete armor that thou wearest!
My prayers on the adverse party fight;
And then the little souls of Edward's children
Whip the spirit of their enemies,
224
The Irish Ninth.
And promise them success and victory.
Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end;
Shame serves thy life, and will thy death attend! "
We gazed at him with astonishment, nor could
scarcely understand the meaning of his declama¬
tion. Finally, having run through a variety of
quotations from Richard, he paused; his eyes
filled with a strange light, and, wiping his brow
with his handkerchief, he sat down and looked
towards us as though awaiting our approval.
Scarcely knowing what to do, we turned to the
ladies. One of them made a scarcely per¬
ceptible motion, and moved from the room. In
a few moments we followed, and from her we
learned that the old gentleman was demented.
He was formerly a professor in a college in Vir¬
ginia, and possessed extraordinary abilities; but
by over-application, his mind gave way, and now
he was only fit —
" For sweet seclusion . . .
For calm, uninterrupted solitude."
All this we learned with solemn surprise, and
turning, beheld the unfortunate subject of our
conversation standing at the parlor door, gazing
at us with an expression of distrust and suspi¬
cion. He was a most noble-looking man, with
Uncle Jollie and his good kind Sisters. 225
a brow broad, thoughtful, and indicative of the
fine intellect which now lay dormant within.
He was in the habit of strolling around the
neighborhood, being known as Uncle Jollie, and
was freed from any annoyance in consequence.
We staid to tea; and when we took our depart¬
ure, left the poor gentleman greatly grieved
and disappointed, as we had become great friends.
He shook hands with us, and begged that we
would visit him again. To this we assented, if
convenient, and came away. Though circum¬
stances have prevented our repeating the visit,
yet we shall look back with pleasure to the
pleasant evening spent with this family, and feel
grateful for the kind attention shown us by those
ladies — a course so unusual with the fair sex of
Virginia.
15
226
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Rainy Weather. —Damp Meditations. — The Rapidan before. — The
Rappahannock behind. — Counter Strategy. — Bull Run. — The
old Battle-ground. — The Death of Kearney. — Graves of the gal¬
lant Dead. — The dead Sentinel.—Heroic Mementos. — March
to Gainesville. — Army Wagons rolling over the Dead.
RAINY weather came upon us. 0 the ennui
of those days! We sat within the tents,
the flaps thrown back, gazing out upon the fall¬
ing water, and the miniature rivers cutting their
irregular way through the soft yellow soil and
rushing along the drains of the camp, and form¬
ing themselves into great pools, and looking as
if the tide of the mighty deluge was fast reced¬
ing, and earth in her native modesty peeping out
for sunshine's smile.
The trees seemed to droop and weep; and the
.little dirty brown tents looked as if heartily
ashamed of their cramped, uncomfortable, and
very " unjolly " appearance ; the fires would
struggle fitfully for a moment to warm the
Counter-Strategy.
227
damp hands and dry the saturated garments of
their uncomfortable guests, and then flicker down
under the torrent in a mass of thick blue smoke,
through which a little tongue of flame would
sometimes flit to show
" That still she lived."
You could hear, too, the unweary axe, with its
monotonous chop, chop, from the woods, and the
voice of the woodman soldier, as he plied his toil,
singing merrily in the rain. This dismal weather
did not long continue, however, and when the
rain ceased, and the sun came out, we issued from
our canvas huts, stretched our unexercised anat¬
omy, and prepared to move. We fell back from
the Rapidan, passed through Culpepper, much to
the delight of its inhabitants, marched to the
Rappahannock, which we crossed the same day,
and moved to Warrenton Junction, where Gen¬
eral Meade concentrated the army of the Poto¬
mac, and prepared to oppose by counter-strategy
the strategic movements of Lee. In this General
Meade was eminently successful. In the progress
of his movements he arrived at Beverley Ford,
where he expected Lee would give battle. A
few days after, the battle of Bristow Station was
fought, about the 14th of October, in which the
228
The Irish Ninth.
Second Corps acted with splendid gallantry, hav¬
ing been cut off from the main army, and suc¬
ceeded in repulsing the enemy. About midnight
of the day of the battle of Bristow Station, the
Fifth Corps came to their assistance. The Ninth
endured great fatigue during that day and night,
having marched from Bristow Station to Centre-
ville, and back to Fairfax, where they encamped
for the night. The next day we marched to the
old Battle-Ground of Bull Bun, where we arrived
October 20, 1863. The battle-ground is a series
of low hills, intersected with narrow streams of
good water, the great essential of a battle-field or
camp-ground.
The fiercest part of the contest under Pope
was fought in broad, open fields fenced in along
the north-east side, with dense woods, at that
time occupied by our cavalry, which, supported
by the Pennsylvania reserves, made a most
splendid charge upon the forces of the enemy,
over the open field, fences, and streams, upon
the rebels in position at that point, driving them
to the shelter of the wood upon the south-west
portion of the field.
The contest in the open field must have been
very fierce, for piles of dead are accumulated
The Old Battle-Ground. 229
upon every part of this memorable ground; and
wherever one walks perfect skeletons present
themselves to the eye, some still clad in uniform,
and others, in a crumbled state of fallen glory,
still retain vestiges of the livery in which they
fought and died. They are principally the skele¬
tons of Southern soldiers, who, in charging across
the plain, fell in hundreds, under the fierce fire
that flashed from the guns of our gallant men*
The field of Bull Run is the most memorable
in the history of the war for the desperate valor
of the combatants, and the tenacity with which,
for a whole day, the ground upon which they
fought was contested; for the gallant men who
fell there; for the blow which for a time retard¬
ed our progress upon the Confederate capital.
We rode to the spot at Chantilly, upon the west
side, from out of which Kearney advanced to
reconnoitre the enemy's position, and where he
received the fatal wound which cut him off in
the zenith of his glory.
The Ninth was encamped upon one of the
hills referred to, and for hundreds of yards graves
ran out in every direction. Deep hollows point¬
ed out the spot where the dead men lay sleeping
* 1863.
230
The Irish Ninth.
in their glory. The ground had fallen in over
the fleshless forms and bleaching skulls, and
rough pieces of board were the unwritten obitu¬
aries of the gallant fallen, who had stemmed the
tide of battle up to that spot where they made
their last stand, and sighed out their last breath
for their country!
A few horses were scattered among the hills,
shattered by the shot and shell of the contend¬
ing forces, dumb witnesses of the struggle in
which they had occupied so distinguished a part.
We rode into the woods which circled the
place, for the purpose of watering our horse.
The moon glimmered down through the inter¬
stices of the trees, and the wind sighed gently
among the branches, and off on the hills the
camp fires of the soldiers burned while the gal¬
lant, weary fellows profoundly slept beside them.
We dismounted and led our horse to a spring
that bubbled up in the moonlight. He darted
aside in affright. We looked to ascertain the!
cause of his fear, and beheld, in a sitting attitude,
with his back to a tree, the form of a man. He
was so silent and motionless that we approached,
after vainly calling to him, and placed our hands
upon his shoulder; they rested there heavily for
The Old Battle-Ground. 231
a second; we shook him, and the form crumbled
to dust under our touch.
It was the skeleton of a Southern cavalryman,
in full dress, who had, doubtless, crawled there to
assuage his thirst, and, exhausted, had leaned
against the tree, with his dying eyes upon the
rich, cool, crystal stream that ran murmuring at
his feet, which, in his helpless, dying agony, he
had been unable to reach! Alone in death he
had sentinelled that stream, the dead faithfully
performing the duties of the good soldier, until
from a stranger's touch he assimilated with the
dust from which he sprung!
The country, for miles about Bull Run, is un¬
dulating in character, covered with brush, and
crossed by streams in many places. A few ruined
houses still are standing, riddled with ball and
shell, indexes of the fierce nature of the artil¬
lery fire during that memorable fight. Cartridge
boxes, bayonet scabbards, and gun stocks are
strewn in every direction, fallen from the nerve¬
less hands of wounded men, or lying complete
upon the skeletons of the dead. One could
scarcely contemplate the scene without feelings
of sadness, mingled with pride, at the glorious
valor of our people, and the reckless heroism
23-2
The Irish Ninth.
they ever display in defence of whatever cause or
principle they may espouse.
As we moved along the road to Gainesville on
the afternoon of October 20, 1863, we beheld
innumerable graves by the road-side — a few
hasty shovels of dirt cast upon the poor fellows
on the spot where they had fearlessly fallen.
Skulls and member bones of human forms, cracked
under the wheels of army wagons, eliciting no
other remark than, " There's more of them yon¬
der," or, "They fell thick and fast here"—lan¬
guage seemingly cold and unsympathetic, but
uttered in a tone which told how keenly they
pitied the poor, neglected bones that once formed
the good husband, the noble son, the brave broth¬
er, the gallant, impulsive, patriot soldier! That
portion of Virginia is one immense cemetery —
one vast graveyard, daily ploughed by never-
ending lines of army wagons. It is vaster than
Waterloo—more grand and startling in the
fierce heroism of its reminiscences.
A Village of Log-Houses. 233
CHAPTER XXVII.
A Rebel Camp. — Rebel Sufferings and Rebel Sympathizers. —Con¬
dition of Rebel Camps. — Of Union Camps. — Preserve us from
the Attributes of Southern Chivalry. — New Baltimore. — Auburn.
—Three-mile Station. — Rappahannock Station. — Storming the
Enemy's Works. — Brandy Station.— General Meade and his
Movements. — The Ninth in the Position of Honor and Danger.
— The Invitation to Death. — Description of Mine Run. —Winter
Quarters .*—Bealton.
BOUT three miles from Bull Bun is erected
quite a village of substantial log-houses,
capable of holding from ten to twenty men each.
They were built by the rebels and used as win¬
ter quarters after the close of the first campaign.
They must have lived very comfortably at that
time, while our troops only enjoyed the shelter of
the " ponchos." Much of the suffering afterwards
said to have been undergone by the rebels only
existed in the imagination of their sympathizers.
In all things, with, perhaps, the single exception
of food, they were quite comfortable.
"We are convinced of this from the fact that
234
The Irish Ninth.
their evacuated camps and the general appear¬
ance of those who have fallen into our hands
have conclusively proved it. A rebel camp is
generally filthy and ill kept, its sanitary condi¬
tion seeming to*be a matter of little or no con¬
sequence. Comfort* so far as protection from
wind, rain, and cold was concerned, is to the
rebel the most important preliminary to the
pitching of a camp. Drainage and sinks are
accommodations scarcely known, or, if known,
rarely used by them. When they halt, they
occupy the ground with all its attendant evils
and accumulated filth, and when they break
camp for the march, the only difference in the
condition of the place is that it is more loath¬
some and filthy than before. The Northern sol¬
dier, on the contrary, is a model of order and
cleanliness, and no finer camps were ever pitched
in active service, in modern or ancient times, than
those of our troops at Miner's Hill, on the penin¬
sula, or at Beverley Ford. Cleanliness, regular¬
ity, and refined discipline are noticeable attributes
in the sturdy Northerner of America. And if
this distinguished peculiarity is proof of blood
and breeding inferior to thq pseudo "chivalry"
of the South, let us accept the token of inferior-
A Successful Charge. 235
ity, and be unto the Giver of all things devoutly
thankful.
From Bull Run the army moved towards New
Baltimore, a village containing a few houses, but
at that time scarcely any inhabitants. We finally
encamped at a place called Auburn, and the fol¬
lowing morning continued our march in the
direction of Three-mile Station, where we again
encamped only to move the next morning to
Rappahannock Station, where we soon engaged
in a most interesting battle.
The works at that place extended along the
line of the Rappahannock for a number of miles,
and were considered by military critics to be
very formidable. It was decided to storm the
works. During the night, the regiments selected
to perform the labor crept, under cover of the
darkness, to within one hundred and fifty yards
of them, and after an hour's patient waiting,
they advanced, and charged rapidly down upon
the shadowy earth-line, bristling with the muz¬
zles of innumerable guns. With such vigor,
silence, and courage was the charge made as
scarcely to allow of resistance. An incoherent
and disconnected volley of small arms from the
enemy — a desultory roar from a few cannon —
236
The Irish Ninth.
and the works were ours. In fact, the change of
ownership was so rapidly effected as scarcely to
he realized by the rebels, who fled in great con¬
fusion to the river, in which many were drowned,
and on the banks of which numbers were cap¬
tured or killed.
General Meade rapidly effected the passage
of his army over the different fords, the Fifth
Army Corps moving towards Brandy Station,
where the Ninth took possession of the winter
quarters of the rebels — log-houses well built in
the woods, which, on account of uncleanliness, as
usual, we demolished, simply pitching our shelter-
tents, which, if not so comfortable, were at least
clean, military,- and wholesome. Here we re¬
mained until the morning of November 26,1863,
when General Meade made his memorable move¬
ment on Lee, in fortified position near Orange
Court House, in the County of Orange,Ya., and but
a few miles distant from Chancellorsville, the scene
of General Hooker's three days' movement, and
from which he effected his remarkable retreat a
few months before.
Two great and unsuccessful movements have
been made on this ground, the army under
Meade pushing deepest into the enemy's coun-
The Position of Honor and Danger. 237
try. The movement of General Meade seemed
to be characterized by great caution, which was
certainly needful, for he was in a dangerous
territory. The Ninth Regiment occupied no un¬
important part in this series of great movements
which finally terminated in the great game of
"blind man's buff" at Mine Run. The Ninth
was placed in one of the foremost and most dis¬
tinguished positions at Mine Run, being called
upon, in conjunction with the remainder of the
brigade, by a special order, to be prepared to
storm, at a stated hour, one of the most impregna¬
ble and important rebel positions they ever faced
during their thirty months of marches and bat¬
tles. The Ninth Regiment on the right of the
Fifth Corps, the position of honor and danger, and
close to the river or " run," which was a main
defence of the contending force, would be among
the first precipitated into the battle. For a long
time after the order had been read to them, they
awaited with eagerness and impatience that in¬
vitation to death, uttered in the single word " for¬
ward !" and truly, if ever men longed for battle,
they did ; for they were actually freezing as they
lay inactive on the ground, and many did die
from cold ere they left that most blessed and im-
238
The Irish Ninth.
pregnable position. To fully appreciate the un¬
comfortable danger of the duty they were to
perform, the reader must remember that in
charging, the Ninth must pass through the freez¬
ing waters of Mine Run, a stream of perhaps ten
feet in width, very shallow, if we may judge by
the depth of clear water, but very deep when
we count in the mud at its bottom. At its sides,
extending several rods back, is a low marsh, miry
and reed-grown. From the edges of the marsh
the land rises gradually to a height of perhaps a
hundred feet. A half mile back from either
shore these slopes are open, and in many places
cultivated patches of young pines dot the slopes,
and extend back to the dense woods which crown
the summits of the hills. The run rises some¬
where south of the old plank road, and flows
lazily northward to the river, in nearly a straight
line. The enemy had fortified the west slope by
a strong earthwork at its summit, in front of
which felled trees, and shrubbery, and brush
formed an impenetrable abatis; they had also
dug a succession of pits half way up the slope,
within easy musket range of the creek, and
another series of the same style of defences at
the commencement of the abatis. His line of
Discretion of Mine Run. 239
defences extended from Clark's Mountain, south
of the plank road, to the mouth of the stream,
and was fully supported by artillery, and was, in
fact, said by military men to be a stronger posi¬
tion than he held at Fredericksburg.
" Our own artillery was planted upon the side
of the eastern slope, a few rods down from the
edge of the timber, while our infantry was
covered from view by the thick wood. In order
to successfully operate upon the enemy with in¬
fantry, it became necessary to bridge the stream
and morass in several places — a work you will
imagine to be both difficult and dangerous. It
was done, however, by the first divisions of the
First and Third Corps respectively. Darkness
found us, on Sunday night, in the following posi¬
tion : The Second Corps was on the extreme
left in the vicinity of Clark's Mountain, re en¬
forced by one division of the Sixth Corps. The
left centre was held by the Third Corps; the cen¬
tre by two divisions of the First, and the right by
the Fifth and the remaining two divisions of the
Sixth Corps. General Warren was to have at¬
tacked and turned the enemy's right wing at
three o'clock in the afternoon. The Fifth and
Sixth, under Sykes and Sedgwick, were, at the
240
The Irish Ninth.
same time, to attack his left, while the Third and
First were to make a demonstration upon his
centre. The reserves of artillery had all been
brought forward and positioned ready for action;
but for some reason General Warren failed to
connect, and night slipped in upon us, all drawn
up in line of battle. That night a change was
made in the programme. General Warren did
not deem his force adequate to the task of turn¬
ing the enemy's right; so he was still further re-
enforced by two divisions of the Third Corps,
under Generals Carr and Prince, while Birney,
with his division of the same corps, was to sup¬
port the artillery.
Eight o'clock on Monday morning was then
set as the hour for the great battle to open, and
we retired to our ground-beds to rest and dream.
The night of Sunday was the coldest we had yet
experienced. Ice formed in the streams an inch
in thickness, and several of the men froze their
limbs, and one or two their lives out, while doing
duty as pickets. At eight o'clock on Monday,
the artillery began to play upon the enemy, and
for an hour, I think, the firing was as constant
and heavy as I ever witnessed; but the infantry
did not make any demonstrations whatever; and,
Bealton Station.
241
after a deal of noise and the waste of a large
amount of ammunition, the artillery was silenced
by an order from general headquarters, which
brought us back unmolested, but sore and weary,
to our old camping-grounds.
From our old camp at Brandy Station, we
continued our march until we reached the Rap¬
pahannock, where rumors were rife that the
campaign was ended, and the army going into
winter quarters. This, the reader will believe,
was welcome intelligence to us all, after our
weeks of marching, freezing, and fighting. Our
depleted columns surely needed reenforcing,
and our exhausted soldiers were in great need of
rest; so, when we crossed the Rappahannock, and
learned that the Second Brigade, First Division,
Fifth Corps, army of the Potomac, was to be de¬
tached from the army and sent to Bealton Sta¬
tion, to guard the line of railroad at that place,
we felt satisfied that the campaign was over, and
that the wished-for period of rest was at hand.
We resumed our march, and, towards evening,
reached Bealton, and finally encamped in a
beautiful pine wood, near to the railroad, where,
in a few days, log-huts were erected, and the Ninth
engaged in completing their winter quarters.
16
242
The Irish Ninth.
CHAPTER XXVni.
Bealton Station. — Winter Duties. — Mosby's Guerrillas.—Black
Horse Cavalry. — Cutting Railroads. — Vigilance and Valor. — A
March. — The coming Wilderness. — The Battle of the Wilder¬
ness. —.Irish Heroism. — Spottsylvania. — Bethesda Church. —
Shady Oak. — Cold Harbor. — The Dead.—Home and Muster-out.
THE Ninth remained encamped at Bealton
Station until the 30th day of April, 1864,*
guarding that portion of the Alexandria and
Orange Railroad lying between Licking Run
and Bealton, and also picketing a portion of the
line from Ereedman's Ford, on the Rappahan¬
nock, to Warren ton Junction.
The duties performed during these winter
months were very arduous, and required the
greatest vigilance, in consequence of the fre¬
quent raids of Mosby's guerrillas, and also of the
notorious company of "Black Horse Cavalry."
The latter force consisted principally of the
* From Major J. W. Mahan's record in Adjutant-General's Re¬
ports.
Vigilance and Valor. 243
flower of Fauquier County, and was the first
company of cavalry mustered into the service of
the Confederate States. It took its name from
the fact that its first captain rode a splendid
black charger; and the company was always
known, even prior to the war, as the Black
Horse Cavalry, and formed part of the Virginia
militia.
Several attempts to cut the railroad and burn
the bridge at Licking Run were foiled by the
vigilance* and valor of the Ninth Regiment, and
its services were appreciated by the division
commander in an appropriate order.
On the 30th of April, early in the morning,
the Ninth broke camp, and at night bivouacked
near Freedman's Ford. On the morning of the
1st of May, the regiment crossed to the south
side of the Rappahannock, and encamped near
Brandy Station. From thence they marched to
Culpepper; and on the morning of the 4th,
shortly after daybreak, our weary veterans
crossed the Rapidan, without opposition, and
bivouacked the same night in the ever-memora¬
ble Wilderness.
Here we would fain rest our pen, leaving
others to write the sad, but glorious remainder
244
The Irish Ninth.
of our story — to tell the sacrifice of our young
braves, the true and trusty, who dashed into
battle in the light of our stars, and with visions
of home before them, •fell in the front in victory!
But history, which is not written for to-day,
but for all time, does not allow the exercise of
useless regrets or vain sorrowings. It demands
a consistent following of the record, even if, to
pen it, the wounds reopen, and the old sorrows
return afresh.
On the morning of May 5, the enemy was
reported moving on our lines, and the line of
battle was formed, breastworks of logs were
thrown up, and about one o'clock in the after¬
noon heavy skirmishing commenced. Shortly
after, the regiment was ordered to leave the
works and support the first line, then advancing
to charge the enemy's position. The advance
was through a dense wood, from which the
enemy was driven into a small plain. Beyond
this plain was another piece of woods, where
the enemy was found to be intrenched. In the
advance the gallant conduct of the Ninth Regi¬
ment was splendidly apparent.. The officers,
cool and fearless, fell fast, cheering their men on
in their heroic work, careless of life and only
The Battle of the Wilderness. 245
wishing for a victory. Upon reaching the plain,
the enemy were found to be in possession of
a section of artillery; and Lieutenant-Colonel
Hanley, then commanding the regiment, in the
absence of Colonel Guiney, — who, terribly
wounded by a minie ball in the left eye, which
was totally destroyed, had been carried to the
rear, — ordered a charge to recover possession of
it; and for some time the conflict raged desper¬
ately. But the enemy were finally driven to their
works, from which they poured a most destruc¬
tive fire of musketry on our still advancing line.
By some mistake of orders, the regiment on
our right did not move to our support; and
being thus exposed to a flank fire, Lieutenant-
Colonel Hanley ordered the regiment to fall back
to the edge of the woods, which was done in
good order, and the line re-formed. The enemy
again advanced to repossess themselves of the
plain, but they were once more driven to seek
the shelter of their works, and the disputed
ground was held by the regiment until orders
came from General Griffin to fall back to the
line of breastworks. The fierce battles of the
6th and 7th of May followed, and the Ninth
regiment, with its usual fortune, was constantly
246
The Irish Ninth.
in the front line ; but the nature of the ground
was better, affording more protection, and the
loss was, consequently, slight.
On the 8th day of May, after marching all
night, and without halting to partake of food,
the regiment opened the battle of Laurel Hill,
which lasted from twelve o'clock (noon) until
dark, resulting in a substantial victory, as the
enemy were driven a mile and a half, and the
coming of night alone prevented their complete
defeat.
The final efforts of our noble regiment at
Spottsylvania, the Rivers Po and North Anna,
Bethesda Church, Shady Oak, and Cold Harbor,
sustained its past reputation for valor and
fidelity to the cause of the Union, and completed
a record of Irish martial valor worthy of a peo¬
ple who in every age were distinguished for
their warlike attributes.
The following named officers fell in that fierce
and decisive campaign : —
James W. Macnamara, Captain.
William A. Phelan, "
Nicholas C. Flaherty, Lieutenant.
James O'Neill, "
Archibald Simpson, "
Charles B. McGinniskin, "
Home and Muster-Out. 247
These are the names of the gallant men chosen
to attest, by their valor, the devotion of their
regiment to the cause of freedom and the proud
emblem they ever gallantly and gloriously up¬
held.
Their best monument is the commemoration
of history. In going to death they bravely
aided in delivering a race from bondage.
HOME AND MUSTER-OUT.
On the 10th day of June, 1864, the term*of
service of the Ninth Regiment having expired,
it broke camp at daylight, and marched from
Bottom Bridge, where the regiment had been
under heavy fire, to White House Landing, on the
Pamunkey River, and on the 11th took trans¬
ports for Washington, where it arrived Sunday,
June 12. June 18, the Ninth took cars for New
York, in which city the regiment encamped
on the. 14th. At Baltimore, Philadelphia, and
New York we were received with the greatest
kindness, and collations served, and other hospi¬
talities tendered.
On the morning of the 15th day of June, we
248
The Irish Ninth.
arrived at Boston, and met. a cordial and hearty
reception. If the citizens who so generously
received and entertained us experienced joy at
the return of their regiment, it would be scarcely
more than a tithe of the feelings of gratitude
which the soldiers of the Irish Ninth felt for the
noble honors which were done them, after the
many glorious campaigns through which they
had passed.
A company of the State militia formed the
escort, and twenty-three civic associations joined
in the procession. All the public buildings, and
many private dwellings and stores, displayed the
national colors, and were gayly decorated with
bunting. A salute was fired 011 Boston Common,
by Captain Cummings' Battery of light artillery,
and at Faneuil Hall a splendid collation was
served by the city of Boston. In the afternoon
and evening the regiment was entertained in a
becoming manner by the generous and patriotic
members of the Columbian Association, and on
the 21st day of June was mustered out of the
service of the United States.
Thus the military history of the Irish Ninth
was ended ; its reception a fit conclusion to a
glorious military career.
APPENDIX.
ROSTER OP THE OFFICERS
OF THE
NINTH REGIMENT MASS. VOL. INEANTRY.
Thomas Cass, Colonel, was the principal organizer of the regi¬
ment; commissioned June 11, 1861; mortally wounded at the
Battle of Malvern Hill, Va., July 1, 1862; died of wounds at his
residence in Boston, July 12, 1862; buried at Mount Auburn
Cemetery, Cambridge, with military honors.
Patrick It. Guiney, Colonel, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; commissioned Captain, June 11, 1861; pro¬
moted Major, October 24, 1862; promoted Lieutenant-Colonel,
July 28, 1862 ; complimented, in special orders, for bravery at the
Battle of Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862 ; promoted Colonel, July 26,
1862, for bravery on the field ; lost left eye by a wound received at
the Battle of the Wilderness, Va., May 5, 1864 ; mustered out with
the regiment; promoted Brevet Brigadier-General, March 13, 1865,
for gallant and meritorious services during the war; residence,
Roxbury.
C. G. Rowell, Lieutentant-Colonel, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; commissioned June 11,1861; resigned
October 23, 1861; residence, Boston.
Robert Peard, Lieutenant-Colonel, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; commissioned Major, June 11, 1861;
(249)
250
The Irish Ninth.
promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, October 24, 1861; died of disease at
Miner's Hill, Va., January 27, 1862; residence, Milford.
Patrick T. Hanley, Lieutenant-Colonel, assisted in recruiting
and organizing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant,
June 11, 1861; promoted Captain, August 26, 1861; promoted
Major, January 28, 1862 ; promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, July 26,
1862, for bravery on the field; wounded at the Battle of Malvern
Hill, Va., July 1, 1862 ; complimented in special orders for bravery
during the Battle of Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862; mustered out
with the regiment; residence, Boston.
George "W. Dutton, Major, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; commissioned Captain, June 11, 1861; pro¬
moted Major, August 26, 1862 ; wounded at the Battle of Malvern
Hill, Va.; resigned at Falmouth, Va., on account of disability re¬
ceived from wounds, March 29, 1863 ; residence, Stoughton.
John W. Mahan, Major, assisted in recruiting and organizing
the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant, June 11, 1861; pro¬
moted Captain, October 25, 1861; promoted Major, March 30,
1863; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
Peter Pineo, Surgeon, commissioned June 11, 1861; appointed
Brigade Inspector; promoted Medical Inspector, Army of the Poto¬
mac, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, August 27, 1861; resi¬
dence, Boston.
Stephen W. Drew, Surgeon, commissioned August 27, 1861;
resigned December 6, 1862, at Falmouth, Va.; residence, Woburn.
James T. Sullivan, Surgeon, commissioned Assistant Surgeon,
July 31, 1862; promoted Surgeon, December 13, 1862; mustered
out with the regiment; residence, Chelsea.
Patrick A. O'Connell, Assistant Surgeon, commissioned June
11, 1861; resigned September 12, 1861; afterwards Medical Direc¬
tor of the Ninth Army Corps; residence, Boston.
Francis M. Lincoln, Assistant Surgeon, commissioned Septem¬
ber 12, 1861; promoted Surgeon 35th Mass. Vols., July 28, 18G2;
residence, Boston.
James W. Fitzpatrick, Assistant Surgeon, commissioned
August 14, 1862; promoted Surgeon of Volunteers, March 29,
1863; residence, Boston.
John Ryan, Assistant Surgeon, commissioned December 13,
1862; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
Roster of the Officers. 251
Thomas Scully, Chaplain, commissioned June 17, 1861; re¬
signed on account of ill health, October 31, 1862; residence,
Boston.
Charles L. Egan, Chaplain, commissioned September 18,1863 ;
mustered out with the regiment; afterwards commissioned by the
War Department Hospital Chaplain, and remained on Brevet
Major-General Charles Griffin's (5th A. C.) staff till the close of
the rebellion; residence, Washington, D. C.
George W. Perkins, Adjutant, assisted in recruiting and or¬
ganizing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant and Adju¬
tant, June 11, 1861; resigned August 4, 1861; residence, Boston.
William Strachan, Adjutant, enlisted as Sergeant Major,
June 11,1861; promoted First Lieutenant and Adjutant, August 26,
1861; cashiered February 25, 1862; afterwards reenlisted as pri¬
vate, August 14, 1862; recommended for re-commission, but the
numerical strength of the regiment would not admit of any more
promotions; discharged at Falmouth, Va.; residence, Boston.
John M. Tobin, Adjutant, assisted in recruiting and organizing
the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant, June 11, 1861;
appointed Adjutant, February 25, 1862; promoted Captain, Au¬
gust 28, 1862; wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5,1864; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
Michael W. Phalen, Adjutant, enlisted as First Sergeant of
Company F, June 11, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, Sep¬
tember 7, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, January 28, 1862;
appointed Adjutant, August 28, 1862; wounded at the Battles of
Gaines' Mills and Mine Run, Va.; mustered out with the regiment;
residence, Salem.
John Moran, Quartermaster, commissioned First Lieutenant
and Quartermaster, June 11, 1861; resigned November 26, 1861;
residence, Boston.
Thomas Mooney, Quartermaster, enlisted as Quartermaster
Sergeant, June 11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant and Quarter¬
master, November 27, 1861; thrown from his horse, and fatally
injured, March 17, 1863, at Falmouth, Va.; died from the injuries
received, March 26, 1863, at Washington, D. C.
Daniel G. Macnamara, Quartermaster, assisted in'recruiting
and organizing the regiment; enlisted as First Sergeant of Com-
252
The Irish Ninth.
pany E, June 11,1861; promoted Commissary Sergeant, March 10,
1862; promoted Second Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; pro¬
moted First Lieutenant, August 27, 1862, to rank from date of
commission ; appointed Quartermaster at Falmouth, Va., March 26,
1863 ; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
James E. Gallagher, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; commissioned June 11, 1861; resigned July 9,
1862; residence, Boston.
Christopher Plunkett, Captain, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; commissioned Captain, June 11, 1861;
resigned August 7, 1861; reenlisted as a private, August 14, 1862;
promoted Second Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; promoted First
Lieutenant, January 8, 1863; wounded — right arm carried away
by a twelve-pound solid shot — at the Battle of the North Anna,
May 23, 1864; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
William Madigan, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; commissioned Captain, June 11, 1861; killed'
in action at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va., June 27, 1862.
John R. Teague, Captain, commissioned Captain, June 11,
1861; resigned January 27, 1862; residence, Boston.
Edward Fitzgerald, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; commissioned Captain, June 11,1861; resigned
September 3, 1861; residence, Salem.
John Carey, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organizing the
regiment; commissioned Captain, June 11, 1861; killed in action
at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va., June 27, 1862.
Jeremiah O'Neil, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organizing
the regiment; commissioned Captain, June 11, 1861; killed in ac¬
tion at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va., June 27, 1862.
James E. McCafferty, Captain, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant, June 11,
1861; promoted Captain, June 11, 1861; killed in action at the
Battle of Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862.
Timothy O'Leary, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organiz¬
ing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant, June 11, 1861;
promoted Captain, September 7, 1861; mustered out with the regi¬
ment ; wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, May 8, 1864;
residence, Salem.
Roster of the Officers.
253
john H. Rafferty, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; commissioned Second Lieutenant, June 11,
1861; promoted First Lieutenant, November 2, 1861; promoted
Captain, October 24, 1861; commission cancelled; killed in action
at Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862.
John C. WilleY, Captain, commissioned Second Lieutenant,
June 11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, September 11, 1861;
promoted Captain, January 28,1862; discharged, February 7, 1863 ;
residence, Cambridge.
Michael Scanlan, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organiz¬
ing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant, June 11, 1861;
promoted Captain, January 28, 1862; wounded at the Battle of
Gaines'Mills, June 27, 1862; discharged on account of disability
received from wounds, October 19, 1862; residence, Boston.
Thomas K. Roache, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant, June 11, 1861;
promoted Captain, July 8, 1862; dismissed, August 3, 1863.
John H. Walsh, Captain, commissioned Second Lieutenant,
June 11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, June 11, 1861; pro¬
moted Captain, January 28, 1862; resigned, January 7, 1863; resi¬
dence, Boston.
James F. McGonnigle, Captain, assisted in recruiting and or¬
ganizing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant, June 11,
1861; promoted Captain, June 28, 1862; wounded at the Battle of
Gaines' Mills, June 27,1862, and Spottsylvania, Va., May 12,1862;
residence, Stoughton.
Michael F. O'Hara, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organ¬
izing the regiment; promoted Second Lieutenant, June 11, 1861;
promoted First Lieutenant, February 26, 1862 ; promoted Captain,
June 28, 1862; taken prisoner at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, June
27, 1862; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
Timothy Burke, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organizing
the regiment; commissioned Second Lieutenant, June 11, 1861;
promoted First Lieutenant, January 5, 1862; promoted Captain,
August 27,1862 ; wounded at the Battles of Gaines' Mills, June 27,
1862, and Wilderness, May 5, 1864; mustered out with 'the regi¬
ment ; residence, Milford.
Patrick W. Black, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organiz-
254
The Irish Ninth.
ing the regiment; enlisted as Commissary Sergeant, June 11, 1861;
promoted Second Lieutenant, August 26, 1861; promoted First
Lieutenant, March 1, 1862; promoted Captain, October 20, 1862;
taken prisoner at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862; dis¬
missed July 28, 1863; dismissal revoked by the President, and
restored to rank, November 10,1863, but vacancy filled; afterwards
appointed Captain, 28th Mass. Vols.; residence, Salem.
William A. Phelan, Captain, enlisted as a private, June 11,
1861; promoted Sergeant; promoted Sergeant Major, November 3,
1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, February 26, 1862; promoted
First Lieutenant, July 3, 1862; promoted Captain, June 8, 1863;
killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va.. May 5, 1864.
Michael Flynn, Captain, assisted in recruiting and organizing
the-regiment; enlisted as Ordnance Sergeant, June 11, 1861; ap¬
pointed Drum Major, July, 1861; promoted Sergeant Major,
August 26, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, October 25, 1861;
promoted First Lieutenant, June 28, 1862; promoted Captain,
February 8, 1863; mustered out with the regiment; residence,
Boston.
Michael A. Finnerty, Captain, enlisted as a private in Com¬
pany H, June 11, 1861; promoted Sergeant; promoted Sergeant
Major, October 25, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, Novem¬
ber 3, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; pro¬
moted Captain, March 30, 1863 ; mustered out with the regiment;'
residence, Milford.
Martin O'Brien, Captain, enlisted as Sergeant, June 11, 1861;
promoted First Sergeant, September 1, 1861; promoted Second
Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant, Oc¬
tober 20, 1862; promoted Captain, July 29, 1863; wounded at the
Battle of Spottsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864; mustered out with the
regiment; residence, Salem.
James W. Macnamara, Captain, assisted in recruiting and or¬
ganizing the regiment; enlisted as Sergeant of Company E,
June 11, 1861; appointed Color-hearer, June 11, 1861; promoted
First Sergeant, Company I, July 1, 1861; promoted Second
Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant, Oc¬
tober 21, 1862; promoted Captain, August 4, 1863; complimented
for gallant and meritorious services at the Battles of Hanover Court
Roster oe the Officers.
255
House, Va., May 27, 1S62, and Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862, in
special orders, by Colonel P. R. Guiney ; wounded at the Battle of
Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862, and taken prisoner same day.
Mortally wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va., May 5,
1864, and died two hours afterwards; buried at Holyrood Ceme¬
tery, Brookline, with military honors.
William W. Doherty, First Lieutenant, commissioned June 11,
1861; resigned November 1, 1S61; residence, Boston.
Michael H. Macnamara, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruit¬
ing and organizing the regiment; commissioned First Lieutenant,
June 11, 1861; "discharged November 1, 1861; reenlisted as a
private, August 14, 1862; promoted First Sergeant, Company C,
September 26, 1862; appointed Acting Provost Marshal, First
Division, Fifth Army Corps, November 1, 1862; highly recom¬
mended for re-commission by Colonel P. R. Guiney, Ninth Massa¬
chusetts Volunteers, General Charles Griffin, commanding First
Division, Fifth Army Corps, Colonel McQ.uade, Fourteenth New
York Volunteers, and Colonel Sweitzer, .Sixty-Second Pennsylvania
Volunteers, but the State authorities refused to make the appoint¬
ment; the objections, in time, were removed, but the numerical
Strength of the regiment would not admit of any more promotions;
afterwards promoted Quartermaster Sergeant, July 1, 1863; mus¬
tered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
Patrick Walsh, First Lieutenant, commissioned Second
Lieutenant, June 11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, August 26,
1861; resigned January 4, 1862 ; reenlisted as a private, August
14, 1862; promoted First Sergeant, Company E; recommended
for re-commission, but the numerical strength of the regiment was
not sufficient to admit of any more promotions ; mustered out with
the regiment; residence, Boston.
Philip E. Redmond, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting
and organizing the regiment; commissioned Second Lieutenant,
June 11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, September 7, 1861;
cashiered February 28, 1862 ; reenlisted as a private, August 14,
1862 ; promoted First Sergeant, Company EL, September 10, 1862 ;
promoted Second Lieutenant, iVlarch 22,* 1863; died of disease, in
hospital at Washington, D. C., September 17, 1863.
Edward McSweeny, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting
256
The Irish Ninth.
and organizing the regiment; commissioned Second Lieutenant,
June 11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, October 25,1861; killed
in action at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va., July 1, 1862.
Richard P. Nugent, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; commissioned Second Lieutenant, June
11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, January 28, 1862; killed in
action at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862.
Archibald Simpson, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; commissioned Second Lieutenant, June
11, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; killed
in action at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va., May 5, 1864.
William B. Malony, First Lieutenant, enlisted as a private,
in Company A, June 11, 1861; promoted Commissary Sergeant,
November 27, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, March 1, 1862;
promoted First Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; resigned, March
20, 1863; residence, Boston.
Matthew Dacey, First Lieutenant, enlisted as Sergeant in
Company B, June 11, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, January
5, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant, September 26,1862; resigned,
October 14, 1862; discharged as Second Lieutenant; residence,
Boston.
Nicholas C. Flaherty, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting
and organizing the regiment; enlisted as First Sergeant in Com¬
pany D, June 11, 1861 ; promoted Second Lieutenant, October 24,
1861; promoted First Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; mortally
wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va., May 5, 1864; died
a few hours afterwards ; buried at Holyrood Cemetery, Brookline,
with military honors.
John Doherty, First Lieutenant, enlisted as a private in Com¬
pany F, June 11, 1861; promoted Sergeant; promoted Second
Lieutenant, February 10, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant, July 2,
1862; discharged, February 12, 1863; wounded at the Battle of
Gaines' Mills, Va., June 27, 1862; residence, Salem.
Patrick E. Murphy, First Lieutenant, enlisted as First Sergeant,
Company H, June 11, 1861; promoted Sergeant Major, in 1862;
promoted Second Lieutenant, September 26, 1862 ; promoted First
Lieutenant, February 8, 1863; wounded at the Battle of the Wilder¬
ness, May 5, 1864, right arm amputated; mustered out with the
Roster op the Officers.
257
regiment; afterwards appointed Lieutenant in the Veteran Reserve
Corps; residence, Milford.
Bernard F. Finan, First Lieutenant, enlisted as private, Com¬
pany D, June 11,1861; promoted, respectively, Corporal, Sergeant,
and as First Sergeant, October 24, 1861; promoted Second
Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant, Feb¬
ruary 13, 1863; wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va., May
5, 1864; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
Robert A. Miller, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; enlisted as First Sergeant, Company B,
June 11, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, August 27, 1862;
promoted First Lieutenant, March 21, 1863 ,* dismissed as Second
Lieutenant, August 3, 1863 ; residence, Boston.
Timothy Dacey, First Lieutenant, enlisted as private, Company
I, June 11, 1861; promoted respectively Corporal and Sergeant,
in 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; pro¬
moted First Lieutenant, April 7, 1863 ; wounded at the Battle of the
Wilderness, May 5, 1864, but remained in command of his com¬
pany ; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Lawrence.
John F. Doherty, First Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; enlisted as Sergeant, Company A, June
II, 1861; promoted Commissary Sergeant, February 10,1862 ; pro¬
moted Quartermaster Sergeant, March 10,1862; promoted Sergeant
Major, June 20,1862; promoted Second Lieutenant, September 26,
1862 ; promoted First Lieutenant, March 30, 1863; wqunded at the
Battles of Malvern Hill, Va., July 1,1862, and Wilderness, May 5,
1864; mustered out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
Joseph Murphy, First Lieutenant, enlisted as Sergeant, Com¬
pany F, June 11,1861; promoted Quartermaster Sergeant in 1862 ;
promoted Second Lieutenant, April 1, 1863; promoted First
Lieutenant, August 4, 1863 ; wounded at the Battle of the Wilder¬
ness, May 5, 1864, but remained in command of his company ;
mustered out with the regiment; residence, Salem.
James O'Donnell, First Lieutenant, enlisted as a recruit,
1862; promoted Second Lieutenant, February 8, 1863; pro¬
moted First Lieutenant, July 29,1863 ; mustered out with the regi¬
ment ; residence, Salem.
William R. Burke, First Lieutenant, enlisted as Sergeant,
17
258
The Irish Ninth.
Company H, June 11, 1861 ; promoted Second Lieutenant, January
8, 1863 ; promoted First Lieutenant, August 4, 1863 ; mustered out
with the regiment; residence, Milford.
Timothy F. Lee, Second Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; commissioned Second Lieutenant, June
11, 1861 ; dismissed, November 2, 1861; residence, Boston.
Edward Finnottie, Second Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting
and organizing the regiment; enlisted as First Sergeant, Company
G, June 11, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, September, 11,
1861; discharged, March 31, 1862; residence, Boston.
Francis 0'1)owd, Second Lieutenant, assisted in recruiting and
organizing the regiment; enlisted as Sergeant, June 11, 1861;
appointed Color Bearer, June 11, 1861 ; promoted Second
Lieutenant, February 10, 1862 ; killed in action, at the Battle of
Gaines' Mills, Va., June 27, 1862.
Charles B. McGinniskin, Second Lieutenant, enlisted as
private, Company D, promoted respectively Corporal and Sergeant;
and as Second Lieutenant, September 26, 1862; wounded at the
Battle of the Wilderness, Va., May 5, 1864; leg amputated, died a
few days after at Fredericksburg Hospital.
William J. Blood, Second Lieutenant, enlisted as a recruit,
August 11, 1862; promoted Second Lieutenant, September 26,
1862; discharged for physical disability, August 10, 1863; res¬
idence, Boston.
Hugh McGonnigle, Second Lieutenant, enlisted as First Sergeant,
Company K, June 11, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant, October
21, 1862; discharged, February 28, 1863 ; residence, Stoughton.
Frank M. Lalor, Second Lieutenant, enlisted as a recruit, in
1862; promoted Second Lieutenant, February 13, 1863; dis¬
missed, August 3, 1863; residence, Lawrence.
William A. Plunkett, Second Lieutenant, enlisted are a recruit,
August 14, 1862; promoted Second Lieutenant, March 1, 1863;'
wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5j 1864 ; mustered
out with the regiment; residence, Boston.
James O'Neil, Second Lieutenant, enlisted as Sergeant, Company
B, June 11, 1861; promoted First Sergeant, August 27, 1862;
promoted Second Lieutenant, April 8, 1863.; killed at the Battle of
Laurel Hill, Va., May 9, 1864 ; residence, Boston.
Roster of the Officers. 259
RECAPITULATION.
No. of officers mustered out on expiration of term of service, . 24
" " " killed in battle, 13
" " '* " by accident, 1
" " " died of wounds received in battle, 2
" " " " of disease, *2
" " " discharged to accept promotion in other corps, . 3
" " " discharged for disability, 3
" " " discharged, 4
" " " dismissed, 6
" " " cashiered, fl
" " " . resigned, 15
Whole No. of officers, 74
* One officer cashiered, who reenlisted, was promoted and died of disease,
f Afterwards re-enlisted and recommended for commission.
ROSTER OF ENLISTED MEN
OF THE
NINTH REGIMENT MASS. VOL. INFANTRY.
NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF.
"William Strachan, Sergeant Major, discharged to accept commis¬
sion. (See Officers' Roster.)
Michael Flynn, Sergeant Major, discharged to accept commis¬
sion. (See Officers' Roster.)
Michael A. Finnerty, Sergeant Major, discharged to accept com¬
mission. (See Officers' Roster.)
William A.. Phelan, Sergeant Major, discharged to accept com¬
mission. (See Officers' Roster.)
P. E. Murphy, Sergeant Major, discharged to accept commission.
(See Officers' Roster.)
William R. Burke, Sergeant Major, discharged to accept com¬
mission. (See Officers' Roster.)
Nathan Cams, Sergeant Major, mustered out June 21, 1864.
Thomas Mooney, Quartermaster Sergeant, discharged to accept
commission. (See Officers' Roster.)
John F. Doherty, Quartermaster Sergeant, discharged to accept
commission. (See Officers' Roster.)
Joseph Murphy, Quartermaster Sergeant, discharged to accept
commission. (See Officers' Roster.)
M. H. Macnamara, Quartermaster Sergeant; reenlisted; mustered
out June 21, 1864. (See Officers' Roster.)
(260)
Roster of Enlisted Men. 261
P. W. Black, Commissary Sergeant, discharged to accept com¬
mission. (See Officers' Poster.)
William B. Maloney, Commissary Sergeant, discharged to accept
commission. (See Officers' Roster.)
Frank O'Dowd, Commissary Sergeant, discharged to accept
commission. (See Officers' Roster.)
Daniel G. Macnamara, Commissary Sergeant, discharged to
accept commission. (See Officers' Roster.)
Joseph H. Monaghan, Commissary Sergeant, reenlisted, and
transferred to Thirty-second Massachusetts Volunteers.
Reed B. Granger, Hospital Steward, discharged by order of
General McClellan ; afterwards appointed Acting Volunteer Surgeon.
Joseph A. Sullivan, Hospital Steward, mustered out June 21,1864.
REGIMENTAL BAND.*
Michael O'Connor, Leader, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
William H. Graham, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
Lewis Boles, Musician, discharged, per order of the War Depart¬
ment, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June" 30, 1862.
John Litch, Musician, discharged, per order of the War Depart¬
ment, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862; wounded
at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va., July 1, 1862.
Earnest Wood, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
Victor Gibson, Musician, discharged, per order of the War De¬
partment, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
William Tinery, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
Martin McCabe, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
Edwin Duryea, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
John Murray, Musician, discharged, per order of the War De¬
partment, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
* Mustered out of service, August 10, 1862, at Harrison's Landing, Va.
262
The Irish Ninth.
Patrick Fitzgerald, Musician, discharged, per order of the "War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
George A. Gastin, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
William A. Knight, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
John Higgins, Musician, discharged, per order of the War De¬
partment, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
Thomas E. Ward, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
Charles L. Flint, Musician, discharged, per order of the War
Department, at Harrison's Landing, Va., dated June 30, 1862.
A. K. P. Rounds, Musician, discharged for disability, Septem¬
ber 16, 1861.
James Scanlan, Musician, discharged, per Special Order No. 91,
December 18, 1861.
Thomas Russell, Musician, discharged, per Special Order No. 91,
December 16, 1861.
John Mulvene, Musician, discharged, per Special Order No. 91,
December 16, 1861.
Thomas Mulvene, Musician, discharged, per Special Order No.
91, December 16, 1861.
Peter Dunn, Musician, discharged, per Special Order No. 91,
December 16, 1861.
Frank Damon, Musician, discharged for disability, January 15,
1862.
t Company A.
Bartholomew Kallaher, First Sergeant, mustered out June 21,1864.
Charles R. Warren,
Daniel Mullane,
Donald Ross,
John McLaughlin,
Daniel Kenney,
Michael McLaughlin,
John O'Donnell,
Patrick Gallagher,
William Tracy,
Bellows, John,
Sergeant, " " "
(t it it it
it it it it
Corporal, " " "
<< II It H
II II it II
" It It It
'< ft it it
Wagoner, " " "
Private, " " "
Roster of Enlisted Men.
263
Company A — continued.
Brady, Edward, Private, mustered out June 21, 1864.
Bayley, Ralph, " " « «
Carmody, Cornelius, " " » «
Cummings, James, " . " « "
Cass, Thomas, " " » »
Cronan, Maurice, " " " "
Cunis, John, " " « "
Ford, Thomas, " " " "
Flynn, Edward, " " « "
Gardiner, William C. "• " " "
Hagan, Patrick, " " " "
Hagarty, Patrick, " " " "
Hickey, James, " " " "
Lynch, John, " " " "
Lawler John, " " " "
McLaughlin, Terrence, " " " "
Moore, Alexander, " " " "
McMahon, Thomas, " " " "
McGennisken, Thomas, Jr., " " " "
Ninan, Daniel, " " " "
O'Hara, John B., " " ■ " "
O'Hara, John P., " tC " "
Riley, Simon J., " " " "
Sheehan, Timothy, " " " "
White, William, " " " "
Wyman, Henry, " " " "
Ward, Thomas E., " " " "
Walsh, Patrick, " " " "
Discharged.
Burke, Patrick, Corporal, for disability, February 2, 1862.
Boynton, Vassal P., Private, " March 23, 1863.
Coughlin, Jeremiah, " " September 24, 1862.
Carrol], Thomas, " " August 18, 1861.
Cryan, Patrick, " " January 30, 1862.
Dwvre, John, " " November 24, "
Donovan, Patrick, " "
Deboa, James, " " October 29,
Donovan, John, " " September 29, "
264
The Irish Ninth.
Company A — continued.
Edwards, George, Private, for disability, January
Fitzgerald, James,
Flaherty, William, "
Henley Edward, "
Hennessy, John, "
Hanary, John, "
Lovett, Charles, "
Lewellen, Thomas, "
McDermott, Michael, Sergeant,
Mulligan, Thomas, Private,
McGlone, Charles, "
Moore James, "
McCarthy, John, "
Murphy, Peter, "
Meehan, Michael, "
McGowen, Edward, "
McNamara, Owen, "
Noonan, Edward, "
O'Reilley, James, "
O'Brien, Peter, "
O'Callaghan, William F., "
Odey, William B., "
Powers, Benjamin, "
Phillips, Robert, "
Quinn, William, "
Sheridan, Bernard, "
Sullivan, Daniel, "
Semple, Robert, "
Sparrow, Philip O., "
Taylor, Bartholomew, "
Thornton, John, "
Young, Austin, "
Walsh, James, "
December
October
August
November
September
February
September
December
February
June
March
October
16, 1862.
29, "
19, "
18, 1861.
14, 1862.
27, "
21, 1863.
6, 1862.
18, «
24, 1863.
16, "
1, 1864.
29, 1862.
March
April
August
March
October
((
August
September
November
February
December
(i
November
u
December
Transferred.
John F. Doherty, 1st Sergeant, to Non.-Com. Staff, Feb.
William B. Maloney, " ■ " • " Aug.
William A. Phalen, " " " Nov.
10, 1864.
17, 1863.
30, 1862.
5, 1863.
6, 1863.
22, 1862.
25, 1863.
26, 1862.
5, «
15, 1864.
24, 1862.
16, 1S63.
22, 1862.
2, "
15, 1863.
10, 1862.
26, 1861.
3, «
Roster of Enlisted Men. 265
Company A — continued.
Adams, William, Private, to Company H.
Burke, James, " to Vet. Res. Corps.
Brown, Jonathan, " to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Bradley, William, " " « «
Burke, John H., " " " «
Peyle, Bernard, " " " «
Griffin, Michael, " " » <<
Kelley John, "
Lally, Daniel, "
Murphy, John, "
Moakler, John, "
McCarville, Patrick, "
Ninan, Jeremiah, "
O'Leary, Daniel, "
O'Brien, John, "
Palmer, William E., "
Parker Edwin S., "
Reynolds, John A., "
Rodman, William C., "
Sullivan, Patrick, "
Sweeney, Charles, "
Stimson, John A., " " " "
Smith, Henry, " " " "
Smith, Peter, " " " "
Tirrell, George J., " " " "
Ulhaas, John, " " " "
Webber, John, " " " "
Wilson, George, " " " "
Zeigler, David, " to Battery D, 5th U. S. Artillery.
Deceased.
Aaron, Otis F., Private, died March 15, 1862.
Buckley, David, Private, drowned June 23, 1861.
Brown, John, Private, died December 6, 1862.
Davis, William, Private, died.
Doherty, James, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Early, Patrick, Sergeant, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
toBat.D, 5th U.S. Art., Oct.25,1862.*
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Company E.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Company E.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Company I.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
266
The Irish Ninth.
Company A — continued.
Foley, James, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines's Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Gleason, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Garrity, Michael, Private, died January 28, 1863.
Glynn, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of Spottsylvania Court
House, May 12, 1864.
Heutch, Christopher, Private, died November 26, 1862.
Kennedy, Daniel, Private, died from wounds, July 14, 1862.
Keating, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Keenan, Edward, Private, killed at the Battle of Spottsylvania
Court House, Va., May 12, 1864.
Lynch, Maurice, Corporal, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Mclntire, Peter, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
McGuire, James, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
McGlone, Hugh, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Manning, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Melanfry, Paul, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
McDonald, Angers, "Private, died March 25, 1864.
Nicholson, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
O'Reilly, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill,
Va., July 1, 1862.
O'Keefe, David, Private, died June 23, 1863.
Pope, Roger, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Lanigan, Peter, Private, killed at the Battle i>f Spottsylvania Court
House, Va., May 12, 1864. .
Slevin, Hugh, Private, killed at the Battle of Spottsylvania Court
House, May 12, 1864.
Teirnon, Hugh, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Roster of Enlisted Men. 267
Company A — continued.
Fitzgerald, Thomas, Sergeant, killed at the Battle of Wilderness,
May 5, 1864.
Missing.
Comerford, John, Private, in action, November 28, 1863.
Coffey, John, " " May 5, 1864.
McClosky, Paul, Corporal, " " 12, "
Shahan, Edward, " " " 12, "
(Deserters dropped from the rolls.)
Company X3-
Henry B. O'Neil,
Patrick H. Brickley,
John W. Cullenan,
Bernard Lane,
James Remick,
William Dooley,
David Goulding,
John Burns,
James Battesby,
Michael Fallon,
Daniel Fallon
Boyle, Patrick,
Cumming, Martin,
Connell, Peter,
Curren, John,
Cullenan, John,
Driscoll, Dennis,
Danahay, Patrick,
Farley, John,
McGurrien, Michael,
Murphy, Martin,
McCarthy, John,
McCarthy, Dennis,
McKeirnan, John,
McNulty, James,
O'Brien, Michael,
First Sergeant, mustered out June 21, 1864.
Sergeant, " "
Corporal,
Wagoner,
Private,
268
The Irish Ninth.
Rice, Sylvester,
Schofield, Peter,
Sullivan, Timothy,
Sullivan, Michael,
Toomey, Maurice,
Tracey, William,
Whelan, Michael,
Company B — continued.
Private, mustered out June 21,1864.
Discharged.
Matthew Dacey, Sergeant, to accept commission, January 5, 1862.
(See Officers' Roster.)
Robert A. Miller, First Sergeant, to accept commission, August
27, 1862. (See Officers' Roster.)
James O'Neill, Sergeant, to accept commission, April 8, 1863.
(See Officers' Roster.)
Michael Brannon, Corporal, for disability, August 20, 1864.
Private, " August 8, 1863.
" " Oct. 10,1862; from wounds.
Private, for disability, August 18, 1861.
Adams, George,
Callahan, John,
Brett, John,
Burke, John B.,
Bresnehan, John,
Burns, John, 3d,
Buckley, James,
Barker, Thomas,
Baney, John,
Driscoll, Timothy,
Daily, Daniel J.,
Donovan, John, 2d,
Dugan, William,
Emerson, Amos,
Farley, Patrick,
Griffin, Michael,
Gleason, Michael,
Greary, George,
Hall, William,
Sergeant,
66
Private,
January,
August
January
30, 1862.
10, 1863.
12, "
29, "
10, 1862.
28, 1864.
September 30, 1862.
October 30, "
66 66 66
September 28, 1863.
December 16, "
June 15, "
February 2, "
November 20, 1862.
April 16, 1863.
October 14, 1862.
Hernan, John, Private, for disability, November 20, 1862; from
wounds.
Horan, Dennis, Private, for disability, July 31, 1863.
Rosteii of Enlisted Men. 269
Company B.—continued.
Lyons, Charles, Private, for disability, October 16, 1862; from
wounds.
Lamb, Owen J., Private, for disability, December 25, 1863.
Leach, Elbridge, " " March 26, 1864.
McDonald, Donald, " " January 6, 1863.
Martin, John, Private, for disability, January 12, 1863; from
wounds.
McLaughlin, Patrick, Private, for disability, January 19, 1863.
McGovern, Phillip, Private, for disability, January 19, 1863; from
wounds.
McGuire, John, Private, for disability, December 21, 1863.
Naughton, Thomas, " " October, 30, "
Newton, Thomas, Private, for disability, February 24, 1863; from
wounds.
Palmer, John N., Private, for disability, January, 20, 1863.
Powers, Thomas, Private, for disability, February 9, 1863; from
wounds.
Pearce, Charles E., Private, for disability, December 11, 1863.
Quinlan, Thomas, Private, for disability, February 4, 1863; from
wounds.
Sheridan, Patrick, Private, for disability, March 10, 1862; from
wounds.
Somerville, Alexander, Private, for disability, October 23, 1861.
Sullivan, William, Private, for disability, September 20, 1862; from
wounds.
Smith, William, Private, for disability, December, 3, 1862; from
wounds.
Scanlan, Joseph F., Private, for disability, February 23, 1863.
Turish, Hugh, " " August 18, 1861.
Thompson, William, " " September 26, "
Welch, James N., " " October 30, 1862.
Transferred.
Adams, Carl,
Brennan, Joseph,
Brown, Joseph,
Butler, Hercules,
Bushe, Otto,
Private, to 32d Mass. Volunteers, June 9, 1864.
u a <c <<
a a << <<
u. a "
6( a n a
270
The Irish Ninth.
Company B — continued.
Busse, William, Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Bacon, William F., "
Burke, James, "
Geblin, James, "
Grant, James, "
Gleason, Michael, "
Hart, Patrick, "
Howard, Martin, "
Joyce, Taylor, "
Kenny, Thomas, "
Longrein, Charles, "
Maybie, Francis, "
Macul, Stephen J., "
McCoy, James, "
Powers, Edward, "
Stelfok, James F., "
Walsh, John, "
Barker, Owen, " to Yet. Res. Corps, November 27, 1863.
Griffin, John, " " " September 12, "
Phelan Thomas " " " " 26, "
Deceased.
Archpool, Lawrence, Private, killed at Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
Burns, James, Private, died of disease, September 27, 1862.
Bresnehan, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
Conlan, Andrew, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Cullennan, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Creighton, Michael C., Sergeant, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill,
Va., May 8, 1864.
Crossin, Eugene, Private, died at AndersonvillePrison, Aug. 10,1864.
Carney, William, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
Doherty, Daniel, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Roster of Enlisted Men. 271
Company B — continued.
Ferris, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
Gordon, Joseph, Private, killed at the Battle of Mechanicsville, Va.,
June 26, 1862.
Hyde, Dennis, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Hogan, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Keenan, Michael, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Kelly, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle Laurel Hill, Va., May 8,
1864.
McQuade, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Meany, Thomas, Sergeant, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill,Va.,
July 1, 1862.
McGavigan, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
O'Brien, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
„ Regan, John, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
Smith, Matthew, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Sheehan, Martin, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1862.
Thompson, Charles, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill,
Va., July 1, 1862.
Ward, James, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
Company O.
John P. Murphy, First Sergeant, mustered out June 21, 1864.
James Petty,
William Reynolds,
James D. Gallagher,
Edward McLaughlin, " " " "
Thomas Barnes, Corporal,
272
The Irish Ninth.
Maurice O'Donnell,
James Murray,
Boylston, Michael,
Campbell, John,
Coyne, John,
Creig, William,
Coleman, Thomas,
Connolly, Michael,
Corcoran, Daniel,
Flynn, William,
Ford, Michael,
Gilles, James,
Hennebry, John,
Harty, Michael,
Howard, Thomas,
Jones, Patrick,
Lynch, John,
Mullen, William,
McTighe, Anthony,
McQueeny, William,
McGovern, James,
O'Toole, Michael,
O'Brien, William,
O'Brien, Timothy,
Regan, John,
Ring, John,
Ryan, John, 1st,
Ryan, John, 2d,
Slattery, James,
Shannahan, Robert,
Sullivan, Michael,
Sheehan, Cornelius,
Company C — continued.
Corporal, mustered out June 21, 1864.
Pm
te,
Discharged.
Christopher Plunkett, Sergeant, to accept commission, Septem¬
ber 26, 1862. (See Officers' Roster.)
William A. Plunkett, Sergeant, to accept commission, March 1.
1863. (See Officers' Roster.)
Roster of Enlisted Men. 273
Company C — continued.
Frank M. Lalor, Sergeant, to accept commission, February 13,
1863. (See Officers' Roster.)
Brett, Michael, Private, for disability, October 13, 1862.
Cosgrove, John, Private, for disability, October 28, 1861, from
■wounds.
Private, for disability,
Cullen, Michael,
Conniff, John,
Clancy, William,
Conant, Daniel M.,
Cushing, Andrew J.,
Casey, James,
Delaney, Michael,
Dudley, Henry E.,
Fegan, Lawrence,
Ford, Edward, "
Fahey, William, "
Farrington, Hugh, "
Gilldey, Patrick, "
Goslin, James, "
Harvey, John, "
Harrington, Andrew, "
Hatch, George E., "
Kerr, William, "
from wounds.
Kendall, John H., "
Lord, Charles W., "
Lyons, Michael, "
from accidental wounds.
Matthews, John F., Private,
Murphy, Thomas, "
Murphy, James, "
Murphy, Jeremiah, "
from wounds.
Murray, Charles, "
Murphy, Michael B., "
McDonald, Charles H., "
McCaffery, John, "
McAuliff, Thomas, "
October 1, 1862.
" 29, "
May 7, 1863.
December 11, 1863.
" October 29, 1862.
" December 11, 1863.
War Dept. order, " 12, "
for disability, November 3, 1862.
" March 30, 1863.
« « 29, "
" August 18, 1861.
" February 2, 1863.
" November 3, 1862.
" February 9, 1863.
" August 18, 1861.
" December 11, 1863.
" March 18, 1862.
" December 11, 1863.
" August 10, 1861.
« " 22, 1862.
March
October
March
30, "
22, "
11, 1863,
October 22, 1862.
March 8, "
October 3, "
December, "
274
The Irish Ninth.
McGin, Patrick,
Montague, Daniel,
McGuire, John D., "
from wounds.
McMahon, Thomas, "
from wounds.
McNamaxa, Michael S., "
from wounds.
Mahoney, Frank, "
O'Brien, William, "
O'Brien, John, "
Perodi, Domingo, "
Powers, John, 1st, "
Powers, Patrick, "
Pym, William, "
Pierce, John, "
Patterson, George, "
Ryan, John, "
Ryan, Patrick, "
Sendow, Henry, "
Williams, George, "
Bannon, Thomas, "
Leonard, John, "
Company C — continued.
Private, for disability, March,
Burke, William,
Burke, Martin,
Cooney, Jeremiah,
Casey, Michael,
Coy, George H.,
Coffee, Michael,
Campbell, William,
Clancy, John,
Coyle, James,
Dyer, Daniel,
Elliott, George H.,
Sheehan, Daniel J.,
Foye, William,
on writ Tiab. corp., "
for disability, October
it it
" March
" October
1863.
" 6,1862,
December 9, "
January 16, 1863,
December 11, "
October 11, 1862.
March 18, "
" 10, "
" 10, "
" 10, "
" 21, "
December 11, 1863.
13, 1862.
18, 1861.
15, "
6, 1863.
22, 1862.
January 25, 1863.
Transferred.
Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864
" Vet. Res. Corps, Sept. 30, 1863.
" Company —, Oct. 3, "
» <« « 3> «
" 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Vet. Res. Corps, Oct. 1, 1863.
32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Vet. Res. Corps, Feb. 27, "
32d Mass. Vols., June 9, "
Roster of Enlisted Men. 275
Company C — continued.
Flanagan, Henry, Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Frost, Benjamin, " " « »
Fields, Sirpon, " " " <<
Gleason, Spencer W., " " " "
Gaffney, George, " " " "
Jones, William, " Vet. Res. Corps, Sept. 30, 1863.
Kelley, James, - " 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
Kelleher, John, " " " "
McNamara, Michael H., 1 st Sergt., to N. C. S. (See Officers' Roster.)
McCarthy, James,
Martin, Daniel,
Malonev, Thomas,
O'Mahoney, Daniel,
Phinney, Edwin,
Parker, John H.,
Parker, Warren,
Sullivan, Dennis,
Somerville, Alexander, " to Vet. Res. Corps, Dec. 16, 1863.
Wright, George, " to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
Walsh, Edward, " " " "
Walsh, Daniel, Corporal, " " "
Deceased.
Dolan, Michael, Private, killed at the battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
Dennison, John, Private, died, November 7, 1863.
Duncan, Charles, Private, killed at battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Flanagan, John, Private, killed at the battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
Greeney, Charles, Private, killed at the battle of Gaines'Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Grier, George, Sergeant, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Hughes, James, Corporal, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Harrell John, Private, killed at the battle of Spottsylvania Court
House, Va., May 19, 1864.
Sergt., to 32d Mass.
Corporal, "
Private, "
it it
Corporal, "
Private, "
<< U
it ti
June 9, 1864.
it Ci
a tt
a a
a tt
a tt
a a
tt a
276
The Irish Ninth.
Company C — continued.
Hyde, John, Private, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va., June
27, 1862.
Leary, Daniel, Corporal, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Madden, Erasmus D, Private, killed at the battle of the "Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
McGee, Patrick, Sergeant, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Petty, Edward, Private, killed at the battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
Sheehan, James, Private, killed at the battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Slattery, Michael, Private, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1864.
Waters, John, Private, died of wounds, November 5, 1862.
Walder, Henry, Private, killed at the battle of Spottsylvania Court
House, Va., May 12, 1864.
(Deserters dropped.)
Company D.
James Cavanagh,
James Murray,
Thomas Collins,
Peter Doran,
Peter Hodgers,
William Hangley,
Thomas Mollahan,
James Hughes,
Simon P. Hickey,
Baldwin, George,
Blanchard, Henry,
Burke, Cuthbert,
Garr, James, 1st,
Childs, Albert,
Clancy, Jeremiah,
Conlon, Thomas,
Sergeant, mustered out June 21, 1864.
Corporal,
Wagoner,
Musician,
Private,
Roster of Enlisted Men. 277
Coakley, Dennis,
Coughlin, Joseph,
Devlin, John,
Doherty, Edward,
Doherty, Anthony,
Farrell, James,
Flemming, James,
Giles, George,
Jameson, John A.,
Lynch, George,
Marshall, James T.,
Masterson, John,
Meadon, Albert,
Mellen, William,
McDermott, William,
Murphy, Jeremiah,
Murray, Daniel A.,
Plant, Joseph,
Quigley, James,
Roach, Michael,
Shea, Jeremiah,
Shields, William,
Sweeny, William,
Young, Nicholas,
Company D — continued.
Private, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
Discharged.
Nicholas C. Flaherty, 1st Sergeant, to accept commission, Octo¬
ber 24, 1861. (See Officers' Roster.)
Bernard F. Fin an, 1st Sergeant, to accept commission, Septem¬
ber 26, 1862. (See Officers' Roster.)
Charles B. McGinniskin, 1st Sergeant, to accept commission, Sep¬
tember 26, 1862. (See Officers' Roster.)
James O'Donnell, Sergeant, to accept commission, February 8,1863.
(See Officers' Roster.)
Edward McDonald, Sergeant, , March 23, 1863.
Benway, Augustus, Private, from hospital,
Brown, Dennis, Private, for disability, October 17, 1862; from
wounds.
278
The Irish Ninth.
Company D— continued.
Burt, Samuel, Private, for disability, December 11, 1863.
Clancy, Michael,
from wounds.
Collins, John,
Crowley, Jeremiah,
Condon, Michael,
Conlon, Michael,
Cummings, James,
Daley, Frank,
Donohoe, John,
Duffy, Bernard,
from wounds.
Dugan, Dennis,
Good, John P.,
from wounds.
Gleason, John,
Haverlin, Hugh,
Healey, Dennis,
Heenan, John C.,
Hinckley, John,
Keefe, John,
Kelleher, John,
Lynch, William,
Mahoney, John,
Maloney, William,
Messer, Charles E.,
O'Brien, Edward,
from wounds.
Powers, Matthew E.,
Iteddy, Andrew,
wounds.
Ryder, Thomas,
November 19, 1862 ;
October 3, 1862.
February 2, 1862.
September 20, 1861.
October 23, 1861.
December 28, 1863;
October
April
29, 1862.
25, 1863;
" October 23, 1861.
" February 15, 1863.
- " October 29, 1863.
" December 10, 1862.
" March 10, 1863.
by order of War Department,
for disability, November 28, 1862.
" December 19, 1862.
" October 28, 1862.
March
February
April
from wounds.
23, 1862.
6, 1863;
19, 1862.
October 12, 1862 ; from
Transferred.
Nathan Cams, 1st Sergeant, to Non-Commission Staff; promoted
Sergeant Major, April 1, 1863.
Edward C. Scott, Sergeant, to 32d Mass. Vols, June 9, 1864.
Edward Hegan, " to Vet. Res. Corps.
Roster op Enlisted Men.
279
James Shea,
John O'Brien,
John L. Benden,
Baker, Charles,
Buchan, William,
Bell, Richard,
Carr, James, 2d,
Cassidy, Peter,
Curran, John,
Cleveland, William,
Doherty, Michael,
Dowd, Peter,
Durant, Charles,
Dunn, John,
Fuller, Ezekiel,
Fairbanks, Charles L.,
Gill, Joseph,
Guiney, William,
Haggerty, John,
Hanson, John,
Hill, Thomas H.,
Hughes, Edward,
Jackson, Andrew,
Kenney, Dennis,
Eevlin, Thomas,
Kevlin, Richard,
Killan, Thomas,
Leppart, John,
Lancy, John,
Lee, Walter,
McGowan, Thomas,
McDonough, James,
McCormack, Thomas,
O'Donnell, Owen,
Walsh, Patrick,
Walsh, John,
Company D — continued.
32d Mass.Vols., June 9, 1864.
Sergeant, to
Corporal,
Musician,
Private,
to Company F, April 5, 1863.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Yet. Res. Corps,
to 32d Mass.Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Vet. Res. Corps, Dec. 18, 1863.
a
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Vet. Res. Corps, Oct. 30, 1863.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
<c (( a
to the Navy, , April 21, 1864.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Vet. Res. Corps,
to 32dMass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
the Navy, April 21, 1864.
32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
a « «
Company I.
32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
280
The Irish Ninth.
Company D — continued.
Deceased.
Patrick Collins, First Sergeant, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills
Va., June 27, 1862.
John D. Doherty, Sergeant, killed at the battle of Shady Grove
Church, Va., May 30, 1864.
James I. Haley, Corporal, killed at the battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
James McQam, Corporal, killed at the battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
John Reed, Corporal, died of wounds, May 18, 1864.
Cart-wright, John, Private, died of wounds, June 27, 1862.
Conway, Michael, Private, killed at the battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Flynn, John, Private, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills, June 27,
1862.
McConologue, Neal, Private, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills,
June 27, 1862.
McKenna, Francis, Private, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
McFeeley, William, Private, killed at the battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
McGrade, Terrence, Private, died of wounds, June 27, 1862.
McLaughlin, John, Private, died of wounds, July 1, 1862.
O'Hara, John, Private, killed at the battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
Provost, Mitchell, Private, killed at the battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Regan, Peter, Private, died of disease, December 19, 1862.
Russell, Michael, Private, died of disease, December 9, 1862.
Tate, William I., Private, died from wounds, July 1, 1862.
Weimar, Conrad, Private, killed by accident on cars, June 13,1864,
Walsh, James, Private, killed at the battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
White, Stephen, Private, died of disease, January 14, 4863.
(Deserters dropped.)
Koster of Enlisted Men. 281
Company E.
James McMullen, First Sergeant, mustered out June 21
James Blakeney, "
Martin Jenkins, "
Anthony Mahler, "
Charles Farmer, "
John Hallman, Corporal,
Daniel Ivers, "
John Breen, "
John Danehey, "
Samuel Smith, "
John Keating, "
Thomas Carter, "
Buckley, Daniel, Private,
Bannon, John, "
Barry, Patrick, "
Breen, John, "
Bush, Richard, "
Coffey, Jeremiah, "
Connors, Terence, "
Clure, Michael, "
Connoy, Michael, "
Darney, Daniel, "
Daveron, Michael, "
Dorrington, Hugh, "
Doherty, Patrick, "
Doherty, George F., "
Deidy, ^Thomas, "
Grimes, Michael, "
Henon, Patrick, "
Hannally, David, "
Kelley, Francis, "
Mullain, Patrick, "
Morrisonf John, "
Malcolm, James, "
McLaughlin, Michael, "
Norton, Michael, "
, 1864.
282
The Irish Ninth.
Company E-
O'Callaghan, Eugene, Private,
Palmer, William E.,
Punch, John,
Quigley, Martin,
Regan, Timothy,
Sullivan, Dennis,
Walsh, Patrick,
— continued.
mustered out, June 21, 1861
Discharged.
Philip Redmond, First Sergeant, to accept commission, March 22,
1863. (See Officers' Roster.)
Daniel Ford, Sergeant, for disability from wounds, Feb. 27, 1863.
Thomas Ivers, Sergeant, by order of War Department, September
1, 1862.
Corporal, for disability, January
Gaffney, Patrick,
Sullivan, Thomas,
Boyle, Patrick,
Barker, James,
Bloomis, William,
Corporal,
Private,
11, 1863.
17, 1862.
4, 1862.
" 25, 1861.
September 1, 1863.
Nov.
October
Blood, William J., Private, to accept commission, Sept. 26, 1862.
(See Officers' Roster.)
Cronan, Jeremiah,
Carroll, John,
Cassidy, John,
Dolan, Patrick,
Deerin, John,
Durkin, Patrick,
Private, for disability,
October 25, 1862.
Dec. 27,1862.
February 5, 1863.
Dec. 23, 1861
March 5, 1863.
Dec. 25,4862.
Fogerty, William, Private, by order War Dep't, September 1, 1862.
Frye, William F., Private, for disability, Nov. 19, "
Gallagher, John, Private, " March 18, "
Hennessy, Thomas, " " August 30, 1862.
Hayes, Charles, " " January 31, 1863.
Harrigan, Timothy, " " Nov. 17, 1862.
Kelley, Michael, " " October 13, 1862.
Lynch, Henry, " " August 19, 1861.
McKenna, Patrick, " " March 7, 1862.
Mulroy, John, Private, by order of War Dep't, Sept. 1, 1862.
Roster of Enlisted Men.
283
Company E — continued.
McCance, Daniel, Private, by order of Gen.Morris, Nov.
McGooish, Thomas, Private, for disability, Nov.
Mann, John A., " "
Mullen, Robert,
Meagher, Patrick,
Nary, Patrick,
Quinlan, Thomas,
20, 1862-
22, 1862.
February 14,1863.
March 19, 1863.
March 25, 1863.
Sept. 29, 1862.
Dec. 18, 1862.
Private for disability,
Regan, Matthew, Private, by order of General Wadsworth, August
7, 1862.
Private, for disability,
Rooney, Thomas,
Ryal, William,
Sullivan, John,
Sullivan, Daniel J.,
Spellman, John,
Yeniker, William,
Walsh, James,
Walsh, Edward,
Dec. 13, 1862.
Jan. 21, 1864.
Dec. 20, 1862.
February 26,1863.
June 17,1863.
Dec. 11, 1862.
August 3, 1863.
February 4,1863.
White, Thomas L., Private, by order of War Department, February
7, 1862.
Transferred.
Daniel G. Macnamara, First Sergeant, to Non-Commission Staff,
March 10, 1862.
James W. Macnamara, Sergeant, to Company I, July 1, 1861.
Brady, Patrick, Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
Butcher, James, " " " "
Creeley, William, " " " "
Carr, Joseph, " " " "
Carlton, Patrick,
Dwyer, Patrick,
Gordon, George,
Hunt, Peter,
Hewitt, Francis,
Kennedy, Dennis,
Monaghan, Bernard,
McDavitt, John,
Mullen, Robert,
O'Connor, Patrick,
" to Vet. Reserve Corps, May
Corporal, to 32d Mass. Vols., June
Private, to Vet. Res. Corps, July
" to 32d Mass. Vols., June
5, 1864.
9, 1864.
1, 1863.
9, 1864.
to Vet. Res. Corps, Aug. 1, 1863.
" " April 9, 1864.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to Vet. Res. Corps., Sept. 15, 1863.
284
The Irish Ninth.
Company E — continued.
O'Neill, John, Private, to 32d Mass. Vols. June 9, 1864.
O'Connor, Daniel,
Powers, Benjamin,
Robson, James,
Story, Nathaniel E.,
Smyth, James,
Scanlon, Thomas,
Webber, Louis,
Ash, Frank, Private, killed at the battle of Spottsylvania, May 12,
1864.
Butler, Walter, Private, died of disease, June 15, 1862.
Boylan, Patrick, Private, died of wounds, July 13, 1862.
Condon, Richard, Corporal, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Condon, James, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862,
Collins, Edward, Private, died of wounds, January 11, 1861.
Cahill, Timothy, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Enright, Michael, Private, died of disease, January, 11, 1863.
Fitzgerald, Michael, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Garland, Owen, Private, drowned in Potomac River, June 27,1861.
Gallagher, Owen, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Horan, Michael, Private, died of wounds, June 29,1862.
Lambert, Joseph, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Lynch, Martin, Private, died of wounds, December 31, 1863.
Murphy, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va.,'.May4, 1864.
Malonev, James, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness
Va., May 5, 1864.
Moore, Richard, Private, killed at the Battle of Spottsylvania, Va.,
May 12, 1864., / k
66 66 46 66
" to Company A, Aug. 30, 1863.
" to 32d Mass., Vols., June 9, 1864.
(( 66 66 66
66 66 66 66
" to the Navy, February, 1862.
" to Vet. Res. Corps. Sept. 1, 1863.
Deceased.
Roster of Enlisted Men. 285
Company E — continued.
Marvin, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.
June, 27, 1862.
Newell, John B., Sergeant, killed at the Battle of Spottsylvania, Va.
May 12, 1864.
Nole, James P., Private, killed at the Battle of Spottsylvania, Va.
May 12, 1864.
Rourke, Dennis, Private, died of wounds, September 6, 1862.
Ross, Henry, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May
8, 1862.
Smith, Charles D., Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1862.
Sullivan, Michael, Private, died of wounds, June 29, 1862.
Smith, Joseph F., died of wounds, June 29, 1862.
(Deserters dropped.)
Company F.
Michael W.Boyle, First Sergeant, mustered out June 21, 1864.
John Lanigan, Sergeant, " " "
Thomas Fallon,
Edward Gugle,
Garrett Timmings,
Patrick Timmings,
Richard Carney,
James McLauglin,
Benjamin Hayes,
David Cashin,
John Ryan,
Patrick Tierney,
David Delaney,
Barclay, Frank,
Connelly, James,
Cashin, Robert,
Creedin, Cornelius,
Cunningham, Lawrence, "
Cain, Patrick, "
Dempsey, James, "
Corporal, "
a 66
66 66
66 66
66 66
66 66
66 66
Wagoner, "
Private, "
66 66
66 66
66 66
286
The Irish Ninth.
Donavan, John,
Desmond, Dennis,
Dowdal, Charles,
Daley John,
Deemin, Michael,
Dennismore, William,
Daley, John, 2d,
Duggan, William,
Day, Ebenezer F.,
Flaherty, Thomas,
Gunning, John,
Gorham, William,
Hennessey, John,
Jordan, William,
Jenkins, James H.,
Kelley, Simon P.,
Kelley, John, 1st,
Kelley, John, 2d,
Keating, Michael,
Leslie, James,
McCarthy, Patrick,
McMahone, James,
Monaghan, Humphrey,
McFarland, James,
O'Keefe, Patrick,
O'Keefe, John,
O'Brien, Edward,
O'Koarke, John,
O'Shea, Timothy,
Sweeney, Daniel,
Scully, John,
Shea, Daniel,
Shortil, James,
Traines, Edward,
Walsh, Patrick,
Company f—continued.
Private, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
Roster of Enlisted Men. 287
Company F — continued.
Discharged.
Michael Phalen, First Sergeant, to accept commission, September 7,
1861. (See Officers' Roster.)
John Doherty, Sergeant, to accept commission, February 10, 1862.
(See Officers' Roster.)
Martin O'Brien, First Sergeant, to accept commission, September
26, 1862. (See Officers' Roster.)
Burke, Uelic, Private, for disability.
Burke, Charles, " "
Broderick, Dennis, " "
Bell, Richard, " "
Cogen, John, " "
Cullerton, Michael, " "
Callahan, Patrick, " "
Connor, James, " "
Cusic, Patrick, " "
Clines, John, " "
Cary, John, " "
Corcoran, Daniel, " "
Darah, Thomas, " "
Dolan, Patrick, " "
Doyle, James, " "
Driscol, John D., " "
Hurley, William, " "
Hynes, John, " "
Kelley, Michael, " "
Kelley, James, " "
Kennedy, Martin, " <c
Kelley, Charles D., " "
Leary, Timothy, " "
Lynch, James, 1st, " "
Lynch, William,
Lynch, James, 2d, " "
McCarthy, Patrick, " "
McCarthy, Daniel, " "
Martin, James, " "
McGrath, John, " "
288
The Irish Ninth.
Martin, John,
Neal, Edward,
O'Connor, James,
O'Brien, John, 1st,
O'Brien, John, 2d,
O'Hara, Patrick,
O'Brien, Thomas,
Pender, John,
Regan, Dennis,
Ryan, Cornelius,
Stephen, Joseph,
Sweeney, Morgan,
Smith, George B.,
Twohey, John,
Company F — continued.
Private for disability.
June 17, 1863.
June 18, 1862.
Joseph Murphy, 1st Sergeant,
Joseph Monaghan, Sergeant,
Boyd, Neil, Private,
Connor, William,
Connor, Thomas,
Cullivane, Patrick,
Dannings, Benjamin,
Enei, William,
Fitzpatrick, John,
Gordon, Samuel,
Lane, Martin,
Legere, Phillip,
Mahoney, Daniel D.,
Mattox, Harvey,
Philman, Bernard,
Page, Benjamin,
Redmond, William D.,
Shackleton, Joseph,
Sweeney, Patrick,
Transferred.
to Non-Com. Staff, Sept. 26,1862.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
u (t a
to Vet. Res. Corps.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
to the Navy.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
to the Navy.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
to Company B.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to the Navy.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9,1864.
to the Navy.
Roster of Enlisted Men. 289
Company F — continued.
Deceased.
James Connors, Private, died of disease.
William Regan, Private, " "
Patrick Shea, Private, died from wounds.
Thomas S. Sherlock, Private, died of disease.
John Tracey, Private, died of disease.
Robert Farrell, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va., June 27,
1S62.
John F. Tierney, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
John Granby, Private, killed at Battle of Malvern Hill, Va., June
27, 1862.
Morris Hurleighby, Private, killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg,
Va., December 13, 1863.
Peter McNamara, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
John Morrissey, Private, killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Va.,
December 13, 1863.
Patrick Meagher, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
James Powers, Private, killed at the Battle of Shady Grove, 1864.
James Regan, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 26, 1862.
(Deserters dropped.)
Company G-.
Michael Murphy, 1st Sergeant, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
Michael Clark, Sergeant, " " "
Francis Carey, " " "
William H. Armstrong, " " "
Thomas Hackett, Corporal, " "
Timothy Quinn, " " "
Thomas Brigham, " " "
Maurice Sullivan, " " "
Richard F. Murphy, " " "
19
290
The Irish Ninth.
Thomas Philbin
Allen, Michael,
Barry, Thomas,
Creamer, Lawrence,
Collins, James,
Cowhey, Edward,
Clark, Peter,
Conboy, Thomas,
Clancy, Thomas,
Cunningham, William,
Deneen, Thomas,
Doherty, Patrick,
Driscoll, John,
Donavan, John,
Davis, Willliam,
Dolan John,
Donavan, John E.,
Gerrity, Patrick,
Haggerty, Michael,
Lanigan, James,
Linnehon, Dennis,
Lowe, John,
Lovell, George,
McGuire, Thomas,
McHugh, Patrick,
McHugh, Cornelius,
McCann, Michael,
McQueeny, Peter,
Murnane, William,
Murphy, John,
Oscar, Eli,
O'Brien, Patrick,
Rice, Thomas,
Riley, Maurice,
Sweeny, Edward,
Smith, Bernard,
Stone, Lewis,
Company G — continued.
Musician, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
Private,
Boster of Enlisted Men.
291
Tobin, Michael,
Walsh, Walter,
Company G — continued.
Pi-ivate, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
« « «
Discharged.
Edward Finnottie, First Sergeant, to accept commission, September
11, 1861. (See Officers' Roster.)
John Allen, Corporal, for disability, October 18, 1862.
Burke, Patrick, Private, " December 18, 1862.
Berrystren, Charles,
Cotter, Michael,
Creed, John,
Cotter, Cornelius,
Callahan, Dennis,
Curran, Charles,
Clements, Francis,
Coughlin, Michael,
Carey, James,
Dooley, Thomas,
Donovan, John,
Dempsey, Timothy,
Duggan, Patrick,
Duggan, Matthew,
Fahey, Martin,
Farley, Michael,
Fleming, John,
Feeley, John,
Goodwin, James H.,
Hayes, William,
Higgins, Timothy,
Xane, Henry,
Kelley, Lawrence,
Kenny, Bryan,
Keleher, William,
Lovett, Charles,
Mahoney, William,
Mahoney, James,
Murray, Patrick,
October 28, 1861.
March 8, 1862.
November 14, 1862.
January 29, 1863.
December 19, 1863.
February 19, 1862.
August "
<( a
22, 1862.
March 8, "
August 3, "
December 13, "
February 5, "
December 13, "
January 2, "
March
May
July
August
October
August
30, "
5, 1863.
1, 1862.
3, "
31, "
25, 1861.
8, 1862.
8, «
8, 1863.
25, 1861.
February 29, 1864.
January 21, 1862.
August 8, "
October
292
Tele Irish Ninth.
Company G — continued.
McDermott, Patrick,
Private, for disability, August
22, 1861.
McLaughlin, James,
it
it
February
16, 1863.
McCann, John,
ti
tt
March
24, "
McEnery, John,
it
it
it
30, "
Nervins, Edward,
ti
it
February
9, "
O'Brien, Richard,
it
it
October
28, 1861.
O'Shaughnessy, Michael, "
it
it
13, 1862.
Prushio, Joseph,
Corporal
tt
May
5, 1863.
Purbeck, John H.,
Private,
tt
August
ti
Strachan, William,
a
it
Stewart, William,
it
61
tt
22, 1862.
Smith, John,
tt
tt
November
25, "
Sullivan, Daniel,
tt
ft
February
19, 1863.
Sullivan, Jeremiah,
tt
tt
October
17, "
Walsh, Martin,
tt
it
April
22, "
Transferred.
Clifford, John,
Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June
9, 1864.
Cassidy, Lawrence,
tt
ti
it
((
Cleary, James,
it
it
tt
it
Dailey, Felix,
tt
ti
it
tt
Gammon, Lorenzo,
tt
ft
tt
tt
Howard, William,
it
to Vet. Res. Corps, Nov. 11, 1863.
Lyden, Martin,
it
to 32d Mass. Vols., June
9, 1864.
Lavery, William,
4t
ft
it
ti
McEnery, William,
tt
tt
it
ft
Riordan, Michael,
it
it
it
tt
Smith, Thomas,
it
it
it
it
Deceased.
Ahearn, Michael, Private, killed accidentally, September 12, 1862.
Buckley, John, Corporal, died of wounds, May 12, 1864.
Bumpus, Jedediah, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Burns, Eugene, Private, died of disease, September 8, 1862.
Clark, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Roster of Enlisted Men.
293
Company G — continued.
Cutter, Augustus, 1st, Private, died of disease, May 4, 1S64.
Connor, John, First Sergeant, killed at the Battle of the Wilder¬
ness, Va., May 7, 1864.
Daly, Robert, First Sergeant, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill,
Va., July 1, 1862.
Duffy, Charles T., Private, died of disease, August 26, 1863.
Finnerty, Bartholomew, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines'
Mills, Va., June 27, 1862.
Furphy, Cornelius, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill,
Va., July 1, 1862.
Fitzgerald, John, Private, died of disease, March 2, 1862.
Green, George L., Private, died of wounds, May 12, 1862.
Hughes, Peter, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
Haggerty, John, Private, died of wounds, June 27, 1862.
Keleher, Cornelius, Private, died of disease, September 27, 1862.
Keating, William, Private, died of disease, September 17, 1862.
Long, Cornelius, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Maloy, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
Mahoney, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Quinn, Charles, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Regan, Daniel I., Sergeant, killed at the Battle of Hanover Court
House, May 27, 1862.
Sheehan, James, Corporal, died of disease, January 3, 1863.
Stiles? Lewis H., Private, killed accidentally, February 29, 1864.
Winters, Lawrence, Private, died of disease, September 6, 1862.
Scollard, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1864.
Missing in Action.
Burns, Michael, Corporal, at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May
12, 1864.
Feely, Richard, Sergeant, at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May
12, 1864.
294
The Irish Ninth.
Company G — continued.
Flynn, David, Private, at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May 12,
1864.
Foley, John, Private, at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May 12,
1864.
Walker, Silas, Private, at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May 12,
1864.
(Deserters dropped.)
Company XI.
Patrick Doherty, First Sergeant, mustered out June 21, 1864.
John H. Donovan, Sergeant,
Malachi Curley, "
Andrew Pratt, "
Patrick Blunt, "
William Ford, Corporal,
Patrick McGuillian, "
David Slattery, "
John W. Griffin, "
John P. Donovan, "
Patrick White, "
Timothy, Desmond, . "
Daniel Sullivan, "
Timothy Conaughton, Wagoner,
Burke, Michael, Private,
Burke, David, "
Broderick, William, "
Brady, Peter, "
Burke, Michael D., "
Burke, Samuel, "
Connors, James, "
Cronin, John, "
Carey, William J., "
Carr, John W., "
Carr, John, "
Conroy, John, "
Connors, William, "
mustered out, June 27, 1864.
Roster of Enlisted Men. 295
Company H-
Doherty, Patrick, Private,
Dillon, Jeremiah,
Driscoll, Michael,
Doherty, John,
Doherty, Patrick B.,
Finton, Thomas,
Fitzpatrick, Edward,
Griffin, John,
Hart, Henry,
Murray, John,
McCarthy, Patrick,
Murphy, Michael,
McLaughlin, Edward,
McNeil, James,
McCormack, James,
Began, Joseph,
Shea, John,
Slattery, Thomas,
Tiernan, Marcus,
■ continued.
mustered out, June 27, 1864.
John McAveny,
Merrick Cowells,
Dennis O'Neil,
John Whalen,
Discharged.
Private, for disability,
October 29, 1861.
September 17,1862.
October 15, "
March 1, "
Sergeant, "
Private, "
Michael B. McMahon, " "
Daniel Callahan, Private, for disability, October 1, 1862 ; from
wounds.
John F. Toomey, Private, for disability, October 25, 1862.
John Clifford, Private, for disability, October 27, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Patrick Bowe, Private, for disability, October 30, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Dennis Mooney, Private, for disability, October 30, 1862.
James Bowe, Private, for disability, October 22, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Patrick Flynn, Private, for disability, September 26, 1862; from
wounds.
296
The Irish Ninth.
Company H — continued.
Daniel Sweeney, Private, for disability, September 22, 1862.
Maurice Cahill, Private, for disability, October 14, 1862.
John Cain, Private, for disability, November 8,1862; from wounds.
John O'Grady, Private, for disability, December 31, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Hugh Gilbridge, Private, for disability, January 13, 1863 ; from
wounds.
James McGowan, Corporal, for disability, March 25, 1863 ; from
wounds.
Francis Foley, Private, for disability, January 26, 1863.
James W. Tobin, Sergeant, for disability, April 6, 1863 ; from
wounds.
John Sullivan, Private, for disability, January 31, 1863.
Michael Rogers, Private, for disability, October 30, 1862.
John O'Keefe, Private, for disability, November 2, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Cornelius Fahey, Private, for disability, December 27, 1862.
Michael Coakley, Private, for disability, December 13, 1862; from
wounds.
Transferred.
Michael A. Finnerty, Sergeant, to Non-Commission Staff, Octo¬
ber 25, 1861.
Patrick E. Murphy, First Sergeant, to Non-Commission Staff,
February 26, 1862.
"William R. Burke, First Sergeant, to Non-Commission Staff, Sep¬
tember 26, 1862.
Cornelius Carmody, Private, to Company A, Aug. 9, 1861.
to Yet. Res. Corps, Oct. 5, 1863.
" Dec. 29, 1863.
Patrick Daveron,
John Donnelly,
Charles Willis,
Bryan Connell,
James Corcoran,
Patrick Smith,
Hugh Weldon,
Thomas H. Adams,
Michael J. Burke,
July 27,
Oct. 5,
Dec. 14,
" July 1,
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Roster of Enlisted Men.
'297
Company H — continued.
John W. H. Bindon, Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
James Donnelly,
Nehemiah S. Dodd,
John Foley,
John It. Goss,
John Holmes,
John Healey,
Edmund Lewis,
Patrick Ledon,
William McDonald,
John Melvin,
James J. Rix,
John B. Salkins,
Henry Young,
Francis Finnerty,
John J. Ford,
Patrick Fitzsimmons,
Owen McCarthy,
Michael Finnerty,
Francis Murray,
. George Mitchell,
Thomas Mullen,
John Tobin,
Patrick Sweeney,
D. Sweeney, " to Bat. D, 5th U. S. Art., June 9,1864.
Deceased.
Hugh Doherty, Private, drowned in Potomac River, September 26,
1861.
Michael Jordan, Private, died of disease, June 1, 1862.
Thomas Tynman, Private, died of disease, June 15, 1862.
Jeremiah Murphy, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Samuel Day, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Thomas Cummings, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
298
The Irish Ninth.
. Company H — continued.
Simon Carley, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
'June 27, 1862.
John O'Neil, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
William Adams, Private, killed at the Battle of- Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Thomas Iiubon, Corporal, died of wounds, July 22, 1862.
James H. McGovern, Private, died of wounds, August 7, 1862.
Patrick, Holian, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Patrick Collins, Private, died of disease, October 21, 1863.
William McBrian, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Jeremiah King, Private, killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Va.,
December 13, 1862.
William Peachy, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
James O'Connell, Private, killed at tbjg Battle of the Wilderness,
May 5, 1864.
John Mullen, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
Thomas Nugent, Private, killed by accident, March 17, 1864.
James Dooley, Private, died of wounds, December 20, 1862.
William McLaughlin, Private, died of disease, January 2, 1863.
John F. Reilly, Private, died of disease, December 15, 1862.
(Deserters dropped.)
Company I.
Jeremiah Cronin,
Patrick J. Sullivan,
Bernard McLaughlin,
Thomas Flynn,
David Brickley,
William Carroll,
Michael Dempsey,
1st Sergeant, mustered out June 21, 1864.
Sergeant,
Corporal,
Roster of Enlisted Men. 299
Company I — contini
Thomas Green,
Michael Roach,
Patrick Herlihey,
Boylan, Henry,
Bourke, Patrick,
Coughlin, James,
Dolan, Thomas,
Dacey, Cornelius,
Fallan, Thomas,
Fohey, Thomas,
Flynn, Nicholas,
Flynn, Edmond,
Griffin, Patrick,
Gallagher, John,
Gallagher, Patrick,
Hurley, Daniel,
Leslie, James,
Lehwellyn, Thomas,
Mahoney, Dennis,
Murphy, James,
McCarthy, Charles,
McCarran, Daniel,
McAuliff, Patrick,
McDermott, John,
McGuire, Thomas,
McKliget, James,
Norton, Thomas,
O'Brien, Daniel A.,
Phalon, "William,
Quinn, John,
Sherlock, Thomas,
Spring, Patrick,
Sullivan, Bernard,
Slyman, John,
Corporal, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
Private,
ed.
300
The Irish Ninth.
Company I — continued.
Discharged.
James W. Macnamara, First Sergeant, to accept commission, October
20, 1862. (See Officers' Rostey.)
Timothy Dacey, Sergeant, to accept commission, September 24,
1862. (See Officers' Roster.)
Lawrence Conlin, Sergeant, for disability, October 15, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Andrew Doran, Corporal, for disability, February 12, 1863.
Joseph Barry, Corporal, for disability, September 1, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Alcom, Thomas, Private, for disability, October 10, 1862.
Blake, George, Private, by order of the War Department, October
23, 1862.
Buckley, James, Private, for disability, November 28, 1862; from
wounds.
Burns, William, Private, for disability, September 1, 1863.
Carney, Martin, Private, for disability, July 18, 1862.
Cullen, John, Private, for disability, November 19, 1862; from
wounds.
Connell, William, Private, for disability, July 16, 1862.
Curtin, Daniel, Private, for disability, November 24, 1862.
Casey, Michael, Private, for disability, December 30, 1862.
Connors, John, Private, for disability, January 27, 1863.
Duffy, Michael, Private, for disability, from wounds.
Eddy, David, Private, for disability, April 15, 1863.
Garvey, Patrick, Private, for disability, October 28, 1862 ; from
wounds.
Heeney, Richard, Private, for disability, March 25, 1863.
Jones, John, Private, for disability, April 13, 1864.
Keenan, John, Private, for disability, February 21, 1863.
Kirty, Michael H., Private, by order of the War Department,
October 23, 1862.
Kelley, Timothy, Private, for disability, March '2, 1862.
Lane, Patrick, " " March 28, 1862.
Mundy, Bernard, " " September 21, 1861.
Moore, Patrick, " " January 2, 1862.
Morris, John, Private, disability from wounds, September 12, 1862.
Roster of Enlisted Men! 301
Company I — continued.
McHugh, Hugh, Private, for disability, November 24, 1862.
McCormack, John, " " October 26, 1862.
McLaughlin, Hugh, " " from wounds.
O'Neill, Patrick, " " December 27, 1862.
Regan, Andrew, Private, for disability, from wounds, September
27, 1862.
Shields, Peter, Private, for disability, Aug. 21, 1862; from wounds.
Spillian, John, Private, for disability, Oct. 29, 1862 ; from wounds.
Sullivan, John P., Private, for disability, Oct. 28,1862; from wounds.
Sullivan, Lawrence, Private, " June 15, 1863.
Sweeny, Owen, " " April 16, 1863.
Thompson, Peter, " by order War Dpt., October 23,1863.
Whalen, James, " for disability, March 25, 1863.
Walsh, John, " " December 26, 1863.
Transferred.
Francis O'Dowd, Sergeant, to Non-Commission Staff, 1862.
Edward McDonald, Sergeant, to Company D, September 1, 1861.
Angel, John, Private, to Navy.
Beaman, Warren E., Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Butterfield, James,
Carney, Thomas,
Curran, Francis,
Cartwright, John
Coy, Henry,
Church, Spencer,
Donavan, Patrick,
Delacey, John,
Flynn, John,
Hermann, Lewis A.,
Kelley, John,
Kohlbrand, Charles H.,
Laren, Thomas,
McKeever, James,
McNeil, James,
O'Loughlin, Terrence,
Perley, Stephen,
Palmer, John,
to Vet. Res. Corps., March 15, 1864.
to Company D, Aug. 10, 1861.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
a it a »
to Company A, Aug. 10, 1861.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
it it n "
to Navy.
to Company A, Sept. 1, 1861.
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
302
The Irish Ninth.
Company I — continued.
Sheridan, Thomas, Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Sling, Edward, " " " ■ "
Tierney, Edward, " to Begt. Band, July 1, 1862.
Thompson, Andrew, " to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
"Way, George, " " " "
Deceased.
Patrick Babbitt, Sergeant, died of wounds, May 12, 1864.
Patrick Carroll, Corporal, " " "
James Burns, " " " July 13, 1863.
Maurice Cotter, Corporal, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Bernard Hayes, Corporal, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Charles Kearney, Corporal, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
James McDonough, Corporal, killed at the Battle of Gaines'Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Blake, Stephen, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Curran, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Conlin, Michael P., Private, died of disease, April 16, 1863.
Fitzgibbons, John, Private, died of wounds, June 27,1862.
Garrity, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Gilles, William, Private, died of wounds, May 5, 1864.
Garrity, Michael, Private, died of wounds, June 17, 1864.
Hackett, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May'5, 1864.
Hale, John H., Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
Slay 8, 1864.
Kelley, John, Private, died of disease, November 16, 1861.
Kelley, Daniel, Private, died of disease, October, 23, 1862.
Manyan, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of Spottsylvania
Court House, Va., May 12, 1864.
Mulcahey, David, Private, died of wounds, July 1, 1862.
Roster op Enlisted Men.
303
Company I — continued.
Matthews, Lawrence, Private, died of wounds, May 5, 1864.
Nagle, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Oakes, James, Private, died of disease.
Winn, William, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Company K.
Maurice Condon, First Sergeant, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
William Linehan,
William Mitchell,
Michael Connelly,
Edward Biordan,
John Donahue,
Patrick F. McGuire,
John J. Breen,
Patrick Cunningham,
Barry, Michael,
Barlow, Robert,
Burke, James,
Clifford, Thomas,
Collins, Charles O.,
Crane, Denrick,
Cullen, James,
Cunningham, Roger,
Carroll, Thomas,
Dempsey, Patrick,
Deary, Lawrence,
Flynn, James,
Flynn, Patrick,
Gartland, John,
Garey, John,
Horan, Patrick,
Johnston, Edward,
Kenney, Patrick,
Lee, Robert,
Sergeant,
Corporal,
Private,
304
The Irish Ninth.
Martin, Michael,
Mahoney, James,
Mooney, William,
McGuire, Michael,
McGowen, John,
Noonan, Thomas,
Spellman, Patrick,
Sullivan, Richard,
Toomey, Jeremiah,
Webb, James,
Welsh, Patrick,
Company K — continued.
Private, mustered out, June 21, 1864.
Discharged.
Hugh McGunnigle, First Sergeant, to accept
21, 1862. (See Officers' Roster.)
Butler, James,
Clark, Michael,
Coughlin, John, 1
Dooley, John, '
Doherty, James, '
Gately, Martin, '
Goward, James, 1
Harris, James, '
Haley, James D., '
Johnston, William E., '
Kelley, Martin, '
Landy, Patrick, '
Long, John, '
Lanagan, Patrick, '
Murray, Neal, '
Meloney, Charles, "
McGuire, David, "
Manning, Patrick, "
O'Sullivan, James, "
O'Sullivan, Thomas A., "
Reilley, Thomas, "
Reddy, Andrew, "
Private, for disability,
by order,
for disability,
by order,
for disability,
by order,
for disability,
by order,
commission, October
October 20, 1862.
October 15, 1862.
May 12, 1864.
August 26, 1862.
November 8,1862.
Decemb'r 22,1863.
" 31, "
February 9, "
October 30, 1862.
November 1, 1862.
October 29, "
5, «
11, "
19, 1863.
24, 1862.
9, 1863.
9, 1861.
2, 1863.
3, 1862.
July
Nov.
August
Nov.
March
Nov.
June
January
October 30,
April 26,
October 30,
Roster of Enlisted Men. 305
Company K — continued.
Roddy, Patrick, Private, for disability,
Sweeney, John,
Sheridan, Philip,
Smith, David,
Trainer, Francis,
Walsh, Michael,
Wiley, Charles,
Columbus, Anthony,
Daney, Emanuel,
Doran, Christian,
Ebberhardt, Justin,
Ford, Alexander,
Galle, Hagar,
Hogan, James,
Jackson, John,
Kelley, Patrick,
Rock, Christian,
Lundergreen, John,
Lingner, Adolphus,
Nolde, William,
Naphut, Mathias,
Rosa, George,
Schimedt, George,
Sheror, John,
Schaffer, William,
Scannell, John,
Steward, John,
Sweeney, Patrick,
Thede, William,
by order,
for disability,
by order,
it
for disability,
by order.
Transferred.
March 22, 1863.
October 30, 1862.
Dec.
May
Jan.
Dec.
October
1, "
15, 1863.
25, "
1, 1862.
12, "
Private, to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
to U. S. Navy, April 21, "
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, "
ti << U
to Veteran Reserve Corps,
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
U U (6
to Veteran Reserve Corps,
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
u << <<
to Veteran Reserve Corps,
to 32d Mass. Vols., June 9, 1864.
Deceased.
Butler, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Connell, Michael, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
20
306
The Irish Ninth.
Company K — continued.
Cogger, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May
8, 1864.
Dennison, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Dermody, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill,
Va., July 1, 1862.
Ford, Joseph, Private, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July
2, 1863.
Flynn, Joseph, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Howard, Simon, Private, died of wounds, September 1, 1863.
Keleher, Patrick, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Kerns, John, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May
8, 1864.
McLaughlin, James, Private, died of wounds, November 12, 1863.
Murphy, Myles, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va., May
8, 1864.
Murtagh, Thomas, Private, killed at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
Biordan, Daniel, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Biordan, Daniel, 2d, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills,
Va., June 27, 1862.
Scannell, John, Private, died of wounds, July 1, 1862.
Schimatt, William, Private, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Toomev, James, Private, died of wounds, January 1, 1863.
Tully, Bartlett, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June, 27, 1862.
O'Hare, Hugh, Private, killed at the Battle of Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
(Deserters dropped.)